Jamie Oliver...

[mala_D]

....is the Guvnor!

Well Done fella!

You Must Have Crawled Under A Stone If You Don't Know What I'm Referring To

 

As a result of his campaign, the Gov has promised that more money will be injected into the school meals service in order to provide higher quality food for our youngsters.

 

I aint the only one to believe that processed junk food (when eaten in excessive amounts) damages the brain as well as the body. Hence why we have loads of kids with Attention Defecit Syndrome, Chavs, etc..

 

Hopefully Oliver's campaign will raise awareness of the [****!!****] that is pumped into our food, and even better, initiate Britons into cooking and eating real food again. Maybe, in the future, we might be able to buy reasonably priced food which hasn't been over-exposed to dangerous toxins, like pesticides, Sudan 1 etc..

 

Just hope, in 10-20 years time we shall become a nicer race of people...as opposed to the prevalance of w*nkers who roam our streets with their ASBO's blah blah blah...

[pabird]

Yep go with the thinking behind your comment but would add how nice it would be for a reversal from the labour party drive away from the family unit

I.E. the sit down family meal, Mum and / or Dad learning to cook meat and two veg

Children not giving birth to children and obviously not understanding how to bring them up, one way is not to give single Mums, in particular teenage single mums council flats, this way they would not be encouraged by the "family unit" to get pregnant

Lets make serious inroads into getting rid of the pond life being developed by the "cane the workers" and give to the "welfare spongers" mentality

A nicer group of people evolves around principles based on respect so lets also get stuck into the removal of all this politically correct crap and give support to teachers and get the police out on to the streets away from PC paperwork

[Woody SUFC]

I used to go to a bakery out side of school grounds to get my dinner. [****!!****] rank...

[MbrunoB]

I was working for a fast food supplier and delivered to many schools and the rubbish that was delivered,Turkey formed in to shapes and you cant tell me that was the best bits of turkey being used, spuds in many forms,part cooked chips (in what?),mash, part baked and shaped.Chicken the same as turkey,Burgers, cheap bread and rolls

imported tins of this and that and cheap veg oil to cook it all in.

And some of the kitchens,it made me glad that i didnt need to eat there.

[Dan Sampford]

I would never touch school dinners, even if it ment me being hungry for the rest of the day!!

[vienna1964]

Just how far has PC ruined a generation ???

[The Invisible Man]

Those of you who know my slight incliniation to the left may be surprised to learn that I rather agree with the views on PC expressed here (and on many other threads in the past). For one thing, PC seems to have the reverse effect to its supposed intention, which I presume to be, in a nutshell, equality, and respect and consideration for others. In fact I believe it be a self-perpetuating dogma creating jobs for the boys and girls and an emporer's new clothes mentality, while at the same time causing mistrust or even hatred of the groups it purports to champion, when all the time it is the excesses of PC that people really object to.

 

I dislike the term "single parent". To me this does an injustice to widows or widowers who through no fault of their own have to bring up their family alone, on top of a devastating personal tragedy. Those in such circumstances should receive the support that a supposedly civilsed and compassionate society can provide. Divorces are a tricky one, you can argue that the whole thing is down to the couple concerned and they have to cope with the financial probelms themselves, but the reality is far more complex. However, those who choose to have a child or children, whether they are 14 or 40, have made that choice: no-one made them, contraception is widely available as are terminations. By placing themselves in that position I would argue that they (may) have deliberately made themselves unavailable for work, and/or in housing difficulties, so tough titty.

 

So there, here endeth another invisible rant.

 

Oh yes, good on Jamie Oliver too, I never liked the geezer before but fair play to him, he's done a good job. It will fizzle out though and nothing will really happen, it's all down to money.

[pabird]

Bit of a concern there Invis I agree with over 98% of your last posting

[mala_D]

Quote:

The Invisible Man said:
Oh yes, good on Jamie Oliver too, I never liked the geezer before but fair play to him, he's done a good job. It will fizzle out though and nothing will really happen, it's all down to money.

Thinking the same thing. I hope not though. The good thing is that JO has helped politicise the issue, and with momentum the govt (whoever is in power) may be forced to spend more on our children's food than they currently do.
What was it now? Average of 37p spent on each child per meal, whilst prison offenders receive something like 67p per meal.

Anyway....a thought about PC.
I think PC has actually given bigots the chance to pay lip-service to their petty bigotries, whilst claiming that PC has victimised them, and prevents them from airing their views.
In otherwise, PC has become an excuse for them not having the balls to vocalise their opinions.

