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By stewartb
In TuS yesterday:
‘the EIS union, whose leaders have regularly misrepresented their members interests to help Scottish Labour’
Given the reference to the EIS and given its general negativity towards the Scottish Government, it’s instructive to look at an example of how the equivalent of the EIS in Wales frames its ‘wants’ from the Welsh Government (with my emphasis).
From the website of the National Education Union (NEU): ‘The crisis in funding for schools and colleges in Wales. Motion 22 – NEU Cymru members highlight the crisis in funding for schools and colleges in Wales (22/10/2023)
https://neu.org.uk/latest/press-releases/crisis-funding-schools-and-colleges-wales-motion-22
‘NEU Cymru, Wales’s largest education union, is calling for the Welsh Government to prioritise educational funding and investment, as a matter of urgency.
‘The National Education Union Cymru is concerned about THE CONTINUED FUNDING CRISIS IN SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES IN WALES. INSUFFICIENT MONEY HAS BEEN GOING INTO THE EDUCATION SYSTEM and it is estimated that STUDENTS IN WALES RECEIVE UP TO £700 PER ANNUM LESS THAN PUPILS IN ENGLAND.’
Stuart Williams, Wales Policy Officer of the National Education Union Cymru, said: “NEU Cymru acknowledges that the Welsh Government are somewhat RESTRICTED BY MONIES THEY RECEIVE FROM THE UK GOVERNMENT IN Westminster, with the REAL TERMS BUDGET BEING ESTIMATED AT £4 BILLION LESS OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS. To some extent, THEIR HANDS ARE TIED, but the Welsh Government are also responsible for how they spend their budget.
The text of the trade union’s late 2023 conference motion includes: ‘Conference Cymru notes that there has been A FUNDING CRISIS IN SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES ACROSS WALES, FOR YEARS. Insufficient money has been going into the education system and it is estimated that students in Wales receive up to £700 per annum less than pupils in England. This cannot and must not be allowed to continue.
‘Conference Cymru acknowledges that the Welsh Government are somewhat RESTRICTED BY MONIES THEY RECEIVE FROM THE GOVERNMENT IN WESTMINSTER, with the real terms budget being ESTIMATED AT £4 BILLION LESS OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS. To some extent, THEIR HANDS ARE TIED.’
And: ‘Conference Cymru instructs the Executive to liaise with the First Minister and the Education Minister and ENCOURAGE THEM TO PUT INCREASED PRESSURE ON THE UK GOVERNMENT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF FUNDING IN SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, AS A MATTER OF URGENCY.‘
Showing balance, awareness of context, provision of perspective – I’m sure the EIS would quickly find the capability and the motivation to campaign in a similar manner if the Labour Party were ever to gain power in Holyrood. But clearly having a Labour government is not proving to be the solution in Wales.
And if devolved government only works when the party of devolved government and the party of Westminster government is one and the same, then the nature of the devolution settlement within the UK constitution is not fit for purpose.
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Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
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A ddifferent tone from Scotland where the BBC has extrapolated the results of a survey of a number of teachers in Aberdeen into a national disaster.
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That’s precisely how PISA, the international student testing programme so beloved by BBC Scotland, DRoss and Sarwar, works. It extrapolates the results of the few into the results of the many – which is why whatever it announces shouldn’t be taken as gospel.
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So Education Unions , Labour in Scotland & Labour HQ all acknowledge and recognise (as in promote in defence of the Labour Welsh Govt) that the Welsh government are at a disadvantage because of the UK Govt via :
“Students in Wales” are disadvantaged via receiving less monies than students in England.
That the Welsh Govt to some extent are limited as their “Hands are tied” via receiving a reduced budget from the the UK Govt which then results in financial restrictions within their Education system.
The conclusion is then to put pressure on the UK government to address this funding issue ?
Meanwhile in Scotland ……another devolved government is considered by some of these same sources i.e. some Education Unions, Labour in Scotland & Labour HQ as those totally deserving of being…..
Constantly demonised and accused of mismanagement & incompetence (as in no one else to blame bar them as Scottish Govt)
Considered solely culpable on any financial restrictions on public services…..such as….Education. (for what is clearly also shortfalls in their funding in the reduced budget that they receive via the UK Govt)
Is ridiculed for, at times, blaming and accusing the Tory UK for the reduction in “real terms” of the budget that they receive from that Tory UK Govt (which then results in financial restrictions and additional pressure then imposed upon them by the same Tory UK Govt as the Welsh Labour Govt)
Yet we are expected to believe that in Scotland it is the SNP and only the SNP who are the supposed culprits who constantly seek to indulge in ‘Playing Politics’....
