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A thread to talk about news and politics affecting Europe as a whole, rather than just politics within specific European countries.

If you're new to OTC, it's worth reading the Introduction to On-Topic Conversations and the On-Topic Conversations debate guidelines before posting here.

As with other OTC threads, off-topic posts may be thumped or edited by the moderators.

    Original first post 
Spinned off from the British Politics Thread. Basically a thread where we talk about news and politics that affect Europe as a whole rather than certain countries in it.

Anyway BBC News section for Europe Based news.

Edited by Mrph1 on Jan 9th 2024 at 3:24:05 PM

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#4926: Mar 30th 2017 at 1:59:43 PM

[up] Well, my experience with the UK school system is limited to one public school...and I admit I was kind of shocked about the quality of the lessons there. One would think that such an expensive school would we further along in English!!!! lessons than a group of foreign students. They were still doing dictate!

But I admit, that my experience is limited, and I have no idea how the education differs from school to school. The US system seems to be very found of the multiple choice system, which I consider suboptimal to say at least.

TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#4927: Mar 30th 2017 at 2:10:24 PM

What the UK doesn't widely teach (and suffers accordingly for) is political science and economics (the resources for these get funnelled into public schools, leaving state schools struggling to accommodate them, thereby making them not as widespread as they should be and creating elitist mentality issues).

This is very confusing!'

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#4928: Mar 30th 2017 at 2:15:44 PM

The English language is weird like that.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#4929: Mar 30th 2017 at 2:19:14 PM

Why do "public" schools get government funding?

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#4930: Mar 30th 2017 at 3:26:15 PM

[up]They don't directly receive government funding, which is why they're fee-paying schools. However, they do seem to manage to become eligible for grants that make them attractive to business funding which somehow always seemed linked to one government scheme or another.

Well, my experience with the UK school system is limited to one public school...and I admit I was kind of shocked about the quality of the lessons there. One would think that such an expensive school would we further along in English!!!! lessons than a group of foreign students. They were still doing dictate!

I haven't been through the public school system myself. Of the people I know, it's a very mixed bag. Some said they thought it was fine but hadn't been through state school to compare, some had been through both and had individual experiences, and some who had been through both were so angry with their experiences they were adamant they would never send their children to public school.

My first direct impact of public school was via my A-Level science teachers. The parents at the local public schools were hiring my state school science teachers to tutor their kids in the sciences because they felt the schools they were sending their children to weren't doing a good enough job,

That a lot of expense to be dissatisfied with a school you're sending your kids too. Given that the bus stop the parents and kids of the public school used was right outside our school, we got to over hear the conversations between parents a lot... they really didn't think much of the public school at all, but had to keep forking out because - God forbid - they couldn't pull their kid out because they'd never recover from the reputational damage to their kid's social future.

Meanwhile, these darlings of the public school education system spent their break times stoning the school buses of state school children and any oap mini-buses that had the cheek to drive past the school.

But, I think that might be more indicative of the region I come from than anything useful about public schools in general.

edited 30th Mar '17 3:29:00 PM by Wyldchyld

If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#4931: Mar 30th 2017 at 3:27:55 PM

Meanwhile, these darlings of the public school education system spent their break times stoning the school buses of state school children and any oap mini-buses that had the cheek to drive past the school.

Madness.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#4932: Mar 30th 2017 at 3:31:50 PM

Ah, but let's back up here a bit... did I describe my local public school, or did I describe the House of Commons during PMQ?

Anyway, I just remembered we're on the European thread not the British one, so we should probably get back on topic.

edited 30th Mar '17 3:32:28 PM by Wyldchyld

If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#4933: Mar 30th 2017 at 3:34:33 PM

Not all public schools do get government funding, I know that mine didn't.

I suspect that I may be the only Troper in OTC with experience of both British schooling systems, and mine is worthless for this conversation because I weant to an alternative school that the government tried to shut down and was as far as you can get from a traditional British public school.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
math792d Since: Jun, 2011 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#4934: Mar 30th 2017 at 3:41:14 PM

If you'll excuse me, I think I'm gonna go gargle with napalm.

Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.
TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#4935: Mar 30th 2017 at 4:14:11 PM

Who is the other man?

Also, I've just remembered some bits about Merkel educating Trump. And that time he bewildered her with the wiretapping mentions.

I wonder, does Merkel sound like a Grande Dame in English? Like a female version of Dr. Schultz?

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
math792d Since: Jun, 2011 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#4936: Mar 30th 2017 at 4:23:31 PM

[up] Lars Løkke Rasmussen, current Prime Minister and toad in charge of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Imagine if you will an individual with Donald Trump's media vendetta, Paul Ryan's spine, Newt Gingrich's internal (that is, within his own party) political savvy and Ronald Reagan's domestic policy record. With a refugee policy just slightly to the left of Theresa May.

That's Løkke. His only redeeming factor is being mediocre at his job rather than outright maliciously evil.

Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.
IFwanderer use political terms to describe, not insult from Earth Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
use political terms to describe, not insult
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#4938: Mar 30th 2017 at 4:30:17 PM

Better than I though considering that she learned Russian in school and English later on.

TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#4939: Mar 30th 2017 at 4:38:04 PM

Now I'm even more curious how her conversation with Putin went. The one where he brought a dog, knowing that she was afraid of dogs.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#4940: Mar 30th 2017 at 5:03:04 PM

She probably powered through it. Woman has nerves of steel.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#4941: Mar 30th 2017 at 5:06:04 PM

When the Wall fell, she had one beer, went home before midnight, and was punctual to work on the next day. That's Angela Merkel's idea of cutting loose.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#4942: Mar 30th 2017 at 6:02:34 PM

[up] Beats Golfing on the taxpayers dime.

TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#4943: Mar 30th 2017 at 6:04:44 PM

Obama's work is done. So long, suckers!

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
CenturyEye Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign? from I don't know where the Yith sent me this time... Since: Jan, 2017 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
#4944: Mar 30th 2017 at 7:52:59 PM

He'd be a better man than ten of menote , if he didn't have at least one conversation with his family about ditching us after his eight years, only to have to witness 2016.

Lars Løkke Rasmussen, current Prime Minister and toad in charge of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Imagine if you will an individual with Donald Trump's media vendetta, Paul Ryan's spine, Newt Gingrich's internal (that is, within his own party) political savvy and Ronald Reagan's domestic policy record. With a refugee policy just slightly to the left of Theresa May.

That's Løkke. His only redeeming factor is being mediocre at his job rather than outright maliciously evil.

Good lord, man. Why weren't your mad scientists all busy inventing wormholes and curing HIV instead of creating this monster?

Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
math792d Since: Jun, 2011 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#4945: Mar 31st 2017 at 1:41:39 AM

[up] Knowing my countrymen, it was probably a 'hold my beer' kinda moment.

Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#4946: Mar 31st 2017 at 1:50:03 AM

[up] ...So they were drunk at the polls?

Disgusted, but not surprised
math792d Since: Jun, 2011 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#4947: Mar 31st 2017 at 1:55:33 AM

[up] 20% of the country voted for people who wanted border walls with Germany and want to deport pizza chefs.

I think it's safe to say 'yes.'

Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
math792d Since: Jun, 2011 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#4949: Mar 31st 2017 at 2:13:11 AM

[up] You underestimated the idiocy of the Danish people.

It's okay. It happens to everyone.

Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#4950: Mar 31st 2017 at 2:28:47 AM

[up] But you seem like such happy people. sad

Disgusted, but not surprised

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