Having read this interesting piece
http://ilegal.org.uk/thread/7258/serious-flaws-governments-statistics?page=23&scrollTo=22933
I have decided that I have kept silent for too long
I have spent a year working with people who are now likely to be subjected to the 'boot camp' tactic
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11806231/Matt-Hancock-I-want-to-put-unemployed-youngsters-through-a-jobs-boot-camp.html
Here's a few thoughts.
1. Many of the people I worked with suffered from mental health issues that no employer would touch with a bargepole, not because the people with mental health issues are bad at work or substandard in their application it is because employers will not invest in the help needed for those with specific challenges to support their employment. Also as many employers employ unnecessary and in many case brutish working conditions to drive profit at any cost that there is a great danger of a major backlash in the health of these workers. Believe me I've seen even the strongest buckle under the demands of the market economy and Victorian employment ethics.
2, I worked with a college who spent most of their time cancelling courses on me at 24 hours notice, costing me work, when so called Jobseekers were being sent to me for employability skills training. The local Job Centre involved were supposed to send people along but quite frankly they were just concerned about making sure that they could fill out paperwork to show that the actual number of jobseekers had dropped. Why ? well that's simple lower the numbers on the books or find yourself a new job yourself as we're cutting back on civil servants and those not with the programme are gone. Sounds a bit conspiracy theory ? Not so it's easy to check out how the system works, if you're a PhD in Mathematics, Physics and Philosophy. No sorry remove the philosophy because ethics are involved in that.
3. Care work - two words that have become vilified in our society because of the exposing of cruelty to vulnerable people. This is highly important because vulnerable people need protection but there is another reality and that is that the private care companies and the way they rip off the system to the tune of millions and don't really care about either the service user or the employee. Now obviously this is not all care companies but I can show you carers who are effectively working for nothing and in some cases paying to work for the care companies. They are physically and mentally drained, abused by service users and management alike and left struggling to survive. And how many times are people forced into this work by the job centres because they are unemployed. I can show you care companies who claim money from the state for calls that are neither needed or completed. And what is worse I've actually reported this to the local authorities with evidence and no investigation took place so who really cares?
The real reason why were are truly underemployed in this country is because just like the banking system had a black hole in it our labour market has the same and if enough people begin to realise this then my gosh the whole system may just collapse.
The truth is out there but do we actually want to see it because we live in a world of I'm alright Jack and screw everyone else. Oh and we'll vote for anyone who gets rid of the costs to us and lowers our taxes.
A word to the wise though - no government lowers taxes they just hide them better
Monday 17 August 2015
Friday 19 September 2014
The morning after
Well the deed is done the vote has taken place and the people living in Scotland decided that to stay in the Union was the better thing. On a personal note I'm glad of that. I feel more secure in these islands today than I did yesterday. This said the morning after has brought some tough questions and made me feel energised for a fight that needs fighting.
We are a proud set of nations England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and we share so much common heritage and ground. We share also many common causes but as Scotland has so eloquently shown us we are proud of our mother countries'. And so we should be for there is nothing wrong in supporting the country of your birth and wanting the best for it even if you spend most of your time living elsewhere. Which of course immediately brings me to Andy Murray. Yes he has his faults like any other human being but being proud to be British does not mean he cannot be Scottish too. He felt that the negative campaigning of the No campaign made his mind up to support the Yes campaign and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. He has a right to share his opinion and support what he sees as the right thing. Do not decry him for that ever, for that is what democracy is about. If we fail to live up to our support of democracy then what is the point?
This brings me to my second thought, Federalism.
Now that the Scottish have shown us that debate can take place it is time for real debate to take place about the way this set of nations should go forward. What is right for London may not be right for Tavistock. What is right for Glasgow may not be right for Great Yarmouth, what is right for Birmingham may not be right for Belfast and what is right for Newport may not be right for Newcastle. We have many differing regions within this United Kingdom and in a space that is so small we have more diversity than the United States in many ways. Whilst I disagree with Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon on the matter of Independence they genuinely and passionately believe that Scotland should not be controlled by Westminster. For my part so do I on the majority of things. However the biggest mistake made by Margaret Thatcher was stripping out the infrastructure of this great nation and in doing so ultimately this meant that there would be more reliance upon centralisation of Government.
The people of Cornwall know what is best for them just as the people of Manchester know what is best for them. Londonderry and Leicester have challenges that are locally understood but their responses are diminished by centralisation. People have given up on politics because of this and so we become tied into small battlegrounds.
It's time to do away with the idea that decisions cannot be made locally. We need more local control. And that local power should feed directly into the UK Government structure. Now I'm not suggesting that we go back to the old dark days of the 1980s when Militant strode across the landscape as fast as Degsy Hatton could carry it, and remember I lived in Liverpool then so I know how sickening that was. London has progressed well under it's own steam and whilst there are disagreements and arguments generally London now is better than when I moved there to live in the late 1980s. Then I look at Bristol, somewhere where I work a lot, and I despair. Why? you cry. Why? Because the independent Mayor acts like a tyrant there and there is no fundamental way of stopping him. So what we need is a total rethink. Regional assemblies for England strengthening local power, a beefing up of power for Wales and Northern Ireland but everything with the appropriate checks and balances. Whilst the US is no arbiter of the right way the Federal system there allows for all States to be part of a whole yet control power locally and please remember that California is heading towards being as populous as England give or take a few million.
