European Crisis - displaced people

As the European crisis continues to grow and people move from their home countries to the haven that they see - Europe isn't it about time we stopped referring to these people as all Refugees.  They are not.

The media once again uses this catch all title to label all these people as individuals and families running away from conflict.  Yes some are, but some are economic migrants who all they have in their mind is making a better life from the one they had in their own country.  Many see it as a way of making a fast "buck".  We need to be sorting out the wheat from the chaff before these people get into Europe.  German has increased this problem further by having an open door policy which simply encourages these people to head "West Young Man. "

The incidents at the Hungarian border where Migrants are seen to be shouting orders for the Hungarians to open the gate is no way to get people to feel sorry for them.  Throwing rocks at the security forces? What do they expect when tear gas and water cannon are sent back at them.

Some of these people need our care and sympathy but the media is doing nothing to separate these people out.  They interview them as if they all had the same reasons for coming West.  They do not.

The little boy who was found drowned - it turns out his father was living in Turkey as an economic migrant.  He was perfectly safe and his family had joined him.  He wanted a better life for his family.  Well go through the appropriate channels to emigrate and then things might work out.

Germany aims to take over Europe since they have failed to win through 2 world wars so now they plan to create a Federated Europe with no boundaries that they will control.  Well now they are suffering the consequences of this plan. They also have a falling population which enables them to pick the highly skilled Migrants to boost their economy.  Unfortunately they are bringing misery on the other less wealthy countries in the EU by their open door policy.  Greece has enough problems with its economy without it being expected to manage this sudden influx of people. Germany says "All Syrians welcome".  What about the other hangers on from Bangladesh and other Eastern areas who feel Europe is paved with gold?  What will happen when these conflicts end?  Where will the young men be to help these countries rebuild themselves? They'll be in Europe having tasted the high life do you really think they will return? They media needs to start pointing these things instead of going for the sympathy vote all the time.  The true Refugees need a home and Britain is doing the right thing by taking them from the camps around Syria.

A usual the Media goes for the headline and ignores the full story

Long time no post - Post General Election

It's been some time since I put finger to keyboard and maybe I should have done prior to the General Election here in the UK.  I could have made a bit of money in saying who was going to win but to tell you the truth I wasn't convinced the British people would have the sense to see that the opposition, under the leadership of Ed Milliband, was not the answer to our financial troubles.  However, sense prevailed and the best party won even though I think their Education policy stinks.

We live in a society where Britain stands head and shoulders above other countries when it comes to innovation.  We hear the brains of the millennium telling us that jobs will disappear as AI takes over in the form of robots.  These jobs are seen to be those where people earn less that £30000 a year.  I would go further and say that some of the jobs we take for granted as being safe will also change to a point where fewer people will be needed to carry them out - how about repetitive surgical procedures where surgeons can operate remotely (appendicitis).

We need a new society that looks more at creativity than at memory.  This government continues to test and reward subjects that are deemed the core subjects (Maths, Eng and Science) Obviously these subjects are important and need to be within the core curriculum but what is happening is that educational establishments are not being encouraged to take on the creative subjects as they don't count as much.  They drop down the League Tables. The Baccalaureate is encouraged covering the subjects on Maths Science English, Modern Foreign Language, History or Geography.  Where's Art, the Crafts or Drama.  Where are the opportunities for pupils to show original thinking - the key to our society remaining top of the game.  Vocational subjects and Creative subjects need to be given an equal rating so a Plumbers qualifications can be seen on the same level as a degree course

All this comparison with other countries such as China is stupid.  China statistically takes its Maths results from a handful of city schools.  The schools in the country areas aren't included where the results are much poorer.  The Chinese and other Eastern countries haven't an original idea in their heads.  They are great at copying other people.

Don't lets get dragged down to becoming  an exam factory where we turn out vast numbers of A* in subjects that show no original thought.

Wake up Government and give us back the subjects we are noted for.

