Politics

We've been fortunate to have a couple of big elections in the past week. Thursday saw elections across the UK but most notably that in Scotland where there pro-independence Scottish National Party were threatening to cause an upset over Labour's lead, and upset they did indeed achieve, clinching one more vote than Labour. Talk of independence is unlikely however as the other 3 big parties are all committed to Scotland remaining a part of the UK, and between them their majority is considerable. Coalitions seem to be being refused by both the Lib Dems and Tories, so it'll be interesting to see what sort of ruling party and first minister we do actually get from all of this.

Yesterday saw the 2nd and final part of the French Presidential elections which saw Sarkozy win by a comfortable 6%. It's still to be seen how he pans out as President, but he's reportedly an Anglophile and pro-American, plus he was talking the friendly talk towards the likes of Algeria too. He wasn't acting so friendly however towards illegal migrants and those on state welfare, both of which will seemingly be targeted with hard line policies. Hard work is the Sarkozy's motto for France; let's see if the unions agree with him.

Return to blighty

The navy personnel taken in Iran have finally be returned. I suspect the true story of their captivity will now come out. However I'd be interested to find out whatever happened the military procedure of only giving your captors name, rank and serial number? Perhaps there was a good reason but their actions undermined the forces, government and country they work for.

Welcome to 1984

The government is further rolling out a trial of speaking CCTV camera. These feature attached speakers so when ne'er do wells are spotted they can be shouted at to cease and desist. It's probably a good idea, in that perpetrators know they're being watched, but it does sound a great deal like 1984 and it's ilk - instructions being blared at the submissive workers to get on their way and stay on the straight and narrow.

Casino uncertainty

Although Manchester won the day in its bid for a super-casino, it's not out of the woods yet, as a coalition of Labour rebels, Tories and LibDems may scupper government plans by rejecting the proposals in the House of Commons later today.

This, in its turn leaves a possible door open for Blackpool. It was mentioned on the news this evening that several MPs for North West England will be voting against the proposal in favour of seeing Blackpool as the site of the super-casino. However as the government is refusing to separate the super-casino and smaller casinos into two separate votes, the government may well see the whole plan go up in smoke.

Northern Ireland

Normally having to listen to opposing sides in a protracted conflict such as that of Northern Ireland or Israel annoys me intensely as the speeches made by both sides give not an inch towards agreement, progress and future. Today, however, was not one of those days. Although power sharing has been put back until May, it was heartening to hear both DUP and Sinn Fein reading from the same page. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

Public transport pricing

The government seems hell-bent on ensuring that only the rich are able to travel - by any means. The latest report is that rail prices - specifically on the saver tickets - will increase, following hot on the heels of the annual above inflation increase in fares. This comes on top of proposed road charges which Labour seem determine to implement, although the validity of the petition against the proposal was dubious in the way that many things on the internet can so easily be. Meanwhile there's the less than stealthy taxation on flying which was brought in under an environmental banner but of course none of the revenue raised are going into those schemes.

Whichever mode of transport we wish to take, and in this day and age many people don't have much choice in the matter due to the spread of friends, family and work commitments, it seems we're going to be paying more before much longer. I don't have a problem with more being charged for less environmentally friendly modes of transport if the more environmentally friendly modes are made more affordable and attractive. However at the same time I think the government needs to look at intelligent methods of tackling the environmental issue rather than pricing the poorest out of travel while the rich continue to swan about as they please. Perhaps a system whereby an individual's carbon footprint is kept on a database with their passport number. This could perhaps lead to an escalating rate of tax as more flights are made. It's not an easy solution, but then easy solutions seldom prove to be the best solutions.

The 2012 money monster

Is anyone surprised that the cost of the 2012 London Olympics are spiralling ever upwards, now taking ever larger bites out of the Lottery good causes fund. It's not as if London does badly when it comes to funding, and now in excess of £600m that would have been distributed to projects across the country are now going to be swallowed by the capital.

The President who cried wolf

The sabre rattling by the US administration towards Iran over their alleged support of insurgents in Iraq is reaching a new high. However have we not all become deaf to the cries of wolf by the White House. Not only is the credibility of their intelligence wafer thin and their provocations tired but it all smacks of hypocrisy of the highest order. America's history of support rebels, insurgents and coups that suit their ends is a long one. We only have to look as far as one of the current theatres of combat, Afghanistan, for a reminder of where a previous US administration pumped in money to see off the Russians. Perhaps now the Iranian administration wants to see off the Americans from this third land, and on what basis of history should they be forbayed this, considering the plentiful examples available.

The White House cannot have its cake and eat it. The policy of force as a means of diplomacy is a dangerous one and is one that now seems to be failing wherever it is employed. Furthermore the days of this administration having its own way are quickly running out. Whether at the hands of its own senate or on the world stage, it's high time this lame duck was put out of its misery to be replaced - we can but hope - with a lot more sense in the Oval Office.

The week that was

Again it's been one of those weeks where I've not felt so compelled to put virtual pen to blogging paper and jot down my thoughts.

