Category: General

It was Enoch Powell who railed in the 50s about the problems of a divided society would have, when the large number of Afro-Caribbean immigrants was allowed into England, for cheap labour. A couple of days ago I read in the press that, surprise, surprise, there are 2000 suspected subversive activists in Britain, with terrorist interests. I have lived in a divided society for 65 years, from starting with pure naivety to arriving at unsatisfactory conclusions.

Of course there are 2000 youngsters, possibly twice that, being brainwashed by real dissidents for their own ends. The youngsters are bored, some are lonely, some looking for an outlet for natural aggression, some are misfits with a chip, some have already been indoctrinated in the home, all attracted by excitement. They start a few at a time, putting an innocent toe in, possibly with some quasi political or religious reason, and if the brains behind the system are as astute as they usually are, the process will attract them. I remember the fun we had in lower elementary school, with stupid secret societies, invisible ink, crazy signals, but the level of excitement was nothing like these kids are experiencing. What the end is, I’m not sure, what it will probably end up as is criminality for the enhancement of the dedicated few with a profit motive, as has happened here in N. Ireland. Children emulate and hero-worship the known dissidents, and can’t wait to join their older brothers in daring deeds. Here, the children still stone the police, the fire men, the ambulance crews and burn assembly halls and damage churches, even though the ‘war’ is allegedly over. It is not of course, it has merely gone underground, will surface again until there is a United Ireland, and the law is such that it is not worth the time arresting the little terrors, they will not be sentenced anyway.

I know what it is like to have an empty house waiting for me on leaving school at the end of the day. Of looking for company, until Mother comes home from work, and believe me, it is not difficult, if your training has not been rigorous and at times painful, to be led into trouble. I had a very dear friend, way back in the 40s. He had been brought up as a republican, and we would argue late into the night about Irish politics. If a section of society believes it is under privileged, second class, nothing you say or do will remove that stigma, neither a buoyant economy, high standard of living – nothing! It is almost in the genes and has been taught at the parent’s knee, so it must be right. Please remember this dictum!

A solution which might stem the tide with respect to young children, if not the often vicious reactions of some members of our divided society, is to divert them by putting money, supervision and longevity into recreational facilities of a quality, which will not underline the ‘second class’ syndrome. I’ve been there too, to disused church halls, badly decorated, and insufficient equipment of a poor quality and a pervading air of squalor. The people had the right idea, but not the personal experience and the money to know and avoid the pitfalls.

Our small society here is now even more layered with a strong Asian community and some of the latest migrants. There are some of the indigenous residents who resent the influx to the extent they are shooting and burning these incomers out, even though they have lived in the area for even 20 years. This is a recent phenomenon for which I can’t find an explanation for, unless there is an underlying financial motive.

I believe there is a need for a committee of experienced people; professionals in behavioural matters, child psychologists, community workers and input from those who have been there, to study the problem of divided societies, coupled with crime and poverty, before the whole thing gets out of hand. There is a strong subterranean murmur against the increasing dilution of our heritage, for want of a better word. It is growing and if it becomes really deep-seated, it will be difficult to control. The influx of foreign millionaires taking over some of our more treasured assets doesn’t help. We need to start now, seriously and with vigour. Enoch was tarred and feathered on paper, but having lived in Africa in the British Raj, I always thought he was wiser than he was given credit for.

Not only are the peoples of Britain and America disillusioned with their leaders, but there is anarchy and upheaval throughout the world. By drawing comparisons between, say 1930 and today, some strong levels of change become obvious, in for example, general honesty, respect, compassion, speed of communication, insularity of commerce, education, prospects for the individual, personal self-control and Authority. From baronial times until relatively recently the feudal system, whether acknowledged or not, held sway, people were classed, and their lot depended on what class they were in. With little scope for self-improvement, with only minor movement between classes, acceptance was the alternative. With that society came respect at all levels, whether genuine or feigned. In the classless society we have today, advancement materially can be mercurial, and not necessarily warranted or respected. It does, however, induce jealousy, greed and discontent, resulting in lack of respect for others, dishonesty, selfishness and ultimately theft. The get rich quick, and the buy today and pay never, philosophies, have become routine, clearly accepted and, indeed sponsored by the so called financial sector, without reference to the outcome, and the ultimate theft of the savings of the more prudent through taxation to bolster the failing banks.. The corollary of this state is that many of those coming behind see no point in frugality, the savings will be whipped away anyway.