And does Federalism mean we have to do away with a Monarch? Absolutely not all we need to do is reinvent the idea of what Federalism is. Does it mean we have to be closer in political ties to the EU? Absolutely not because there would still be an overriding Government that was responsible for things such as Foreign Policy, Defence, Border control, Power and Water.
If this debate in Scotland has taught us anything it has taught us that people can still be switched on to voting and come out in their droves if the subject is important to them. What we need to do is take on board this morning after what we have learned from the debate and turn it into something positive. Don't allow Westminster to slip back into the old degenerative ways, stand, be strong and start challenging people on a new way of life on these shores.
It is time for Britain to be Great again and it is time for a move into unchartered territories exploring areas of our nation that may be uncomfortable.
We are a proud set of nations England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and we share so much common heritage and ground. We share also many common causes but as Scotland has so eloquently shown us we are proud of our mother countries'. And so we should be for there is nothing wrong in supporting the country of your birth and wanting the best for it even if you spend most of your time living elsewhere. Which of course immediately brings me to Andy Murray. Yes he has his faults like any other human being but being proud to be British does not mean he cannot be Scottish too. He felt that the negative campaigning of the No campaign made his mind up to support the Yes campaign and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. He has a right to share his opinion and support what he sees as the right thing. Do not decry him for that ever, for that is what democracy is about. If we fail to live up to our support of democracy then what is the point?
This brings me to my second thought, Federalism.
Now that the Scottish have shown us that debate can take place it is time for real debate to take place about the way this set of nations should go forward. What is right for London may not be right for Tavistock. What is right for Glasgow may not be right for Great Yarmouth, what is right for Birmingham may not be right for Belfast and what is right for Newport may not be right for Newcastle. We have many differing regions within this United Kingdom and in a space that is so small we have more diversity than the United States in many ways. Whilst I disagree with Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon on the matter of Independence they genuinely and passionately believe that Scotland should not be controlled by Westminster. For my part so do I on the majority of things. However the biggest mistake made by Margaret Thatcher was stripping out the infrastructure of this great nation and in doing so ultimately this meant that there would be more reliance upon centralisation of Government.
The people of Cornwall know what is best for them just as the people of Manchester know what is best for them. Londonderry and Leicester have challenges that are locally understood but their responses are diminished by centralisation. People have given up on politics because of this and so we become tied into small battlegrounds.
It's time to do away with the idea that decisions cannot be made locally. We need more local control. And that local power should feed directly into the UK Government structure. Now I'm not suggesting that we go back to the old dark days of the 1980s when Militant strode across the landscape as fast as Degsy Hatton could carry it, and remember I lived in Liverpool then so I know how sickening that was. London has progressed well under it's own steam and whilst there are disagreements and arguments generally London now is better than when I moved there to live in the late 1980s. Then I look at Bristol, somewhere where I work a lot, and I despair. Why? you cry. Why? Because the independent Mayor acts like a tyrant there and there is no fundamental way of stopping him. So what we need is a total rethink. Regional assemblies for England strengthening local power, a beefing up of power for Wales and Northern Ireland but everything with the appropriate checks and balances. Whilst the US is no arbiter of the right way the Federal system there allows for all States to be part of a whole yet control power locally and please remember that California is heading towards being as populous as England give or take a few million.
And does Federalism mean we have to do away with a Monarch? Absolutely not all we need to do is reinvent the idea of what Federalism is. Does it mean we have to be closer in political ties to the EU? Absolutely not because there would still be an overriding Government that was responsible for things such as Foreign Policy, Defence, Border control, Power and Water.
If this debate in Scotland has taught us anything it has taught us that people can still be switched on to voting and come out in their droves if the subject is important to them. What we need to do is take on board this morning after what we have learned from the debate and turn it into something positive. Don't allow Westminster to slip back into the old degenerative ways, stand, be strong and start challenging people on a new way of life on these shores.
It is time for Britain to be Great again and it is time for a move into unchartered territories exploring areas of our nation that may be uncomfortable.
Monday 15 September 2014
United we stand, Divided we fall
Right then what on Earth would an Englishman know about Scotland? And why should my Scottish friends take any notice of me?
Well firstly half of my family is Scottish and half of my family is Irish and just because I was born in Yorkshire does not mean that I do not care. I care passionately about the Union but I also care passionately about regional power.
The Scottish have a right to control what matters to them in terms of money, pensions, tax, education, health etc. and already have many of the powers that control these things. In fact they have more powers than most of the rest of the UK who are dictated to by Westminster but there are UK powers that should remain in tact and independence for Scotland threatens those.
What do I mean exactly?
Well let's take a look at that most beautiful of islands Cyprus.
Cyprus is strategically important in the Mediterranean which is why the UK has sovereign territory there. I don't think that I'm letting out too many state secrets about this. However Russian money has been flooding into Cyprus for many years now, first covertly and now fairly overtly (you can't swing a cat in Limassol without hitting a Russian these days) With Syria in turmoil the Russian's only ally in the Med and it's forward Naval Base are under some uncertainty. This is why there were all sorts of rumours flying around as to if Russia baled our Cyprus they would do so in return for a similar base that the British occupy. When that failed because the EU decided to produce the loans needed to stabilise their economy the Cypriot Government basically told the Russians to 'do one' did this become the reason why The Crimea became once more massively important to the Russian fleet?
