Education - Back To The Future

With the latest education reform being the overhaul of the examination system, it is timely to assess where we are heading with education in the UK.

The Tories have decided upon a rewind policy - out of the digital age and back to the future. They are determined to re-invent the old O-Level which was based on examination only with no consideration of the coursework over the previous two years. They won't call it the O-Level, or to give it the correct title General Certificate of Education (GCE). However, a cow pat smells just as bad by any other name.

The O-Level had one major disadvantage - some people are excellent academically, however they freeze at examination time. So, with this exam all their work over the previous two years is wasted and they are marked down as a failure, regardless of how good a student of that subject they are. This examination rewards crammers and those who are not academically-minded will be thrown on the scrap-heap.

Prior to the GCSE being introduced, which took into account course work as well as examinations, there used to be another qualification the CSE - Certificate of Secondary Education, which was for those deemed not so bright.

So, are we going to see the second-level of qualification introduced as well as going back to the O-Level? The Tories are remaining silent on that issue.

Then there is the subject of selection of pupils. Some areas (Tory-dominated) still have the old grammar school and secondary school system. This involves pupils taking the 11-plus exam which brands children as failures if they are not selected for the grammar school and find themselves in the Secondary Modern schools which come with this system. Secondary is the word. They give a second-class education to the pupils.

However, there is one aspect of this system which is the elephant in the room - selection by social standing. When the grammar school system was in its prime the selection basis was as much social selection as academic. If two children had passed the 11-plus and there was only one place available at the grammar school, then the child from the higher social class inevitably receives the place at the grammar school and the child from the lower social class is thrown into the bottomless pit of the secondary modern where the child is left to rot.

The inequality of the grammar school system was increased by the funding arrangements. Substantially more money is spent on a grammar school pupil than a secondary modern pupil. I witnessed this with my own eyes when in school. I was in the last year of selection in East Sussex. I ended up in the secondary modern. The following year comprehensive education was introduced there. So, we had the situation where the year below me had significantly more resources for each pupil than was the case in my year. Why? Because the grammar school was skimming off the cream of the finance to educate the elite.

Nowadays we are back to social selection, but through the back door. In recent years it has been social selection by the better schools increasing property values within their catchment areas. This means that poorer families are priced out of their children attending these schools. They have called them comprehensive schools, but how can they be comprehensive when their catchment area only includes the posher areas of town?

Then there is the movement to "Academy" schools. This too is going to lead to selection by the back door. They too will select the pupils they want, leaving the remainder to go to the local sink schools.

After the children have left school and progressed through the sixth-form or local further education colleges it comes to the point of thinking about higher education.

This government has trebled the fees for university education. This will again exclude the children of poorer families. University education used to be only for the rich. It is heading that way again. The government dress it up with promises that the fees will only be paid when a student earns over £21,000 a year etc, etc, etc. It will still put off many off-spring of poorer families. It is my contention that the Tory scum desire this - keeping the riff-raff out of higher education. In other words, knowing our place - as servants and workers not aiming for professional positions.

This government is all about class. The majority of them are public-school educated and millionaires. They don't give a fuck about ordinary people. As Andrew Mitchell, the Chief Whip, said to the policeman who told him to use the side gate in Downing Street rather than the main gate - we should know our place.

So, here is the future for the 99% of us - doffing our caps to the toffs and a lifetime of servitude without a good education for our children.

After all, an educated working class is a threat to their class.

Beethoven's 9th Symphony

Here's another musical treat - Beethoven's 9th Symphony (full version), better known for the Ode to Joy.

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son

This is a song about how the rich kids avoided going to war during conscription while the kids from ordinary families were being killed.

This is still happening in Afghanistan. Bush and B.Liar got us into it. Bush managed to avoid Vietnam because daddy was rich.

Dire Straits - Alchemy Live

Here's a treat for you all - Alchemy Live by Dire Straits. 

Changing the Blog Name

My post prior to this observed that the nature of the blog had changed.

So, having considered things for a few hours, I have decided to change the name of the blog from "Rebuilding My Life" to "The Devil's Kitchen", which is more appropriate now as it is a mish-mash of all sorts of posts.

Although the blog started as somewhere to write about how I have felt during a period of depression and stress, it has changed to cover just about everything. So, welcome to my kitchen.

Pour yourself a cup of coffee/tea, or maybe a cold beer or two to listen to the music here, and enter the portal to my mind.

