Monday 1 February 2010

I have seen the future, and there's no money in it.

Labour insist that the education system has improved under their stewardship. To prove it, they point to A-level results that are based on exam questions that would have been laughable in the old eleven-plus. Then again, education was never what Labour wanted, was it? Educated people tend to be dissatisfied with the Stella-and-TV lifestyle of the majority of Labour voters. Once educated, they want to make use of their education to improve their lives. Social mobility in an upwards direction is what people want. Labour have opted for social mobility in a downwards direction instead. It's so much easier and it boosts their drone-voter base.

So schools have held back anyone destined for a life of achievement, to make sure they remain equal to that trainee couch potato at the back whose idea of hard work is having the TV remote out of reach. Social mobility? Oh, sure, but you have to carry the dead weight of the worthless with you or you stay where you are.

Intelligence has nothing to do with how much money your parents have in the bank. Neither does a work ethic. The only effect of being poor on progress is the time available. At the top end of the rich scale there are families with maids and other staff to look after the house so the parents can spend more time with the children. Often, they don't, preferring to hand them over to a nanny for rearing, but equally often, they do. At the bottom end of the scale, the kids might come home from school to an empty house and have to get through some housework before their parents get home from work, too tired to help them with homework as much as they'd like. At this end also lie the can't-be-bothered brigade who had kids for the free house or because they were too drunk to read the instructions on the condom packet.

See that? At each end of the rich scale are parents who care about their children and parents who don't. At every point in between, too. It is not connected to how much money they have. It is all about what they are like as people.

Labour, and other socialists, will never understand this. To them, it is all about money. There is nothing else. To them, everyone is exactly the same, wants the same things, wants to live their lives the same way and everyone should get exactly the same because everyone is exactly the same.

Some people, rich and poor, want to work for a living. Some people, rich and poor, are lazy shits who can't be bothered. The rich permanent-party playboy who inherited his money is no more and no less contemptible than the council-house chav who prefers to live on benefits. They are the same. Socialists are incapable of seeing that. All they see is the money. If everyone had the same amount of money, the logic goes, they would all be equally intelligent and all would be well with the world. It is evident nonsense and yet they persist.

I'm sure there are many of these socialists who genuinely can't understand that some kids don't do well in school not because they are poor, nor because they are dim, but because they simply cannot be bothered. These kids have already decided to live life on benefits. Where did they get the idea this was a viable proposition? Why, from the socialists of course. Those who promise them housing, food and cash even if they make no attempt to work.

Given that option, is it surprising that many don't see the purpose of gaining an education? What for? It just means you'll be expected to work. If you have qualifications then that jobcentre might find you a job. If you have none, you can live for free. So are they stupid, these kids, or are they smart? Have they, in fact, worked out how the system can be played to give them a life of leisure? It's hard work being the host but it's an easy life being the parasite.

Labour don't see it. Let's examine the intelligence of a couple of Labour ministers. There's an election coming up, many of Labour's specially-bred parasites are at home with their beer, TV and cigarettes and Andy Burnham decides to announce that he will stop them smoking in their own homes. Labour have already wrecked their pub lives, now the smoke police will follow them home. For the cheeeldren. Meanwhile, the paedophiles, rapists and murderers get let out of jail early and everyone's too busy chasing smokers to notice. Ask yourself how much they really care about the children.

The Brown Gorgon says that all the poor kids will get preferential entry into universities, and with an election looming and seven applicants for every university place, he cuts the teaching budget for the universities - including the special fund for that preferential treatment scam. Bye-bye, poor. Labour have left you behind again. There's also the small matter of all those university staff and students, who have always had a heavy leftward lean. What a vote-winner, Labour! It's safe to assume that we are not dealing with the most clued-in people on the planet here.

When the Gorgon says 'class war' he does not mean rich vs. poor. He means the political class against the rest of us.

It's never been about education. It's always been about social control. Labour use children to spy on adults and as a weapon to force through idiotic legislation 'for the cheeeldren'. That's all Labour see them as. Tools to be used for control. They don't see people. They see an amorphous mass ready to be moulded into what they want. Never mind what any of the rest of us want, it's what Labour wants that matters.

They learn no lessons from their mistakes because they are incapable of learning and incapable of admitting mistakes. They say they will listen but what they are hearing is not what we are saying. They claim to represent us but believe they own us. They will not allow children to be educated to the point where they might realise all this.

Here's a snippet from that first article, something I hadn't thought to include in a fictional dystopia because it's something Pol Pot might have done before starting his massacres, if he'd thought of it. An idea of such callous forethought that an editor might strike it from fiction as being just too incredible.

Separate cash for out-of-school master classes, workshops and summer schools will also be withdrawn and a national register of bright children is being abolished.

They can't afford it now, but... a national register of bright children? Pol Pot would have found that very useful indeed. Why chase down the intelligent for extermination later, when it's difficult to find them? Simply record who they are as they grow up. Come the revolution, you have a handy list of everyone who could be a problem.