Now what has this got to do with Scotland? Well let's for one second (and I know the SNP supporters will shoot this down with cries of never in a million years) imagine that Scotland is independent as of Friday. The leaders of the SNP say they can keep the pound. Well this is true they can but they will be doing it most likely without the backing of the remaining members of the UK and as such will not have a central bank to fall back on. That means Scotland would have to purchase funds and borrow on the open market and quite frankly they will not have the credit rating of AAA so it's going to cost them a lot of money. Now with all the promises made it will be spending and borrowing (or taxing to the hilt) or cutting so as to balance the books. And I think the majority of independent economists agree with this scenario. So step forward the two powers that have money to burn Russia and China. What if Scotland does go belly up as some predict what would the price of coming to rescue Scotland be? A Russian occupancy of Scapa Flow? Instead of British Nuclear weapons on the Clyde Russian ones? Instead of RAF Joint Strike Fighters at Leuchars think MiG and Tupolev. Far fetched? Maybe but not impossible as an Independent Scotland would not be able to rely on UK armed forces to protect them or UK Nuclear Missiles to deter aggression. Remember the Scottish people want rid of Trident but just have a peek at Ukraine who did have a Nuclear deterrent and gave it up. And any deal for the Scottish to keep the UK armed forces and membership of NATO would really have to include UK nuclear weapons at Faslane whatever the SNP state. Oh and please don't get me wrong here my first degree was in Nuclear Physics and my Grandfather worked on Dounraey whilst working for the Atomic Energy Authority so I hate nuclear weapons with a level of hate I only reserve for my ex-wife.
So the counter argument goes that Scotland will automatically become a member of the EU, well in that case you have to join the Euro immediately and even so there is no guarantee that Scotland would be admitted. Remember even though you're Scottish you're still viewed as British by our friends across the water and that doesn't automatically lead to good will to all Scots. And if you do then take up the Euro and oh God forbid I'll have to admit this Farage would be right you will be controlled by Brussels not Edinburgh because the UK has a power of Veto but an Independent Scotland certainly wouldn't. That means that you would have financial policy basically set by Germany. Something that another hated figure of mine brought up to much derision in the youth debate. George Galloway was absolutely right when he said if it had not been for this island standing tall together during WWII you'd be having the debate in German. What he failed to add was the unspeakable so I will that is unless you had any mental illness or were from a gypsy background or Jewish in anyway when of course you wouldn't be alive to have the debate. Now if you do have the Euro what was the point of all those Scottish people dying in World War I and II ? What your Grandparents or in some cases parents fought to preserve will be handed over at the ballot box.
Ultimately things will not stay the same financially if Scotland goes it alone and although you may initially get some windfalls like Eire did look at Eire now where the poverty there in places is more extreme than even you guy's and girls in Scotland have seen in the worst of times North of Hadrian's Wall.
Now that's the first bit of the argument.
The second bit is far more from the heart. We are an intermingled race on these islands there are very few absolutely pure lines left in the UK so we are all intermingled with English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish ancestors and that should be for nations without borders. But an Independent Scotland that is not a member of the EU would mean who is legally entitled to live in the UK and who must return to Scotland because if Scotland becomes Independent Scottish people will no longer hold a UK Passport because they will be Scottish Citizen's not UK citizen's. Sounds pathetic I know but it is a reality. You could I suppose hold dual nationality but just think about the amount of money that's going to cost. And then there's the sporting fraternity, most Scottish Sportspeople rely on entire UK funding. Why should that continue after a Yes vote? Would another Andy Murray come out of Scotland if the money from the very English LTA is not forthcoming? Or another Sir Chris Hoy? And I am so proud of what these sporting superstars have done for every child in these islands with their inspiration.
My friends from North of the Border tell me nothing would really change and that I'd still be welcome for a cuppa but the sad reality, and I'm looking at this from a socio-psychological point of view, is that things are bound to change. Put a border in place and you bring up a psychological barrier that ultimately divides people. Go and ask them in the Ukraine, in the Balkans, in the Middle East if you don't believe me. Borders mean barriers not maybe in the physical sense but certainly in the psychological one.
I love my friends from all around the world and I celebrate their differences it's what makes the human race so wonderful. Scotland already has a completely wonderful culture within a family of nations. But it is stronger with out the border not with.
I urge my friends in Scotland stay with us in the United Kingdom, fight to bring prosperity to all, fight to end poverty for all and bring care to all. Because put simply.
United we stand Divided we fall.
I urge you to Vote No on Thursday
Well firstly half of my family is Scottish and half of my family is Irish and just because I was born in Yorkshire does not mean that I do not care. I care passionately about the Union but I also care passionately about regional power.
The Scottish have a right to control what matters to them in terms of money, pensions, tax, education, health etc. and already have many of the powers that control these things. In fact they have more powers than most of the rest of the UK who are dictated to by Westminster but there are UK powers that should remain in tact and independence for Scotland threatens those.