This is not to say nothing's been happening in the world. The news has been less than "bootiful" for Bernard Matthews and after today's news coverage I can only expect a near collapse in their sales as the media all but made out that the food sold could spread avian flu to poultry around the country and when there's talk of H5N1 entering the food chain that's all you need for customers to leave in their droves. I, on the other hand, had no qualms at purchasing some Bernard Matthews process hams for my sarnies. Scaremongering, plain and simple.

News of muslim extremism in this country seems to be the stuff of the press and TV on all but a daily basis now with it seems all manner of individuals or organisations up to no good or teaching the word of intolerance, division and hate. The communities being targeted by police enquiries and arrests are complaining, but in the light of what's going on and what's been and likely being plotted, what else are the police expected to do but focus their efforts on the group that's without exception intertwined with these acts. If the perpetrators were from a wider demographic then no doubt the police's net would similarly be wider. The search for the letter bomber wouldn't have lead the police to the Muslims community as the source is seemingly a disgruntled driver or animal rights extremist, but when there's plots of Muslim extremism afoot the police must get to the heart of it, no question. Frederick Forsyth and Simon Hughes both made some excellent, straight-forward points on this issue on this week's Question Time programme which were both well overdue and far too seldom heard in my opinion.

After a period of what seemed like relative calm it seems as if Israel and Palestine are descending back into their own ways. The Palestinians seem to be looking for any opportunity to get worked up and throw stones at Israel who inevitably retaliate with greater force. The mentality on both sides is pretty deplorable and it's not a place that's high on my list of places to visit, violence or not. Grow up, learn some respect towards fellow man irrespective of creed or religion and then we'll see. This goes for both belligerents. There's no end of excuses and history to make the situation all the more protracted, but the road forward takes real courage, vision and the ability to look beyond their own blinkered communities and mindsets.

Snow. That proved a meteorological white-wash for around these parts as we saw absolutely none of the stuff aside from a few flakes on the day when the Midlands was getting dumped on. Dull weather, yes, but we've avoided everything grinding to a halt as it so often does during such weather. One million people took the day off work due to the snow. It's staggering, but of course due to the fact that our weather is so entirely unexciting for the vast majority of the time that no expense can be justified on the likes of fleets of snow ploughs or similar.

Birmingham Terror arrests

Once again a muslim community in Britain is feeling divided by arrests in its midst. I have two feelings on this matter based on what I've seen of the news coverage.

Firstly, the protestations of relatives and neighbours that the men are absolutely innocent. Cast your mind back to when the arrests of the attempted London bombers took place. The exact same happened there. Outrage in the community. Although they're innocent until proven guilty the evidence looks absolutely damning on these poor excuses for human beings. We'll see what happens from the current arrests, however. We should resist the urge to follow in the footsteps of the media and jump to conclusions before being aware of the facts. If the men are freed without charge, then perhaps there's room for complaint. If the men are arrested, however, the local community should look at the police's track record. It's not unblemished, certainly, but the police don't generally act in this manner unless they've amassed a fair amount of evidence and are expecting the 'cell' (or whatever the group is in this instance) to act imminently.

As for the reasons of elements of the muslim community getting so worked up as to plan such acts, I would say this: do you really feel that you're the only group opposed to the situation in Iraq? I would put to them that a majority of the British population is now opposed to Blair's war, and a great many always have been. (Remember the marches past Westminster?) However the population of this country as a whole believe in making their feelings known in a democratic manner; through lobbying and at the ballot box. If there are people in this country who believe that violence and death is the route they have to take to be heard they are not only wrong but they forfeit their part in our community and country. Shout from the pulpits, or rather the minarets if that's more appropriate. Write to your MP, protest - peacefully - against the failing foreign policy of the Blair government. Lobby, shout, do what you can, but remain within the democratic and lawful system that we enjoy and that keeps our country stable and prosperous. Don't believe you are being marginalised, as on the topic of foreign policy you will find yourselves in good and plentiful company. Peace. (at home and abroad.)

Quiet on the blogging front

I've not been doing a good job of maintaining my daily posts to the blog. For one thing my writing energies have been channelled elsewhere and in many ways there's not been a great deal that's leapt out at me to write about. However let's have a quick scan of the day's news....

I'm undecided whether I should be concerned about so many British Muslims in favour of having Shariah law in this country. I feel some background reading is in order first to understand what it's all about before taking a definite stance, although I'm generally uneasy at hearing talk of any religious movement active in the UK. During my travels last year I saw several examples of religious belief taken to (what are to me) extreme levels and I find it's something I can't relate to in the slightest. Is this really the 21st century? In spite of all our advancements so many are actively laying down years of their lives in the worship or any manner of pointless ends. If it makes them happy to believe in these things, fine, but I'll fight tooth and nail to ensure they have no bearing over my daily life and similarly I make no demands upon others.

