Education, Education, Education (Tony Blair) what a load of bollocks. Since 1997 we have seen the abolition of free education, appalling standards in schools and the education system polluted with the same stupid target culture I face in the NHS.
Now comes yet another [unsurprising] announcement courtesy of this useless Labour Government. Our proposal for a new college campus on Central Drive lies in tatters.
This was on the cards for ages. First the supercasino was taken away and Brown the clown promised a ‘substantial’ compensation package, what did we get? £300m of old money repledged, part of which was the £188m for a new FE college campus. Then the Learning and Skills Council (Government quango) lost the funding. Hypocritical Liebour sheep on the Gasjet site were trying to blame it on the council. Get your fucking facts straight [for once in your lives] the GOVERNMENT lost the funding NOT the council. Then a few months later the LSC announced some reserve funding had been found and a shortlist was compiled of recipients and expectably Blackpool was left out while places like Manchester and Liverpool that have unfairly benefit from billions upon billions in regeneration already got funding for new colleges, what a slap in the face. Somebody up there is just taking the piss out of Blackpool.
Now the Gasjet announces today that the plans lie in ruins. Thanks again Labour. The plans are now on ice until further notice. As you’d expect Marsden as dedicated and pro-Blackpool as ever is doing nothing about it. If it was a Tory Government he would be kicking up seven bells of shit about it, but no because it is his socialist cronies he will do nothing. MARSDEN OUT 2010!!!! LABOUR OUT 2010!!!
Personally I was always dubious about the plans to begin with. I think it would have been a far better idea to have built a university campus on Central Drive where there is room for further expansion and stuck the FE campus on Palatine Road where there is no room for expansion. I think Blackpool would benefit much more from a proper university than a new FE college. But it is the fact that Liebour is sticking two fingers up at Blackpool AGAIN that annoys me the most. We deserve better, REGENERATE NOT DEGENERATE
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Well said TB,if Liebour dont get wiped off the Fylde coast I will be astounded;little wonder Keith Riley is standing as an independent,they have zero credibility.
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Spot on Harold and this is just another of the 188m reasons NOT to vote Liebour. Those who want Liebour to stay in be careful what you wish for. You will pay for their lies, reckless spending and gross incompetence and Blackpool will continue to suffer.
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Much as I dont rate Callow, its unfair to blame him.This is down to the government.
Well looks like a landslide conservative victory on the Fylde then.
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Actually I think the number of further education places need cutting. Seen the number of beauty salons set up in St Annes and Lytham because the college has a course in it? Far more than the community can sustain and it’ll be a safe bet that many trained are unemployed.
What we need is a radical rethink. We don’t need over half the population to have a university degree. We need people trained in the right numbers for the jobs that will be available to suit them (or that will potentially be able to grow) and funded properly. And that means paying for every British citizen’s education and living costs whilst they’re studying – not expecting them to work at the same time in some dead-end job someone on the dole could easily do. Better to get the unemployed in those jobs and give their benefits to students instead – who develop into the higher earners and therefore higher taxpayers of tomorrow.
I see the NUS is moaning about the cost of student accomodation now. No wonder – they are so massively improved on the dumps that were around in my day so of course they’re going to cost more. We can’t have it every way. I’d rather see students living in the run down digs of my day and not having a loan when they get out and having to work in an unrelated job as they study.
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I am of the view that education has been devalued; made easier to get more people into higher “education”.
When I sat my O level maths (1985), I remember the teacher going mad, saying that from the next year, calculus and trigonometry would be removed.
He was disgusted at this decision.
Now, I know and can see why.
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I could not see for the life of me why they would want to build a university on the old Mecca site,what is wrong with turning the site they have on Ashfield road into a university,after all they turned the college in Preston into a university called Uclan or what ever it is called,my daughter attended there to do a nursing degree with a great deal of success, and lets face it there is plenty of room to extend facility’s there as the site is far larger than the old Mecca site. They could easily improve public transport to the site.What we should be building there is a MEN arena type building that could be used to bring top artists to the resort could double up as a conference centre as well as some where to host trade shows,it has good parking facility’s nearby and a good road structure to get traffic away quickly, the South train service could be extended to bring people by Rail,only 5 minute walk from the promenade,this is what Blackpool needs,something that is going to attract visitors to the resort who might just stay for a few days.We could also have a 5 star hotel on the same site to attract top earners visiting the centre,we have plenty of other type of accommodation in Blackpool to suit all budgets. Lets see something like this been built which is actually going to attract visitors to the resort.