I have stressed before that the difference between the old animal intelligence, with its slower and more deliberate analysis of situations, rather than instant, computer generated reaction along supposed rational processes, leads to a shortage of time between action, the outcome and the next reaction caused thereby – a chain reaction in fact, in circumstances unanticipated, not necessarily relevant. This is, I believe, prevalent in finance and government, where action and outcome are not given due prominence. Something being seen to be done is more important. In government, failure can then follow, and if done repeatedly there is a stuttering of decisions, rescinding, and more decisions, the electorate loses confidence and becomes apathetic and pessimistic. In finance we are now more open to the vagaries of other countries’ financial dealings. Losing our insularity as a nation has had serious consequences. Instead we have global commerce, finance, politics and influence, which has been detrimental in many instances to our welfare. The most serious concerns I have are our reduction in farm production, and manufacturing, placing us in a vulnerable position, in that we are becoming more and more dependent upon world trade, with an extreme loss of our reservoir of technical skills, to the point where we have to allow immigration to make up the shortfall,

I don’t believe education has improved since the 30s when I sat what was to become the Eleven-Plus. We all learned to count, we had to. Then progress was a matter for the individual, university was for brainy people or those lucky enough to find themselves in it. The rest would be apprenticed, in some form or other, or were articled in a profession. Apprenticeship was a protracted, labour intensive procedure, and the course was tough, but the product was a real craftsman. Today, the top craftsmen are retained by large companies, the casual man might be efficient or he could be a ‘chancer’ – we have all employed at least one. In the 30s we were so glad to be well educated there was little or no cavilling, today it is a right, and university education is the goal, even if the quality of the student is inadequate to complete the course. This has produced a social snobbery, where manual work is for someone else. The wage structure is at fault, frivolous work is absurdly rewarded and serious work is under valued, If you are part of ‘Entertainment’ in all its forms, financially the sky could be the limit. Compare this with the professions, the labourers working under filthy conditions who are essential, and the general workforce. We need sewage workers, bin men, navvies, bricklayers, as well as doctors and clerks etc. The world’s attitudes have changed, the class system is collapsing daily, but the basic structure of our lives cannot be changed in essence, so if our needs are to be met, all, repeat all those addressing those needs should be given equal respect and equal status. Human nature being what it is, snobbery and adulation will always place a curb on equality, but, if we cannot or are not prepared to do what others have to do, then we should give the respect and pay the rate we would expect for doing so, instead of importing immigrants to do it cheaply. I fail to see how someone needs hundreds or even tens of millions, or even how they can spend it. The money is mainly coming from the pockets of the young and the poorer section of society, for entertainment which is transitory, and appears to be locked way, perhaps in offshore accounts, doing nothing for those who originally subscribed it.

Yesterday I considered sending no more Comments to the Blog, indeed closing it, because I felt I was repeatedly covering old ground, as one does at my age. For example, there was a piece on BBC TV News offering the fact that young people, selected for a questionnaire, considered they were at least 5% better of and happier with their lot than those canvassed at some time in the past, This therefore showed that old idiots like me were mistaken when they constantly barracked against and were sorry for the life young people were experiencing today, compared with what we had when we were young, and by implication, the piece was promoting that the differential has not been downward and detrimental. I think it is a government propaganda ploy to stop young people feeling depressed. We were fitter, not under pressure, mostly part of a family with only one wage earner, had a future, not sparkling, few possibilities that would be better than our forebears had, our financial expectations were secure and crime was rare in general. As we knew nothing else, we were not resigned, we were content. When people carry out surveys, where the results differ by a small margin, taking into account a safety percentage for error, it reduces the outcome to a point where the survey is pointless. This subject has been examined before ad nauseam, by me and greater minds than mine, and yet no one seems to heed, or be able to stem the downward spiral. Affluence is not necessarily a gauge of happiness.

I have been persuaded to think again. I shall not be contributing in the volume I used to, and I shall take note of my stats (statistics of readers), they tell the story. When I’m yesterday’s news, I shall stop.

06,11.07, Comments, Our Special Relationship?

