Patrick Freyne
@patrickfreyne.bsky.social
8.6K followers 640 following 650 posts
Irish Times writer & author of OK, Let's Do Your Stupid Idea https://easons.com/ok-lets-do-your-stupid-idea-patrick-freyne-9780241992531 & https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/ok-let-s-do-your-stupid-idea-patrick-freyne/2029113?ean=9780241992531
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Reposted by Patrick Freyne
dempster2000.bsky.social
If eating scotch eggs in an Austin Allegro had a face.
Reposted by Patrick Freyne
lexialex.bsky.social
Naoise's brother is asking Irish people to please contact the government #Speirgorm
My sister @NaoiseDolan, alongside other members of the Thousand Madleens flotilla, has been abducted by Israeli forces while on a humanitarian mission to break the illegal siege and deliver aid to Gaza.
Please join me in urging the Irish government to demand their safe return.
Reposted by Patrick Freyne
Reposted by Patrick Freyne
keithwdickinson.bsky.social
Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.
patrickfreyne.bsky.social
I feel like most Irish and British writers who complain about being silenced have never done anything as brave as what Naoise has done here
Reposted by Patrick Freyne
Reposted by Patrick Freyne
themountaingoats.bsky.social
I understand that they gave somebody 150 million to be the new boss of CBS. I just want to say, if these people are ever looking to do more novel things with their money, for 150 million dollars I will write an album every day for a year. I'll do it, too. try me
patrickfreyne.bsky.social
That’s not what you know about life that’s the group of people someone is going to meet on average in a particular school.
patrickfreyne.bsky.social
If you don’t think the demographics differ in significant ways between fee paying and non fee paying schools I don’t think we’ll agree on anything really. I think a fee is an exclusionary factor for a huge number of kids. Thanks for engaging though
patrickfreyne.bsky.social
But I would never presume to tell anyone what hey know about life On an individual basis and I don’t think you’ll find a post where I did
patrickfreyne.bsky.social
Ability to pay a fee excludes a significant chunk of the population and I think that that’s significant. if you don’t we can agree to differ
patrickfreyne.bsky.social
I don’t think I made that assumption about you & your experience of life and sorry if you think i did. I made the assumption that the economic demographics of fee paying schools are narrower than non fee paying schools
patrickfreyne.bsky.social
I also know that at least some people send their kids to these schools BECAUSE they are exclusive. if your argument is that they are not, in fact, exclusive then what are people paying for?
patrickfreyne.bsky.social
But it’s a narrow economic band. the other 30% are very underrepresented in those schools. That might not be important to you but it is to many people.
patrickfreyne.bsky.social
I think the fact that the lower economic end of the band you're talking about is "ordinary middle-income families" by it's very nature makes it quite a narrow cross section, Justin. Most state schools have a wide band of kids from lower, middle and high income families.
patrickfreyne.bsky.social
The pretence is that it’s a better education but there are many amazing state schools - the education is not what most people are buying
patrickfreyne.bsky.social
I’m just tired of some pretending it’s some sort of casual consumer choice based on education quality, that’s open to everyone and which had no social consequences
patrickfreyne.bsky.social
I don’t mean to be mean. I know there are sometimes extenuating circumstances and complex reasons people make the choice for their individual kids. And I know some lovely people who went to private school.
patrickfreyne.bsky.social
It’s also making sure your kids will to meet a much narrower band of people - which feels… stupid… and generally mind narrowing
patrickfreyne.bsky.social
Sorry - this is apropos nothing but seeing an online discussion of the subject