Bach - Toccata and Fuge in D Minor - the music from Rollerball

The Blog Seems to have changed direction!

Just a quick final thought at 5.30am on a Saturday morning before going to bed, but having gone through my archive listening to music in the last few hours, it seems that the blog has changed direction substantially.

It has, in recent weeks, taken a more political direction. Although the blog was originally conceived to help me get through a tough time, it has become as much a place for me to rant and post my thoughts on the political situation, as well as posting the music and occasional thoughts on my emotional state.

I make no apology for the political stuff being on here - I have always been political (communist) and always will be.

Hazel O'Connor - 8th Day

Here's a song about how mankind is destroying the world and the environment.

It was from the movie "Breaking Glass" in the 1980s.

The bill has been sent in the post - we all pay for the damage, regardless of our contribution to the damage.

It has just been announced that yet again the minimum ice level in the Arctic has been measured at a record low.

Here are a few of the results we are already witnessing:

• Drought in some areas
  
• Increasing amount of storms
  
• Rising sea levels
  
• Wetter summers with extreme flooding occurring more frequently

Clegg the Clairvoyant

Here's an interesting clip from Sky News on April 11th 2010 before the 2010 general election in which Nick Clegg warned that a government without a mandate pursuing "slash and burn" policies would lead to rioting on the streets.

So, two and a bit years on from this interview what has happened?

The millionaire Lib Dems joined the Eton Toffs in the Tory Party in government and have attacked the most vulnerable in society  with slash and burn policies.

The result?

The above was students attacking the Tory HQ

Then there were the riots in August 2011:

Clegg predicted riots, he supported the policies which caused riots.

Coalition needed to defeat the coalition

To borrow a quote from Franklin D Roosevelt, the US President who took the USA into World War 2 on 8th December 1941, 11th May 2010 is a date which will live in infamy within Great Britain. This was the day that the Liberal Democrats handed the keys of 10 Downing Street to Margaret Thatcher's bastard son David Cameron. We then witnessed, later that day, the love-in between Cameron and Nick Clegg in the garden of No 10.

Before going any further let's remind ourselves of one simple fact - THIS GOVERNMENT HAS NO MANDATE. Nobody won the 2010 election, although there can be no doubt that Labour did lose the election - and they have nobody but themselves to blame for getting a well deserved kick up the derriere from the electorate.

When he was first elected as leader of the Tory scum, Cameron tried to portray himself as a "caring", "compassionate", "green" leader of the Tories and Theresa May went on the record as saying they were "no longer the nasty party". It didn't take long for the mask to slip. Even before the 2010 election the Tories had plans to make the recession deeper and longer than it would have otherwise lasted. Indeed Greg Barker MP (my own MP) and, at the time Shadow Climate Change Minister (he was given a junior post in the government after the election) was recorded as saying that they would make cuts and attack services that Thatcher could only dream of doing. 

The Tory Party did manage to get the largest number of seats in the election, but not enough to be able to form a minority government, so they went cap in hand to the Liberal Democrats, led by Nick Clegg.

Now, before the election, Clegg had stated his outright opposition to increased tuition fees for university students which prompted a large number of students to vote for the Lib Dems in many marginal seats.

The first thing he did on securing his ministerial perks was to throw this so-called principle into the dustbin.

It wasn't just his principles and the Lib-Dem manifesto he threw into the dustbin when he entered a Faustian pact with Cameron. He also threw away any credibility the Lib Dems or he ever had.

Ever since then this government has lurched from one disaster to another. There have been sleaze scandals including David Laws stealing public funds (funny how this government has been boasting of how tough they are on those who steal public funds when talking of those who do a bit of work on the side to enable them to put bread on the table and yet welcome back someone who stole thousands), numerous U-turns, economic disasters and of course the links between the Tories and the phone-hacking Murdoch press.

This government is weak. It is probably the weakest government for several years. However, it is unlikely to fall because turkeys don't vote for Christmas. The Lib-Dems are too scared to bring it down because they know almost all of them will receive their P45 from the electorate at the next election. So, as a result, they stumble on from one disaster to the next, with the Lib-Dems looking more like Tories every day. There isn't a cigarette paper between Cameon, Clegg, Osborne and Alexander. 

Cameron famously said "We are all in it together". They are certainly all in the shit together, but the millionaires in the cabinet are not sharing the economic pain. They are still sitting pretty with their mansions, their fat salaries, their ministerial perks and, of course, their platinum pensions whilst the rest of us are thrown onto the dole, face working until we drop, when we are sick face being forced to work and then those who have been able to save see the value of what they have saved reduced to nothing.

