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  1. #1
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    hallelujah's Avatar
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    The End of the British Council?

    British Council could disappear within a decade, says chief executive | Foreign policy | The Guardian

    Well, no.

    It's clearly a cry for help from the government while exaggerating the supposed dangers of the eternal bogeymen in the room.

  2. #2
    . Neverna's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Guardian
    The council – which independently generates 85% of its nearly £1bn annual revenue from commercial activities such as language classes – has an active presence in 100 countries but is being forced to consider closing down operations in 30 to 40.
    Make the British Council fully pay its way. Reduce the budget to however much the BC makes annually (£850 million?), therefore it won't cost the taxpayer anything.

    Quote Originally Posted by Guardian
    “That leaves a vacuum in those 30 or 40 countries. There’s no British Council there, promoting the UK and our culture, our education, and so that vacuum gets filled – maybe by allies of ours but maybe also by some non-allies. It opens up for Putin’s Russia to move into these places to teach language and promote culture and capture the minds of young people.
    FFS. Russia doesn't need to wait for the BC to close down in a country before opening their own language/cultural centres. They can do it anytime they want.

    The British Council have a £200 million loan to pay back but also own art valued at £200m. Sell the art and pay back the loan. Simple.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neverna View Post
    Make the British Council fully pay its way. Reduce the budget to however much the BC makes annually (£850 million?), therefore it won't cost the taxpayer anything.
    .
    They do pay their way, but they are being hamstrung by the government loan from Covid at commercial rates (despite furthering the interests of our country).

    The council’s financial instability arises from a £200m Covid-era loan from the government. The government charges commercial interest rates with a rolling one-year term,

    And:

    The council – which independently generates 85% of its nearly £1bn annual revenue from commercial activities such as language classes – has an active presence in 100 countries but is being forced to consider closing down operations in 30 to 40.

    It's a simple equation, Nev:

    Other governments fund their outreach more generously: GermanyÂ’s agencies including the
    Goethe-Institut receive around £900m a year while France spends £600m supporting the Alliance Française and others, far above the UK government’s £160m.
    Last edited by hallelujah; 26-01-2025 at 02:42 PM.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neverna View Post

    The British Council have a £200 million loan to pay back but also own art valued at £200m. Sell the art and pay back the loan. Simple.
    And what did the government say when they offered to do this?

    McDonald said he offered the council’s collection of art valued at £200m, including works by Barbara Hepworth, Steve McQueen, David Hockney and Rachel Whiteread, to the government in exchange for writing off the loan but to no avail.

    At least read the piece, for fucks sake.


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    Defund the Tory bastards

  6. #6
    . Neverna's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hallelujah View Post
    And what did the government say when they offered to do this?

    McDonald said he offered the council’s collection of art valued at £200m, including works by Barbara Hepworth, Steve McQueen, David Hockney and Rachel Whiteread, to the government in exchange for writing off the loan but to no avail.

    At least read the piece, for fucks sake.

    I read it. I said sell the art. That stands. The government doesn't want to buy it so sell it on the open market. They might even make more than £200 million.

    The BC should pay their own way, IMO. If they can't, fuck'em. Withdraw the £160 million funding as from next year and tell them to sell their art before that and pay back the loan. If they don't or can't, close them down. Simple. What other countries do is up to them. It's time to Make Britain Great Again!



  7. #7
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    Well said Nev!

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neverna View Post
    Withdraw the £160 million funding as from next year and tell them to sell their art before that and pay back the loan.

    It seems that you have failed to read this for the 2nd time, so I'll make it a bit bigger for you this time.

    McDonald said he offered the council’s collection of art
    valued at £200m, including works by Barbara Hepworth, Steve McQueen, David Hockney and Rachel Whiteread, to the government in exchange for writing off the loan but to no avail.

    Perfectly acceptable terms for the government if they want a loan paid back. Let them sell the art themselves if they want to treat the BC as an external customer.
    Last edited by hallelujah; 26-01-2025 at 03:57 PM.

  9. #9
    . Neverna's Avatar
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    ^ It seems you have failed to read or understand my post, hal. Or you are just trolling to get people to post in your thread, so I'll say help you one last time.

    Quote Originally Posted by Neverna View Post
    I said sell the art. The government doesn't want to buy it so sell it on the open market.
    Now fuck off, hal. Haven't you got some drinking to do before Man U drop down closer to the relegation places?

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neverna View Post
    ^ It seems you have failed to read or understand my post, hal. Or you are just trolling to get people to post in your thread, so I'll say help you one last time.



    Now fuck off, hal. Haven't you got some drinking to do before Man U drop down closer to the relegation places?
    Oh, I read it, Nev.

    And called you out on a load of bollocks, which you have clearly failed to understand.

    Now you fuck off too, you boring old prick.

    How does that sound?


  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by hallelujah;465044[FONT=GuardianTextEgyptian
    .

