Monday 30 June 2014

Rebekah Brooks

The phone hacking trial has finished with one found guilty and Rebekah Brooks and her husband getting off free.  Already the press is starting to rally around the view that they have been vindicated. How badly done to they have been treated. NOT. It was great to see Brooks getting the sort of treatment other people get from the press and paparazzi. She was shaking like a leaf and that smirk as she got into her car said it all.  This woman was an editor in charge of a news paper that broke the law.  How many times has she reported that the buck stops at the boss.  Any good boss knows what is happening in their business so either she is a crap boss or she knew exactly what was going on.  Or think the latter.  This woman could fall in a sewer and come out smelling of roses.  I'm sure Murdock will be preparing a well paid job for her.  Let's just hope there is a corporate case to answer now and that weasel Rupert Murdock and his son get what's coming to them. Non of this or the Leveson enquiry is stopping the press doing what it is doing in terms if investigative journalism.  What it is doing is trying to put a stop to the press investigating the seedy side of people's lives which are not illegal.  Sign the Hacked Off petition and let's get the free press working properly.

Wednesday 25 June 2014

Middle Class is best

Staying on the education theme. A report states that white male working class students under achieve compared to those from other countries.  65% of male Asian  students from the same poor backgrounds achieve 5 A* to C grades at Gcse compared to 28% white working class boys? There have been lots of platitudes stated about how tough it is for them with no role models well whose faults that? Parents? Gone are the days when working class people aspired to be Middle Class.  Now they just shout insults at the Middle classes wanting to wallow in their own lack of ambition.  No ambition then no encouragement for their children to do well.  One commentator even had the cheek to say that all working class parents wanted their children's to do well at school.  I'm sure that is true but wanting them to do well and giving up some time to help them do well is another matter.  Many working class parents, and I'm talking about those who come into the group where pupils are underachieving, simply moan about the school and the teachers when in fact the problem lies with them but nobody is willing to tell them. Instead of parents wanting to improve themselves and move into the Middle class group they think that their lifestyle is as far as they should aspire to. That they wouldn't want to be Middle Class. Mainly because it's too difficult for them.  Bare in mind that Middle Class doesn't mean you earn a lot of money.  Many working class people earn more than Middle class couples.  The difference is what they do with their money. They save and prepare for the future while the people we are talking about spend it as it arrives.  Let's stop this fear of saying that Middle class is something to get rid off.  Middle class is something to aspire to and that's what these people lack. And no we can't get rid of all the classes and make everyone equal.  The world doesn't work that way whatever society you are in.

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Local Authorities are the answer to schools

Not so long ago schools had Local Authority inspections as well as Advisors who helped those schools who needed support. That has all gone now. What we are left with is an assessment system (Oftsed) which acts as a big stick and no offer of support and help. How is a school supposed to improve when there is no local support for teachers and management. Whitehall cannot support schools all it can do is sack heads and governors and replace them instead of working with them. Bring back local advisors and inspections who know the schools and local situations so schools can be helped to grow and improve.  The Government seems to think all Local Authorities are left wing and no good.   How wrong can you be.  What they need to do is support Local Authorities and help them and by this means help schools. The  only way a school can get support is to pay for it now out of their tight budgets.  When the priority is not employing a new teacher or paying for an expensive consultant who knows little of the schools local situation I know if I was a Head teacher which I would pick

Thursday 5 June 2014

General Election time.

As the General election approaches so the political parties are starting to gear up for their campaigns.  2015 will see us with a new government of whatever colour.  At the recent EU elections I was disgusted to see as little as a 30 % turn out by the public to vote.  Some argue the case that they don't vote because the political parties are all the same. Or it won't make any difference. First of all anyone who doesn't vote has no right to criticise any political party.  The main reason they don't vote is because they want the opportunity to complain about any party with out  being able to be accused of voting for them in the first place.  People don't like being made accountable.  There is the other reason of course - they're too dam lazy.
One of the other issues I have with election time is the now familiar TV debate which we have pinched from the Americans.  This is where each of the parties has their leader on a stage being asked questions and each leader has a right to reply.  What a load of TV nonsense this is.  In the past we looked at our political parties and just that.  A group of people representing a set of policies which had been created within the party.  The Americans have never voted in this way they vote for a president and TV is he best vehicle for presidents to show their personality.  In Britain we vote for a party and the individual MP's who represent the party and us.  Prime Minister personalities don't come into it at all.  I want to listen to policies not personalities.  The best orator wins not the best policies. Let's be brave and have some leaders say no to these debates.  They add nothing to our  understanding of a party and simply enable the Media to fill more air time with their useless speculation.