Read the 'inside' story of today's reshuffle.

We've had years of people complaining about being governed by unelected bureaucrats and public school/Oxbridge educated elites.

Yet, these very same people are supporting a government which includes people such as Dominic Cummings and Zac Goldsmith and didn't bat an eyelid when Nicky Morgan kept her position.

The current government is made up a huge number of public school and Oxbridge educated members. The new Chancellor is the son-in-law of a billionaire and Johnson himself comes from an A-lister political family.

Some serious questions need to be asked and addressed.

Thanks for the link MOnica gave me a chuckle today

anniezzz09, actually I do not read The Guardian, the link I posted came up when I googled something else and I just clicked on it because it sounded interesting.

I also dislike the way so many people keep utting down the tabloids. They do report a lot of rubbish but all of them have run campaigns that have substantially helped its readers.

Most of those that look down on the tabloids do so because they have political views different from those of the tabloid papers and are so absolutely sure that their views are the ownly absolutely correct views that can never be assailed that anyone, or worse, any newspaper who actually thinks differently must be venal, lying, out to mislead etc etc. They are so sure of themselves they make papal infallibility look iffy.

Greymar
Love it

You assume too much MOnica.

I have never in my life thought that my views on anything are the only correct views or that anybody who thinks differently is necessarily venal or out to mislead. However, I am capable of sorting out bigotry and myth from facts and well thought out arguments.

I hold my hands up. I read the Daily Mail and Express and I think they're both absolute rubbish, which pander to narrow-minded nationalists, who want simple solutions to big issues.

I won't pay to read any paper behind a paywall.

I read the Mail and the i. The Observer and Telegraph at weekends.

Just as they say the devil has all the best tunes the right wing papers have the best journalism, I read them for that not their politics. I have tried so hard over the years to be a Guardian reader, but just find its humourless morally superior style indigestible.

Even the cartoon strips are worthy. That applies to The Observer as well, although, thankfully, its journalism is neither humourless nor morally superior. No paper who publishes Jay Rainer could be humourless.

I'm afraid that I tend to agree with you about the Guardian, Monica, although I think they have many good writers, including John Crace, I have always felt that it seemed to be a house journal for teachers, social workers and lecturers in sociology, and if you were not one of these good folk you had no right to be reading it. It can be quite predictable and a tad indigestable.

In spite of all that I would hate to see our only (slightly) left of centre serious national newspaper disappear and I think it is admirable that it can be freely accessed online. I think those of us who take advantage of that access should contribute what we can to keep it going. The country would be immeasurably poorer without the Guardian and the Observor.

As a matter of interest, what are your sources for serious news and politics MOnica?

I thought the article was simply typical of a satirical sketch writer but I guess that was the purpose of printing it.

As there are more than one thread on the subject I am repeating my point of view about Rishi Sunak.

I have watched Rishi Sunak on quite a few political programmes and also being interviewed and to be honest I think the John McDonnell brigade name calling shows more about them than Rishi Sunak.

He is unfortunately for him a target because he is educated, wealthy, a Conservative and polite. Traits that apparently are to be scoffed at or pathetically gives rise to him being seen as a ' Patsy' or a ' Poodle'.

Time will tell if the closeness of No 10 and No 11 will survive or be for the good but past governments of various colours have shown that acrimony between the Prime Minister and his/her Chancellor has not been a force for good for government cohesion and governance.

I am prepared to wait, watch and make an intelligent decision as to whether or not Rishi Sunak makes a good Chancellor but his race/backround/ education/wealth do not enter into the equation from my perspective. I will leave that to those who enjoy using such things to attack the character of a person whose character they wish to destroy without any knowledge or even bothered to assess.

It really doesn't matter at all what ability, or lack of same, Sunak has, POGS. He'll do just what Cummings tells him to do. That's why he's got the job.

It wasn't that interesting that it was worth reading twice.

I agree with you POGS; I believe Rishi Sunak is a force to be reckoned with, has a formidable intelligence, and was able to predict and identify trends in the recent election.
I don't believe he will be anybody's poodle.

Rishi Sunak impressed me as a defender of the indefensible because of his smooth, confident, plausible style.

Perhaps Boris might live to regret promoting him as he might not be content to be a perpetual poodle.

