[Malcolm Armsteen]

I'll make a prediction.

His solution will be apprenticeships teaching real skills, and an end to degrees in Harry Potter.

It'll be:

*Uniforms
*More homework
*Ban phones
*No coursework for any exams
*Public shaming of SEND kids

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Jonathan Gullis has finally got a job .

https://archive.is/20250514120041/https ... ets-a-job/

Gullis is back – joining the Centre for Social Justice, the right wing think tank founded by Iain Duncan Smith, as a senior fellow. Gullis will be “leading the think tank’s research into connecting the education system with the world of work”.

Unfortunately for the former MP, many of his fans on Facebook were less excited about their man’s move into the world of wonkery than disappointed he wasn’t joining their new favourite party.
“Absolute shame you didn’t join Reform, you’d still be an MP,” says one, while another said: “I still hope you’ll join Reform UK though” . A third said “Goodluck Jonathan but would still love you to join reform bud lol” (presumably not a reference to Goodluck Jonathan the former president of Nigeria).
And one wrote: “We kneed [sic] you here has [sic] a mp hope u jump ship and help us to get rid off [sic] the clown that’s there now’s [sic]”. Lots to do in the world of education, then!

[Rosvanian]

Why does the right have so many think tanks, pressure groups and half arsed parties all spouting the same depressingly familiar values.

[mattomac]

Reform is a cult isn't it?

[Andy McDandy]

Why does the right have so many think tanks, pressure groups and half arsed parties all spouting the same depressingly familiar values.

It's the opposite of that old Unison advert, where an ant says "excuse me" to an elephant, and gets ignored until loads of ants all shout "Get out of the way!".

One lobbying firm is just one voice, no matter how many pounds it has. They can only send one person to the Question Time panel each week. But lots of lobbying firms, all with slightly different names? Multiple voices!

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Why does the right have so many think tanks, pressure groups and half arsed parties all spouting the same depressingly familiar values.

The dripping water erodes the hardest stone.

[Bones McCoy]

Why does the right have so many think tanks, pressure groups and half arsed parties all spouting the same depressingly familiar values.

It's the opposite of that old Unison advert, where an ant says "excuse me" to an elephant, and gets ignored until loads of ants all shout "Get out of the way!".

One lobbying firm is just one voice, no matter how many pounds it has. They can only send one person to the Question Time panel each week. But lots of lobbying firms, all with slightly different names? Multiple voices!

"It's not just me, all these other clever organisations agree precisely."

[Tubby Isaacs]

Here's the reaction of their spokesperson to the Spring Statement.

The government is in danger in getting caught in a spider’s web of its own making. The knee-jerk panicky measures we are seeing in welfare – to prop up our flatlining economy – just before record tax rises hit – don’t feel like a plan. I feel sorry for Liz Kendall, as her efforts to get people off benefits and back into work are about to become much harder as employers reel from the impending rise in National Insurance.

This isn't policy analysis, this is Tory Party hack speak. How much does he think the NI rise is going to reduce employment by?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Seeing that this chap (Ed Davies) was so worried about the "flatlining economy", does he have any comment on the fact that it was growing at 0.7% in the quarter he made those remarks? By the way, "record tax rises" is only true in cash terms. Seeing most things in cash terms are at record levels, that's hardly dispassionate policy man talk either.

[Abernathy]

The Gullis comeback goes from strength to strength.

https://kmflett.wordpress.com/2025/05/2 ... own-mayor/

[Tubby Isaacs]

As Mayor, I assume Gullis is living in Kidsgrove. Which will make his job at IDS’s think tank in London quite the commute. Hope he isn’t “working from home”.