Johnny Bognor

What is the strike for? Any particular reason? Or is striking the new x-factor? (as there is nothing else to do on a saturday night) Can I come?

You posted an article to big up the film industry. I merely put the industry into perspective. Sorry if that has touched a nerve, but an industry that is the equivalent to 50 Tesco stores does not need an excessive number of film graduates. Anyway, fortunately many of Tesco's stores are overseas and they are heavily investing in China. At the end of the day, they are a good retailer and they are exporting their 'offering' overseas, which is good for UK PC I have no problem with people looking to further their education. However, I do have a problem with subsidising unnecessary courses, in the context of what they add to UK PLC, as it is UK PC that ultimately pays for it (unless of course, the student pays and then it is not my problem). Therefore, in principal, tuition fees sorts out the wheat from the chaff (in terms of usefulness and the attitiude in terms of how serious the student is). I personally woud like to see a two tier fee system (not based on class or ability to pay, but usefulness) as follows: 1. Lower fees on courses that enable the student to add value to UK PLC 2. Higher fees for those that are (in my opinion) a complete waste of time (e.g. Sports Science, music, media studies) I have mentioned the silicon valley model before, where the university was the kingpin in attracting the technology companies and those that spawned them. Microsoft, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Cisco etc etc all came out of Siicon Valley at a similar time. They virtually created the world's IT industry worth trillions and trillions of pounds. Look at the world's richest people from Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Larry Elison etc etc. Would you seriously suggest that this massive success story would have become a reality if the university ony offered sports science degrees? No, of course not. Therefore, there are courses that add more value than others and these should be identified (I am not necessarily the best position to make that call) and made more readily available as it will benefit us all. This can be paid for by those that choose to expand their mind, but will never repay the cost of this. Let's take two massive growth areas in the coming decades..... renewable energy and food production. These are two areas that could yield massive dividends if we became the silicon valley equivalent in these fields. I would be more than happy to see people working in these sectors to have their fees wiped out alltogether. **** loads of media studies graduates is not going to help....great for the student, but not for the tax payer. Simple really.

If the example is crap (and it was) then of course I can use factual alternative examples to put it in to perspective. The example given by the UK Film Council was deliberate in elavating the status of their industry. I merely pointed out that to get it into context, Tesco is 4000% larger than said industry which makes it look pretty insignificant. Now if students wanted to do a retail degree, I could understand as there is far more money and far more opportunity within Tesco alone, let alone the rest of the retail industry. In fact, on economic grounds, you could easily argue that they should replace film degrees with degrees in Tescos, as it adds far more to the economy and as most film students will end up stacking shelves in Tesco anyway, at least their qualification will be relevant to what they'll end up doing. Your damn right it isn't, by my calculations it is the equivalent to 50 tesco stores. Certainly doesn't warrant the number of courses being offered by universities. I am sure any economist, from Oxford to Harvard would agree that Tesco is 4000% larger than the entire UK film industry.

I prefer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M8vei3L0L8

That's the problem I find with this forum. Being right all the time means that I can find no-one to argue with. Ho hum.

But what you provided was meaningless. Per Capita, China is poorer than 96 other countries. If you have 100 people earning £1 each, are they doing better than a country of 1 person earning £99?

GDP means **** all. They are by far the largest country in terms of population and so much of their total GDP is not down to politics, but sheer numbers. GDP per Capita is far more important and according to the IMF, China are 97th in the world. The largest in terms of GDP per capita is Luxembourg, which is predominently conservative.

Ah, but they know how to deal with protesting students, so it is not all bad

But software and software publishers are the most important part of the IT industry. Look at the worlds most prominent players..... Microsoft, Oracle and even IBM (their software and services are the major part of their business). I think it is very sneaky to big up the film industry, by being very selective over what you compare it against (a specific part of one industry), thus implying that it is bigger than it really is. If you want to get an idea of the size of the film industry, Tesco (just one company) turns over £60 billion which is 40 times larger than the entire film industry....... doesn't look so big now, does it?

I can't see that myself, when one company, ike Sage for instance, turns over £1.5bn on it's own. With 13,500 empoyees, just one IT company employs nearly one third of the entire fim industry.

All of them. HTH

I think it is because the boo hoo, nasty wasty, they're behind you (oh no they're not/oh yes they are), boooooooo, hissssss tory party are involved. Meanwhile they've been ****ed over by the magic fairy, but don't seem too bothered by it. There is one thing worse than being ****ed on by the other side and that is being ****ed on by your own side. I still cannot fathom why they tolerate it...........or defend it. Each to their own I suppose.

So tuition fees are done at the start of the tories tenure, but they don't get the same slack. Don't you think that this is a bit hypocritical? Or is it political mobilsation by the sour grapes brigade?

I didn't see anyone protesting when Labour removed the 10p tax band hitting low income workers the hardest. I bet if the condems pulled that stunt, there would be riots on the streets, thus making the purpotrators hypocrites. .......

So anyone who said nothing then (if they were in a position to do so), has no right to say anything now. Of course those that did voice opinions of discontent then, have every right to voice them now and if anything I wil respect them for consistency. The rest, I will pass off as hypocrites.

When people take the moral high ground and rub peoples noses in it, they open themselves up to accusations of hypocracy. Now, can you tell me what you did when the fees were first introduced (by Labour)? Let me guess...........diddly squat. Unless you protested when Labour introduced them, you have no right to complain now and if you do, it makes you either a hypocrite or someone who is finding their grapes a little sour.

..... and where were the protests when the fees were first introduced (in an economic boom)?

No, they are a bunch of ****ing hypocrites like most of the Lefties on here. When Labour introduced tuition fees (in the middle of an economic boom BTW), not a murmour, whisper or single voice could be heard. Nil, zilch, zip, nothing. Just becuase it is the tories, they have a problem. You can't be against the tories for raising them when you are not opposed to Labour introducing them. Another pure example of the hypocracy of socialism.

Indeed, remember the student protests in Tiananmen Square? Based on estimates, up to 3000 massacared. I know there are a few commies one here, perhaps we should adopt the commie way of dealing with students?

I prefer the "He'll glass you and leave you scarred" to the "He's wanted by Scotland Yard" line.

I have been following this to see how you get on and I think you need to give the downs for a bit of perspective.

See Hamster, you're coming round slowy but surely.

I have recently had a load of building work done and I'm up to my neck in DIY. The good thing about this is that instead of saying to the Mrs that I woud rather watch paint dry, I can go upstairs, roller a wall, pull up a chair (with a beer in hand) and watch the ****er dry.

Remember prep very well - 6.30 to 8.00pm, Mon to Fri.

Alex Ox"Sleigh" Chamberlain