Disqus - Latest Comments for JuliaLarden

Re: We’ve already tried Jeremy Corbyn’s altnernative electoral strategy and it didn’t work

JuliaLarden — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 07:25:34 -0000

Two quick points (1) The Lib-Dems when? If people now see their position as roughly where the Lib-Dems are ... hallo, the L-D's are calling for the dumping of Trident at the moment, and they voted against the Welfare Bill and (2) The author sees Sweden as some kind of a model?? Sweden has good public services and welfare provision because it has extremely high rates of taxation - average 56.90% of income apparently and Sweden doesn't have nuclear weapons. Trident is estimated to cost 100 bn. to replace. That's an awful lot of money out of the public purse which could be used for the public good. Does the author seriously
think there is some magic alchemy around which would enable Sweden to maintain the same standards of public provision with nuclear weapons to support? And I am not using the old-fashioned euphemism 'deterrent'. This is a very loaded word that carries a huge unproven assumption within it Some might believe that these weapons 'deter' - hallo when was Sweden last attacked? Or France?? Others would argue that these weapons say 'Come and wipe me out fast if there were ever to be a nuclear war.' If we are going to use loaded phrases then how about 'nuclear attack invitation'

Re: 120 Labour councillors: why we’re supporting Yvette Cooper for leader

JuliaLarden — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 12:46:20 -0000

Interesting. 14 comments so far, and only two could really be described as pro-Cooper. Maybe the Labour councillors have got it wrong? Maybe they need to listen a bit hard to us lot: the ordinary voter who is paying our three quid to help pick the leader? What's so special about Cooper? More of the same if you ask me. Reading these comments suggests she ain't 'reaching out and appealing to those who didn't vote Labour last time.' And as for tackling child poverty ... I think that should win the nauseating hypocrisy of the year award1 Apart from a bit of nervous prevaricating over London, Lovely caring Yvette is backing the Tories in cutting the Benefit cap from 26K to 23K. This Benefit cap could drop 140K children into poverty http://www.theguardian.com/.... What else is the lovely Yvette doing to help the economy, well, again she's voting with her favourite people, the Tories, for four Trident subs at an estimated cost of 100 billion.

Who's best for leader, who really cares about poverty, who's NOT running after the Tories, supporting their pro-austerity, pro-poverty stance, which is destroying this country: 'Look, look I'm nearly a Tory, won't you vote for me now?' Jeremy Corbyn, that's who. As for experience, Jeremy Corbyn has worked tirelessly for genuine Labour Party, genuine left-wing causes for over thirty years, and he is very well informed on the real problems facing this country. He's old, he's a dinosaur? Cooper's a dinosaur in her outdated new-Labour lovin' stance. Corbyn just might turn out to be the tyrannosaurus rex that eats these other useless, ideas-bankrupt, anodyne right-wing Labour leader candidates up! So come on people, tell these yesterday's people Labour councillors where they get off: Sign up and back Corbyn now: https://www.facebook.com/Je...

Re: West Midlands should follow Greater Manchester with metro-mayor, says Sir Albert

JuliaLarden — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 11:32:25 -0000

I think we already have one person with a lot of power in Birmingham. This seems to mean bestowing upon a single person even more power. Think!!!

Re: Bold and beautiful

JuliaLarden — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 19:00:35 -0000

The building is quite fun and I like the terrace/balcony - views are very impressive. I can't help wondering though if, as a library, this building is losing its way. Maybe it is because the shelves are still being filled, but a lot of the books I saw looked somehow a bit sad, a bit dumped somehow, and no-one that I could see was looking at books. Also I am not too happy about the so called 'golden box' for historic documents, and the week's notice required to get into Archives. It seems all slightly precious and I worry that this is just going to discourage people from researching Birmingham History.

Re: Children from wealthy homes more likely to be bullied at school, research claims

JuliaLarden — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 19:03:43 -0000

Not quite sure what you are driving at. I am sorry if my post sounded confused. I was quite shocked at the tone of some of the comments here, and trying to cram a lot of points into a small space, but no I don't think the experience left me 'confused'. Children can be bullied for many reasons, but I guess usually for being different in some way. Already by the age of 13 or so I had realised that identifying me as part of an 'out' group made others feel more part of an 'in' group.

I think we are rightly good now at identifying markers like race, skin colour, religion and sexuality as potential bullying targets and taking some action about these ,although yes I am sure it is often not enough, but I think few people in charge are likely to blame a child simply for being in one of those minority groups. For some reason however social class has remained a very sticky issue and some people here seem comfortable implying that 'posh' kids should suffer for being born posh whereas they would never dream of implying the same about, say, a child of a different race or religion from the majority of children in a school. Yet the results leave scars in just the same way.

I think it is some of the commentators here who are confused, and if I was confusing it was partly because I was trying to deal with some obvious underlying stereotyping assumptions (The same ones I met with over 40 years ago at school) e.g. that 'posh' accent equals privileged background and right wing politics.

Re: Children from wealthy homes more likely to be bullied at school, research claims

JuliaLarden — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 12:23:33 -0000

I was bullied at school for being 'posh'. In point of fact my parents were probably no wealthier than some of my classmates and possibly not as wealthy as some. I think a lot of it was a reaction to my RP accent in a classroom mainly full of Brummie accents. Ironically I have many Birmingham ancestors of whom I am proud and in adult life I have become a great fan and supporter of the Brummie accent, and incidentally I would not be seen dead voting right wing Capitalist lacky Labour (Is there any other sort at the moment?), let alone Tory. However (without benefit of any elocution classes, as was often tauntingly suggested at the time) I just happened not to speak Brummie because my professional, liberal leftward leaning parents who chose to send me to a comprehensive school did not.

The bullying damaged my confidence for years - but hey, I guess it is fantastic that this 'toff' kid got a good kicking for daring to have the wrong sort of accent, and the fact that I did makes some sort of left wing point, yeah, right?

Re: Railing against the dying of the light

JuliaLarden — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:24:21 -0000

We've already got one: www.acocksgreenfocusgroup.o...

Re: Railing against the dying of the light

JuliaLarden — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:25:52 -0000

Next stop possibly Bournville, Selly Oak or Harborne ... follow that bus!