Special relationships are not always amicable. Take that between prisoner and warder, it is certainly special, because of the circumstances, but unlikely to be a friendship as is the usual interpretation. What I’m really referring to is our alleged and vaunted relationship with the USA, which is possibly pure fiction. I remember how difficult it was at the beginning of WW2 to get the Americans to help us in our hour of need. It seemed impossible for Churchill initially to convince them that we were in a parlous state and if we were overcome, they could well be next.

It is my conviction that politicians, especially at election time, in order to cosy up to the electorate, actually make statements that shadow the views of the majority of the electorate, rather than the situation as it really is. They know in doing so they are not only using a fillip to the ego of the electorate by acknowledging they were right all along, there is a feel good factor in there as well. From my experiences with the Yanks in WW2, not only do I doubt that the average American doesn’t care one way or the other, there is a large body who, on principle, hate Britain for historical reasons. I believe the natural wealth, which incidentally they have been squandering by greed and bad management, has induced a sense of insularity, and they only stir when their financial or material interests are in jeopardy. What started this tirade by me were two things. The first was that whether we like it or not, the colossal internal debt in America is being, to some extent, repaid by the solvent sector of this country, because banking is no longer an in-house facility. Banking is now a global cartel and takeovers in banking are regular. We, in our ignorance, are more at risk than we realise as a result, in a lot of cases, of rushed, electronically controlled, preordained reaction to conditions, rather than a slower, more considered cerebral one,. The second cause of me sounding off was a piece in the press last week quoting Mitt Romney, a Republican presidential contender, and one time Governor of Tennessee, clearly a true conservative of the Deep South.

He is reported to have said America was at the crossroads of history, and implied he was worried America would go the way of Europe and become a second-tier military and second-tier nation. He further extolled the virtue of America strengthening every aspect to ‘remain the most powerful nation on earth. A world without America as the leader is a very frightening place.’ he said. I beg to differ; on the contrary! That sort of mindless rhetoric is a clear indicator that there is no special relationship, and if Romney feels he is echoing the responses of the majority of the electorate, there never was.

I apologise for appearing to be going over the same ground, but how can I help it when the government is making grandiose statements almost daily. Before I get to the meat, a few days ago the PM was pontificating on education in a school and then sat down with the kids. He looked most uncomfortable and I wondered who was pulling his strings, He seems to be following in Blair’s footsteps, making many of the statements himself, which I should have thought were the job of the Ministers involved and concerned. He is downgrading the Cabinet again.

I read that Brown is proposing closing the 1 in 5 schools that are seriously below standard if they don’t improve. The process is to be spread over 6 years. The anomalies that statement raises are unbelievable. First of all, surely weaknesses should be uncovered if they are sufficiently serious to warrant closure, in any failing school, by analysing the exam results, a questionnaire for parents to full in, or failing that talking to them, to elucidate their concerns with the system, and an intelligent inspection of the teaching and teaching staff, Allegedly, only about 30% of children achieve A to C level in GCSE. This situation was supposed to be dealt with starting ten years ago. Having found the reasons for the failure it shouldn’t take closure to put it right, surely? Another report has been issued that literacy is at the same level it was in 1950.

The literary issue, I would explain, is unsurprising and the numeric failure has a similar basic problem, Not long ago I wrote a piece about the 40% fall in library book borrowing, over ’91 to 2002, while borrowing of audio and visual work had increased 100%. TV generally became household equipment in the mid 50s and therefore reading by adults dropped and in consequence encouragement for children to read for pleasure also fell. It takes time, some money and patience to give books to children and read to them in their formative years, and if the example and the wish are absent, there will be no incentive. The pressures on the more impecunious parents are sufficient for many to never pick up a book to read; time is short and they have the TV. The philosophy of the 60s to do away with rote teaching, was an untried fraud – psychobabble! You can’t give change rapidly at a shop counter, with no mechanical device to aid, if the whole process is not so imbedded in the subconscious it is like a language. My daughter, a one time very successful elementary teacher will tell you, small children have an attention span of about 7 to 10 minutes, after that they need relaxation, a laugh, and something else to distract them, and then they can start absorbing once again. She would take a guitar into class and sing them a folk song, tell them stories etc. Above all they need to learn by rote.

Just out of interest, how does one go about closing 670 schools in 6 years? That means you have to reallocate anything over six times 500 children each year, in radii for each school, of. say, to be generous, 4 miles, which would make some kids have to travel 8 miles in the relocation. I was never anything more than 2 miles from school. What happens to the teachers? More to the point what Head would want to take on an additional burden, especially when it is 60% below par. Closing isn’t the solution. It must be to turn the school performance round by a flying force of teachers, specialty chosen and trained if need be, and a management staff, as backup, to weed out the incompetent teachers, and redress the weaknesses.

