um pahars

I think you'll find I never suggested you were a Daily Mail reader, merely that your puerile, knee jerk and sensastionalist contributions to the debate were akin to those found in the Daily Mail.

As with most DB schemes, I do think there has to be a review with regards new entrants. Am I right in saying new entrants on already on a different scheme (lower accrual rate??). However, this has to be carefully thought out to ensure that the Teaching Profession can still attract good quality graduates. I'm not sure anyone is arguing against some negotiation and change, it's more to do with the fact that this change has been brought in a rather cavalier fashion and probably for idealogical reasons, not financial.

I don't think many teachers took this decision lightly and I think many have gone on strike with a really heavy heart. The overwhleming majority of teachers have their students wellbeing at the centre of all they do. Some will have to put their love, support and responsibility to these students to one side for a day to think about their own families, whilst others are thinking long term and are concerned how these pay cuts and erosion of benefits will affect the teaching profession (it's ability to recruit and retain staff, morale and ultimately the service provided to future generations of students). Ultimately it is individual choice whether or not to express their individual right to withdraw their labour and you won't find me criticsing colleagues one way or the other. So I'm afraid I do find it somewhat disappointing that a member of a school's senior leadership team feels the need to berate colleagues and subordinates and label them hypocritical.

Talking of a race to the bottom, I think claims like this are leading to a race to the bottom with regards quality of argument. That's something the Daily Mail would come up with. Puerile.

Don't be so ridiculous, I think you'll find the Law is rather strict on strike ballots and if there were any irregularities then the Employers/Government would have been quick to highlight this (irregularities are quickly seized upon e.g. BA challenged Unite successfuly recently). There are many issues open for debate without taking a Daily Mail scare approach to the argument I'm being deadly serious, in the isolated occasions where bullies exist I do believe the individual has to stand up to them. Additionally they need the support of the management and therefore questions need to be asked of the Senior leadership team at this school.

Pah, what a way to ruin a good champagne.

Oh come on, it's the truth, don't get all upset on me:twisted: Now back to important things, where are my three subsequent questions (and presuming they're all going to be 5 points each) - can't wait for the picture round!!!!!

I've seen them split and not conclusive either way. This one had the piublic down as supporting the strike (61%). http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15910621

I'm not really sure I would use one or two anecdotes to come to such generalisations, but each to their own. Same advice to Jackanory really, I think she needs to stand up for herself and someone needs to get a grip with the Senior Leadership Team to stamp out these ugly and isolated cases.

You need a d) as it was Nick I who then stuck my name on it. So I think I should get an extra bouns point to make that starter worth 11, so now give me three more questions at 5 points each (I presume I playing for the Union team??). I'm not going to give you any questions on Rhodesia or Churchill though as understand that's what your HND is in.

To be honest I was disappointed with the size of the crowd itself. 22,000 was less than I had expected. Whilst not condoning the going over the top slagging off and booing, I don't think there is anything wrong with recognising we were below par (and still won) last night. And whilst I'm all up for undying support & praise, Guly was terrible for large spells last night!!!

A worker on the board/cabinet and none of this would have materialised. We could also have lowered the heat in this confrontation by organising a sort of Union/Whitehall Challenge quizzy thing. David Starkey in the chair. And here's your starter for ten.

I'm going to be like one of my naughty kids and refuse to comply with your request and then follow that up with "You're having a bubble", "whatever" and "OMG". BTW Isn't it wasteful to be posting during the working day?

Like some of the brighter and more streetwise kids at our school, I've managed to crack the door code, so methinks I might add to your trolling thread. For any other Public Sector workers out there who need the code it's 1-800-TROLL

I think your girlfriend might need to grow a backbone and stand up to these bullies. Teaching is a tough profession and methinks she will need to develop a stronger side if she is to succeed. Secondly, one can only despair that the school she works in has such a weak leadership team to allow this type of behaviour to happen and that she does not feel she can report it to them. Some lovely anecdotes in your posts.

Not one of your finest trolling efforts. BTW do you know Ian Smith and his Government supported strikes during their treasonable period??

Can someone work their magic and get this up as a youtube post thingy (rather than just a link). Great song for the Blue Few http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmLDf9XKMfk

And I'll third that, Morgan, Spiderman and Cork just seem too similar style, whereas Chaplow gives us an outlet and something different.

Had a really interesting piece of news from my friend in a very high place in the football world tonight (obviously can't reveal who he is, but I have mentioned him before and he is very high up in the admin of the game). Apparently, someone at the League has been tasked with coming up with a doomsday scenario if Portsmuff can't see the season through. He told me this has only happened twice before in recent years and is only invoked when things are really, really, really bad. The feeling is that they won't see the season out!!!!

Just got in and have to say not the best performance I've seen, but the points are in the bag and bouncing back after Saturday is a real positive. Too many players off the boil tonight and a bit of a worry for me over our fringe players. Credit to Hull, they're not a bad team at all and had us under the cosh for long periods. A draw would probably have been fair, but maybe tonight was a trade off against games we should have got something out of. Players not on form tonight included Lallana (is he still struggling with the injury?), Guly (didn't look interested at times and not sharp, but then gets us back in the game), Hammond (game was passing him by at times). We just didn't seem to get the ball moving as we have in recent matches. Think Hull did a bit of a number on us and could also pass it about themselves. My other worry was the subs. De Ridder gave us width and an outlet, but I'm still to be convinced he is up to it. Barnard threw himself about a bit, but I can't help but feel he's not the quality we need and Holmes contributed zero. Sending off looked a but harsh. Definitely a rash challenge, but not sure it was worthy of a red. Overjoyed to have bounced back, but certainly need to step our game up I think.

Latest data I saw was that whilst Public Sector pay rises had been stuck at zero, median pay rises in the private sector were at least 3% higher. (large scale surveys are much more reliable than anecdotes one way or the other)

Nowhere in that post was I looking for sympathy, merely demonstrating how the Public Sector is taking a significant hit, and is certainly not excluded from the tightening of the nation's belt as has been claimed by some on here.

Has any club lurched from one disaster to another so many times over the years???? Portsmuff have been a basket case since the 70s and their history is just littered with crooks, bullshi5tters and spivs. They'd be better off just taking the hit, reforming and starting from the bottom.

Another two years of an effective pay freeze for teachers and other public sector workers, on top of the two year pay freeze we've just had. Effectively 4 years without a pay rise and with inflation running at around 5%, that will be like a 20%+ reduction in salary come 2013. Unless redressed at some point in the future it's likely to cost me well over £300,000 over the rest of my working life. I think the Public Sector is doing its bit and those who remain in their jobs after hundreds of thousands have been culled are certainly not excluded from what the rest of the country is going through..

She should tell the Headteacher she is willing to work, ask the Head to keep that confidential and she should not lose any pay. Your girlfriend has no obligation to tell anyone whether she went on strike or not. In fact, with the school being closed no one has any idea who is officially on strike and who is offically getting paid. I did not have to tell my Head I was striking, but out of courtesy I did (so that he had an idea if he could keep the school open) and I also have no idea who else in my school has withdrawn their labour and who is "working from home" or even going in.