19 Edinburgh Schools to Close Indefinitely

[danny la rouge]

What a mess. My first thought was for the kids doing whatever the new name is for "O" Grades and Highers

Highers are still called Highers, but "O" Grades (which you and I sat) were replaced 30 years ago by Standard Grades! Standard Grades have now been replaced you old duffer. The replacement is National 5s.

 

[danny la rouge]

Aside from the dodgy quality control on these particular contracts, it does highlight the cynical attitude behind PFI contracts. Indeed all buildings constructed under any kind of public private finance deal (whichever of the names they were constructed under) should really be examined now.

 

[alex_]

Aside from the dodgy quality control on these particular contracts, it does highlight the cynical attitude behind PFI contracts. Indeed all buildings constructed under any kind of public private finance deal (whichever of the names they were constructed under) should really be examined now.

I'm not sure there is anything special to pfi here, councils don't have works departments anymore at least not that would build schools. However these schools were funded it'd have gone to a private construction company.

I'd image the contract would specify that construction must be to some huge list of eu or British standards which not using X ties per sq meter will breach.

On the bright side because the schools are pfi, whoever owns the pfi will be paying to fix it and if whoever wrote the pfi contract was savvy then there will be penalty clauses of the schools can't open.

alex

 

[danny la rouge]

I'm not sure there is anything special to pfi here

I'm sure there isn't. The acronym isn't important. The culture is.

 

[two sheds]

On the bright side because the schools are pfi, whoever owns the pfi will be paying to fix it

depending on the contract

and if whoever wrote the pfi contract was savvy then there will be penalty clauses of the schools can't open.

alex

Yes will be interesting to see what happens with the finances if we're ever allowed to know.

 

[danny la rouge]

"As a tangible symbol of rip-off Britain and the failed privatisation of the public sector, it is exemplary. "

"PFI fundamentally alters the relationship between the citizen and the state, so that our public bodies, buildings and institutions are no longer owned by, or accountable to, us. It’s a failure of democracy, not just bad accounting. In this way it’s not just a turn away from public ownership, from the protection of a non-commoditised realm in areas of common good such as “health” and “education”. "

It’s not just Scotland’s schools. The whole PFI racket is crumbling | Mike Small

 

[danny la rouge]

"The whole industry, everyone realised these buildings were shoddy and they were shoddy in every sort of way - in terms of quality of the environment made for the children and financially they were unbelievably expensive and they were purely an ideological route, they were not good for the public purse, they were not good for education and we are seeing what has come out of that now."

Architect Malcolm Fraser says school closures show folly of PFI scheme

 

[Sue]

"The whole industry, everyone realised these buildings were shoddy and they were shoddy in every sort of way - in terms of quality of the environment made for the children and financially they were unbelievably expensive and they were purely an ideological route, they were not good for the public purse, they were not good for education and we are seeing what has come out of that now."

Architect Malcolm Fraser says school closures show folly of PFI scheme

Heard him speaking about this on the radio the other day. Agreed with absolutely everything he said (which was pretty much what he says in this article).

 

[TheHoodedClaw]

Fuck a duck, looks like all 17 of the schools that were completely rebuilt by Edinburgh Schools Partnership have problems. Some of them might be shut until after the summer holidays.

Building flaws found in all 17 closed Edinburgh schools

I hope someone is looking closely at, say, the shiny new hospitals built under similar arrangements...

 

[gosub]

Fuck a duck, looks like all 17 of the schools that were completely rebuilt by Edinburgh Schools Partnership have problems. Some of them might be shut until after the summer holidays.

Building flaws found in all 17 closed Edinburgh schools

I hope someone is looking closely at, say, the shiny new hospitals built under similar arrangements...

and the buildings they built in England

 

[gosub]

newspapers last week said they tried to interview Lord McConnell but he was too busy. Can't find a statement from him yet but, he's not THAT busy.

 

[weepiper]

Robin McAlpine on excellent slightly frothing form here
Profiteering is killing Britain and will kill Scotland if we don't stop it

 

[danny la rouge]

Good piece on PFI from Mhairi Black:

Mhairi Black: The PFI debt mountain is growing ever higher

 

[equationgirl]

Good piece on PFI from Mhairi Black:

Mhairi Black: The PFI debt mountain is growing ever higher

It is good. She gets better all the time.