‘U’ turn on Road Charges, Ruth Kelly is once again proposing to make charges on motorists using trunk Motorways. I’m sorry she wasn’t with me being driven by my Grand daughter, who is a business woman who covers a lot of Northern Ireland. We were returning home in the rush hour, and the traffic was very heavy, but she and a steady stream at nearly 30mph, were avoiding the slow traffic of the main routes that I would have been taking, and were going nose to tail, without a traffic light in sight, through back streets and built up areas. To my credit I was sorry for the householders along this new thoroughfare. If the Government over the last ten years had started a rail programme, when we were apparently solvent, many of us would be riding in public transport and Ruth Kelly’s proposals might not be tested. When they are, I know my road will become a trunk road overnight.

Folic Acid sounds pretty awful, but if reports are to be believed, it can be very bad, even dangerous to some, and in no way necessary for most people, unless prescribed for specific reasons. Pregnant women take it apparently to avoid Spina Bifida in their babies, and the Government is proposing having it added to flour for bread making, for that reason. It seems absurd that we all have to be subjected to an additive which may be harmful, or dangerous, for its good effect on probably 10% of the population. I was told bread purchased in shops was mainly manufactured by two cartels, and contained additives which could make the eater put on weight. I put it to a simple test. I like sandwiches and was having difficulty trying to keep my weight down. I started eating home baked bread, which incidentally was very good, and I have managed to reduce my weight to that of a baby elephant. QED, as far as I’m concerned.

Just a headline, it says ‘Deporting foreign sex offender ‘will breach his rights”, The mind boggles. Foreign countries might find it easier to persuade their criminals to come here to work, as a cheap way of avoiding having to deal with, clothe and feed them at home. They will be bound to offend and then they will be here for all tine, in and out of jail, at a thousand pounds per head per week, which I understand is the going rate to keep a prisoner in jail.

History Teaching, like every thing else, is being changed. A new history A Level syllabus, proposed by the exam board OCR for next year, will be based on concepts rather than periods in time. Students will be asked to write, presumably, things like cause and effect over a wide range, instead of considering one period, such as WW1. Can you imagine the reading this will require, the breadth of each topic, and whether the school libraries will be able to supply the data, although there is always the Internet. The scope for plagiarism is colossal, and how will one set the examinations? This is in aid of making lessons ‘exciting’. The ordinary history subject will still be an alternative. I did engineering, but I believe this sort of approach is a cross between history and philosophy and more appropriate to journalism at 3rd year university standard, rather than an A Level subject

It is no wonder the Government is worried about the level of innumeracy in Britain when its own statisticians and civil servants can’t count. We could have told them there are more immigrants than they thought, we trip over them everywhere. This particular statistic is important, and the looming problems more so, but the really important problem is that our Government is totally incompetent, frighteningly so. I believe they are in such a hurry to be loved, they rush to the microphone with some new idea without previously discussing it, getting other opinions, and then thinking again. These days it seems there is little they can get right. Our last Chancellor was supposed to be the best since God knows when, but now we are finding he had feet of clay – maybe they still are, his record of being positive, commanding, and foreseeing, as all PMs are supposed to be, has still to be proven. U turns don’t help.

This idea of charging for rubbish collection by weight has been on, off again and is now on again. They recently quoted that we were on the verge of a stupendous fine from the EU for not recycling enough. If it’s just us, why has the government not found out why we are so much worse than the rest of the EU, who, presumably, are able to adhere to the EU directive? If they told us that initially, we might be able to advise our masters how to achieve it, obviously they don’t know. Time and again excessive packaging has been highlighted, but no action. What really aggravates me is that they haven’t thought it through, before talking about it; it is as though they want the public to tell them the answers to problems it has. I aired them in a previous article.

With all subjects, there is always the ridiculous and I am never quite sure if the BBC doesn’t post items with tongue in cheek Like, having us all with a population of pet worms, chewing their way through the most repulsive garbage to produce compost!! They forgot to tell us what flat and small house residents were suppose to do with the worms’ progeny, and the compost. My Sophie would run a mile.

