Burnham

[briantrumpet]

I have to admit that this is smart politics, as well as being the right way around to do it: assisted dying shouldn't be the better option because society is failing ill people.

 

[Ian H]

That's understandable.

View attachment 16484

Now where did I put my spectacles...

 

[AndyRM]

That's understandable.

View attachment 16484

Is it sh!te. AI is ruining pretty much everything.

F*ck sake man, you're a musician, and creative, you can surely see how destructive it is?

Sake.

 

[Shortfall]

That's understandable.

View attachment 16484

I wonder if MAGA Andy is in there?

 

[briantrumpet]

Is it sh!te. AI is ruining pretty much everything.

F*ck sake man, you're a musician, and creative, you can surely see how destructive it is?

Sake.

You might care to read the AI thread to see how much I hate it.

In the meantime, you might be amused that when the film 'AI' came out, I wondered how they were going to spin out to 90 minutes or more people putting their arms up cows' bums to artificially inseminate (AI) them.*

*In case you're wondering, I do know how to, and have done artificial insemination on cows. And I do have a silly sense of humour. Sometimes.

 

[briantrumpet]

I realise I'm straying into Trump territory when I'm having to explain my 'joke'. At least Ian H got it. But then he's seen how long my arms are in real life.

 

[AndyRM]

You might care to read the AI thread to see how much I hate it.

In the meantime, you might be amused that when the film 'AI' came out, I wondered how they were going to spin out to 90 minutes or more people putting their arms up cows' bums to artificially inseminate (AI) them.*

*In case you're wondering, I do know how to, and have done artificial insemination on cows. And I do have a silly sense of humour. Sometimes.

I have.

I'm not new.

 

[briantrumpet]

I have.

I'm not new.

In which case I'm not sure how you'd think I wasn't pretty virulently anti AI (in the intelligence sense, not the insemination one).

 

[FishFright]

It's not stupid but when it costs £10k a year it's a very expensive 'reward in itself' for those individuals who go on to university in a world where you are no longer guaranteed to reap the job benefits. The previous system, where all of us subsidised a small minority, who gained the benefit for free because graduates were limited in number, wasn't perfect either though.

Is money all that matters to you ?

Education still doesn't look stupid to me .

 

[AuroraSaab]

It matters to me that young people are leaving uni with £50k worth of debt. For some it will be a sound investment, for others less so.

 

[icowden]

It matters to me that young people are leaving uni with £50k worth of debt. For some it will be a sound investment, for others less so.

Luckily they aren't. It isn't true debt.

1) You never have to give it back
2) You only have to make payments when you are working and earning a certain amount.

It's a secondary income tax until you have a high wage can can afford to cut your own taxes.

 

[Pblakeney]

Why is people being better educated stupid ?

I guess from a employment point of view it could be seen that way but surely a better educated populace is a reward in itself?

You'll have to convince me that people getting into tens of thousands of Pounds in debt and it not resulting in a worthwhile career is a good thing. I'd even question if going to uni necessarily means more intelligent.
If it results in a worthwhile career, or you can afford it, then crack on but it is not for everyone.

 

[Pblakeney]

Luckily they aren't. It isn't true debt.

1) You never have to give it back
2) You only have to make payments when you are working and earning a certain amount.

It's a secondary income tax until you have a high wage can can afford to cut your own taxes.

As this addressed one of my points while I was typing...
The net result is taxpayers funding some people having a whizz of a time at uni.

 

[briantrumpet]

It's hard to square this heartfelt tribute to foreign care-workers with the current hostility in their treatment, and suggests change must be on the cards. If it's not coming from the heart (he's talking about the people who care for his dad), I'd be very surprised. Starmer just couldn't pull this off.

https://bsky.app/profile/implausibleblog.bsky.social/post/3mrs5la3bk22b

 

[BoldonLad]

I agree with pretty much everything that has been said about vocational training and the undervaluing of skilled trades.

One thing that has been missed in the discussion about how different values are placed on different careers, is perhaps the 'upselling' of certain careers which has created unrealistic expectations for younger generations. Creative industries, media, sport and so on are generally the gold standard for a lot of young people, but the reality is these are limited and incredibly hard to break into, but are over promoted to the detriment of other career choices.

I worked in youth unemployment support for years, I am all for aspiration, but pragmatism as well. I think there is a bigger piece from school age around developing and managing positive but realistic expectations for work. Also, getting young people to understand that the perfect job/career is a fiction for most. You have to make trade offs and understand the overall picture of how work fits into your personal goals and financial needs.

The first bolded bit, in spades. While I was still a wage slave (as an IT Contractor), I was working on a site run by PE's favourite outsourcer (Crapita). Most of the clerical staff were young (25-30) Media Studies Graduates from a local university. They were too a man (and woman), earning just above minimum wage, saddled with Student Debt, with zero prospects. What a total waste. For the most part, they were bright young things, with no prospects. Actually, I befriended one of them, taught him some IT skills, and, he actually managed to escape.

The second bolded section, I also mostly agree with, but, I think there is/would be a major problem with finding people with the skills and knowledge to fulfil such a role. I say mostly, because I am not sure I would wish to burden young minds with the thought (no matter how true) that their future may well entail a significant amount of drudgery 😊