The coalition have created an underclass. They have attacked public services, they have forced those without jobs into "workfare" where they are effectively slaves, they encourage the abuse given to the disabled in the streets, they have increased VAT which hits the poorest the hardest while at the same time benefiting themselves from the 5p tax cut for millionaires. The coalition has marginalised much of society.

What the coalition has done is created the seeds of its own downfall. They are currently trailing badly in the polls but that is no guarantee they will be removed come the next election. However, there is hope on the horizon.

What is needed is for the disenfranchised in society to work together. This is a weak government. They talk tough but can be beaten. If those who have been trampled down by the scum in power at the moment work together this government can be brought down.

The starting point is the marches on October 20th in London and in Scotland. We need as many people as possible on the streets on that day to send a message to Downing Street.

Following that we need a general strike. 

We also need withdrawal of all co-operation with the government in every form.

A one-off token strike isn't enough. We need a sustained campaign of action and we need that backed up by continued action on the streets. 

Let's make life really unpleasant for the coalition. Every time a minister goes ANYWHERE have him hounded and harassed. Let's have continual demonstrations.

We can win, but it will take a coalition of the disenfranchised to defeat the coalition of the millionaires.

"United we stand - divided we fall" - a message for the transsexual community

As a member of the national committee for LGBT members of my trades union I have been asked on a few occasions whether those of us who are transsexual should be included in the LGBT umbrella. 

Without hesitation I responded to the equality officer of my group (section), when she asked me this question in 2011, that we stand to gain more from inclusion and standing with our LGB friends than we would if we went our own sweet way. I believe strongly that the more voices you have arguing for rights the more likely you are to be given them eventually. The arithmetic is thus - it is estimated that there are approximately 50,000 post-transsexuals in the UK. On the other hand there are millions of LGB people in the UK. Politicians don't listen to a few thousand - there are not enough votes in it to be in their interests to give us rights if we whisper by ourselves. And that is just what it would be - a whisper compared with the noises made by the bigots who attack us. Firstly we have the churches (and let's not forget we still have the bishops of the Church of England in the House of Lords) who have opposed us, indeed the official position of the Catholic Church is that we are sexless abominations. Then there is the right-wing press who only think of the pounds shillings and pence (oops - pounds and pence now!) in their bank accounts from titillating stories about us which are designed to portray us as freaks. Add into the equation the fascist scum who hate any minority and suddenly we have a massive coalition against us with significant money behind it with the influence and power which comes along with that money. 

Surely the only way we could get our voices heard in this situation is to start shouting with other disenfranchised groups? Going our own sweet way will achieve nothing whatsoever, apart from isolating us further than we already were beforehand.

I have seen the argument put forward by some that we should ally ourselves with what could be termed "the norm". This argument doesn't withstand close scrutiny. It is the equivalent of Jews allying themselves with the SS. Why would any sane person with a transsexual history want to link up with the very organisations and groups which opposed us being able to amend our birth certificates, being given basic employment protections, being able to marry if we so choose or to even have our surgery? 

I recognise that there is a wide-ranging spectrum within the trans umbrella and we all have differing needs. However, it makes sense to work together to improve our lives. We are currently in an economic mess not of our making and our NHS (National Health Service) is facing unprecedented attacks. Let's not forget our surgery is not exactly cheap. The Conservative Party know the price of everything and the value of nothing. To them all that matters is the balance sheet. When you combine that with the propaganda of cancer patients being denied life-saving drugs while we are able to have our surgery on the NHS it doesn't bode well for those who come after us. 

I contend that it is our duty to help those who come after us, and not pull the ladder up after we have recovered from our treatments. Helping the next generation doesn't mean cosying up to the very people who would have denied us our surgery too if they had the chance.

So, we need to work with others who are facing attacks from the far right, the sleazy tabloid press (especially the Murdoch press) and the religious groups who are trapped in a timewarp. That means working with our LGB brothers and sisters and other trans groups.

The motto of my union is Unity is Strength. That is the case for us too. If we work with other trans groups and our LGB brothers and sisters we are far stronger. If we go our own way then we are weak and a far easier target.

Soviet Union National Anthem

I will never apologise for being a communist.

Guns N Roses - Knockin' On Heaven's Door

Patience - Guns n Roses

Is Cameron on LSD?

