????

but does it mean I have to go and apologise to Huff'n'tumble?

Personally I think this thread pongs a tiny bit of envy and inverted snobbery...prejudice works in all sorts of ways....

Well surely if they are allowed opinions - including making excuses for friends - unless it interferes with their moderation or the rules of the forum then there is no issue that I can see. If you don't think they should be allowed to post opinions as ordinary posters then I don't think we'd get many moderators. So. 1) Should moderators be allowed their own opinions? If yes, 2) should these should surely be uncensored as long as they are within the rules of the forum. Moderating to help 'miscreants' no, however defending or apologising for friends has no contradiction with the roll of moderation as far as I can see.

yup - Wilmott Brown was a character in the 80s

Well it is and it isn't Bluer, I think the fact that it's based on a real geographical community rather than a community of interest makes it a bit different....for instance, at a very quick scroll I've actually met all but 3 posters (that 3 includes your good self) on this thread.

Hal - rather than saying about how it 'might appear' etc etc...why don't you just have the balls to come out and say what it appears to me you clearly think? Or is this after all just a philosophical stroll around the principles of moderation?

I don't think moderators are judges that's just Admin so the point about judgement is wrong. I think the moderators on here do a good job at impartial moderation and if we didn't get their opinions (or moderation) it'd be a far poorer place.

Cheers PGC - I got this and put it down in the 'too long to read now maybe at the weekend' pile, which my missus has since thrown away. Your post has relieved me from the very slight concern that I may have missed something important.

Wilmott Brown

Lady Muck "2025"

Wearing them again Mick?

That blew his house down eh..er...Huff

Pay attention at the back.. ..there's been at least one reincarnation since then in a russian baddie with dangerous shoes

yup

H'N'T - do you wear spotty bow ties by any chance?

Spoiler Vince!!! The son is the innocent 'good' the father is just a world-weary, stoical, refusing to give up bugger, ultimately driven by good but he needs his son to remind him of this was my take. I think it's ultimately uplifting for both of their qualities. Not sure if I could read it again straight away though Mockney!

SEE ME AFTERWARDS

3/10

Oh come on, Michael Winner too

These were the same 'progressive' argument used 40 odd years ago that wrecked a decent state education system which was giving some of the poorest kids in our society the means to pull themselves out of poverty through education and their intelligence and improving social mobility. Numerous studies, including government accepted ones, show that social mobility for the poorest is declining. I had a bigger point that i've discussed before that idealism, and in this case it was 'socialism' is humbug and the effects of this idealism has been to close opportunity for loads of reasonably bright working class kids (the super bright ones tend to get through whatever). Meanwhile, those that can afford to, including the architechts of this social engineering, tend to pay (directly or by moving) their way out of the mess of 'fairness'. As we're being anectdotal, I was 11 in 1973, I don't recognise the 'hothouse' thing at all, pressures were there but tutorials and pushy parents??? but I think that's a latterday product of a wrecked educational system . My memory of 11+ was that it was largely reasonably obvious who was going to pass, had been for a while, and they mainly did. A good mate of mine didn't and that felt odd but he actually got to University via Secondary Modern with extra tutoring or some mechanism that recognised his ability (sorry vague but I can't remember). The posher kids who failed tended to then go to private schools (plus ca change) and it was they who were perhaps under pressure. I can't remeber there being much stigma among my mates who went to Secondary Modern, most of them wanted to get out of education as soon as they could. That is genuinely how I remember it - i'm sure others of my age have different stories. I would imagined if we'd kept that system it would have moved on a bit. Nostalgic old git that I am I perhaps should have titled this thread "Should we have gone comprehensive". They are not going to come back but I guess the average results for ALL kids in areas where they remain could support the argument that that is a pity

As an aside - sorry chair - Take the Maths Test from the dispatches website, teachers averaged 45% (I manged 11 out of 14 so 60% then >:D) DC good I was hoping for some counter arguments from yourself, I will come back later

200

5000

..because public school boys are so clever innit...

Not sure if that's true Rosa. In fact I heard on the radio the other day that support for the return of grammar schools was growing across the board.