He is almost certainly more intelligent and able than BJ.

growstuff All the papers I mention, BBC, Sky, Al jazeera, R4 and innumerable others here there an everywhere that I google. That is how I found this John Crace column.

I will read almost anything and everything I can find. I do not implicitly believe everything I read. I might also add that I have a masters degree in information science, that is among other things the science of finding sources of information, evaluating them, summarising their contents and assessing and verifying their reliability. I earned my living for nearly 30 years using those skills in industry.

I do not know everything on the subject and like everyone I can, at times, make mistakes. This is why I post so many links on threads where people are looking for information. It is my ingrained instinct when someone asks a question to immediately ferret out the answer.

‘Builders’ Really??

'Most of those that look down on the tabloids do so because they have political views different from those of the tabloid papers and are so absolutely sure that their views are the ownly absolutely correct views that can never be assailed that anyone, or worse, any newspaper who actually thinks differently must be venal, lying, out to mislead etc etc. They are so sure of themselves they make papal infallibility look iffy.'
No; I hate the tabloids because they make a habit of using their front pages to print absolute lies which are then retracted a while later in a paragraph buried in the middle of the paper.

I will carefully read the tabloid close to my heart and look for the retractions.

I come from a working class background but benefitted from a grammar school

Me too annezzz
But I’m on the opposite side of the political fence to you.
?

growstuff Fri 14-Feb-20 16:58:11

'It wasn't that interesting that it was worth reading twice. hmm'

Thank you. Your usual charm.

I object to the absolute lies published on the front pages of the tabloids, especially the Daily Express, I've written to my MP before now asking why they aren't prosecuted. I also object to campaigns like vilifying judges and publishing the addresses of people they don't like so setting them up for violence from thugs. All the tabloids do this.

I don't get your point Urm, yes of course plenty of grammar school educated people have ended up supporting Conservative policies. I think I was replying to someone accusing me of being an elitist intellectual and a socialist snob. So much for not attacking the individual on GN!!! My point was, and remains, that the tabloids publish lies and misinformation aimed at the poorly educated who are failed by our education system. Teachers are leaving the profession in droves and our young people are sadly lacking in a broad and challenging education that brings out the best in them. Not all of course but teaching to SATS and league tables has been detrimental.

For what it's worth, since people are laying out their credentials, I have a Masters in Research Methodology and another in Medical Anthropology. I had a long career in publishing, was an active trade unionist and later a project manager in charities and have worked in adult education and volunteered with the homeless and in schools.

I read and financially support The Guardian, I also read The Times, The Independent, The New European, The Irish Times and occasionally I look at The New York Times and France 24. I like listening to Australian podcasts, the ABC have some excellent ones.
I used to read the Daily Mail but in the last few years I think standards have dropped and the tabloids have enjoyed propagating division and xenophobia so now they turn my stomach and I avoid them.

The Mail did some good investigative journalism in the past. The Stephen Lawrence case stands out and they deserve recognition for that work.

I buy the Guardian (yes I fit the category set out rather dismissively by varian) , I read the I and occasionally buy the Times or Telegraph. Yes, the Observer at the weekend though it we're away, the Times or Telegraph do nicely for a long read.
I read the Daily Mail on line but I don't read its showbiz gossip and I've stopped reading the bile it prints daily on Meghan and Harry. I often wonder if the Mail was taken out of circulation for a month, whether the country would be a happier, more well informed place.

I apologise if my reference to the popularity of the Guardian amongst certain professions seemed dismissive. It was not intended to be.,

I also feel marginalised when I read the Financial Times as I'm not a stockbroker, banker or chartered accountant.

Even so, the FT, like the Guardian is well worth reading.

no apology needed varian, I was a bit tongue in cheek there, people "like me" are used to being smiled at by some and sneered at by others for being Guardian readers. I should have said, I realise you aren't in the sneering category at all.

I have a young relative who writes for the FT so I occasionally read it. Just the name put me off for years, finances not being my strong point.

Annie, couldn't agree more with your 21.35 post. Those papers are dangerous and whip up racism, to name just one form of social hatred. And as for the state of uk education, I have wept (as a teacher) over it. Our children are being failed as part of an elitist policy to keep the working classes powerless.

At the time of the election I spoke of the uk being a totalitarian state with an unelected man at the helm. And now they're not even trying to pretend otherwise.

I find the world a terrifying place these days.