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Question time for college students (From Worcester News)
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Question time for college students
8:40am Wednesday 28th April 2010
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- By David Paine » twitter.com/davidpaineWN
SOME of the candidates hoping to become Worcester’s next MP have been grilled by college students on the future of education in a debate.
Worcester College of Technology students yesterday asked parties for clarification on the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) scheme which rewards means-tested school leavers for good attendance and achieving objectives.
Mike Foster (Labour), Louis Stephen (Green) and Paul Griffiths (representing Jackie Alderson, Lib Dem) said EMA would continue as it is if left to them.
Robin Walker (Con) said he supported EMA in principle but thought the system needed to be reviewed. Jack Bennett (UKIP) admitted he was not aware of the scheme but said university students could be helped with grants and vouchers, funded by the country’s withdrawl from the EU.
A Conservative manifesto pledge to allow parents, community groups and charities to set up new schools was put under the microscope with questions raised about whether people in Worcester would want, or have the resources, to set one up. Mr Walker said he thought it unlikely one would be set up in the city in the near future but denied city schools would lose funding because he said the money for new schools would come from elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Peter Nielsen (Independent) said he was “extremely annoyed” to have not been invited to the event along with Andrew Christian-Brookes (Independent), Spencer Kirby (BNP), and Andrew Robinson (Pirate Party UK).
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Your Say Your Worcester
Joe the Tug, Worcester says...
8:55am Wed 28 Apr 10
Tulstar, Worcester says...
8:56am Wed 28 Apr 10
.
1. Know your audience
2. Do your research
3. Don't give such a fluffy, general, non- decisive and frankly pathetic answer to a good question.
.
Pillock.
Tulstar, Worcester says...
9:00am Wed 28 Apr 10
.
Oh, Jackie... Don't give up the day job. Oh, wait, you haven't.
.
Single mum or not, people aren't going to want to see you elected if you can't even find the time to turn up to talks!
High Time, Worcester says...
9:47am Wed 28 Apr 10
PeterNielsen, Worcester says...
10:01am Wed 28 Apr 10
Unlike the Worcester News debate at the cricket club last week, which was confined to the three main parties, the College event was organised by a public body funded by the taxpayer. Worcester News is free to show bias for or against any candidate it wishes because it is only accountable to its shareholders. However, I question the propriety of the College authorities putting the organisation of this event under the management of Dr Matthew Lamb, a Labour candidate in the local City Council elections. Dr Lamb stated to me that he had delegated this to a member of his staff, Dr David Craig. He also said to me that the invitations were sent out before the full list of candidates was known. Dr Lamb is a political anorak and could not possibly expect anyone to believe that the omission of four candidates from the event was an oversight. It was clearly intentional, contrary to what Dr Lamb tried to tell me. I contacted Dr Lamb when I learned about the event purely by chance from your reporter. He eventually invited me to attend three hours before the start but I could not as I was collecting my granddaughter from nursery that afternoon and alternative arrangements could not be made. In any case, that still left three candidates uninvited.
I cannot speak for the other candidates, but for myself, this was a particularly bitter pill to swallow. Both of my children have attended the College and I have been a student there myself and still am in the Language Centre. I have also taught there briefly. As an income and council tax payer, I question the right of any member of staff to decide who should and who should not be heard during a general election campaign in the college.
I have spoken to the Principal, Chris Morecroft, who is aware of my feelings about this and my intention to take the matter further.
It transpired that the Liberal Democrat candidate was once again absent, and a ‘substitute’, who was not a candidate, was allowed to take her place.
All candidates have received valid nominations and paid their deposits. In the famous words of the late American President, Ronald Reagan, we ”have paid for this microphone”.
I intend to submit a formal complaint to the governors of the college in due course.
Peter Nielsen, Independent socialist Parliamentary candidate for Worcester constituency.
crowquill, Pershore says...
10:41am Wed 28 Apr 10
I realise that labour is campaigning with the slogan "A future fair for all" but you didn't seriously expect Dr Matthew Lamb, the Labour candidate in the local City Council elections to deliver "fairness" did you?
This is Nu Liebour, 13 years of utter lies and they still think the public are so ignorant they can get away with a few years more!
"we've put an end to boom and bust" is still my favourite!
http://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=aCQREoAms
u0
Jabbadad, Worcester says...