Having seen the full extent of the government reshuffle, I was wondering which kind of mind-bending substance David Cameron has been taking.

Who, if they were 100% with it would make the following appointments:

• A minister for health who wants to dismantle the National Health Service
   
• A minister whose department includes responsibility for equality who supports homophobia and racism
  
• A minister for planning who wants to abolish all planning controls

Methinks it's time Inspector Knacker of the Yard paid a visit to No 10 with a search warrant.

Either that or the men with straitjackets.

Re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic

So, Prime Minister David Cameron has been having a reshuffle of his government ministers. It's no big surprise that he has taken this opportunity to take a gigantic stride rightwards and appoint ministers who will do their utmost to undo much of the social progress of the last 100 years.

His appointment of Maria Miller as Equalities Minister is like putting Robert Maxwell in charge of the Bank of England. She has a record of opposing equality at every opportunity and pandering to racists and homophobes alongside her disgraceful treatment of the disabled at Remploy.

His appointment of Jeremy H(C)unt as Health Secretary is designed to secure the destruction of the NHS.

No surprise that Ian Duncan-Smith has remained at the Department of Work and Pensions where he will be able to attack the most vulnerable in society and force disabled people to work in unsuitable jobs and the jobless to work for free (contrary to the European Convention on  Human Rights). 

Basically, this reshuffle is merely re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. This is a government which is hated by many and only loved by the fat-cats who received a tax cut in the last budget while the rest of us saw our income drop substantially thanks to their policies.

I remain convinced this is a one-term government. Their removal from power cannot come a day too soon.

Civil Partnerships

As part of my Open University course in law I've just been reading about the Civil Partnerships Act 2004. They included in the textbooks some vile comments made by the disgusting Melanie Phillips about how LGBT couples are undermining society etc etc etc.

The more I read about the Act the more I became concerned at the inbuilt discrimination within it.

The worst part was the residency section which, unlike marriage, insists that partners have co-habited for 6 months before being able to register a marriage.

Reading the Act has cemented my belief that nothing less than full equality of marriage and civil partnerships for both same and opposite sex couples is acceptable.

However, given that Cameron has now appointed a right wing nutter as Equalities Minister, I'm not hopeful on the equal marriage front. My money is on there being no Equal Marriage Act this Parliament. Cameron will give in to his right wing nutters.

So much for the Tories no longer being the nasty party like Theresa May claimed before the electorate were fool enough to allow the Con-Dems to be in a position to form a coalition.

Examinable Essay rushes headlong into view

The final essay (the examinable essay which is marked by a tutor other than my own) on my law course is rushing headlong into view. 

It is due to be completed by 28th September 2012 and in it I have to evaluate a statement suggesting that politicians react to social change quicker than the judiciary. 

I have already started thinking about this essay and some of the social changes which have been enacted within the last 60 years or so, such as the Suicide Act, the legalisation of abortion, the decriminalisation of homosexuality, the banning, declassification, and reclassification, of cannabis, the Gender Recognition Act and other significant social changes.

So, as the time approaches fast, I will not be posting so many posts here.

Paralympics 2012 - truly inspirational

Over the past week I have spent some considerable time watching the Paralympics in London. The quality of the sport is really high - especially the athletics. The Irishman who won the 800m and 1500m for visually impaired athletes has competed in able-bodied events and beaten some very high class athletes along the way.

Then there are the bladed athletes - the speed of these across 100m or 200m is unbelievable. Even when I was at my fittest the quickest I managed to complete 100m in was 17 seconds.

Then there is the swimming. Swimmers who have lost both arms or both legs who are able to complete 100m in just over a minute, whereas the best I have ever completed 25m is about 3 minutes.

These athletes are truly inspirational.

However, inspirational as they are, they still face problems in day-to-day life, such as being accused of being scroungers or benefit cheats. Then there was the hypocrisy of David Cameron and George Osborne lending their "support" to the games when they have already shown their true attitude to the disabled - cuts for health services, "work assessments" by the Paralympics sponsor ATOS (who say everyone is fit for work regardless of how disabled they are) and other attacks on the most vulnerable in society. All these millionaire hypocrites care about is their own kind - and their friends who they can give the juicy government contracts to.

So, in conclusion, these games have been a joy to watch for the way the competitors are determined to make the most of life. It has also been good to see that the venues have attracted so many spectators - let's hope that after these games the attitude to the disabled within our society will change and they will no longer be seen as second best or scroungers.