Todays strikes.

[Nick]

I don't want to criticise anybody individually for what they do in the public or private sector.

My misses is a teacher so the world of the public sector is far from alien to me.

My opinions about this strike and all the issues that surround it are purely based on my own principles.

Just to explain my position:

Though i'm not prepared to get into a 'I'm from a poorer background than you' competition, I grew up in a not very well off family. This taught me the value of money and therefore I want to keep hold of as much of what I earn as possible. On this basis, I subscribe to the old conservative (with a small 'c'), libertarian principles of low taxes and slimline government and public sector with minimal state intervention and free markets.

I appreciate that not everybody subscribes to these beliefs and respect that, but I just wanted to illustrate that just because my beliefs would be described as 'conservative', I'm not a blue-blooded, fox-hunting, privately educated person who's had a hand in life from my parents and their money. I'm the opposite!

That's fair - well written.

[The Doctor]

"Nick"

Is that a reference to your name or what you do off the taxpayer?

Don't be so uncouth. We call it embezzling.

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

I do have to say, that the overall appearance of teachers that I have seen, in a school environment, is generally scruffy, and not a good advertisement for their profession. Also, I feel, that the wearing of any political badge, is distasteful to say the least. Obviously this does not apply to all teachers.

[Rincewind]

Does that apply to teachers wearing habits in some schools? I agree though but then its up to the parents as well to talk to their children and not think they are not needed from the ages of five to 18.

[AoWW]

Scruffy teachers! Whatever next!

[21st Century Fox]

Scruffy teachers! Whatever next!

I once saw a teacher with sideburns, it was that sort of brazen statement that led to my entire school reading Das Kapital.

[Charl91]

Long Poem

Liked the poem. Reminded me of the well known poem/statement by martin niemoller

First they came for the communists

and I did not speak out - because I was not a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists

and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews

and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me -

and by then there was no one left to speak out for me.

[Cat Burger]

I did. I took my son out of school permanently so he didn't have be be taught by people like yourself who couldn't be relied upon to do their job and who relied on gang warfare to solve problems. I wanted my son to be taught not to be a pawn either in your politics or anyone else's.

I get too indignant when arguing about this, which is why I made I relatively non rhetorical statement. You are free to do what you want, as am I.

However, the phrases 'people like yourself' and 'relied on gang warfare' show such a profound ignorance, that I can't even begin to imagine how fucked up your children turned out to be. I'm sure 'Steam Train Studies', and 'The Life and Times of Fred Dibnah' were a laugh, but you really should have to taught your children to stand up for themselves when being bullied. Maybe you did. that's certainly what I was taught.

Yeah some teachers moan, but we get such a constant stream of shit day in day out from kids, parents, senior leaders, Ofsted etc that it's no wonder...It's not always been like that and I'm sure it won't always be. The occasional bit of gratitude is nice, once every 50 days. This is not a woe is me tale, I knew the score going in, and I bloody love teaching. I'm not taking anything from my brothers and sisters in other public services either, Nurses in particular have a far more thankless task. However, it's such a savage and disproportionate attack. To expect young professionally trained teachers like me, who don't get paid very well for the amount of hours we put in, to lie down whilst MP's allegedly vote to reduce the amount of years they have to serve in order to get their 40k a year pension (Ken Livingston said this at the March, I can't cite it), shows a shocking, shocking level of underestimation of me and hundreds of thousands like me. Body blows keep on coming with the mention of pay freezes and suggesting that parents could come in a do the job whilst we are out protecting our futures. Good ****ing luck to them I say, I'd bloody love to see that. Carnage.

I didn't get paid on Wednesday and I did about 3 hours marking and planning when I got home from marching for 8 hours, so I'm buggered if I'm being accused of not giving a shit, and blown if that's a day off.

The Government CAN afford to negotiate with us on our pensions! I for instance, strongly agree with the move to average career earnings, to where you are at the end. But a Senior leader in his/her last few years of teaching is going to be rightly hacked off. THAT IS WHY WE NEED NEGOTIATION. I'll start off....GET RID OF THE TRIDENT DEFENSE SYSTEM AND TREAT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE THE HEART AND LUNGS OF YOUR SOCIETY WITH A BIT MORE RESPECT!

I guarantee many of you cynics would do the same as me in my position, but you have the right to your opinion. The only reason you voice your opinion about my future livelihood is because it's a minor inconvenience to you... but you're still entitled to your opinion.

(You're just cunts)

[Rincewind]

Very true of todays society. (the poem) and the above post. I don't judge others in jobs that I do not or cannot do just because what I see in the media.

[Nick]

Liked the poem. Reminded me of the well known poem/statement by martin niemoller

yes it came from the German I believe.

[Rincewind]

I meant to print it off to study it better.

[dave the caveman]

I suppose there will be some happy faces in this thread today after Nick Clegg announced the first step towards total government control over private sector pay.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16022162

[Guest MattP]

I suppose there will be some happy faces in this thread today after Nick Clegg announced the first step towards total government control over private sector pay.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16022162

Soon change when you see the successful ones who actually bring money in fcuking off elsewhere.........