Oh, that is going in the book. Someone is going to be horrified when told that their child has won a place on the national register of bright children, because that someone is in a position to know what it means. I just hope that by the time it's written, Labour have left enough literacy in the population so someone can read it.

They have systematically removed actual practical subjects from schools and replaced them with a shell of social manipulation disguised as learning. Biology is now all about global warming and tobacco and alcohol control. History teaches that we are at war with Eastasia and always have been. English classes use the random spelling techniques this country had before Dr. Johnson's dictionary standardised English spelling. Illiteracy is on the rise. Shops can't get staff who can add up simple numbers.

Those of us who were brought up before decimalisation find it impossible to understand how anyone can fail to cope with a system in which everything is divisible by ten. How would they have managed with gills, pints and gallons, with inches, feet, yards, furlongs, miles, with ounces, pounds, stones, hundredweights or for that matter, with pounds, shillings and pence? Each had its own number of subunits and there was no way to work it out from first principles. You just had to learn it all. None of them were based on ten, either. Labour's current education system could never have coped.

They have destroyed education like they've destroyed the economy and through it all they have insisted everything is fine and promised nothing but more of the same. Every new 'initiative' makes it worse. They fiddle with the curriculum until no teacher knows what this week's preferred methods are and no pupil knows what they will be hearing in the next lesson. They drag back any pupil who moves ahead of the class because doing so makes them 'elitist'. The bitter irony of being accused of elitism by someone who believes they are better than everyone else is beyond their ability to appreciate.

Labour have turned the children into Orwell's Junior Spies and ruined their education and their lives in the process. They will lose the next election. They are evidently deliberately trying to do just that.

Then we will have the Tories trying to emulate Labour with nannying and meddling under the guise of 'nudge'.

Consider this, Tories. You will inherit a debt greater than the amount of money in existence. You will need to use tax money to reduce it. Where will you get this tax money?

By taxing those who work, you will say. Well, good luck with that. The generation you're expecting to pay it are uneducated, unskilled and competely devoid of motivation. There are few new-business builders coming up and those that can, will leave because it is now just too much bother to start a business here. It is ten times easier to move to another country first, and start it there. Existing businesses are moving away already. As for the rest of us, we are already toying with the idea of emigration even though we are far below the 'rich' label. Tax us more and watch the exodus.

To somewhere where the State doesn't want to run every waking moment of everyone's life. Somewhere where people can be left alone to enjoy their leisure time in any way they see fit. Somewhere that doesn't have smoke inspectors, drink police, internet monitoring, phone and Email collection, salt rationing, fat prevention, special taxes on heating in sub-zero temperatures to combat global warming, cameras on every corner watching our movements. Somewhere where businesses are not subject to laws telling them who they must and must not employ, based on a pressure group's idea of 'equality' rather than on who can best do the job. Somewhere where the minimum requirement for any State job is the possession of a functioning brain, preferably one without sociopathic tendencies. Somewhere where school means school and not political indoctrination.

There used to be such a place. I used to live in it. It was called Britain. Anyone remember it? It's gone now. It sank into the sea like Atlantis under the weight of regulation, beurocracy and idiotic, petty and spiteful legislation. All that's left above the waves is the paperwork stamped by weasel-faced officials and fine collectors. A place of simmering resentment and a fury that is almost, but not quite, at critical mass.

Tories, you are about to inherit a powderkeg. A huge debt and a non-functioning future workforce currently paid for by an enraged working man. Real ones, I mean, not New Labour ones.

I'd say be careful with those matches but I'm afraid the fuse is already lit. It could go off at any time.

One more 'nudge' could do it.

18 comments:

Mr A said...

Excellent post! And....

"To somewhere where the State doesn't want to run every waking moment of everyone's life. Somewhere where people can be left alone to enjoy their leisure time in any way they see fit. Somewhere that doesn't have smoke inspectors, drink police, internet monitoring, phone and Email collection, salt rationing, fat prevention, special taxes on heating in sub-zero temperatures to combat global warming, cameras on every corner watching our movements. Somewhere where businesses are not subject to laws telling them who they must and must not employ, based on a pressure group's idea of 'equality' rather than on who can best do the job. Somewhere where the minimum requirement for any State job is the possession of a functioning brain, preferably one without sociopathic tendencies. Somewhere where school means school and not political indoctrination"

...pretty much sums up my feelings on EVERYTHING. My whole political viewpoint summed up in one neat paragraph. Thanks Leg Iron. Let's just hope some Tories have read that and it's given them some ideas....

labour hates the poor said...

Yes Labour seem to hate the thought of the poor advancing in society. The ladders to social mobility were pulled away with the scrapping of the 11 plus and the introduction of fees at University.
We've now got dumbed down exams in comprehensive schools with pointless courses at Universities.
While importing millions of plumbers and joiners from Poland due to the scrapping of the old secondary schools and technical colleges and apprenticeships.
And meanwhile Labour MPs pay to send their kids to private schools and move closer to church schools while forcing poor families to make do with the dross schools that are left.

Mrs Rigby said...

The article says, "English universities' teaching budgets were slashed today for the first time in a decade .."

No cuts for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland then, nice to see equality in action!