What do I mean exactly?
Well let's take a look at that most beautiful of islands Cyprus.
Cyprus is strategically important in the Mediterranean which is why the UK has sovereign territory there. I don't think that I'm letting out too many state secrets about this. However Russian money has been flooding into Cyprus for many years now, first covertly and now fairly overtly (you can't swing a cat in Limassol without hitting a Russian these days) With Syria in turmoil the Russian's only ally in the Med and it's forward Naval Base are under some uncertainty. This is why there were all sorts of rumours flying around as to if Russia baled our Cyprus they would do so in return for a similar base that the British occupy. When that failed because the EU decided to produce the loans needed to stabilise their economy the Cypriot Government basically told the Russians to 'do one' did this become the reason why The Crimea became once more massively important to the Russian fleet?
Now what has this got to do with Scotland? Well let's for one second (and I know the SNP supporters will shoot this down with cries of never in a million years) imagine that Scotland is independent as of Friday. The leaders of the SNP say they can keep the pound. Well this is true they can but they will be doing it most likely without the backing of the remaining members of the UK and as such will not have a central bank to fall back on. That means Scotland would have to purchase funds and borrow on the open market and quite frankly they will not have the credit rating of AAA so it's going to cost them a lot of money. Now with all the promises made it will be spending and borrowing (or taxing to the hilt) or cutting so as to balance the books. And I think the majority of independent economists agree with this scenario. So step forward the two powers that have money to burn Russia and China. What if Scotland does go belly up as some predict what would the price of coming to rescue Scotland be? A Russian occupancy of Scapa Flow? Instead of British Nuclear weapons on the Clyde Russian ones? Instead of RAF Joint Strike Fighters at Leuchars think MiG and Tupolev. Far fetched? Maybe but not impossible as an Independent Scotland would not be able to rely on UK armed forces to protect them or UK Nuclear Missiles to deter aggression. Remember the Scottish people want rid of Trident but just have a peek at Ukraine who did have a Nuclear deterrent and gave it up. And any deal for the Scottish to keep the UK armed forces and membership of NATO would really have to include UK nuclear weapons at Faslane whatever the SNP state. Oh and please don't get me wrong here my first degree was in Nuclear Physics and my Grandfather worked on Dounraey whilst working for the Atomic Energy Authority so I hate nuclear weapons with a level of hate I only reserve for my ex-wife.
So the counter argument goes that Scotland will automatically become a member of the EU, well in that case you have to join the Euro immediately and even so there is no guarantee that Scotland would be admitted. Remember even though you're Scottish you're still viewed as British by our friends across the water and that doesn't automatically lead to good will to all Scots. And if you do then take up the Euro and oh God forbid I'll have to admit this Farage would be right you will be controlled by Brussels not Edinburgh because the UK has a power of Veto but an Independent Scotland certainly wouldn't. That means that you would have financial policy basically set by Germany. Something that another hated figure of mine brought up to much derision in the youth debate. George Galloway was absolutely right when he said if it had not been for this island standing tall together during WWII you'd be having the debate in German. What he failed to add was the unspeakable so I will that is unless you had any mental illness or were from a gypsy background or Jewish in anyway when of course you wouldn't be alive to have the debate. Now if you do have the Euro what was the point of all those Scottish people dying in World War I and II ? What your Grandparents or in some cases parents fought to preserve will be handed over at the ballot box.
Ultimately things will not stay the same financially if Scotland goes it alone and although you may initially get some windfalls like Eire did look at Eire now where the poverty there in places is more extreme than even you guy's and girls in Scotland have seen in the worst of times North of Hadrian's Wall.
Now that's the first bit of the argument.
The second bit is far more from the heart. We are an intermingled race on these islands there are very few absolutely pure lines left in the UK so we are all intermingled with English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish ancestors and that should be for nations without borders. But an Independent Scotland that is not a member of the EU would mean who is legally entitled to live in the UK and who must return to Scotland because if Scotland becomes Independent Scottish people will no longer hold a UK Passport because they will be Scottish Citizen's not UK citizen's. Sounds pathetic I know but it is a reality. You could I suppose hold dual nationality but just think about the amount of money that's going to cost. And then there's the sporting fraternity, most Scottish Sportspeople rely on entire UK funding. Why should that continue after a Yes vote? Would another Andy Murray come out of Scotland if the money from the very English LTA is not forthcoming? Or another Sir Chris Hoy? And I am so proud of what these sporting superstars have done for every child in these islands with their inspiration.
My friends from North of the Border tell me nothing would really change and that I'd still be welcome for a cuppa but the sad reality, and I'm looking at this from a socio-psychological point of view, is that things are bound to change. Put a border in place and you bring up a psychological barrier that ultimately divides people. Go and ask them in the Ukraine, in the Balkans, in the Middle East if you don't believe me. Borders mean barriers not maybe in the physical sense but certainly in the psychological one.
I love my friends from all around the world and I celebrate their differences it's what makes the human race so wonderful. Scotland already has a completely wonderful culture within a family of nations. But it is stronger with out the border not with.
I urge my friends in Scotland stay with us in the United Kingdom, fight to bring prosperity to all, fight to end poverty for all and bring care to all. Because put simply.
