Selling Out: Where is the line crossed?

[Favelado]

There was a scheme where bright children could attend the top public schools, it was called the Assisted Places Scheme. It was abolished by that revolting cuntish piece of shit, Blair. He went to Fettes of course. Can't have the plebs well educated can we? Only the socialist elite.

I went to a private school on the assisted places scheme and it was shit. We were on Income Support most of the time meaning that the fees were totally waived after I'd passed an exam.
Fancy getting called "peasant" by the posher kids at your school and then "snob" on the walk home when the state school kids spotted your blazer?
For a private school, it wasn't especially posh. It was in a normal residential area in South Shore, Blackpool. About ten percent of the kids weren't remotely middle-class as far as I'm concerned. The vast majority were lower middle-class Blackpudlians. It's not the poshest of towns. However, the snobbery and the messages sent to the kids about class that the pupils got drilled into them were still poisonous, even if it wasn't some kind of experience-from-an-another-planet Eton affair. It instilled values of seperation and individualism and sneery comments about state school were never far from the teachers' lips.

As a former assisted place pupil, I welcome the abolition of the scheme and wish it had never happened. Let's abolish private schools and make them irrelevant by providing well-funded state education, which we haven't bothered trying yet.

 

[chilango]

There was a scheme where bright children could attend the top public schools, it was called the Assisted Places Scheme. It was abolished by that revolting cuntish piece of shit, Blair. He went to Fettes of course. Can't have the plebs well educated can we? Only the socialist elite.

We may well get a huge discount (if not a free place) for our daughter at a good private school.

We won't send her.

 

[William of Walworth]

Have a good evening everyone



Especially those who kept making 'points' after I went out and about for the day

 

[Santino]

Have a good evening everyone



Especially those who kept making 'points' after I went out and about for the day

Be sure to tell us when you think it would be appropriate to comment again. Perhaps you could advertise your office hours.

 

[William of Walworth]

Any time man!

(The above post from me wasn't aimed at you at all, btw).

 

[gamerunknown]

Oh, parents also did part-rent and part-buy after being on the council waiting list for over 10 years.

 

[Looby]

(The above post from me wasn't aimed at you at all, btw).

You sound like a child. [emoji1] Am I only allowed to reply to you when you're at home and online then William? Christ! I've seen harsher criticism on junior fucking masterchef. If you really can't handle a couple of comments about an issue that you raised then put me on ignore because I think you're being ridiculous.

 

[killer b]

Crikey.

 

[Sasaferrato]

You do, to a point. But expect people too much to be too ascetic and you cross a line that makes it both unrealistic and socially corrosive in its own right. We can all be criticised for some of our actions that take place within a selfish capitalist industrialised society. The nature of the beast is fundamentally corrupting. Once you start down the path of blaming individuals for actions that are both commonplace and have little individual effect, you want to be careful that your own record is squeaky clean across all axes of morality.

Anyone who owns an Apple product can shut the fuck up about anyone else's morality.

 

[xenon]

Anyone who owns an Apple product can shut the fuck up about anyone else's morality.

You own an Iphone, therefore you can't legitimately object to social clensing, anti union intimidation, arms dealing, etc. Rediculous of course. Who miend the metals in your PC anyway.

 

[chilango]

Of course it's easy to avoid accusations of hypocrisy if one doesn't have any ideals to begin with...

 

[coley]

sparklefish killer b

This following is just context. I'm not going to attempt to defend what I did as such, because it's not defensible.

But you might? have forgotten that the sublet thing lasted not for very long at all -- less than 5 months as it turned out.

At the time, I had little to no confidence**, at all, about whether or not my moving to Swansea would work out, relationship wise.

**(far less confidence than I should have had really, given how well it's worked out by now, but still, this was back then! .... )

Don't forget also, that I'd resigned, after almost 20 years, from a well paid/permanent/secure job in London to follow my love dream -- being unemployed for 18 months was one of the (admittedly far less important) consequences.

For several of those months I had no money at all (the hours were great mindyou ) because signing on was only possible for a limited part of that time -- Deb knew the DWP rules.

What you/others may not remember from the previous monstering I got about this a few years ago, a fair bit of which was done by people on here who at the time hated me anyway (who started the call-out-of-me thread about it back then? Not me!) is that the unofficial sublet plan was never, at any point, intended to be permanent.

I never felt great (to say the least) about doing it at all, and I knew all along that OK, yes, it was shitty and, yes, utterly wrong. Illegal too, all that. I could apologise if asked, but what would that achieve?

But please look a bit beyond that less-than-5-months period can you? Please? I gave the keys back to the Council did I not? Not expecting congratulations or anything stupid for that, because that was what what I'd always intended to do anyway. The returning of the keys happened a little (and I really do mean a little!) earlier than intended is all, and I'm glad (now) that it did, because the Council got the flat back (main thing).

Debbie was massively supportive, principally emotionally (but also financially), at the time.

Well I've moved on a tad now, and the Council have had the flat back since early (March or at latest April I think) 2009. Perhaps moving on's worth doing for others, if anyone's still happens to be pissed off with me about it.

It was a stupid error of judgement I made over six years ago ....

You made a mistake, who hasn't? No need to keep beating yourself up about it.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Anyone who owns an Apple product can shut the fuck up about anyone else's morality.

