Jeremy Corbyn’s speech confirming that his party wants the UK to remain in a customs union with the EU for good is by far the most popular talking point of the day.
A warning from senior paediatric doctors that children are increasingly finding it hard to hold pens because of an excessive use of technology, and Polly Toynbee’s questioning of how popular William Beveridge’s work on social policy would be now, are other discussions that people are interested in.
To join in the conversation you can click on the links in the comments below to expand and add your thoughts. We’ll continue to highlight more comments worth reading as the day goes on.
Corbyn: Labour would stay in EU customs union for a say in trade deals
Guardian readers have much to say about the Labour leader’s speech on Brexit.
‘We’ll have to adopt most, if not all, of EU law and human rights’
Corbyn has yet to turn around to his northern working class voters, who despise the EU, and tell them that there’ll be free movement from or to the EU after all.
He’ll also have to tell them that to stay in a customs union we’ll have to adopt most, if not all, of EU law and human rights.
Only then will Corbyn soon realise that he’s royally fucked.
WeirdCult
‘Gove, and other reprobates, will do their best to undermine Labour’s change in policy’
Of course, the detail matters – what the EU’s rules allow or do not and how existing members get around those rules (and many do), but Corbyn’s overall tone of pragmatism is like a ray of sunshine in an otherwise bleak political environment.
Davis, Fox, Rees-Mogg, Johnson, Gove, and other reprobates, will do their best to undermine Labour’s change in policy. Rees-Mogg will continue talking about that condescending lure of cheap shoes, food and clothing from Asia and America and elsewhere, as if the British public is only able to appreciate the most basic aspect of their lives and not that which makes living better and more enriching, like community and safety and inter-generational harmony.
Cyclist30mph
‘Corbyn and Labour really need to flesh it out now’
It’s a positive move from Corbyn and he seems to be slowly getting there or thereabouts (about time), but Corbyn and Labour really need to flesh it out now, it’s still feels very abstract.
What sort of Customs Union does he favour, just “a” CU or “the” CU? What about free trade agreements, how would that work? Etc.
MaryPosa
Children struggle to hold pencils due to too much tech, doctors say
Children are increasingly finding it hard to hold pens and pencils because of an excessive use of technology, senior paediatric doctors have warned.
‘This is about much more than dexterity. ’
Research has shown that there are significant neurological and learning benefits to the use of cursive writing because it draws into play more regions of the brain during processing (cursive effected better learning than printing which in turn was better than technology-based note-taking, which gave the worst results).
At the top end university students were asked to take notes either by laptop or by taking handwritten notes. Significantly better recall and performance was shown by the ‘hand’ note takers - even though the laptop users were able to record the more of the lectures, some almost verbatim.
This is about much more than dexterity.
ID8790893
‘The problem predates modern technology’
As an art teacher for over 40 years I was forever lamenting the fact that neither parents nor primary school teachers taught children the correct way to hold a pen or pencil and compounded this by praising neatness over fluidity.
It was virtually impossible to correct this in high school and by age 18, when they were taking major exams which were in most cases handwritten, otherwise competent students could not physically write an essay longer than two or three A4 sides to compete for grades with students who could write cogently up to 10 sides, albeit often with legibility issues.
The problem predates modern technology.
JoeG46
A cradle-to-grave welfare system is best, but who would want it today?
William Beveridge’s work is being celebrated but 75 years on. But with public mood poisoned his ideas would be a hard sell now, writes Polly Toynbee.
‘We ignore the fact that universal basic income trials are proving to be successful’
The reality is that government welfare programs have been shown again and again to be the best way to reduce poverty, including child poverty, to provide healthcare to all citizens, to provide education to all citizens, to promote productivity along with the growth of business, and to improve the overall quality of life.
It is unfortunate that the narrative in the UK seems to follow that of America placing a negative against the poor, while we have no problem subsidising big business, we moan about having to subsidise the poor, disabled and most vulnerable in our society.
We ignore the fact that most are working poor, a problem easily fixed but politicians don’t touch it, we ignore the fact that universal basic income trials are proving to be successful, we seem to ignore that fact that current economic policy is set from a failed ideology of trickle down, all to fit a feckless lazy narrative that suits the top 1%.
Bluejil
‘More should be done to explore inner values and spirituality’
This article should not end here, but be the springboard for further exploration. Why is it that we are currently at a point where the masses are not only against their own collective best interest, but even turning upon each other. The standard claims about immigration etc do not hold water.
More should be done to explore inner values and spirituality, and the loss thereof.
Ziontrain
Comments have been edited for length. This article will be updated throughout the day with some of the most interesting ways readers have been participating across the site.
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