United we stand Divided we fall.
I urge you to Vote No on Thursday
Friday 27 June 2014
A little something I wrote
Deliverance
In the depths of my despair, to the darkness of my soul
In symphony, brass band and good old rock and roll
I look up to the heavens reach for the stars
Yet truth be in reality I’m merely chasing cars
Would my charger strong and white send a guiding light
Or would it run away forever, into everlasting night?
My mind so strange, a tangled web of thoughts
I look for havens of safety in any friendly ports.
My ship sails on across the silent sea.
I beg, I scramble, I shout, I plea,
For those souls who are destined to sail on alone
Until they find peace in the place they call home
Copyright, Trace Senior June 2014
Thursday 26 June 2014
Text books are one dimensional
Elizabeth Truss argues in today's Telegraph that teachers spend "too much time preparing lessons and not enough time teaching them"
For every lesson I teach, for every hour lecture I spend an equal amount of time preparing for that lesson or lecture. Let me quote Churchill on this
If you fail to prepare to you prepare to fail.
The Education Minister of course sings from the same hymn sheet as her boss, the master of propaganda, and in doing so will probably cause more damage to children, and co-incidentally adult learners, for generations to come. What she has failed to grasp is that it is not that teachers spend little time reading from standard texts but that they are forced by continued changes in policy to reinvent the wheel as she likes to argue.
Standard texts can be excellent teaching aids but they do not encourage 21st Century thinking and can drive us back to Victorian control of the masses? If you look at this from a Marxist point of view, and for your information I am not a Marxist, or indeed a feminist one, and I am most certainly male, then this ideal of standard text begs of control and corruption of the mind. We need a reality check here about the modern world.
I remember the first lesson I had in every subject at secondary school. Highest common factor and lowest common multiple in mathematics, the hydrological cycle in geography, the stone age in history, the rules of a laboratory in science, the ancient city of Ur in religious study, Beowulf in English, I am Jean-Paul and this is Marie-Claude in French and finally in art, what is red?
Now pretty much all of those subjects barring one used a standard text however the one that has the most profound effect upon my life has been, without understanding it at the time, the last. What is red?
What is red?
For one hour thirty four pupils sat in an art class with Mr Hickey our art teacher and not a pot of paint in sight. Not one student understood what the hell he was going on about but now I do because what he was doing was very clever indeed. In fact worthy of a true psychologist I would say.
He was doing something that no other teacher would do on that first day, in fact that first year, he was teaching us to expand our mind!
You see the Victorians had ideals. Some of these were good, especially those about striving and keeping going and inventing. However Victorian politicians were no different than modern ones. They were not interested in the betterment of society they were interested in their own self promotion and keeping people in their places. And when threat of revolution started to show in the underbelly of the working classes then the best way to stop that was to 're-educate' people. Have we heard that a few times over the years?
Education was just as much a weapon then as it is today when in the hands of politicians. It converges our thinking and gives us a factory mentality. Which in the days of the industrial revolution drove Great Britain's massive manufacturing base. Sons would follow fathers into the mines, the steel mills, the shipyards, daughters would follow mothers into the factories until it was time to produce offspring. It was control, a neatly ordered Empire run on a semi-feudal system.
Yet all that changed in the 1980s when we stopped building and started worshiping the market. With lives changing forever during those heady and desperate days the fundamental shift that took place in this country has led to a deep resentment of those who were once powerful but have seen their house pulled down from inside. It is the final destruction of the class system and yet through education policy there is this want to return to the 'good old days'.
Does it matter that the OECD are saying we're down in the league tables? Not if you look at some of the countries who are high in them. Countries where it is still about control.
Napoleon once called us a nation of shop keepers. And he was right except I would say we are a nation of entrepreneurs not shop keepers. This country has over the generations given the world some of the finest minds and greatest thinkers in all areas of learning from commerce to computers, from shipbuilding to science, from arms to arts and why?
Because somewhere an art teacher asked the question: "what is red?"
If we are to truly compete in this world in the 21st century and beyond then we do need to reinvent the wheel. We need as Sir Ken Robinson argues to become divergent in our thinking. We need to open our minds to endless possibilities. That can not be done by learning what is on page fifty three of science for the 70's alone. There has to be thought, there has to be discussion and there has to be enlightenment.
This, minister, is why I spend hours preparing my lessons and why standard texts are placed in the position they should be, a mere point of view. Critical analysis of any subject relies on the triumvirate of practice, theory and reflection. If you only have a one sided theory from a one sided text book you will only get a one sided answer.
So go write that in a textbook!
For every lesson I teach, for every hour lecture I spend an equal amount of time preparing for that lesson or lecture. Let me quote Churchill on this
If you fail to prepare to you prepare to fail.
The Education Minister of course sings from the same hymn sheet as her boss, the master of propaganda, and in doing so will probably cause more damage to children, and co-incidentally adult learners, for generations to come. What she has failed to grasp is that it is not that teachers spend little time reading from standard texts but that they are forced by continued changes in policy to reinvent the wheel as she likes to argue.
