Part 1: Hellos & Menu
Parts 2: Xmas Ads: No Festive Spirit
For our first phone in: we’re taking a critical look at this year’s Xmas telly ads - is it just me or are most totally lacking in festive spirit: there’s no sign of Santa while some appear to advocate reckless over-spending. Maybe they’ve always been this way? Or maybe tough times see stores trying even harder to separate you lot from your money?
We’ll take plenty of calls on that before it’s over to Stephen for the rest of today’s headlines.
Part 4: Today’s Papers
Part 5: Home Schooling? It’s All About The Parents!
Then: we’re going to have another look at home schooling, a subject that always generates plenty of impassioned calls. Are the growing number of parents who choose to tutor their sprogs at home to be admired or are they arrogant and selfish? Even if a child has a terrible time in a bog standard comp, is that any reason to home school them?
Part 6: Leave Young Drivers In The Dark
After that: leave young drivers in the dark? Insurance chiefs want the government to slap a curfew on drivers under 25 and ban them from motoring at night. If that happened there’d be fewer accidents and cheaper insurance. But this is age discrimination isn’t it? A driver of 24 could have seven years experience on the roads. My wife’s in her mid 30s and only has weeks. I know who I’d rather pass on a dark highway at night... What about you?
Part 7: Squish A Rabbit? Finish It Off!
And finally: squish a rabbit? Finish it off! Following on nicely a real life dilemma from one of the team who asked to remain anonymous after their car hit a rabbit. The poor little bunny wasn’t dead but injured and Kirsty wanted to know what the right thing to do was? Run it over, ring a vet or drive off into the night and leave flopsie mopsie or cottontail to their fate?
Comments (18)
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3 months ago
Nik Bowdler
Road tax doesn't exist. It's car tax, a tax on cars and other vehicles, not a tax on roads or a fee to use them. Motorists do not pay directly for the roads. Roads are paid for via general and local taxation. In 1926, Winston Churchill started the process to abolish road tax. It was finally culled in 1937. Car tax is based on amount of CO2 emitted so, if a fee had to be paid, cyclists - who are sometimes branded as 'tax dodgers' - would pay the same as 'tax-dodgers' such as disabled drivers, police cars, the Royal family, and band A motorists, ie £0. Most cyclists are also car-owners, too, so pay VED. Many of those who believe road tax exists, want cyclists off the roads or, at least registered, but bicycle licensing is an expensive folly. Cyclists also pay Council tax and Income tax (unlike some car drivers) which is general taxation and the main source of funding for roads (excluding motorways that cyclists are not able to use)
3 months ago
Vivienne
The Littlewoods ad is a disgrace on all levels..... undermines the magic of Santa, suggests that Mums can provide high value gifts for everyone and is directly related to consumerism. Sad, really sad.......
3 months ago
Gill
How about all the wonderful children who have sadly lost their lovely mothers . What a reminder.
3 months ago
laura
Got on the bus, where the driver at the next stop let a guy with a rotwieller on. Guess were I was sat. In the dogs eyeline. Got off the bus asap.
3 months ago
Gerry
HI there, I noticed a problem with my daughter in year 3 of primary school spoke to her teacher and she said let her be a child so i would home school because then in year nine of scondary school found out that my child had dyslexia with no help what so ever from the school or the so called learning support teacher ,who told me over and over again my child was not dyslexia ,she was just lazy.
3 months ago
celticmum
Home Education is a wonderful experience for so many children. Home Educated Children are educated for life not for exams, it allows children to develop at their own rate and to embrace all that is around them.
3 months ago
robjmckinney
Home Education is a fantastic experience for both parent and child. This does not mean it is suitable for all, HE is and has a very divirse membership. From Middle Class families who can't afford private education to those who do not wish to part of the state system. For me, my son suffered terribly in schools, when my daughter began to suffer we chose HE. It has been a challange, but a worth while one that we feel our daughter has benefitted. The greatest benefit has been avoiding the terrible peer pressure to get drunk, use drugs or get pregnant. Her peer group of friends have suffered badly from these pressures from 12 years old. There are many benefits and access to GCSEs and college courses in most cases which includes funding! PS When talking on the phone to the panel I found it very difficult to hear the panel were asking which directly led to misunderstanding. Perhaps the sound on the phones could be turned up. My daughter was also a little annoyed the Matthew thought at 15 that she was unable to make decisions, she states in uncertain terms she can and does. Her HE experience has given her indepenance to think for herself!
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3 months ago
SharonBugs
"our children have instincts that drive them to educate themselves through their free play, exploration, and socializing. But we have schools that insist that they give up that freedom and do what they are told to do" http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201111/why-children-protest-going-school-more-evolutionary-mismatch
3 months ago
JBH
Regarding advertising for Christmas and what message children are getting about the celebration of Christmas - did you know many junior schools in Britain are not allowed to put on a nativity play or mention Jesus or Mary, so therefore children are being brought up to believe Christmas is all about presents and outdoing their friends. Soon carols will be banned and the 'Christmas Spirit' as it was will be gone forever.
3 months ago
Debbie Morgan
What was the name of the cancer book mentioned today?
3 months ago
Max Nottingham esq
sharon yes schools will always think they know best
3 months ago
MaxNottingham esq
Sharon I learned more when I left school than what I learned when attending. Capital punishment was in use during my school days
3 months ago
Lids
I don't think the programme dealt very well with Home Education, it was obvious the presenters were biased and they didn't want home education to appear in a positive light. Yet, they say that 20 years ago there were 20 home educated families in the UK, and nowadays there are 30,000... why? Obviously the current UK education system is crap!
3 months ago
robjmckinney
Home Education was included once compulsary education was brought in by Victorians. Many Middle Class people did not want their little 'Johnny' mixing with the peasants. There has been much larger numbers than suggested by Wrightstuff in the past. Mainly from again Middle Class and Hippy types of the 60s. Certain religous extremes including Christian groups have choosen to Home Educate their children. The question of bias may be trying to promote a counter argument but many of his arguments over the years I think are due to his lack of experience!
3 months ago
Max Nottingham
I learned a lot from listening to BBC Radio 4 and also to Matthew Wright and the girl on Channel 5 TV. That said I can see "home learning" suits some children. Its got more of a future than I have. PS THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE SCHOOL.....pps I was burgled last night , all my stuff was nicked and replaced with replicas PC Knacker is on the job
3 months ago
Andrew
I hate the materialistic nature of christmas adverts, nothing like the true nature of christmas. I also think that comprehensive education in Britain is not as bad as everyone says. I was state educated and the system could be better but it isn't as bad as usually depicted. It's more the child than the school that results in a good education or not.