Slugger O'Toole

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Reader has commented 1,761 times (46 in the last month).

1. Comment on The Western Mail reverts to an old old type…
   on 23 May 2012 at 11:23 pm

   Dewi: What’s the point if it don’t?
   This is the point, I think:
   http://wales.gov.uk/docs/strategies/110929fullen.pdf
   Or, if you prefer:
   http://wales.gov.uk/docs/strategies/110929fullcy.pdf

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2. Comment on Grammar schools and social mobility: a Northern Ireland contribution to the debate
   on 23 May 2012 at 6:31 pm

   Malcolm Redfellow: Perhaps I’ve said enough.
   It depends. If you are suggesting that, after all, it doesn’t make a blind bit of difference whether a pupil has been selected or not, because it’s all about indoctrination anyway – then, yes, you have said enough.
   Or maybe not – with revolution via Molotov Cocktails being one of the options, would you recommend that current pupils should choose to be indoctrinated in history or in chemistry to A-level?

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3. Comment on Grammar schools and social mobility: a Northern Ireland contribution to the debate
   on 23 May 2012 at 8:08 am

   Malcolm redfellow: Why is it essential to build “competitiveness”, “at the expense of” others, into the system?
   I don’t worship “competitiveness” – it’s just one of the things that delivers achievement. And if it can be recruited to rescue an underachieving sector – e.g. working class boys – then it should be used. Unless you think that sector is already performing at full capacity, and they are getting exactly the results they deserve, from a system that understands how to motivate everyone.
   On your general point, rationing, I’ll gladly set aside utility for the moment – but what proportion of the population is ready to benefit on a personal level from an intensive, academic style of education? I suspect the answer is well under a half.

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4. Comment on The Western Mail reverts to an old old type…
   on 22 May 2012 at 9:44 pm

   Dewi: A selection – apparently #Westernfail was trending pretty highly on Twitter this morning.
   Presumably driven by Welsh speakers eager to read the Welsh translations of Assembly meetings.
   If you had £400,000 to spend on supporting the Welsh language, is this how you would spend it?

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5. Comment on Grammar schools and social mobility: a Northern Ireland contribution to the debate
   on 22 May 2012 at 6:19 pm

   Malcolm Redfellow: On top of that it is essential to build unfairness into the system: this used to be defended on the ground that “girls mature earlier than boys”.
   You can probably get whatever balance of outcome you think is fair by changing the format and content of the tests to reward pushy, geeky boys at the expense of focused, nerdy girls or vice versa.
   Even back in the bad old days when boys outscored girls, it was still a truism that girls matured earlier. Competitiveness trumps maturity given the opportunity.

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6. Comment on Sectarianism in Northern Ireland is common (and popular) across all classes…
   on 22 May 2012 at 6:05 pm

   So everyone was following their own script, as expected, weren’t they?

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7. Comment on “I think it might be part of a wider fraud organised by certain political elements…”
   on 22 May 2012 at 5:59 pm

   tacapall: There’s enough there Reader to hint what direction Pete’s pointing the finger at and dead people not being able to defend themselves like.
   Shouldn’t you be blaming the Irish Times report for any finger pointing? Almost the entire blog post was a quote from the report following a reference to the report.
   And wouldn’t it be a funny coincidence if you and Pete both secretly suspected the same crowd?

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8. Comment on Willie Flags Up An Interesting Question
   on 22 May 2012 at 5:51 pm

   Neil: I’m sure Willie would have as much time for any of us that would say IRA men should ‘never have been locked up’.
   Quite – Willie is of a kind with those who would say “Republicans are not criminals”, or who would describe convicted killers as political prisoners.

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9. Comment on Sectarianism in Northern Ireland is common (and popular) across all classes…
   on 22 May 2012 at 4:17 pm

   tacapall; I think you are touching on a point where both traditions are failing to keep up with social change – land ownership doesn’t matter a damn any more. It doesn’t provide either extra political rights or privileges, nor does it realistically confer the ability to exclude themmuns from living somewhere.
   The bad behaviour you listed isn’t even meaningful any more – just stupid and nasty.

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10. Comment on “I think it might be part of a wider fraud organised by certain political elements…”
    on 22 May 2012 at 3:53 pm

    tacapall: Dont worry about evidence, just because its your post we can all assume you believe its connected to Sinn Fein, there’s no chance of those thieves in FF being involved.
    I thought the reputed FF MO was simply to get the arm in, to take bribes, or to do a bit of property fraud? This is a wee bit different.
    And you wouldn’t be playing the man would you? Pete never said who the revenue officer was hinting at – it’s interesting either way – or even if it’s FG.
    However, I am intrigued by this bit of the original {One of the other participants was dead, “with another disappearing out of the jurisdiction”.}
    It would be interesting to know those names, wouldn’t it?

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