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The Gasjet has completely censored my comments on this issue so I have made a very very angry complaint to Johnston Press, they have restored EVERY SINGLE FUCKING COMMENT except mine when I actually wrote to them politely asking for mine to be restored, I have had enough so I have made a formal complaint.
Anyhow back to business, absolutely excellent comment Dave Palme; funnily enough I did my nurse training at UCLAN also, a good modern university, I hate Preston as a place, its a dive but UCLAN is a decent uni. I agree totally we should build an MEN-style arena that could double up as a conference/exhibition centre and the old Mecca site would be ideal. I would also like to see more high-quality accomodation and other provisions because I feel Blackpool far too often caters purely for the lower classes. An arena is something I would definitely use, unlike a stand alone conference centre which doesn’t really benefit we residents. I love going to Manchester/Liverpool but it would be great to have all the big artists and shows in my hometown.
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That is an excellent post and I totally agree with everything you have said there.
It’s a great location for road, rail and trams for a conference centre and is something that should be our first priority for building.
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Yes Dave, a conference centre,and not another gateway to council offices, either.
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Imagine what Talbot gateway is going to be like,if say half the present council staff are located there,Talbot road struggles now in peak time what is it going to be like if 4000 council employees what to come to work in there cars,it will be an absolute nightmare.Should be built on a location away from the town centre where there is a good road infrastructure and not in the town centre.
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Good point Dave, I have serious doubts about the whole project, to me its a squandered opportunity
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I totally agree with that Dave. Progress House was an excellent site to use – and given that it houses other departments that won’t be moving it just seems an extra £4 million being spent to move a few staff with no benefits gained save a few lunchtime sandwiches potentially being bought by staff.
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http://ipad.io/Hke
Latest program feature on the £400,000 wasted on the Ghost Train. plus interesting exclusive news regarding Blackpool North
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Great Interview – how refreshing to actually find out wtf is going on in our town! Don’t get these kind of questions and answers with the gasjet or radio wave!
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Excellent interview. I like the fact the council aren’t getting tied down with talk shops known as committee’s and trying to make things happen quickly.
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You LIKE the fact that there is no scrutiny of for example the Birley st £Millions, the Ghost Train £400,000, and the St Johns Square events?
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I like the fact there is action, give me action over procrastination any day. As for Birley Street and St John’s they look great as for the Ghost Train, lets see where we are with it in three years.
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The worst has yet to come,1980s all over again,thanks to Tony Gordon and the bankers,cheers you cunts!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8587877.stm
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The lost money for the relocation of Bispham campus is a blow, but one has to ask, as some of you have done, whether we even needed it.
Clearly, the motivation to build it there was twofold. One because it’s a way of getting rid of an old, horrible building for peanuts, and two because it frees up a large area of land at Bispham for housing development.
It is a shame the 150million or so that would have been pumped in could not be found in the end because if nothing else the new building would have looked good. However the overrall outcome would have been the same as all council projects: lots of millions spent with no benefit.
I also agree with Dave’s comments about the Talbot Gateway. Fortunately I dont have any need to drive through there much but I can’t imagine the chaos that will ensue with 4000 car commuters and a shared space implementation!
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Jed Fitzgerald, another overpaid wanker like Steve weaver?
http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/2000-staff-to-face-pay.6183221.jp
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Totally agree, I think there should be a definite cap on public sector pay. Nobody and I mean NOBODY in the public sector should earn more than the PM. In the private sector they can pay what they like, it is hard earned money. But taxpayers money should not be paying these obscene salaries. Why should a town hall/county hall jobsworth earn more than the man running the country. Brown might be doing a shit job but running the country is a big big responsibility. Useless jobsworths like Steve Broomhead, Steve Weaver and countless others nearly earn as much as the PM, they should be on £20k and live in the real world.
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I agree TB and like you I work in the public sector, top wage goes to the top man,the PM, NICK GRIFFIN, lol
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Well said Harold
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