[Spoonman]

You can guarantee that whatever schools do or don't do the Mail will sneer at it.

^^ This ^^

I was in a discussion a while back elsewhere when the topic of "how hard is it to fire teachers whose students get poor grades?" comes up. Pointed out the feckin' obvious that the first people to complain about such teachers would also be the first yappin' about "grade inflation" if what they wanted actually happened and the new teachers ended up improving student grades!

[Andy McDandy]

You wonder what they actually want, until you remember they're primarily motivated by hatred.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I can’t see his position of not answering if he uses private healthcare is going to hold. Just say Yes. Lots of people in all parties will have done. I did in 1997 when I had a trapped nerve which the NHS missed.

[Tubby Isaacs]

https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... ith-nurses

Rishi Sunak signals he is open to discussing this year’s pay with nurses
Prime minister declines to rule out reopening deal after ministers’ previous refusals to do so

Admittedly, talk of "final offers" is part and parcel of pay negotiations. The SNP Government had a final offer that they improved a bit, and quite rightly. But Sunak went so hard that he looks very silly now.

[Crabcakes]

Why do they think refusing to answer (a) indicates anything other than a yes, and (b) is going to do anything other than make people think “well if he won’t answer something that simple, what else is he hiding?”.

It’s like advisors and PR firms have some sort of colossal, industry-wide blind spot.

[Andy McDandy]

Rules lawyering and other clever stuff they teach you at Eton and the Oxford Union. Bit like spouting bollocks in Parliament and then quietly "correcting the record" at a later date, because they know that for however many people watch PMQs, very few read Hansard, and that's the "official" version of events. So, "he never said he uses private healthcare" becomes the message, rather than "he couldn't answer a straight question".

While it's obvious to us, I suspect many of them have their eyes on the book deal, where needless to say, they will have the last laugh.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Sometimes ambiguity is the right thing to do, like in difficult negotiations with David Trimble and Gerry Adams. This is not such an occasion.

As ever I'll defend Oxbridge by saying this sort of rubbish isn't particularly clever thing you learn there, except maybe in the Oxford Union. Straight talking Red Wall Rightwingers do a fine line it too as soon as they're asked a difficult question.

A question like "OK diversity officers saves £1m. How about the extra £999m you've promised?"

[mattomac]

He in the end admitted he was registered with a doctor.

Not particularly sure why he did that when denying it 3 days earlier, not sure why it helped to deny unless the private plane he took on urgent business up to a random hospital near his constituency was also a trip to sign up to a GP.

He wouldn't would he?

[The Weeping Angel]

[Tubby Isaacs]

Wow. He's gone nuclear on the Scottish Gender Bill.

I don't think this going to end well.

[Bones McCoy]

Wow. He's gone nuclear on the Scottish Gender Bill.

I don't think this going to end well.

It's a bit of a gammon herding issue.
Also one that his client press can misrepresent to his advantage.

[Andy McDandy]

Trans people, Scots-baiting, and what's he doing wasting time on this stuff? That's Littlejohn sorted for tomorrow.

[Youngian]

Another potential Acme anvil for Wylie Rishi

[Tubby Isaacs]

It's a bit of a gammon herding issue.
Also one that his client press can misrepresent to his advantage.

In Scotland, maybe, where they're losing votes to Labour.

In the rest of the UK though? The law doesn't even apply outside Scotland. Won't it look like they're pissing about while everything goes to shit?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Another potential Acme anvil for Wylie Rishi

Quite a bit of scope for people forgetting their ID too. Are they going to pop home for Rishi?

[Rosvanian]

So now they'll be a striking teacher and a striking nurse in my family as well as a right-on gay millennial plus I'm one of those useless, waste of air NHS managers. I claim a full house of Mail hate.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Can anyone explain precisely why he is blocking this bill?

I have a few concerns about it, but what is he so worried about?

[Yug]

Can anyone explain precisely why he is blocking this bill?

I have a few concerns about it, but what is he so worried about?

Modern forward-looking civilised Scottish government making the English government look like the backward barbarian shitheaps they undoubtedly are?

[Crabcakes]

Can anyone explain precisely why he is blocking this bill?

Because he sees an easy win he doesn’t need to care about the consequences of. Two in fact. Trans people, because a lot of Tories don’t like the idea of people being free to live their lives as they wish - and throw in some sort of sexual element and non-conformity and you’re laughing. And Scottish people, because they need to get in line and respect London law.

Red meat for the gammons, a good opportunity to try and either paint Labour as loony lefties giving rights for all and under Sturgeon’s thumb or give them an internal headache when not everyone is quite in agreement, and an easy, headline-generating distraction from the country’s myriad woes.

It’ll buy him some time, and that is pretty much all Sunak can hope for.

[satnav]

With lots of questions being asked about the tax affairs of the party chairman and the storm created by Braverman's comments at the weekend a battle with the Scottish government could prove a useful distraction.