Different strokes for different folks. In N Ireland we are used to that. Each successive Government, since the start of the Troubles, has thought up schemes for getting rid of us, and applying different rules to us rather than the rest of the UK. In fact we are generally hard working, pleasant and a generous people, apart from a very few, who look upon criminality, shooting, arson, and the odd murder as enjoyable diversions – it’s the excitement, you know, and there might of course, be some financial advantage.

Westminster has no domestic political link with another nation except in having an arrangement with Eire affecting the running of Northern Ireland which, I personally take exception to. Westminster is contemplating requiring residents here to need a passport to get onto the Mainland, as it is proposing to tighten its borders against illegal entry, as it did in WW2. Isn’t that a contravention of some right or other?

There have been a number of agreements to bring about stability, all are contravened by both sides. A bad flair-up with the police by a unionist faction, the UDA, caused a Minister in our Assembly to withdraw £1m development fund intended to help the UDA get back to normality. At the same time, 32 Orange halls had been burned by the breakaway IRA group, the Continuity IRA, and 9 men were arrested for failed attacks on the police, together with almost daily sectarian shootings on both sides, She, the Minister, didn’t make the same stricture in the case of the IRA.. In N. Ireland politics is passed down through the generations by word of mouth, song and in the genes, and has absolutely nothing to do with religion, but a lot to do with history. It is gerrymandered by everyone who thinks he can get away with it, including the government. At elections the cynical, and prophetic joke is ‘vote early, vote often’. When I first saw an election in Ulster, a man was pointed out to me and it was alleged he voted several times, impersonating people he knew didn’t vote, by changing his appearance. If nothing else, living here keeps one interested.

Years and years ago there was a slogan, ‘Buy British’, which ran for some time and was, indeed, heeded by the public, and I believe, if we would pull our heads out of the sand and look, we are in a worse state than we ever were except for the period round the General Strike in 1926. It was caused by serious problems in the coal industry in ’25, and also a large down turn in industrial production in ’26 with many of our markets being served from abroad. It is all in Google in detail.

They are sacking nearly a thousand workers in a factory in N, Ireland, because the whole machinery of the factory will be transported to an Asian country where they will produce the same products for a quarter or less, of the price. What happens here, and probably elsewhere in the UK is, in looking for industrial growth, the Government builds a factory and then offers financial inducements to someone, generally from abroad, to use for tooling and to employ a workforce. Our workforce overcomes all the teething problems and increases production, generally with in-house innovation. Then comes the day when the contract with the Government is completed and the company has fulfilled its responsibilities in accordance with it, and is now free to take the machinery, and the know-how elsewhere, where labour is cheaper. This has been going on for as long as I can remember, and the DeLorean Car was an extreme example.

We buy things we need or think we need, often the latter because it is such good value. Our houses are full of replacement tools, machines and gadgets from Asia when the European counterparts have worn out. The result, as we all know, is that we have no manufacturing base, and in consequence, no machines and workbenches for our youth to learn and gain real experience on, not just classroom experience.. It is a an ever tightening coil of circumstances until one day the Governments of Europe, not only the UK, will discover they haven’t anyone to teach the skills adequately, and all we are capable of is a bit of agriculture and buying, if we still have the money.

When the 900-odd job loss was announced a NI Minister said something like, ‘we would have to turn our attention to Intellectual Properties (Ideas and patents) as the way forward because we were good at it,’ or something along those lines. Rubbish!!

For a start, about only 5% of inventions, new ideas, call them what you may, ever have a hope of being examined by an entrepreneur, and about 2% ever really justify all the work. Think how long it takes to concoct a new medicine, have animal trials, pass government standards and receive approval to place on the market for general consumption. When I retired I designed a trolley for handicapped people with a power socket for a radio, or computer etc, an angle-poise lamp, a rise, fall and tilt desk top with a curb on three edges, casters, a cupboard, and drawer as an extra. Hospitals were interested in the variety of prototypes, but for them to purchase it it had to be tested and passed safe. That took so long, the government had time in about 82, to cut back, none were bought and the prototypes were given to a hospice. Another case; an idea, costing tens of thousands to patent Worldwide, was offered to a company, who liked it, but hadn’t the authority to go into production, it was passed up the line for the same treatment until it went to America where it stayed for too long, but nothing happened. In the end I think the inventors then went on their own, and lost a fortune. I write this long spiel to show how one cannot base the economy of a country purely on new products.