The British Airways strike has been called off at not quite the last minute but sufficiently late that many passengers will have found themselves seriously inconvenienced for the third time in a year. Fair enough the other occasions weren't the airline's fault directly, but the handling thereof commencing with the erection of a large white marque outside Terminal 4 and quickly descending into chaos hasn't done the company and favours at all. I flew back from Australia with BA which was my first flight from them in some years. Although fine enough the standards couldn't compare with a modern Qantas airbus and the superb customer service by the Aussie national airline.

The sites of the super-casinos will be announced tomorrow. I'm rather hoping that Blackpool will come out favourite as although I have no interest in gambling the place could do with some investment and job creation and I suspect it'll have a positive effect on the region's economy as a whole. The BBC did focus on the increase in homeless in Australia following their boom in casinos but I suspect no-one would notice in the likes of Blackpool. I suppose I'm hoping that the investment will bring associated developments to the resort. A nice multiplex within fairly easy reach of here wouldn't go amiss for instance.

2007

Happy New Year.

Out with old, in with the new. Whatever. A new year passes in to being with very little celebration in this household. I suppose after seeing the valley lit by fireworks on the millennium, one Hogmany in Edinburgh and seeing in 2006 in Vienna it all seems a bit tame now. Despite forecasts of gales and lashing rain nothing really transpired, here at least, although rather predictably the local television transmitter has just gone off... again.

Last year proved to be out of the ordinary in a thoroughly positive way and with luck this next year may do the same, albeit in a different fashion. I've been lapping up the numerous round-ups of 2006 that have been offered on TV having missed many of the events taking place in the UK while abroad. I suspect the most anticipated event of 2007 will be seeing the back of Mr Blair. He won't break Thatcher's innings, Francis Urqhart style, but like Thatcher he is leaving due to pressure from his own benches. Many could no doubt draw many more parallels between the two however it's quite late enough for one evening and I'm going to see the next few hours on the new year in with some kip.

The lack of Christmas trains

I first brought this matter up in an internet forum around these time of year three years ago. My question to the group: why, when seemingly every other country in Europe runs rail services at Christmas do we not here in the UK? We must be one of the more secular countries of the EU and there are surely plenty of people who would travel if they could, but no services are provided. At that time I was living in Germany where as far as I remember a normal service would be running on Christmas, just like any other day. That Germany and so many other countries continued business as usual while we are forced to endure a total shut down of the network seemed illogical but perhaps symptomatic of the British work ethic.

Now it seems others have noticed this ridiculous hole in services. LibDem Transport Secretary, Alistair Carmichael MP, notes that until the Beeching era cuts the railways ran on Christmas Day. Surely running train lines in the 1950s would have required a good many more people to turn into work over Christmas given that every signal box would have had to be manned. Automation means that signalling is centralised and most trains themselves don't utilise the numbers of staff that would have been typical in the age of steam.

We've a sadly skewed sense of priorities when the importance of having a couple of fixed days off for a holiday that a great many of us don't really hold much significance in should outweigh running a national transportation network and thus cause a great deal of inconvenience for those wishing to travel during this time. As train usage rises and fondness for the CO2 emitting automobile declines, it seems like an extraordinary oversight that only ourselves and Ireland run no Christmas train services. There's no religious ground to support this transport blackout either since far more devout countries than ours run their services as normal without seemingly encountering any conflicts.

Of course raising this issue on the 21st of December isn't about to get this matter changed but at least through bringing awareness to this issue now when we can reflect on what more we might accomplish if rail services were operating over Christmas, perhaps the issue will reach the political agenda for change in the future.

MP calls for sense on school PE lessons

Now here's a story I can relate to. LibDem MP Sandra Gidley calls for a change to the mandatory practice of competitive team-based PE lessons in schools which so often leaves the less able with a lifelong disdain for sport and instead offer a wider variety of options for keeping pupils fit.

Being dyspraxic, although unaware of it during secondary school, I was forever picked last for teams and had no athletic ability to speak of. This led to derision by peers and being ignored by teaching staff who seemed only interested in those with sporting ability. In my experience those who are particularly sporting tend to be ultra-competitive are unable to grasp the concept of or make allowances for anyone who isn't. PE teachers being generally hewn from this mould often suffer from this same flaw. As the MP rightly states, putting children through a schooling of competitive team sports when they've little ability to offer in that area is not going to make for a wholesome, positive experience to take with them into later life. That's certainly what I've found. As is so often the case the system is at fault in being too narrow in its aims and modus operandi.

In business it can make good sense to target a central majority and ignore those on the periphery who don't fit so conveniently into the business model you're using. Schools however must never adhere to such a system. Every effort must be made for full inclusivity down to the last pupil. Anything less has to be regarded as a failure. Perhaps schools should look to hiring PE teachers with more varied personality types to better suit the range of pupils, implement tiered groups within PE as is used in other faculties or even shift PE training of those with difficulties into the remit of special needs.

I do certainly hope that PE lessons are better suited to those with difficulties than when I was as school some ten years ago, however I suspect that the national panic and clamour over an obesity epidemic will lead to all pupils being pushed outside into the same sort of lessons that will continue to fail a struggling minority.