11:16am Wed 28 Apr 10
Armed with this information I had tryed to get leaflets into the University explaining these New Labour actions but was met with a total ban on any information that was in anyway political. This was against the views of the students that I spoke with outside the Uni , and they showed a desire for my information leaflets to be available, but were scared to take them into the uni grounds.
However due to the endevours of Matt Lamb, Mike Foster, Paul Denham and other red rebels at the Uni there was plenty of New Labour material around. So Matt Lamb fairness in a political sense you bet your Bibby NO.
PeterNielsen, Worcester says...
3:11pm Wed 28 Apr 10
crowquill wrote:My favourite is Brown's 2006 Mansion House speech.
Peter I realise that labour is campaigning with the slogan "A future fair for all" but you didn't seriously expect Dr Matthew Lamb, the Labour candidate in the local City Council elections to deliver "fairness" did you? This is Nu Liebour, 13 years of utter lies and they still think the public are so ignorant they can get away with a few years more! "we've put an end to boom and bust" is still my favourite! http://www.youtube.c om/watch?v=aCQREoAms u0
http://www.hm-treasu
ry.gov.uk/speech_che
x_210606.htm
To trust Brown with the economy is like Nick Leeson saying that he knows what he did wrong and is therefore the best person to put Barings Bank back on its feet!
crowquill, Pershore says...
3:43pm Wed 28 Apr 10
Cheers for that one it's priceless!
It's basically a confession for those who did not already realise that this whole sorry mess is down to one egotistical moron.
Malvern, Malvern says...
5:02pm Wed 28 Apr 10
PeterNielsen, Worcester says...
5:36pm Wed 28 Apr 10
Malvern wrote:Of course Brown is not alone to blame. Essentially it was the Wall Street-City of London culture based on a business model dreamed up by Professor Milton Friedman and his guru Frederich von Hayek. Logically, it should have been something that you would not expect the Labour Party to touch with a bargepole. Traditionally, even moderate Labour stood for the mixed economy. However, the arrival of Peter Mandelson and the desire of Labour politicians to be 'back in office' after losing four general elections was too strong to resist the call of the cheap and easy money economy that was to destroy Iceland, Ireland, Greece and nearly bring the world into depression. Gordon Brown made a fort of Faustian deal with the City. In return for light touch regulation and turning a blind eye to risk, as well as doing nothing about massive tax avoidance and evasion, leaving the tax havens alone, the government could collect billions in taxes to spend on the NHS and schools. The tax revenues came in. But when the bubble burst, it was all lost again, paid back to the banks in the bailouts. There were many who warned that the Chancellor Brown period was unsustainable, that houses could not keep going up in price, that private lending was way out of hand, and that there would have to be "a correction". Brown didn't listen, and now admits that he should have listened. That is what is behind the 'Nick Leeson' crack. When the neo-cons in the USA went, Brown should have followed. It now looks as though he will be punished by having an even worse general election than Michael Foot had in 1983 - but without the excuse of his party splitting in two.
If Brown alone is to blame why didn't we hear all the other politicians and financial experts around the entire world crying foul. I think it's a bit more complex than that.
crowquill, Pershore says...
5:40pm Wed 28 Apr 10
Have you read that speech? I particularly like the bits about how he has done away with all the regulatory bodies and replaced them with the FSA. How his light touch (deregulation) of the banking system has allowed London to corner the market in selling dodgy bonds.
Are you aware that as a result of his deregulation of our banking system America was forced to follow suit or risk losing their financial business to London.
"why didn't we hear all the other politicians and financial experts around the entire world crying foul"..........They do and they are, the UK has been the laughing stock of the rest of the world over Brown "saving the universe" you just will not see it being reported here because we have state controlled media that is the envy of china! Wait until after he has lost this election then the real truth will come out. Frankly he should be on trial and I live in hope that it will come to pass. How one man can get away with bankrupting a country for his own political ends is beyond me, and it speaks volumes for the main opposition parties that they have let him get away with it. We have had the worst government and the worst opposition in the history of this once great country!
Malvern, Malvern says...
6:19pm Wed 28 Apr 10
Cromwell of Worcester, Worcester says...
8:24pm Wed 28 Apr 10
MJI, Worcester says...
9:32am Thu 29 Apr 10
Your sayYour Worcester
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DEBATE: Worcester College of Technology students grilled some of the parliamentary candidates for Worcester.
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jb, worcester says...
8:46am Wed 28 Apr 10
A candidate participating in a debate with students who hasn't got a clue about EMA and comes back with an answer about university students doesn't exactly instill prospective voters with confidence.