Standard texts can be excellent teaching aids but they do not encourage 21st Century thinking and can drive us back to Victorian control of the masses? If you look at this from a Marxist point of view, and for your information I am not a Marxist, or indeed a feminist one, and I am most certainly male, then this ideal of standard text begs of control and corruption of the mind. We need a reality check here about the modern world.
I remember the first lesson I had in every subject at secondary school. Highest common factor and lowest common multiple in mathematics, the hydrological cycle in geography, the stone age in history, the rules of a laboratory in science, the ancient city of Ur in religious study, Beowulf in English, I am Jean-Paul and this is Marie-Claude in French and finally in art, what is red?
Now pretty much all of those subjects barring one used a standard text however the one that has the most profound effect upon my life has been, without understanding it at the time, the last. What is red?
What is red?
For one hour thirty four pupils sat in an art class with Mr Hickey our art teacher and not a pot of paint in sight. Not one student understood what the hell he was going on about but now I do because what he was doing was very clever indeed. In fact worthy of a true psychologist I would say.
He was doing something that no other teacher would do on that first day, in fact that first year, he was teaching us to expand our mind!
You see the Victorians had ideals. Some of these were good, especially those about striving and keeping going and inventing. However Victorian politicians were no different than modern ones. They were not interested in the betterment of society they were interested in their own self promotion and keeping people in their places. And when threat of revolution started to show in the underbelly of the working classes then the best way to stop that was to 're-educate' people. Have we heard that a few times over the years?
Education was just as much a weapon then as it is today when in the hands of politicians. It converges our thinking and gives us a factory mentality. Which in the days of the industrial revolution drove Great Britain's massive manufacturing base. Sons would follow fathers into the mines, the steel mills, the shipyards, daughters would follow mothers into the factories until it was time to produce offspring. It was control, a neatly ordered Empire run on a semi-feudal system.
Yet all that changed in the 1980s when we stopped building and started worshiping the market. With lives changing forever during those heady and desperate days the fundamental shift that took place in this country has led to a deep resentment of those who were once powerful but have seen their house pulled down from inside. It is the final destruction of the class system and yet through education policy there is this want to return to the 'good old days'.
Does it matter that the OECD are saying we're down in the league tables? Not if you look at some of the countries who are high in them. Countries where it is still about control.
Napoleon once called us a nation of shop keepers. And he was right except I would say we are a nation of entrepreneurs not shop keepers. This country has over the generations given the world some of the finest minds and greatest thinkers in all areas of learning from commerce to computers, from shipbuilding to science, from arms to arts and why?
Because somewhere an art teacher asked the question: "what is red?"
If we are to truly compete in this world in the 21st century and beyond then we do need to reinvent the wheel. We need as Sir Ken Robinson argues to become divergent in our thinking. We need to open our minds to endless possibilities. That can not be done by learning what is on page fifty three of science for the 70's alone. There has to be thought, there has to be discussion and there has to be enlightenment.
This, minister, is why I spend hours preparing my lessons and why standard texts are placed in the position they should be, a mere point of view. Critical analysis of any subject relies on the triumvirate of practice, theory and reflection. If you only have a one sided theory from a one sided text book you will only get a one sided answer.
So go write that in a textbook!
Monday 23 June 2014
Can you ever care too much?
For years I've been wondering why things are work in cycles. I think over the past few months I've worked some things out. In doing so I have come to the conclusion that I care too much.
I was once fortunate enough to spend 10 minutes alone with the great Tony Robbins, he of Shallow Hal fame for those of you who don't know who he is. In that time we chatted about life and I had just been through the most traumatic of events. At the end he said something to me that summed up my life. Live with passion!
Now I had always been a passionate person, wore my heart on my sleeve a lot, but this gave me the permission to be really passionate. So I threw myself into the most massive change programme that I had ever undergone and I reaped the benefits for many years. However in recent months I've come to discover that the passion I have for things can ultimately be your downfall for if that passion turns inwards it can be so destructive.
What do I mean?
Well if the energy that you exert outwardly towards everything that you do is forced inwardly because there are no outlets it acts like a psychological self destruct button ---- BOOM!
And that has happened to me. And like the captain of the Titanic I sailed a course that I would not change because I was passionate about reaching the prize. And like the captain of the Titanic I hit an iceberg that would ultimately lead to me sinking.
However in those cold dark waters beneath the Atlantic I had time to think and reflect. I am not a bad person who seeks destruction as some would have you believe but a good one who seeks positive change. It is how I have gone about that positive change that has led to massive assumptions about who I am and what I want by third parties. Some believe that I seek power and attention and that to get that I will destroy them. Some believe that I seek control. Some believe that I seek absolute control. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is their internal struggles and lack of self belief that drives them to think that way. However I can see how my actions in the past may have led to the paranoia. Simply put I got so passionate that I had to let everyone know I was that passionate rather than letting people find out.
I seek peace, tranquillity, higher understanding, betterment of the human psyche, love, friendship, communication, caring, travel and yet a home by the sea, activity yet quietness. I seek the best for other people and care not a jot what happens to me.
I know it all sounds corny doesn't it. It all sounds like some Utopian ideal. The truth is though that's all I want, a simple life where I can break bread and cheese on a summer afternoon and drink a glass of wine till the sun goes down and the stars come out. Where I can laugh with those I love, cry with those who are in pain and wipe away the tears of those who feel that they are broken whilst I mend them. I want to watch my grandchildren run around my feet and hear the laughter that seems so distant.