[vienna1964]

Every respect for what Jamie has achieved ! Happen it is still "too little too late".

Just like marriage... he would be well advised to remember that this is where the hard work starts !

 

To run a little further with a theme...

 

In this day and age I see today's youth largely spoiled by amongst other things - this PC cr@pola !

 

To my mind, the major bugbear is all the mollycoddling and lack of opportunity to learn how to do respect.

 

Kids are neither taught how to learn (check out the constant and consistent lowering of examination standards in an attempt to brush this under the carpet) nor taught how to give and earn respect.

 

Whilst I agree with the "assault" lobby in a lot of respects, I was also brought up where receiving a caning for misdemeanours was a quite normal part of life.

All mammals above a certain mental capability teach their young appropriate and inappropriate behaviours with the help of some form of physical reprimand... why shoulc humans be different ?

 

With this in mind, coupled with being sufficiently intellectually capable of defining my own experiences against the common zeitgeist, I find myself unable to agree wholeheartedly with the "ban corporal punishment" movement - "Spare the rod and spoil the child" I agree with... and I certainly think that the latter statement has been proved in recent times.

 

I would also very much favour the re-introduction of some de-militarised form of "National Service" with an overweaning emphasis upon teaching practical capability, self respect (how do you respect others if you do not know how to respect yourself ?), survival issues and suchlike.

 

Get a little "gumption" back into the kids !

 

One last rejoinder to Invis... I am very sorry but I strongly object to the very glib mention of the word/concept of "termination" used in your previous posting.

Do not get me wrong, I am not one of those feral anti-abortionists... however, I am the father of five children, one of whom we were told would likely be born deformed whilst he was still in utero.

The diagnosis was proven entirely incorrect eventually, but gave us indescribable heartache until such point as we were able to determine that he was OK.

I would like to say that I think that termination is Ok, but only under certain extreme conditions.

 

If the child to be born was not able to survive under any circumstance ex utero; or it were clinically proven that whilst the child might live, that it's quality of life would be negligible - then perhaps early termination might be justified.

 

There is certainly no humane reason for allowing a pregnancy to evolve further than (at the very most) 12 weeks if it is to be terminated (and I am still extremely uncomfortable allowing this).

 

In the circumstances of rape pregnancy, I understand that there are more difficult principles to consider, however - I will always now lean toward the rights of the unborn child to live.

 

Apologies for the mish-mash of thoughts and suchlike... just felt I had to get them off my chest. Hope it will spark some dialogue...

[mala_D]

No need to apologise mate. Constructive thoughts they were.

 

The bit about "non-militarised National Service", I agree with. Would like to see Secondary School pupils made to clean up litter and grafitti...in the hope that it may deter them from doing it in their later teens and adulthood.

btw, not a stereotype, as I live very near to a Comprehensive and see the buggers dropping their kit-kat and chip wrappers all over the place...and also see adults coming out of the newsagents doing the same thing with their fag wrappers! Makes me mad! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

[Big J R]

It's all an 'Election' promise. Bliar wants to win Hearts and Minds for May election.

 

Our eldest daughter is School catering manager for a local primary, and youngest daughter is deputy caterer and cook for a huge comprehensive secondary. You want to hear some of the stories they can tell about school food. It's all profit related for the companies that provide the service.

 

I honestly think the standards of catering at present in schools is nothing short of criminal !

 

Fair play to Jamie !!

[The Invisible Man]

Exactly BJR. In all this euphoria nobody has pointed out that school catering is contracted out and run as a profit making venture. The schools take some of the ill-gotten gains. I used to design buldings for a living and worked for a firm whose main field was education. Some schools allow their drinking fountains (which are mandatory) to fall into disrepair, others ask for no new fountains near the dining hall, where you'd think they'd be useful. This is so the kids have to buy drinks, either fizzy gutrot or bottled water, from the vending machines - which the schools get a rake-off from.

 

Simply increasing the spending limit per pupil will achieve nothing. So the contractor puts his price up from 37p to whatever it is now..... We need it spelled out in legislation WHAT is and what is NOT to be served, what is to be fresh and so on, and have inspectors making random visits to enforce it. It will not, of course, happen.

[The Invisible Man]

Can't agree with "non military national service". Slavery has been illegal in these islands for almost 200 years now. Why on earth should schoolkids be punished for something that someone else has done?

