Off Topic Trevor Sinclair

shut up, not as many as I was predicted

 

Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was never really their surname. It was the name of the dynasty and there is a legal difference between those. Monarchs and other aristocrats, both here and in Europe, simply adopted the name of the place that their father was King/Lord/Duke/Elector of and that got passed on. When George V made the Royal proclamation that the family would no longer make use of “Degrees, Styles, Dignities, Titles and Honours of Dukes and Duchesses of Saxony and Princes and Princesses of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and all other German Degrees, Styles, Dignities, Titles, Honours and Appellations,” they adopted Windsor as a legal surname.

Why does the Germanic heritage need to be diluted? What's wrong with being German?

 

I guess I’m arguing for the redistribution of obscene wealth so we all get the fair crack at it not their exclusion, maybe a change in preference of certain schools at places like Russell group universities especially Oxford.

 

Haha I’m walking my dog and my phones wet. As long as you don’t use Far Eastern ones

 

It's nearly as bad as the original tweet.

 

Articles 490 and 491 of the criminal code govern lèse-majesté. Any person who defames or insults the king, the queen, their ancestors or their descendants can be imprisoned for up to two years

 

Off with his head

 

That's not a British law, thankfully, as I'm sure we'd all be serving time for comments over Prince Andrew.

 

Truss is intending to force Oxbridge to offer an interview to all A grade students. She wants greater access to Oxbridge. In my opinion this is a policy lacking in any real intelligence, or awareness of the edication system. Access to Russell group universities, for 'non traditional' students is increasing all if the time. Oxford announed in 2019 they would improve from a 1 in 7 ratio, to a 1 in 4 ratio of students from the most underrepresented groups by 2023. The widening participation conversation inside HE is very significant and has been for some time.

The brand associated with Russell Group universities isnt what it once was. That is because other universities have really upped their game and are now viewed as specialists and are number 1 choice for many students. The assumption from Truss that everyone with As wants go to Oxbridge is based on outdated opinions of HE, and on the assumed value employers put on an Oxbridge education, which isnt what it once was.

In my opinion the real challenge in HE right now is to throttle the appeal. Too many people go and dont get value for money in the long run. Too many degrees with no long term value. Too many students turning up unable to study at the level needed. We have created a system whereby universities need a certain number of students to be financially viable. This has created a race to the bottom in terms of scooping up students with poor grades just to get the necessary revenue to survive. All the while more universities are appearing. It seems a bit of a depressing cycle to me.

If we could value non degree education better, such as apprenticeships (and degree apprenticeships are a real step in the right direction) then that is a big win. Similarly, if we start to recognise experiential learning, as on a par with academic learning. I employ a fair few people each year and on each JD and PS I have to ask for a degree. Yet I am not allowed to ask for x years experience. This is obviously wrong. In selection I completely ignore academic achievement and focus only on personality and character. I regularly sign an override on a candidates without a degree.

Anyway, rambling now, but the HE system in our country is a hobbyhorse of mine.

 

Somebody asked if it was a criminal offence to besmirch the queen, and it is, Prince Andrew was about to take the stand formally charged, racism was outlawed in the 60’s completely different topics of conversation

 

The 50% (or whatever it was) of school leavers entering university policy of the Blair government really devalued education at all levels, in my opinion.

 

The law you quoted is not a UK law. It is not a criminal offence to criticise the Queen or any of the royal family in this country - we do not have lèse-majesté laws.

My Prince Andrew comment was regarding the actual detail of the supposed British law which you posted which suggested it was also illegal to "defame or insult" the Queens descendants.

 

Get him on that one then under the treason act
The act – which makes it a criminal offence, punishable by life imprisonment, to advocate abolition of the monarchy in print, even by peaceful means

 

So do you believe people should have the right to “opt out” of selected parts of the tax system?

 

I can say honestly in all the people I interviewed to work for me, I told them all I didn’t want to see the certificates they were handing me in their brown envelopes, I knew within 15 min wether they were right for the company or not.

 

A bit of a tangent, but I just came across this in the Treason Act (well on Wiki):

On 26 March 2015 the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 came into effect, which amended the line of succession to the throne to give women the same right to succeed to the throne as their brothers. In consequence of this, the Treason Act 1351 was amended in two ways. Whereas it had been treason to encompass the death of the monarch's eldest son and heir, this was amended to cover an heir of either sex. It had also been treason to "violate" the wife of the monarch's eldest son, but the 2013 Act restricted this to cases where the eldest son is also the heir to the throne.

It's treason to shag Kate if the opportunity presented itself, but you're all good if it's Meghan.

It's still completely impossible to be Catholic and ruler of this country, which is fascinating. I wonder how many of these laws are tradition and historical legacies and how many are steadfastly believed in.

 

That is very interesting. I think a lot of things would be worked around if they were a real problem. I don't think there is anything wrong with sticking to traditions though. Very interesting about the possibility of a Catholic monarch, particularly in light of the oath that the King has just had to take regarding the Church of Scotland.

 

I feel vulnerable

 

I think this should be an opt in pay extra

 

That could be straight out of the book of extreme religious fundamentalism. Not even allowed to suggest change peacefully.