Roue le Jour said...

Excellent post.

I do fear though, that any rebellion will be the dolees rioting over benefit reduction, not the poor bloody taxpayer rioting over being bled white. It's all about what you stand to loose, unfortunately.

richard said...

masterfully put, and sadly it's all true.
I have an o level english paper from the 50s which reveals a level of education long since vanished.
Why such hatred?

The Underdoug said...

"To somewhere where the State doesn't want to ru(i)n every waking moment of everyone's life..."

Is there another place in your opinion that could fit this description now, or do we have to look off-planet?

Anonymous said...

The Isle of Man possibly. At least, until we've all moved there.

Anonymous said...

Comment of the week of the UK Blogosphere


W V + repto

Snakey said...

Brilliant post. I think you've summed up what a large amount of people really feel about the state of our country these days.

Demon said...

Isle of Man is tempting, and not too far from where I currently live but any more suggestions? Currently I'm toying with New Zealand or Oz, sometimes France looks quite tempting - any thoughts?
If Labour does get back in it will concentrate my thoughts on this, it will be the final straw for me and I'll be off - anywhere

Great post as usual LI

Anonymous said...

RE: Bright Kids Register, did 'The Demon Headmaster' not have a plot along similar lines... I'm too lazy to check, but it rang a bell!

John Pickworth said...

I doubt any country is idyllic but even in most of the wackier ones (like France?) the politicians spend their days arguing with each other and generally stay out of the private lives of the public.

I can't think of any that nanny their populace as much as they do here... with perhaps the exception of China, which could fairly claim to be doing it for the greater good. Or the tinpot dictators which are only in it for themselves.

Ultimately, I think almost ANYWHERE is preferable to the UK now. You just have to choose what's important to you; like low taxes, business friendly, better weather or the buses running on time etc.

PT Barnum said...

Ask anyone who taught or teaches in a university across a time period spanning the 80s and 90s and 00s and they will tell you, in utter exasperation, that, while the grades for entry have stayed largely unchanged, the quality of the students' knowledge has progressively declined. NOT their intelligence or abilities, but the fact that they know less and less about fewer and fewer things when they enter university, requiring remedial make-up work in the first year of a degree. That is an indicative benchmark for measuring the quality and content of post-1997 education. And state, public or private, they all suffer the same degraded education.

Anonymous said...

Places to go? Forget Oz, Rudd is screwing it up with his climate change agenda and NuLabour copycat immigration policies. Rudd want's to grow (don't just hate that expression) the population from 22 million to 36 million.

How long before there really is nowhere to hide?

Dave H said...

This post is as superb as it is depressing. I wish I could write like that.

Regarding 1984, presumably you intended "To somewhere..." to read very much like the first entry in Winston Smith's diary. How lucky we were to have such a clear warning against a nightmare society of mass surveillance and state control.

“Biology is now all about global warming and tobacco and alcohol control..."

So, so, bloody true, though marks deducted for missing out controlling your salt intake. Genuine example (see below).

I checked out a GCSE science paper* not long ago, to see if the rumours were true. Good grief! Is this really for 16 year olds of normal ability? The first (admittedly Foundation Tier) question is hilarious. In slightly longer words it asks 'with which part of their heads do humans smell?' Fortunately you don't need to know its name, just identify the correct arrow on the diagram. Correct. Well done! You are the future of Britsh science.

Funny thing is, that's about as close to a detailed knowledge of the biology of a human as this 'Human Biology' paper gets. There's no cutaway diagram of an eye, heart, or a cell. Certainly no vitreous humour or islet of langerhans. Even in the 'harder' questions, very little detailed knowledge is required at all, and that's in an exam on a specialised field of biology.

Instead, and this is sinister as opposed to depressing, the questions mostly address human behaviour and the correct answer accords with the current official policy. Children are actually being rewarded for correctly identifying the Ministry-approved versions of their private lifestyles and attitudes. And they call it Education.

Blair must have said “Indoctrination, Indoctrination,Indoctrination,” and we missheard.

*SCIENCE A BLY1AP
Unit Biology B1a (Human Biology)
BIOLOGY
Unit Biology B1a (Human Biology)
Wednesday 5 March 2008 Morning Session

Anonymous said...

Beautifully put. Your book is going to be a blinder.

Education is deliberately being dumbed down in the West.

Will Dave save home-schooling, or will he chip away at it, as Labour has done.

paulo said...

Another absolutely first class, top drawer post LI.

Sadly, I do believe you are correct about the Tories. Actually, if I was told that 'really they don't want to win this election' I would believe it. Poor isn't the word to describe their half-hearted efforts.

As to a "powderkeg" I'm not too sure. I do think there is anger but whether it's close to going off I'm not too convinced. I think the sad thing is that in this day and age too many people think they have too much to lose and the rest can't be bothered.

All I can see is the continuing creep of a nightmare Orwellian future.



Keep it up!


paulo

Just Peachie said...

Thought this might be of interest. Sorta combines learning and lighting up.

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/book_jackets/books_in_a_cigarette_pack_150793.asp

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