And at the end of it all can you care too much? No I don't think you can, because if you do not care then you have no soul and if you close the door on passion then you close the door on life. Just remember to keep the door open, even if only just ajar because one day, maybe not tomorrow or the next, you may find that if you don't it will all implode upon you.
Peace and Happiness everyone.
I was once fortunate enough to spend 10 minutes alone with the great Tony Robbins, he of Shallow Hal fame for those of you who don't know who he is. In that time we chatted about life and I had just been through the most traumatic of events. At the end he said something to me that summed up my life. Live with passion!
Now I had always been a passionate person, wore my heart on my sleeve a lot, but this gave me the permission to be really passionate. So I threw myself into the most massive change programme that I had ever undergone and I reaped the benefits for many years. However in recent months I've come to discover that the passion I have for things can ultimately be your downfall for if that passion turns inwards it can be so destructive.
What do I mean?
Well if the energy that you exert outwardly towards everything that you do is forced inwardly because there are no outlets it acts like a psychological self destruct button ---- BOOM!
And that has happened to me. And like the captain of the Titanic I sailed a course that I would not change because I was passionate about reaching the prize. And like the captain of the Titanic I hit an iceberg that would ultimately lead to me sinking.
However in those cold dark waters beneath the Atlantic I had time to think and reflect. I am not a bad person who seeks destruction as some would have you believe but a good one who seeks positive change. It is how I have gone about that positive change that has led to massive assumptions about who I am and what I want by third parties. Some believe that I seek power and attention and that to get that I will destroy them. Some believe that I seek control. Some believe that I seek absolute control. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is their internal struggles and lack of self belief that drives them to think that way. However I can see how my actions in the past may have led to the paranoia. Simply put I got so passionate that I had to let everyone know I was that passionate rather than letting people find out.
I seek peace, tranquillity, higher understanding, betterment of the human psyche, love, friendship, communication, caring, travel and yet a home by the sea, activity yet quietness. I seek the best for other people and care not a jot what happens to me.
I know it all sounds corny doesn't it. It all sounds like some Utopian ideal. The truth is though that's all I want, a simple life where I can break bread and cheese on a summer afternoon and drink a glass of wine till the sun goes down and the stars come out. Where I can laugh with those I love, cry with those who are in pain and wipe away the tears of those who feel that they are broken whilst I mend them. I want to watch my grandchildren run around my feet and hear the laughter that seems so distant.
And at the end of it all can you care too much? No I don't think you can, because if you do not care then you have no soul and if you close the door on passion then you close the door on life. Just remember to keep the door open, even if only just ajar because one day, maybe not tomorrow or the next, you may find that if you don't it will all implode upon you.
Peace and Happiness everyone.
Monday 3 March 2014
Dear President Putin
Dear President Putin,
I write to you today as a father of a twelve year old son and grandfather to a one year old granddaughter. I write with a heavy heart and many concerns and worries for their future. However I write now with an even heavier heart after listening with care to all the challenges that face our world because of the situation in the Ukraine and Crimea.
I know that you are a politician, I know that you have worked hard to get where you are. You have probably done some things in your life that you are very proud of, the Sochi Games for example. Equally you have probably done some things that will never come to light that you are not so proud of. I am not here to judge you or your past for it is not my right. I am writing today to ask you as the good man I believe you to be, and I believe that fundamentally all are born good it is their acts that change that, to look at what is happening and think about the consequences.
In the 1980's I remember being at college, where I was studying science A levels, watching a really disturbing film called The War Game. You may not have seen it but you can always watch it on YouTube not that I think you will because I think you probably know all about it or have seen something similar in Russia. Many young people today will not understand what it meant to live under the shadow of Mutually Assured Destruction and even though I went on to study Nuclear Physics as a first degree at university I still wonder why we ever allowed weapons of mass destruction to ever be made.
Today I see that prospect looming again, a new cold war, a new struggle for global domination. And sir, I am frightened. I am frightened not for me, I am 49 and have had my chances in life, no I am frightened for my children and their children.
I have spent my whole life trying to preserve life, save life and better life for those around us who have less. I am probably the world's craziest socialist capitalist that has ever existed but as I have grown older I reason that we do not improve our world by the bullet but by the word and the thought.
I saw the faces of the soldiers on the television both Ukrainian and Russian and I saw real fear in their eyes. As a psychologist I worry that the pressure they are under may lead to mistakes being made that could cycle out of control. I worry that the pressure all world leaders are under at the moment may lead to mistakes being made.
I am not so silly as to listen to propaganda from either side. I am someone who will study and reflect. I have never believed Russians are the enemy nor believe that the average Russian believes that Western peoples are their enemy. All peoples of this world are equal, we all breathe air and we all bleed the same colour and fundamentally we all share the same planet. There are rich and poor in both our countries and many people from both share common loves such as sport or theatre or science. We have our disagreements but that is the nature of human beings. That doesn't mean we should resort to war.
I understand that there are native Russians in the Crimea, I understand that there is a need to ensure their safety but I do not want to see a war come about because of this. And I don't really think that you do either. I am not a diplomat, in fact my mouth often gets me into trouble, but I am someone who deeply loves his children and believes passionately about the world we live in.