Meanwhile some other devolved government is protected and excused with the focus being tis outwith their control via some organisations (Unions) who both fund and support the political party that they, that Labour devolved Govt, are a part of…….and we are then also expected to believe that only one of these devolved government’s (Welsh Labour) has major issues ,that restricts only them, and that it is all as a result (fault) of the central Tory UK government……..which is clearly then an example in Scotland of certain Unions & political parties indulging in constantly ‘Playing politics’ against the SNP……all via the total injustice, the selective exceptionalism & basically ducked up corrupt approach that exists within their UK political system.
Wheesht for Labour……yet again.
Good article Stewart…..hope you have a nice day today (and others on here too)
🙂
NMRN
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Apologies O/T
Talking of “ducked up corrupt approach that exists within their UK political system”
I sourced this thanks to Capella a contributor at WGD blog:
“Voter ID leads to hundreds turned away in Rutherglen by-election
HUNDREDS of voters were turned away from polling stations due to voter ID issues at the first by-election in Scotland where it was required, it can be revealed.
The ballot in Rutherglen and Hamilton West also saw the highest percentage of voters “permanently” turned away due to not having the right identification out of all by-elections which took place after the new law was introduced last year.
The figures have raised fresh concerns about the impact of the controversial requirement ahead of the General Election, which will be the first time voters across Scotland will have to show photographic ID to be able to cast their ballot”.
*****
Rig the system UK style (WM) …
Plus we will also have the new Boundary changes in GE’s…..
England will be on a plus 10 MP’s allocation (from 533 to 543 seats allocated in WM)
Scotland will be minus 2 MP’s allocated (from 59 to 57 seats allocated in WM)
Wales will be minus 8 MP’s allocated (from 40 to 32 seats allocated in WM)
NI stays the same via amount of MP allocation. (still 18 seats allocated in WM)
So once more the dominant voice in WM is ….mainly English MP’s in English constituencies (though there is also Scottish MP’s who represent English constituencies in WM for both the Tory & Labour parties…..good for them as they are very very very good in helping their English colleagues talk down to Scotland and also talk down to those MP’s in the SNP who we, in Scotland, democratically elected to represent us at WM).
That’s all part of the UK’s (skewed) version of ‘Democracy’ folks…..don’t you just love it…..
NMRN
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O/T
So the Tory Deputy PM of the UK , Oliver Dowden, stated on the BBC in Laura Kuenssberg’s programme this morning that the Chief whip asked Lee Anderson (30p Lee) to make an apology to Sadiq Khan for his, Anderson’s, clearly Islamophobic comment, and that if he, Anderson, had apologised he would have kept his job!
Meanwhile in Scotland Michael Mathieson apologised yet still Dross and his colleagues (and their client media) insisted he either be sacked or resign…….once again we witness corrupt politics UK style….that favours and excuses only some (pro UK parties) while no mercy (or apology) is accepted or forgiven for others (SNP)…..
Are you YES yet…..you in Scotland who still seem undecided because somehow the clear evidence being consistently presented is still not enough to persuade you that Britain is broken and tis very much the Pro UK political parties that have been and still are responsible for this (and too their client media)……while the media here in Scotland that works on behalf of broken Britain and too those political parties who support it (Broken Britain), would have you believe, that it is Scotland, under the SNP, that is Broken…..and thus they (the SNP) are deemed as solely responsible for what they, the media (and opposition parties) promote as their (SNP) failures, chaos, fiascos etc…….in a succession of orchestrated attacks and accusations….so….
Vote SNP and also please campaign for, support and then vote for independence to show them all that you do not believe or agree with their…..LIES.
I state “Broken Britain” as Keir Starmer et al dictates we all must be British…..the UK with the inclusion of NI is an inconvenient and at times forgotten part of their Starmer’s et al (Broken) ‘Britain’……
NMRN
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Apologies ….may I also add all of the TV (pro UK) news media have now switched their focus from Labour’s stitch up of the SNP ceasefire motion in the HOC to what they, Pro UK media, are now calling a supposed ‘Pro Palestine Extremists’ campaign that is targeting MP’s from both the Labour & Tory party’…..
Meanwhile in Scotland we have had Pro UK ‘Extremists’ who targeted Nicola Sturgeon with death threats…indeed one was jailed for doing so…..and let’s be honest where did and do these Pro UK ‘Extremists’ source much of their (mis)information from that results in them hating both her and the SNP so much….indeed to such an extent that they feel compelled to act upon their hate…..where indeed….
Pro UK media and Pro UK Politics…..all acting on behalf their Broken Britain….that they combined…..have Broken ! (yet somehow tis always somehow promoted as being others to blame aka scapegoats to both excuse and justify the actions of the real culprits)
NMRN
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