News media and rail fares

The way you present facts affects peoples interpretations of the news.  Take the news that rail fares are rising.  Every year the news media loves this piece of news because it enables them to manipulate the way people feel about a piece of news.  season tickets are rising by 3.5 %.  Not good news we know but with investment and the lack of  subsidy from the government it's not that surprising.  Those who use the railways pay for them.  Now let's look at this news a different way.  From some simple research it shows that one of the most expensive tickets is from Dover Priory to London at £5012 a year. This is a journey of 76 miles.  That means 2 journeys a day for 5 days a week.  Simple maths brings this out at less than £10 a journey.  The BBC gave a season ticket example at £4000 a year which works out at less that £8 a journey.  Where I live a bus journey of 3 miles costs £5 a journey.  Season tickets seem good value to me. As usual the media presents the facts in such a way that make people simply look at the big figures for impact and not clarity.  Start doing your job properly news media and inform clearly what the situation is.

Privacy and the press

Who gave permission for the press to hire a helicopter and a long lens to peer into Cliff Richard's appartment?  When will this low life come to their senses and accept they are doing themselves no favours by infringing peoples privacy.  Lets all go and stick long lenses into their front rooms and see how they like it.  As for the police working with the press.  Long live Levison.  The Police and the Police Federation have a lot to answer for.  They are still refusing to cooperate about what happened at Downing Street and Andrew Mitchell. 

Media reporting on Scientific research

The number of times the media latches on to some spurious PHD research by a student who couldn't think of anything else to write and then puts it up as factual knowledge that we should all jump to (or at least those who are not so sceptical of the media do)  Take for instance the MMR vaccine scare where thousands of parents lept at this non proven research that stated that the MMR vaccine causees autism.  Now we have many more cases of Measles than we should have.  But I digress.  The latest thing is that a lack of Vitamin D has shown that people are more suceptable to Dementia,  I've listened to all the reports and not one has asked any searching questions of the  Professor who has published this.  Just taken the whole thing as fact. Let me ask a question.  How rigorous was this research?  How do we get Vitamin D?  Well most of us through sunlight and some through oily fish.  But mainly through sunlight.  Dementia is generally an illness of  the elderly.   One of the issues we have is that the elderly are often lonely and don't meet with people to the same extent as the rest of us. They don't go out much.  In other workds elderly patients may well have less Vit D. But couldnt the Demetia be due to the the fact that they are lonely?  They don't have meanigful conversation?  Their brains are not being made to stay active. My conclusion is therefore different.
Loneliness could be one of the causes of Dementia.  Loneliness also causes a lack of Vit D but is not necessarily a cause of Dementia.
Not one member of the News Media has questioned this academic about the rigour of the research.  Lets just put out a statement as if its fact is their answer.  I want News and Fact backed up by rigorous reporting.  We don't get either.

Media misrepresenting the facts again -Liberal Party

The Today Programme along with other news broadcasters have been reporting that the Liberal Party have gone back on their support for the Conservatives Party Bedroom supplement.  This is when people living in social housing are required to pay extra if they have a bedroom which is not compatible with the number of people living permanently at the address.  This makes the property available for those families living in cramped accommodation. The issue is that people are being expected to pay the levy even when their are no smaller properties for them to move into.  Unfair I hear you say.  And indeed it is.  The Liberal Party, as part of the coalition government has stood up and said the same.  They agreed with the levy but say that if there is no suitable property for the family or person to move to then they should not be charged.  The media reads this another way.  THE LIBERAL PARTY HAVE GONE BACK ON THEIR DECISION ABOUT THE BEDROOM SUPPLEMENT.  No they haven't. After seeing it working they feel there are some improvements that can be made.  The Labour Party of course are backing the Media view.  Not looking for an honest report of what has been said.  The function of the News Media is to report the news accurately not as they interpret it.  Why can't politicians change their minds when they see something isn't working without being ridiculed for it?  The rest of us do.

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.