I have a dream, just like Dr King did, that one day all men and women will be equal and that their children will play together in friendship and cooperation where differences are talked through and violence is a thing of the past. Call me a fool but are we not supposed to be civilised and isn't this the way in which we mark a civilisation, debate and democracy.
I ask you in this open letter, which I sadly doubt that you will read or even gain knowledge of, let alone reply to, to talk to your friends in the Ukraine. Talk to your friends in the West and the East, talk to those who you would seek to undermine the interests of your people, talk to those who are on the streets those who are poor and those who are scared for their children. Seek peace I beg of you, seek diplomacy for it is the right thing to do. Be the bigger man and say 'you know I can wipe you out if I chose to but I'd rather be your partner and make everyone a better life'
Yesterday I watched as my older son left to undergo his officer selection for the Royal Navy as an engineer and it made me very proud. He his the most gorgeous gentle soul and I know that joining the armed forces would seem like the opposite of that but the technology that the war machine brought can go a long way to helping humanitarian causes too. By all means protect your families but do so in a humanitarian way. Work for peace I ask of you not for war. For in war everyone loses and if this escalates to the point of superpower versus superpower all that will happen is that there will come a point that even the Generals in their bunkers will have nothing left to come out to.
Yours with a heavy heart and a picture of those whom I spoke of and love.
Trace Senior
I write to you today as a father of a twelve year old son and grandfather to a one year old granddaughter. I write with a heavy heart and many concerns and worries for their future. However I write now with an even heavier heart after listening with care to all the challenges that face our world because of the situation in the Ukraine and Crimea.
I know that you are a politician, I know that you have worked hard to get where you are. You have probably done some things in your life that you are very proud of, the Sochi Games for example. Equally you have probably done some things that will never come to light that you are not so proud of. I am not here to judge you or your past for it is not my right. I am writing today to ask you as the good man I believe you to be, and I believe that fundamentally all are born good it is their acts that change that, to look at what is happening and think about the consequences.
In the 1980's I remember being at college, where I was studying science A levels, watching a really disturbing film called The War Game. You may not have seen it but you can always watch it on YouTube not that I think you will because I think you probably know all about it or have seen something similar in Russia. Many young people today will not understand what it meant to live under the shadow of Mutually Assured Destruction and even though I went on to study Nuclear Physics as a first degree at university I still wonder why we ever allowed weapons of mass destruction to ever be made.
Today I see that prospect looming again, a new cold war, a new struggle for global domination. And sir, I am frightened. I am frightened not for me, I am 49 and have had my chances in life, no I am frightened for my children and their children.
I have spent my whole life trying to preserve life, save life and better life for those around us who have less. I am probably the world's craziest socialist capitalist that has ever existed but as I have grown older I reason that we do not improve our world by the bullet but by the word and the thought.
I saw the faces of the soldiers on the television both Ukrainian and Russian and I saw real fear in their eyes. As a psychologist I worry that the pressure they are under may lead to mistakes being made that could cycle out of control. I worry that the pressure all world leaders are under at the moment may lead to mistakes being made.
I am not so silly as to listen to propaganda from either side. I am someone who will study and reflect. I have never believed Russians are the enemy nor believe that the average Russian believes that Western peoples are their enemy. All peoples of this world are equal, we all breathe air and we all bleed the same colour and fundamentally we all share the same planet. There are rich and poor in both our countries and many people from both share common loves such as sport or theatre or science. We have our disagreements but that is the nature of human beings. That doesn't mean we should resort to war.
I understand that there are native Russians in the Crimea, I understand that there is a need to ensure their safety but I do not want to see a war come about because of this. And I don't really think that you do either. I am not a diplomat, in fact my mouth often gets me into trouble, but I am someone who deeply loves his children and believes passionately about the world we live in.
I have a dream, just like Dr King did, that one day all men and women will be equal and that their children will play together in friendship and cooperation where differences are talked through and violence is a thing of the past. Call me a fool but are we not supposed to be civilised and isn't this the way in which we mark a civilisation, debate and democracy.
I ask you in this open letter, which I sadly doubt that you will read or even gain knowledge of, let alone reply to, to talk to your friends in the Ukraine. Talk to your friends in the West and the East, talk to those who you would seek to undermine the interests of your people, talk to those who are on the streets those who are poor and those who are scared for their children. Seek peace I beg of you, seek diplomacy for it is the right thing to do. Be the bigger man and say 'you know I can wipe you out if I chose to but I'd rather be your partner and make everyone a better life'
Yesterday I watched as my older son left to undergo his officer selection for the Royal Navy as an engineer and it made me very proud. He his the most gorgeous gentle soul and I know that joining the armed forces would seem like the opposite of that but the technology that the war machine brought can go a long way to helping humanitarian causes too. By all means protect your families but do so in a humanitarian way. Work for peace I ask of you not for war. For in war everyone loses and if this escalates to the point of superpower versus superpower all that will happen is that there will come a point that even the Generals in their bunkers will have nothing left to come out to.
Yours with a heavy heart and a picture of those whom I spoke of and love.
Trace Senior
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