ray hutstone- Registered: 1 Apr 2018
- Posts: 2,158
Whilst I think we should always look carefully at all issues relating to the increase in mobile usage, there is no evidence that mobile frequencies in the 5G environment pose any more of a potential threat than earlier technologies. This is non-ionising radiation which has never been shown to harm cell growth or DNA. It is no more dangerous than your computer monitor or even the sun.
Captain Haddock likes this
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,655
Great news about Shatterlocks but I see there is no further information about where we stand in the global league tables, not that well I suppose or he would have bragged about it.
"Time for an aspiration nation
Improving education is a key priority of mine. So much progress has been made in in recent years – in Dover and Deal and beyond.
Back in 2010, school standards were heading in the wrong direction. The UK was tumbling down global league tables. A major study found that within a decade we had dropped from 7th to 25th in reading, from 8th to 28th in maths, from 4th to 16th in science. Things looked bleak.
Fast forward to today and the picture is completely different. Shatterlocks in Dover has just become the latest local school to have an outstanding Ofsted rating. Inspectors noted the children were “exceptionally keen learners who rise to the high expectations set for them”. Teachers, pupils and parents deserve huge credit.
Those higher expectations were part of radical reforms. And the results are plain to see. Across Dover and Deal 2,432 more children are now attending schools rated good or outstanding than were doing so in 2010. Across the UK 85% of schools are now good or outstanding – compared to just 66% in 2010.
There’s more funding too. I was one of those fighting for a new funding formula to address historic unfairness. Our pupils got so much less than their London peers. The new formula means Dover district secondary schools will get 7.2% more from 2020. A transition period saw them receive £1.23 million extra in September. Total school funding in Kent has now topped £1 billion for the first time – the highest amount for any local authority area in the UK.
Yet there is still more to do. Last week I visited Whitfield and Aspen Primary School – another local school rated good by Ofsted. This amazing place cares for many children with special needs. The teaching quality is excellent, but they are running out of space. Almost 500 are taught there. A second site was supposed to be built two-and-half years ago. We need to see this taken forward as quickly as possible.
Every parent wants their child to have the best possible start. Our area has been leading the way in education for youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds. A Government social mobility report puts us in the top 10 in the whole country. Children are also getting a better start at home, with an all-time high of around nine in 10 children in the UK now living in a household where at least one adult works – and 300,000 fewer living in absolute poverty.
I’m passionate about giving people ladders in life – at every stage. That’s why I’m also fighting for more funding for our further education colleges, which have lost out in the past few years.
We must send a message that no matter where you come from, no matter how old you are, you should have the chance to work hard and get on in life. We must be ambitious for every single person in Dover and Deal. Only then can we realise the full potential of our community."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Guest 1571- Registered: 24 Aug 2015
- Posts: 71
Perhaps if he didn't vote for cuts to education i might believe him.
Also, Ofsted's inspection criteria have changed under the conservatives.
Academies and state schools are also viewed differently.
Charlie Elphicke is a liar and someone who bends the truth.
youtube.com/chazwoldalmighty
Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,680
I suspect the only ladders Charlie wants to give locals are the ones they need so they can clean his windows.
But seriously he has regularly voted for education cuts so any improvement is down to the dedication of staff rather than his lame duck government & as for the funding changes this is at the detriment of other schools rather than any additional money from government.
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Captain Haddock- Location: Marlinspike Hall
- Registered: 8 Oct 2012
- Posts: 7,469
Bandwagon time! In which 'our‘ Charlie hitches a lift on St Greta of Thunberg's biodegradable pedal car.
?s=19
'If no one went no faster than what I do there'd be a sight less trouble in this world'
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,655
"Supporting our armed forces
We are only able to enjoy our way of life because our armed forces put their lives on the line to protect it. That’s why I was incredibly proud so many turned out for Armed Forces Day over the weekend.
Here in Dover and Deal, we have a special understanding of our armed forces. Over many centuries we have been at the frontline, the gateway to England. This means we know the importance of safety and security – and how military tradition is so vital to us all.
Hundreds attended the Armed Forces Day Drum Head Service and Parade in Deal on Sunday. In the morning people assembled at Deal Pier Apron for the Drum Head Service performance. Afterwards standards, veterans and civic dignities formed up in parade, making their way from the seafront towards the Timeball Tower for the salute. It was a fitting tribute to those who have and continue to serve our nation.
Many have served in Northern Ireland. At the end of last year, I was approached by a constituent who had completed a tour of Belfast in the early seventies. A coroner had contacted him demanding answers to questions about his service of our country all those years ago.
We need to pay proper respect to people who serve our land. These veterans fought bravely against terrorism. They deserve to be honoured. Instead they are harassed in retirement, while the terrorists are free to walk our streets. It’s time to ensure veterans enjoy their old age with the dignity and respect of a grateful nation.
It’s wrong that many of the terrorists they were fighting enjoy amnesty. The same terrorist group that proudly claimed responsibility for the Deal barracks bombing – an atrocity that killed 11 and wounded a further 21. No-one has ever been brought to justice for this appalling crime.
I have pressed ministers at both the Ministry of Defence and the Northern Ireland Office about this. I told them it is a terrible mistake to set up an Historic Investigations Unit to look at the Troubles. Instead we should bring the perpetrators of the heinous bombing to justice.