 

How about educating them not to drop litter? And educate the adults who do it with on the spot fines. Of course that would require a police force that has the time or can be arsed to do something.

 

Military national service would probably be a better option but the services don't want it.

[Big J R]

Quote:

The Invisible Man said:
Can't agree with "non military national service". Slavery has been illegal in these islands for almost 200 years now. Why on earth should schoolkids be punished for something that someone else has done?

How about educating them not to drop litter? And educate the adults who do it with on the spot fines. Of course that would require a police force that has the time or can be arsed to do something.

Military national service would probably be a better option but the services don't want it.

What's a Police Force, Invis ?

Surrey Police took over 7 per cent increase in taxation this year and now the Chief Constable reckons he's struggling to put officers on the beat ? They are, allegedly, spending approx 90% of their timedoing training and paperwork !

It's all bollox. The Police are supposed to be there to protect us, not write their f'ckin memoirs all day and night !

[The Invisible Man]

I'm not in the least surprised (sadly). paperwork is the key to everything these days, it seems. I'm all for good admin and correct procedure and so on, but in my view endless paperchasing for its own sake does NOT come under those headings!

 

Nation of shopkeepers my @rse - nation of petty bureaucrats morelike!

[Big J R]

In my day, we had civilians to do ALL the boring paperwork.

 

More cost-cutting = More rapes, murders, burglaries etc. etc. etc.

[vienna1964]

By use of the term "non military national service", I mean to say a kind of obligatory course in which value skills and public services are provided both to and from these youths - probably after they have turned eighteen and for a two year period.

 

Remember that I am after teaching these kids how to learn to respect both themselves and others !

 

 

Specifics could include responsibility for basic cleanliness within public areas (light loose litter collection and public awareness campaigning...), assistance for the elderly (friendship, dusting, adjusting furniture, small errands, light weeding, sorting household waste for reclamation...), assisting/administering Youth Groups, Presentations, lecturing at schools on youth interest subjects (how to budget one's income, teenage sex, pregnancy...)...

 

Basically, think of some service to the community which is currently lacking, does not require personal endangerment, will teach a valuable social or life skill and does not impinge upon paid workers'jobs (amongst important criteria) - it could be suitable for this kind of project.

 

These courses might run alone at the end of Secondary Educative tenure or even possibly intersperse with regular education (as long as an individual's regular achievements are not demonstrably prejudiced by doing so).

 

Those leaving secondary education earlier than their 18th. birthdays would expect to enrol earlier thereby and possibly "graduate" earlier.

 

There would be "let" for those undertaking Tertiary Education, allowing later entry to these projects and reduced tenure with perhaps more "administrative" responsibilities for those on 3/4 year University courses and probably complete "course credits" given to those completing longer degrees.

 

There would be some allowances for those having started degree courses who fail to complete them.

 

 

That's the kind of thing I had in mind, anyhow.

 

One "rider" for those already fallen foul of the criminal justice system - these folks would benefit from being emplaced in rugged environments (say - the Western Isles ?) and their courses would be "beefed up" with other practical, maybe "niche" skills (raising own crops, dry stone-walling, thatching, ceramics...)

[The Invisible Man]

How is that going to teach anyone respect? By forcing young adults, at a time when they would be embarking on their career or going into higher education, into performing menial tasks for two years, would create nothing but resentment, bitterness and anger. In practice it would probably be unenforcable anyway.

 

As far as I can see most kids today are perfectly well-adjusted people, generally with more concern for others, environmental issues, minorities and so on than any previous generation. It would be foolish to judge all youngsters on the basis of the vocal ill-educated no-hoper minority - a minority that is probably larger than it should be, I agree.

 

My son, The Invisible Student, finishes at uni this year. I'm sure he'd be delighted to told he should spend the next two years sweeping the streets or doing old folk's shopping - while his student loans continue to accrue interest, presumably? Of course he would not be alone, he would join The Invisible Girl who having graduated last year would be equaly delighted to have been denied the chance to take up the employment that she obtained, and enjoys doing.

 

The viscous circle of "anti-social behaviour" surely has to be broken at home, as the yob types learn it from their parents and go on to teach it their children. Certainly I think some of the education practices dreamed up in the 60's are also to blame - child-centred learning, the obsession with "self-esteem" and so on (but before we embark on rants about the good old days let's remember the huge number of good things that came out of the 60's).

[American FLEET FAN No1]

Can't help thinking Adults were saying the same about kids when i was growing up in the 60's.