Mr Bairn Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 If Scotland is to succeed as a newly independent country, a modernised education system MUST be at the forefront of our economic development. Here I put the case forward as to why this is true. One of, if not the most important reasons why independence is slowly but surely becoming the majority viewpoint of the Scottish electorate is the divergence in socio-economic views of the different nations within the UK. Scotland is collectivist and centre-left, England is profoundly centre-right and individualist, Wales is indecisive and in the middle and in Northern Ireland they vote for religions not policies. Thus, it is a fair assumption that an independent Scotland would elect a government of the centre-left. Not only have all four Scottish governments been left of centre, but the Nordic countries that iScotland has been compared to regularly all practice social democracy. British economics rely on the enterprise of the super rich, big business owners. The highest tax rate is in the forties and is unlikely to ever exceed a 50:50 split. The theory of supply side economics is that by giving these big businesses the freedom to rule the markets, they will employ people and the money will trickle down to their staff. It doesn't seem to work, given that the UK has the 3rd highest poverty levels in the EU since 2010 according to a recent bar graph posted on pie & bovril. Child poverty is another argument for independence, or perhaps indirectly, since many Scots vote for centre-left parties in the hope of reducing child poverty. Enterprise is an important factor of production in all economies, however the Scandanavian approach to economics is no friend of big business, with the super rich taxed at 60% or more. The morality of this can be argued another day however what is certain is that Scotland on its own would be in a similar scenario. Where these nations make up for their lack of enterprise is by having a well educated population. Finland for example is sending record numbers to university, whilse Norway & Denmark rank in the top 10 of international league tables. Saving £10bn from Scotland's share of Trident over the next 30 years, £15m a year from Scotland's share of the house of lords and around £2m per year from Scotland's share of the Scotland office, it would allow the Scottish government to reverse the decimation of FE colleges for young people who choose not to or are not ready to go to university, reform the already failing curriculum for excellence and maintain free but competitive education in universities in Scotland. I'm not sure when independence will happen if at all, but one thing is for sure, we must place education at the forefront of our fairer progressive society. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Interesting thoughts. Pity folk like you shat and denied Scotland independence, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elixir Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Erm, Scotland already controls its own education system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Bairn Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 Interesting thoughts. Pity folk like you shat and denied Scotland independence, eh? This thread is about what would happen after independence not a debate on whether or not it would be a good idea. We have enough of those Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTChris Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 I believe children are our future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Bairn Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 Erm, Scotland already controls its own education system. Did I ever suggest this was not the case? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevthedee Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Interesting thoughts. Pity folk like you shat and denied Scotland independence, eh? "Denied scotland independence" thats democracy for you greeting face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 We send far too many youngsters to University to study for degrees for which there is little demand from employers, and far too few on rigorous and practical vocational training at a high level for which they might be better suited. Because most of the people who make these decisions are academically minded they think what was good for them should be good for everyone else. They're wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Bairn Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 We send far too many youngsters to University to study for degrees for which there is little demand from employers, and far too few on rigorous and practical vocational training at a high level for which they might be better suited. Because most of the people who make these decisions are academically minded they think what was good for them should be good for everyone else. They're wrong. Education isn't just about getting a job, though. I do think we should emphasise STEM subjects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kincardine Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 I agree with the thread title. I am also interested in the discussion as my weans are being educated in England The sad thing is that the rest of the post is utter self-aggrandising shite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elixir Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Did I ever suggest this was not the case? No, but we should be striving to be as near to the top as possible right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny Danger Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 We send far too many youngsters to University to study for degrees for which there is little demand from employers, and far too few on rigorous and practical vocational training at a high level for which they might be better suited. Because most of the people who make these decisions are academically minded they think what was good for them should be good for everyone else. They're wrong. Getting an education is not wholly about getting a job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'm Brian Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 An independent Scotland...and indeed a Scotland as part of the UK must focus on everything. Education is just a cog in the wheel of a successful country. We can have millions of smart arses but if there are no jobs, or poorly paid ones then it is pointless. Educate them to a high standard yes, but you have to retain the cream of the crop. You also have to make provision for people who don't excel academically. Opportunities are a must for them. Prioritising education over everything else is pointless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevthedee Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/11616847/SNP-admits-failing-to-close-schools-gap-in-eight-years.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTChris Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Poor kids should learn metalwork. Rich kids should learn Latin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Getting an education is not wholly about getting a job. Vocational training does not rule out mind expanding classes in the liberal arts. I'm not saying that people who really want to study Philosophy or even Media Studies should be prevented from doing so, just that there should be less academic but rigorous choices available and they shouldn't be regarded as failures for choosing them. A bit like they do things in Germany I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fotbawmad Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 In a nutshell the problem with the education system is that there is too much top-down control, and not enough responsibility put on parents (which is purposefully done for vote buying reasons). Enterprise is an important factor of production in all economies, however the Scandanavian approach to economics is no friend of big business, with the super rich taxed at 60% or more. The morality of this can be argued another day however what is certain is that Scotland on its own would be in a similar scenario. Where these nations make up for their lack of enterprise is by having a well educated population. Finland for example is sending record numbers to university, whilse Norway & Denmark rank in the top 10 of international league tables. Perhaps this will fill you in... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoda Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 An independent Scotland...and indeed a Scotland as part of the UK must focus on everything. Education is just a cog in the wheel of a successful country. We can have millions of smart arses but if there are no jobs, or poorly paid ones then it is pointless. Educate them to a high standard yes, but you have to retain the cream of the crop. You also have to make provision for people who don't excel academically. Opportunities are a must for them. Prioritising education over everything else is pointless Quite. The UK workforce is, apparently, incredibly well qualified. However we're seeing a rise in the number of low skilled, low paid jobs. Not that Mr. Bairn is wrong. It's just that thinking an "educated" population is going to move people out of poverty seems a bit naive. Also, despite the "Scandinavia is against big business" line. Forbes magazine have Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland in their top 10 of "Best Countries for Business" (the UK is 13th). The World Bank has both Denmark and Norway above the UK (8th) in their "Ease Of Doing Business" rankings. The Economist had the four Nordic countries in their top 11 with the UK languishing well behind in 22nd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strichener Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 I believe children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the jambo-rocker Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 Not enough 'Sam Seabourne' levels of inspiration about Education for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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