The memory of this attack is another reason our community is so ready to pay tribute to the armed forces. We know we cannot truly comprehend the heroism and the horror. But we can show how much we support them.
That must include supporting veterans as they battle both the physical and mental scars of conflict. The NHS recently expanded provision, setting up a Veterans’ Complex Treatment Service and providing a wider range of support than ever. Yet we must do even more.
Let us always remember those who have served our nation and those who even today keep us safe and secure. And let us remember them every day of the year. "
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,655
Latest waffle..........
"Brexit Britain must work for Dover & Deal
After we leave the EU, we must ensure that a renaissance of the regions – including coastal areas like ours – is at the very heart of building Brexit Britain.
The referendum was a vote to take back control – a vote for real change. It was a vote heard loudest in the towns and regions of our nation, while less so in the big cities that account for so much of our national wealth.
In Dover and Deal, our coalfield history means we are home to hundreds of former miners. These are among the people who feel forgotten by Westminster. These are the lives we should focus on transforming as we try to build a Britain everyone can be a part of.
I have been fighting for miners to enjoy a greater share of surpluses from their pension scheme. Currently it operates on a 50/50 split because the Government guarantees the scheme and takes on the risk. Yet there is little risk in reality and a strong case to be more generous.
I’ve also been working to see that the Kent Mining Museum is completed. The £9.5 million scheme in Betteshanger was “85% finished” until the college group funding it collapsed. When it became clear it would be disposed of, I argued that the Government should sell it without debt. In recent weeks I’ve been pressing Homes England to ensure any sale comes with strict conditions – that the museum is finished and the Country Park is preserved.
Last week the former miners I have been working with on these campaigns showed me around Betteshanger Welfare Sports and Social Club in Cavell Square. This fantastic facility tackles poor health and loneliness at all ages. Membership is growing and I’m trying to help them get funding from Sport England to make it even better.
Because it is vital that investment keeps coming to communities like ours. With things like the St James cinema and shops, the new leisure centre and the Western Docks Revival, we’ve had more than £500 million of investment since 2010.
We’ve also seen more jobs – our area has 7,700 more people in work than a decade ago. And we are finally getting a fairer share for our schools. The new funding formula – something I fought for because our kids were getting thousands less than their London peers – will see schools boosted by 7.2% when it comes in. In healthcare we got a new £24 million hospital, when facilities elsewhere in the country were closing. A new £30 million East Kent Medical School is on the way too, so more doctors and nurses are trained locally.
Yet all this should just be the start. Brexit Britain must work better for places like Dover and Deal. That means better road links – with the A2 dualled and a modern link road from the A256 to northern Deal. It means better broadband – so our rural communities and businesses are connected to the modern world.
It means a better Britain. That is why we must leave the EU at the end of October – so we can get on with building it."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Neil Moors- Registered: 3 Feb 2016
- Posts: 1,225
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,655
I thought it had all been sorted.
Unfortunately even if proved innocent that will probably be the end of his political career.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Neil Moors- Registered: 3 Feb 2016
- Posts: 1,225
It certainly ends any immediate prospect of being appointed a Minister in a Boris Johnson Government (which he may well have had his eye on).
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
with the amount of ministers resinging or threatning to, there might be a spot him.
Captain Haddock- Location: Marlinspike Hall
- Registered: 8 Oct 2012
- Posts: 7,469
Innocent until proven guilty but IF Boris called a GE soon would local Conservatives want to put Charlie up if court case unresolved?
'If no one went no faster than what I do there'd be a sight less trouble in this world'
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
Neil Moors- Registered: 3 Feb 2016
- Posts: 1,225
Captain makes an interesting point. House returns on 3rd Sept, and with Charlie's hearing set for the 6th - it doesn't leave much room for error if Boris wants to get a GE in before the October 31st deadline.
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,557
brian wasn't breaking news was in post 589
Jan Higgins likes this
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,655
The most significant thing to me is the timing of this charge against Charlie, literally just before the new Tory leader is announced.
I bet Boris is spitting feathers and having to shuffle his imaginary prospective ministerial pals should he get in.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pablo- Registered: 21 Mar 2018
- Posts: 614
While the charges may be real, the timing is undoubtedly politically driven. It’ll be a year before Charlie gets a chance to clear his name in Crown Court. By then there will probably have been a general election and his career will be over. In the meantime he will be a lame duck with no voice in the halls of power (although during his last period in the wilderness he managed to ruffle a few feathers.)
ray hutstone- Registered: 1 Apr 2018
- Posts: 2,158
Hmm. So even the CPS are conspiring against Boris? Seems somehow improbable to me even if Charlie was destined for a junior job as a reward for his craven support.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
if there is a genrael elction we could have lib/dems in power. labour/conservative have to much infighting with one thing or another.
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,655
ray hutstone wrote:Hmm. So even the CPS are conspiring against Boris? Seems somehow improbable to me even if Charlie was destined for a junior job as a reward for his craven support.
When it comes to a group of civil servants anything is possible depending on their agenda.
I just hope all the prophecies about Boris becoming leader are wrong although it would certainly shake the party up, be it for good or bad depending on your point of view.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
-------------------------------------------------------------------