    [/FONT]Perfectly acceptable terms for the government if they want a loan paid back. Let them sell the art themselves if they want to treat the BC as an external customer.
    Point obviously needing reiterating again for Nev, but if you wanna treat us like an external customer, business rates, then pay your way and give us what you owe us for doing the work we do, Mr Government.

    It isn't fucking free what we do- although it feels like it at times.

  12. #12
    Arahant
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    A mate worked for them at Siam Square around 15 years ago. Met him for lunch one day and got stuck in the area thanks to the Reds and Yellows blocking off the roads and getting all punchy-punchy throwy-throwy.




    Sell the art privately to Smeg.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Edmond View Post
    A mate worked for them at Siam Square around 15 years ago. Met him for lunch one day and got stuck in the area thanks to the Reds and Yellows blocking off the roads and getting all punchy-punchy throwy-throwy.




    Sell the art privately to Smeg.
    I still call them "us" and "we" cos I worked for them for 14 years as a teacher, manager and trainer.

    I disagree with the direction they are going and I can complain forever, but they are worth saving.

    Or "we" are anyway.


  14. #14
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    ^ In Bkk?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Edmond View Post
    ^ In Bkk?
    All over, mate, but not in the teaching centre in Bangkok.

    I was doing teaching, training and managing centres in SE Asia, South America and MENA (Middle East North Africa).

    I've left them now, but it was a big part of my career and the affection is still there. I also still have a lot of very good friends in the network.

  16. #16
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    My wife loves em cos of how we were looked after.

    Flights paid, hotel for 2 or 3 weeks, settling in allowance and meals paid.

    It was a good package and I like to think I did a good job in return.

    So, instead of taking the basics away from those of us working to further British interests, why not chase this up?

    Starbucks pays just PS5m UK corporation tax on PS95m gross profit | Starbucks | The Guardian

  17. #17
    Thailand Expat david44's Avatar
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    If they swop art for debt sure the state "gains an asset" but it needs housing , conservation something about which I have some expertise and knowledge.

    In addition it does not help the strained public finances, If the items are offered at auction the proceeds could well exceed teh debt or conditional that they are exhibited inUK so many weeks per decade like many revolving pieces of art.

    It is a fine piece of soft Power like the Confucius and Gother Institute where I studied. The Fremch Chines eand Germans see it as good value.

    With regime revenue stretched they need to organize a better monetization, as world experts with a product ENGLISH with zero production costs and endless demand cannot be impossible, with some flexibility, sponsorships, partnerships etc

    Perhaps they need a man of Hal's character at the Helm instead of the usual Quango elte types like me, happy to turn out twice a year for free banquet and schmoooz the ............ladies .Tarquin Beauregard 3rd Earl of Emptyhad, Dowager Dame Dillinger of Clippy, and Lady Fiona Friend?
    When in doubt, look intelligent. Garrison Keillor

  18. #18
    Arahant
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    Quote Originally Posted by hallelujah View Post
    All over, mate, but not in the teaching centre in Bangkok.

    I was doing teaching, training and managing centres in SE Asia, South America and MENA (Middle East North Africa).
    Sounds like a mate of a mate I was on the piss with a few times. Your surname's not Flynn by any chance?

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Edmond View Post
    Sounds like a mate of a mate I was on the piss with a few times. Your surname's not Flynn by any chance?
    Reckon you'd know if we had smashed it together for a day or seven.

  20. #20
    Isle of discombobulation Joe 90's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hallelujah View Post
    Reckon you'd know if we had smashed it together for a day or seven.

    Lulu walks with a limp to this day

  21. #21
    Thailand Expat DrWilly's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hallelujah View Post
    Reckon you'd know if we had smashed it together for a day or seven.

    A seven day bender? Impressive.

  22. #22
    Thailand Expat
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    I think the British Council does a very good job of delivering a global interest, if not affection, for the United Kingdom.
    I don't know how you measure such things, probably economists could come up with a value.
    Personally, I'd value the British Council above the BBC in terms of its RoI for UK taxpayers.

  23. #23
    Isle of discombobulation Joe 90's Avatar
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    My only experience of the British Council was back in 1991.

    They had an office in Lusaka, Zambia with all the English newspapers daily for free public reading.
    The place was busy and a hub of civilised activity in a god forsaken shit hole.

    Back then the only international news outlet was the BBC world service on the radio.
    Shalom

  24. #24
    Thailand Expat DrWilly's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joe 90 View Post
    The place was busy and a hub of civilised activity in a god forsaken shit hole.
    I just had to look them up. I've never been that far west, past Levy Junction Mall, near the bus terminal and local markets *shudder* No wonder you thought the place was a shit hole.

  25. #25
    Isle of discombobulation Joe 90's Avatar
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    I lived about 3 miles up the Northern road from there, glad to hear it's still going.

    I hear they've a vacancy Hal

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