No it is not
the government's only job is to sit quietly and keep the wheels of the land oiled, apart for thet they should fuck off and stop meddling.

More damage is caused by governements trying change things that don't need changing, than the change would have the first place
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 14:52, 1 reply, 16 years ago)

Yes, our society is perfect as it is thank you very much we don't need it to progress just maintain the status quo.

(PsychoChomp, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 14:54, Reply)

We create our own progress

false progress forced onto us by Quangos and think tanks is'nt worth the money.
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 14:56, Reply)

I'm hoping your joking
but I'll pretend you're being serious for a second and ask if you really think the current state of society i.e. that a large proportion of the people living in the country are unable to read and write and that many of them feel that education isn't worth having and people with an education are to be mocked, is a good one?
(Bazongaloid, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:01, Reply)

is it a large proportion?
genuine question
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:04, Reply)

I lifted this form Wikipedia, so it may be bollocks but:
"In the UK, according to the Daily Telegraph (14 June 2006) "one in six British adults lacks the literacy skills of an 11-year-old". The UK government's Department for Education reported in 2006 that 47 percent of school children left school at age 16 without having achieved a basic level in functional mathematics, and 42 percent fail to achieve a basic level of functional English. Every year 100,000 pupils leave school functionally illiterate in the UK.

That's a worrying statistic.
(Bazongaloid, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:07, Reply)

if that's true
it's a much bigger problem than I thought.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:11, Reply)

Considering most young girls want to be Jordan and most boys want to be a premiership footballer.
It doesn't surprise me.
( girlinthehole, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:13, Reply)

The UK is better than the US
where something like 25% of adults are functionally illiterate.
(MichaelS wasn't picked again, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:13, Reply)

you could've just left that with the subject line really

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:26, Reply)

but
why
limit
myself
?
(MichaelS wasn't picked again, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:34, Reply)

I meant just say the UK is better than the US

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:38, Reply)

You're right in many ways
(but we have chili-dogs, Bud-light, deep fried everything, and all of the other highlights of our far superior culture; and we spell color right).
(MichaelS wasn't picked again, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:42, Reply)

you spell colour wrong
you can get deep fried everything in scotland

bud light is a gay beer

the only culture you have is bacterial
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:47, Reply)

They invented Blues and Rock'nRoll
....so they're alright with me.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 16:06, Reply)

Drug resistant macho killer bacteria that will kick your socialized medicine butt.


Edit: Bud light doesn't even deserve the name "beer"
(MichaelS wasn't picked again, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 16:06, Reply)

Mentioning quangos and think tanks doesn't make your argument correct.
Progress in economic and technological ways is driven by the private sector, although supported by the state. Social change driven by the state but supported by the private sector.

How are 'the people' or private buisiness going to reduce childhood poverty?
(PsychoChomp, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:02, Reply)

By giving them their FACKIN MONEY!

(Bazongaloid, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:07, Reply)

Right I think in my rushed forays into this I haven't been very clear

I believe that people should take more responsibilty for their lives and the government shouldn't be there to change laws to force people to what they perceive to be correct, eg minimum alcohol prices.

Child poverty and literacy etc is of course of national importance and comes under the governemnts remit, however we should be allowed a modicum of free will. I

If an estate has issues with education, crime, drugs etc the government can try and help with police, youth centres etc but the impetus has to come form the people to begin real change.
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:19, Reply)

How will the impetus come from the people without some kind of overseer to ensure the changes people want actually happen?

(Bazongaloid, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:20, Reply)

They should MTFU

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:27, Reply)

It's why
I have a feeling that the Conservative education policy they want to bring in won't work. It's dependent on parents actually caring about their children doing well and achieving things, and that's something that is lacking in our society.
Edit to add: Currently those who underachieve are precisely the people who need overseeing, because they are coming from the functionally illiterate families mentioned previously
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:23, Reply)

The masses are stupid.
Don't you watch Wifeswap?
( girlinthehole, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:24, Reply)

A person is clever
people are stupid
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:28, Reply)

isn't it amusing how they are called Status Quo
and have stayed the same for so many years and all their songs sound the same.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:00, Reply)

the delicious irony

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:01, Reply)

it's as if they could see the future....

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:04, Reply)

They made some excellent records
...and were more versatile than given credit for (though they did stagnate in about '73 and remained shit thereafter, I grant you).

'Down Down' and 'Caroline' are two GREAT rock'n'roll 45s.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:56, Reply)

indeed they are
paper plane is good if I recall correctly

their best though is Living in an Island

"living on an island, looking at another line, waiting for my friends to come and we'll get high"
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 16:09, Reply)

And Dire Straits... oh erm

( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:03, Reply)

Fuck off
Dire Straits were awesome.
(Bazongaloid, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:08, Reply)

too right

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:10, Reply)

Twisting By The Pool!
twistin' by the
Twisting By The Pool!
(Bazongaloid, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:11, Reply)

apart from that song
I really can't stand that song.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:11, Reply)

Sometimes, Al, sometimes, you're the wind'shield'...
Sometimes, Al, just sometimes my dear boy, you are indeed the 'bug'.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:11, Reply)

Do you remember that song "Bugs"
by Hepburn?
(Bazongaloid, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:13, Reply)

No, but I was singing "I Quit"
in my kitchen yesterday.
*spooked*
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:16, Reply)

Wooooooooooooh!

(Bazongaloid, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:16, Reply)

Dire Straits were about as awesome as
diarrhoea.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:30, Reply)

*YAWN*

(Bazongaloid, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:37, Reply)

A fantastic impression of me listening to Brothers in Arms, there

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:41, Reply)

I can't wait for this meal in Tayyabs,
it's going to be the most thrilling evening of my entire life. An hour of listening to you ranting about everything you hate coupled with seek kebabs and lots of lamb chops.
(Bazongaloid, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:45, Reply)

Me neither!
Actually I suspect I shall merely be wittering on about the food. I'm much more polite about people's terrible taste in person.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:47, Reply)

I hope I can make it
seems unlikely, but I'm going to give it a go.

travelling 200 miles to have dinner with a few people from the internet may sound to some to be an odd thing to do.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:49, Reply)

BE SURE YOU TELL SOMEONE WHERE YOU'RE GOING
You might become the Suzy Lamplugh of B3ta
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:50, Reply)

hmm
if I tell someone where I'm going there will be someone to link me to your deaths

of course!
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:52, Reply)

haha nice thinking

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:58, Reply)