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Off Topic Starmer/ Reeves: last man standing

Discussion in 'Sunderland' started by Blond Bombshell, Sep 12, 2025.

  1. 123Daveyboy

    123Daveyboy Well-Known Member

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    Can't blame rising immigration on Brexit, imo it's down to politicians not having the balls to make a real go of stopping the boats.
    I have nothing against legals coming over.
     
    #301
  2. FellTop

    FellTop Well-Known Member

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    Number of things mate. It was announced at the 99 party conference as a target. In 2010 applications shot up, we were in recession and there wasnt much on offer, but folk latched onto university. The same year the govt cut funding for university places!

    Some of the real problems were around degrees studied. Many universities went down the route of mixed degrees but some werent worth much in employability terms. So students didnt really come out with proper workplace skills.

    Then there is the reality that studying at university is hard. It isnt for everyone. It is so different from anything you do at school and so much is self learning. Too many students went who werent ready and too many failed to complete, wasting their own time.

    It created an open market to an extent. Universities now chase students to come to them. They grew and grew, increasing cost base to teach more students. The top end universities hoovered up the students with best marks and those universities at the bottom of the ladder had to take in what they could get. Just to survive. This is still going on today. Some students are being accepted on to courses that are probably not able enough, but universities need them to survive.

    Thr balance struck was all wrong. We should have gone for apprenticeship based learning much more. The tories introduced degree apprenticeships, which are a fantastic way for young people to go, but it has been to slow to move. It is getting there. That model of access to HE is much better and with less cost to the country.

    Our ability as a nation to build stuff, or manufacture, is problematic. Arguably young people going into the apprenticeship route is a much better balance.

    Dont get me wrong. We want access to universities to all who will benefit from it. It is vital access is equitable. But that does not equate to half of young folk. They needed a better balance of choices, and the country needed a better balance of economic opportunities.
     
    #302
  3. Pure River Slut

    Pure River Slut Well-Known Member

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    Haven’t we got blue labour now?
     
    #303
  4. Pure River Slut

    Pure River Slut Well-Known Member

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    It’s not balls it’s policies and partnerships that deal with a complicated cause and a complicated system. This isn’t simple and will never be solved by simple thinking and sticking plasters
     
    #304
  5. Ronsafc

    Ronsafc Well-Known Member

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    Would give you multiple likes for this if I could, but we seem to have a political elite both sides that have looked down on working type higher education courses. Where i worked lads were doing secondment in office type jobs, when full time positions because available, kids straight out of uni were given jobs as shop floor worker did not have qualifications required.
     
    #305
  6. Ronsafc

    Ronsafc Well-Known Member

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    According to the BBC and sky were side event at labour conference
     
    #306
  7. Blond Bombshell

    Blond Bombshell Well-Known Member

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    Hopefully this better balance is on the cards after starmers speech.
     
    #307
    FellTop likes this.
  8. Blond Bombshell

    Blond Bombshell Well-Known Member

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    Building on Green? I thought labour policy was to build on grey/brown land
     
    #308
  9. Ronsafc

    Ronsafc Well-Known Member

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    Where is the spare brown land to build 4 cities, just looking at the building going on around Sunderland yes riverside site is brown but all the houses around doxy on green belt, also Ryhope will soon connect to Seaham and op Penshaw monument, then industrial north of Nissan up to testos will be fully built on. That is just Sunderland, this will be replicated around the country
     
    #309
  10. rowley

    rowley Well-Known Member

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    Believe me, if there's is anything I have knowledge of it is the energy industry, and particularly the Nuclear industry. The investment is tiny compared to the subsidies paid to wind. Moreover, one US company, with proven tech on a new SMR was refused permission to go forward with plans to build one here. They required no subsidy.
     
    #310
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  11. Northumberland Rocks

    Northumberland Rocks Well-Known Member

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    The experts were right and Farage was wrong.

    Record immigration and a fooked economy is Brexits legacy. Unfortunately a lot who voted for it want to blame everyone and their dog for its failure. They really need to own it.
     
    #311
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  12. Northumberland Rocks

    Northumberland Rocks Well-Known Member

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    Well you must be pleased with Starmers speech this week then. :)
     
    #312
  13. rooch 3

    rooch 3 Well-Known Member

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    So “ your experts “ are still right if Brexit got the nod a second time?
     
    #313
  14. Ronsafc

    Ronsafc Well-Known Member

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    Did not listen to it but snippets i has seen yes it was good. Biggest problem for labour to improve the country are the backwards looking cs unions where whatever improvements you carry out they will not back if redundancy required. Would of been more impressed with them last year if they had stood up to the unions and said "you want 22% rise", we want at least 22% productivity improvement, but they bowed down to everything without a challenge.
     
    #314
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  15. FellTop

    FellTop Well-Known Member

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    It was the standout for me, and very encouraging. Technical qualifications are going to be where we need our workforce of the future.

    I really hope he goes hard on the degree apprenticeships and puts funding squarely behind it. It is without doubt a fantastic route for young people. T levels are new and bedding in but equally need backing. They must be seen as equivalent to A Levels.

    Put party politics aside for a moment and those two things introduced recently have the potential to transform education and skills for our kids. They need to be built on by successive governments irrespective of who it is.
     
    #315
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  16. Northumberland Rocks

    Northumberland Rocks Well-Known Member

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    I agree with most of that, but I think the rise you highlight was to junior doctors and I believe there was an independent pay review which recommended that. I still think they have been greedy this year but if i wouldn’t complain if I needed their help in an emergency
     
    #316
  17. Northumberland Rocks

    Northumberland Rocks Well-Known Member

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    Not my experts but there were countless who predicted what would happen and they are right and Farage was wrong.

    We currently to listen scientists in terms of climate change not Garage and his fossil fuel backers.

    Only idiots keep making the same mistakes
     
    #317
  18. rooch 3

    rooch 3 Well-Known Member

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    I can’t really get my head round this on, they say their pay is 20% lower than it was a few years ago and nobody seems to be arguing against it.
    If it’s true ask the MPs to take a 20% pay cut and see their reaction.
    If it’s true I would quite willingly back them.
     
    #318
  19. rooch 3

    rooch 3 Well-Known Member

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    Well you backed the experts that said houses were going to plummet so I won’t argue with you there.
     
    #319

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