It is my fear that there will be a considerable reversal of fortunes in the next few years. If there are thousands of repossessions, there will be a drop in spending generally, sales will drop, equity will drop, and those who bought properties as an investment will be disappointed. Welfare will rise, taxes will increase because commitments have been entered into, but income from taxation will have fallen per capita. Some papers say we must tighten our belts; that is not the solution, that is a consequence. We must regenerate our trades, our exports and reduce our imports from Asia. I’m aware I criticise the EU, but it is my belief they will be in difficulties too, and if they are, their remedy will be like ours, We will all have to support Europe, manufacture within Europe and buy from Europe, and most of all manufacture in Briton and Buy British. But again, I can’t see it happening, or, if it does, it will be far too late. Watch for the red Dragon.

Apparently, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has discovered something parents have known for years, children born late in the year can be placed in classes which can be too advanced for them, by the date which determines the school year and the dates of examinations. They have carried out research and discovered that this affects some 5.5 percent of girls and 6.1 percent of boys doing GCSE. They then go on to say this it is ‘overwhelmingly’ at the age a child sits the exam, that matters. I would not have thought these percentages were definitely accurate and even if they are, other factors such as the quality of teaching, the help at home and their child’s natural ability will collectively have more than 6% effect.

I am reliably informed that in the past some Eleven Plus exam results were modified for children, so the idea is not new, merely the response. My daughter was roughly a year younger than the average of the class and her reports did not take account of the face, instead of being praised she was said to be capable of even better her. I lost two years by living in Africa, which affected my self opinion, but not my final outcome.

Reading the article, I wonder, for example if they were taking results across the board, rather than over a period of, say 22 years, when the same teachers were teaching a specific subject in selected schools chosen for the sample,, and whether the same percentages were appearing in all the schools, or in fact, some schools fared better because the teachers were better to a greater degree than 6%..In addition they say, in effect, that adjustments must be made for those affected, when it comes t0 selection for further education.

The Minister for Education stated the condition was unacceptable from equality and efficiency aspects and had to be changed. The Minister for schools said the matter was already being addressed. A pilot scheme at 500 schools permitting children in this situation to sit their Key Stage tests separately when the teachers think the children can give a better account of their abilities. This strikes me as a hammer to crack a nut. If this philosophy is to ensure equality, that all children get the same chance, they will have to take into account absences through illness, and make teachers take exams and be graded so their effect can be included in the extra school time to allocate, All this on top of Diplomas? We need to encourage good teachers, not burden them with so much bureaucracy; they leave and get a less irksome job in the Civil Service.

I give up! When the parents actually move house to get a child into the school of their choice, I don’t think they will even consider the date problem. If they did, I suppose it is possible they might just start to consider artificial insemination., to be sure of hitting the exams at the right time.

Yesterday a film on TV, gave me pause for thought. The film, Cross of Iron, with James Coburn leading, was an old one I had seen long ago. It was so well directed, and was about a small element of the German Army, retreating before a hoard of Russians. The scenes were realistic, bloody and at times horrifying in the explicit portrayal of war’s sheer uncaring brutality. What caused me to think was a remark Sophie made, she said, ‘is war really like that?’ She is in her 80’s, lived through being bombed out in an air raid on Belfast and the Troubles, still intelligent and bright, and yet didn’t appreciate what war is really like for a soldier. I’m assuming she is not alone.

Only twice in my experience of war did I mildly discover the type of horrors our soldiers have faced and have to face. My father, who was twice wounded and gassed, when I was 8 years old told me of his experiences and forbade me to play ‘soldiers. At the time of Dunkirk with other boys and old men, all in the LDV, we awaited the arrival of German paratroops on the Sussex downs. The London Blitz; fire watching in Docklands; guarding blockhouses in Whitehall with the Grenadier Guards, as a Home Guard; and serving on convoys in the Navy, while having their moments, were not like the training I received in single handed combat, with detailed emphasis on killing, and avoiding being killed, by an ex-regular, training the Home Guard. It was horrifyingly graphic,

The other time was during the Northern Ireland Troubles, which from my perspective wasn’t a down-trodden under-class, fighting for their rights against a corrupt regime. It was two corrupt, criminal factions, making a fortune from protection rackets, theft, drugs and murder, some supported from afar, and trying to bomb the Westminster Government into surrendering us to a United Ireland. As I have already written, for my part, this came to a head when they were gratuitously shooting women and old men who had a tenuous link to the military and were considered ‘soft targets’, for young boys to shoot out of hand without being caught. My adrenalin rose to a very high level then and still does to some extent, when I think back. It was playtime, excitement, with no political or warranted outcome of their actions. As I have said, I joined the police reserve and several evenings a week relieved one proper policeman to police. If I had been in a life or death situation of confrontation I would have killed if it was necessary, my adrenalin was the driver.