If you own a mobile phone (which will contain tantalum) you can "shut the fuck up about anyone else's morality".
If you own a desktop or laptop PC you can do similar.
If you own a vehicle that uses catalytic converter technology - likewise.
There's nothing uniquely awful about Apple products. Most consumer electronics, and anything utilising rare elements, have bloody histories with regard to the raw materials and the manufacture.

 

[coley]

I work in Debt Management for HMRC. On running my 'end of year' figures recently, I put more than a million quid into the public coffers.

Is this debt management an official part of HRMC or a 'contracted in' private company?

 

[Sasaferrato]

Is this debt management an official part of HRMC or a 'contracted in' private company?

HMRC. Otherwise I would have said so. Another member here, works not only in the same office, but the same floor.

 

[Sasaferrato]

If you own a mobile phone (which will contain tantalum) you can "shut the fuck up about anyone else's morality".
If you own a desktop or laptop PC you can do similar.
If you own a vehicle that uses catalytic converter technology - likewise.
There's nothing uniquely awful about Apple products. Most consumer electronics, and anything utilising rare elements, have bloody histories with regard to the raw materials and the manufacture.

From the highly offensive/defensive response...

One word re Apple. Foxconn. http://www.cnet.com/news/riots-suicides-and-other-issues-in-foxconns-iphone-factories/

Oh, btw, my mobile phone was made in Japan.

 

[Sue]

There was a scheme where bright children could attend the top public schools, it was called the Assisted Places Scheme. It was abolished by that revolting cuntish piece of shit, Blair. He went to Fettes of course. Can't have the plebs well educated can we? Only the socialist elite.

So you can't be well educated in the state system?

 

[Sasaferrato]

So you can't be well educated in the state system?

Yes, it is possible.

 

[ViolentPanda]

From the highly offensive/defensive response...

I don't own or use any Apple products. I believe that if you're going to have a pop at someone for doing so, you need to realise that your own consumer electronics are just as blood-soaked, regardless of them not being made by/for Apple.

One word re Apple. Foxconn. http://www.cnet.com/news/riots-suicides-and-other-issues-in-foxconns-iphone-factories/

You hear about Foxconn because they do dedicated servicing - i.e. they work almost exclusively on Apple products. Many other China-based assembly plants are just as horrific.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Eh? Surely the assisted places scheme was a divisive scheme that was rightly abolished? Crumbs from the table from schools that should not exist in a fair society.

So, a fair society is one ruled by diktat? Where the supreme leader dictates how everything will be run? Kind of like North Korea?

 

[Orang Utan]

So, a fair society is one ruled by diktat? Where the supreme leader dictates how everything will be run? Kind of like North Korea?

Eh? How did you get any of that from what I said? I do believe private education should be abolished though.

 

[Sasaferrato]

I don't own or use any Apple products. I believe that if you're going to have a pop at someone for doing so, you need to realise that your own consumer electronics are just as blood-soaked, regardless of them not being made by/for Apple.



You hear about Foxconn because they do dedicated servicing - i.e. they work almost exclusively on Apple products. Many other China-based assembly plants are just as horrific.

Fair enough. I try not to buy Chinese manufactured products, but, it is virtually impossible. I bought a Phillips radio, a Dutch company. Get it home, 'Made in China' sticker on the bottom.

I also appreciate that our current 'throw away' method of commerce cannot continue. When I get something new, the old item stays in its original box, awaiting someone who needs it. My last phone actually went to a member on here. Our old suite is going across the square to someone who needs it. It really is swimming against the tide though, trying to buy as ethically as possible.

Oh, it would have surprised me if you did own anything by Apple, just not you somehow.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Eh? How did you get any of that from what I said? I do believe private education should be abolished though.

Well, you are entitled to your view. I am, it would seem, somewhat more libertarian than you, I don't much approve of banning things simply because you don't like them. You are also a bit naive, were you to ban private education, the schools would move elsewhere.

 

[brogdale]

the schools would move elsewhere.

and the children?

 

[Orang Utan]

Well, you are entitled to your view. I am, it would seem, somewhat more libertarian than you, I don't much approve of banning things simply because you don't like them. You are also a bit naive, were you to ban private education, the schools would move elsewhere.

it's not simply about disliking something, but believing that no one should get a better chance in life simply cos they have more money.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Hard to beat this for a historical example - .

The facial expressions of the onlookers are amazing.

 

[Orang Utan]

The facial expressions of the onlookers are amazing.

None of them look that impressed with Napoleon's hubris.
And is that Charles Dance/Tywin Lannister on the far left?

 

[Sasaferrato]

and the children?

Well, one assumes would they would move with the schools. Bit of a pointless exercise otherwise.

 

[Orang Utan]

Well, one assumes would they would move with the schools. Bit of a pointless exercise otherwise.

To where?

 

[BigTom]

Well, you are entitled to your view. I am, it would seem, somewhat more libertarian than you, I don't much approve of banning things simply because you don't like them. You are also a bit naive, were you to ban private education, the schools would move elsewhere.

For me it's not about not liking private schools, it's because private schools exist to maintain privilege and inequality, not just from being able to spend more money per head on education and producing a generally better (in terms of exam results anyway) standard of education but also because of the social networks they maintain/create - especially the elite ones. As such they maintain division within our society that make it less equal and less meritocratic, making us all worse off than we would be if private schools didn't exist.