infomation re Mordex of sheffield rods.

[Stathamender]

This is getting off the point so maybe inviting the attention of the mods (almost as bad as the Mods) but it's often assumed that the more people you send to university the better for e.g. the economy, assumptions that have been very heavily debunked in recent years by the likes of Alison Woolf. One thing that's unusual about the UK is the high proportion of people we send into HE: compared to Germany (that well known underdeveloped economy) for example roughly half as much again in percentage terms of the relevant age cohort (18-25) in the UK is in HE.

There are a number of reasons for this but they don't really include a high proportion of daft or irrelevant degree subjects (after all the original universities were set up to enable people to study theology and you can still do that today). One is that Germany, compared to the UK, does much more of its advanced technical and vocational education (something they are very good at) outside universities in various different kinds of institutions and does so much more efficiently and effectively than we do. It was, I think, a major mistake to get rid of the old polytechnics*. Secondly, over the past 40 years we have seen a substantial increase in what sociologists call credentialisation that is a specific university degree being established as a necessary pre-requisite to enter certain occupations or semi-professions. This began with teaching in the 60s, progressed through social care and other occupations in the 70s and 80s and health care in the 90s. The rationale usually presented is that doing this improves the quality of the training. It's certain that nurses in modern, highly technicised, health care need in-depth training but why does this have to provided through the university sytem and the relevant resulting qualification called a degree? Thirdly, many employers have over the years started using degree level qualifications as a 'screening device', that is reducing the number of eligible applicants for the jobs they provide by specifying that a degree is necessary for them. It is not at all clear why they do this other than either simply to reduce the number of applicants they get or to increase the social status (and hence desirability) of the job. Fourthly, and this is the classic form of credentialisation, people already in specific occupations or professions set up qualification barriers to make them more exclusive and to enable them to make a claim for better rewards for doing it.

Given such circumstances the common delusion among middle class families that a degree is absolutely necessary (their HE participation rate is somewhere around 93% these days) is understandable if still not exactly rational.

I once heard Dennis Healey observe that he thought the country was rather better run when the senior Civil Service was recruited from people who did Latin and Greek at university rather than economics.

*Edit. To clarify this point: I don't think it was wrong to free them from the often short-sighted and misguided control of local councils, but it was a mistake to let them set themselves on a course of generalized competition with existing universities rather than ensuring that they kept to their original role of concentration on delivering technical and vocational training and education. An even worse mistake was the subsequent enfranchising of the sub-poly layer of local technical colleges.

[Nobby]

I watched an interesting programme on TV a year or so back, called 'Make me a German'..Basically a family of 'average Brits' were transported to Germany and asked how they found it.

The man was pretty disappointed to be working basic hand skills in a pencil factory, missing the 'hand-made' tradition completely and thinking he was due something better, and the wife wanted a job in middle management and someone else to look after her child whilst she did it ....finding German kintergarden hours far too intrusive on her life.

Meanwhile the German working man and woman soldiered on and rebuilt their economy..........contentedly.

[Splitcaner]

Hi have recently bought a number of rods from local flea market, he seems to be waiting for me every week now. [Ive got just the thing for you is usually his opening move]. Anyways one rod in particular is in better condition than most, its a Mordex solid fibreglass spinning rod. It says Mordex standard what looks like [piker] 7ft it has the Royale seal and the Latin motto. It is a black rod with red whipping and yellow intermediates, brass ferrules and five chrome line guides. It looks to be in very good condition, can anyone help with some more information please. John.