Assuming that a large proportion of people are like Sophie, with no true knowledge of war in its brutal sense, I have written this to show the shades war can take. When a shooting war comes down to close combat, it is the adrenalin and the urge to survive which carries a soldier through the experience, and it is one no one should be subjected to. It seems to be part of the human psyche, not an animal instinct. The existence of turf wars among children in inner cities points to the fact.

Wars are not started by the man in the street, only insurrections. Wars are started by politicians, leaders and in the past, by kings and princes, like the others, for their own aggrandisement. War can be engineered by commercial pressures, or self interest, as was the Iraq war. What have the Iraqis, or we in Britain or Europe gained? More like what have we lost? It was all about oil. WW1 and WW2 gained nothing, on the contrary, and now we hear Bush, sabre rattling again. If Iran did fire off a nuclear rocket, surely Iran would be annihilated by Russia, Britain and America? It is oil again

Save the World? To do that our leaders must get their priorities right first. Let’s start by saving the soldiers.

Diplomas, already? I smell a rat! If the government fails to get the results it has boasted it will in GCSEs and the rest, then we change the goal post yet again and introduce Diplomas on a graded scale. When I was doing first year algebra, the teacher used to say you can’t mix apples with pears. So we won’t easily be able to compare results across the board in the future as we used to be able to and vaguely can today, so here we will have another educational conjuring trick – ‘con’, by the way, is short for conjure!

In the 30s I sat University matriculation, which was accepted as a yardstick of ability, not just as a university entrance qualification. Since then there have been the High School Certificate, GCSE, A Levels, the Baccalaureate in some schools, and now Graded Diplomas are being proposed. The dictionary definition is ‘ a document conferring some honour or privilege, as a university degree, etc.’ – inferring a standard equivalent to an honour or degree, not just a yardstick. Anyone who has sat on an employment board, or in fact attended one, will recognise the value of a record of ability, often overvalued against experience. The problem for the people interviewing, under this latest change will be the need for a guide through the ramifications of educational history to sort the relative merits of the various school-leaving certificates that they’ll be faced with, including the Diplomas, The latter seem as if they will be able to be cobbled together, by the pupil, from a random selection of subjects under the heading of diploma. Where standards in the 3 Rs will come into the reckoning is not clear.

I have always subscribed to the principal of ‘if it ain’t bust, don’t fix it!. I bet if you took a poll of grammar school and secondary school teachers concerning the need for another change, you would get a resounding ‘No!’ This idea seems more complicated, which means more paperwork, more time and, for what end? All we need is to know, is the young person reasonably bright, educated to the standard required, and capable of filling the job or college place she or he seeks. Marks in properly set exams should tell us that, irrespective of the overall structure of the examination system, so why change it again? In the Navy, we were simple lecturers, teaching the hardest, the most disparate, and in some cases the desperate, crafty men. We permitted them to take written material into the exam room. We did not allow talking. The exam questions ran from easy to very hard, with more questions than could be answered in the time. The students were made aware of our strategy, which was basically that time spent looking things up was time wasted. We marked the papers and then gave the best 95%, and graded the rest down. This system had to be and was simple and foolproof.

I have been a technical teacher in the Navy, Soph was head of department in a secondary school,, and we are appalled that another pointless change is being engineered which will make little difference in the long run, whether teaching standards continue to fall or not. In some cases I think the syllabus is of a higher standard than necessary, perhaps driven by the higher standards of the universities. When I employed graduates, I found their knowledge of advanced design was considerable, and their knowledge of basic principles lamentable. The scope of a university is a guide to the aspirations of the teaching staff. Human nature being what it is, I suspect it is more interesting and rewarding intellectually to teach and experiment at the cutting edge, rather than with bread and butter issues. If I am right, perhaps a new look at standards and how they are fairing and why, instead of possibly finding ways of hiding deficiencies when they become apparent would be more praiseworthy.