Is the UK's system of education fit for purpose

How can you ensure you get a good education in the UK? The answer is quite simple actually, make sure you are born to wealthy parents. Last night I had the pleasure of having a curry with my nephew who is a teacher at a local school. He was telling me about how the government curriculum changes will affect the pupils he teaches. The changes are designed to favour children who have a "broader education" and are more aware of issues in the wider world. They are designed to favour students who look beyond the confines of the tight syllabus criteria that the current GCSE exams teach. Sounds great doesn't it? Well it does if young Hartley and Auriana are taken to Tuscany every year, have a cottage in the country where they can play with the ponies and get close to nature and mummy and daddy take them on interesting trips to the science museum and the national gallery.

But what about those kids in sink estates, where mummy and daddy (if both are aound) can't afford this? The system is being heavily skewed in favour of those who have the time and cash to ensure kids get a rounded education. For those who parents are working long shifts for short money, this is not an option. The majority of homes no longer buy newspapers and with the fragmentation of TV stations, many kids have never watched the news, TV being a constant diet of Friends and The Simpsons. The days when you had to watch News at Ten, because there was nothing else to watch have long gone. Nothing would make me happier than the concept that kids in rabbit hutch flats would watch documentaries on the Discovery Channel to bolster their education, but in the real world it just doesn't happen.

The current government has no interest in ensuring that those children at the bottom of the pile are given the opportunity to better themselves. Free Schools are a sop to the affluent middle classes, so that in areas where sink schools do not meet aspirations, there can be small enclaves of middle class safety. Schools that practice selection and cherry pick the best pupils get the straight A's and the plaudits. The real heroes in the education system are those who raise children who were getting nothing into students who pass GCSE's and get some sort of chance in life.

I've run my studio for 36 years now. We've have some families where we are now on the third generation of customers. In general people who play music are by definition atypical members of society, but what is clear to me is that parents who invest in their children see their children do well. We ran a project to get kids into music who'd never had opportunity for a couple of years. Some of the stories we heard were horrific. Even more horrific though was the lack of aspiration. If this isn't being taught at home, then it has to be taught at school. A fair education system will ensure that no matter what the background, if you work hard, you will get the opportunities and you will be given the tools to compete with your peers, regardless of their background.

The sad truth is that the syllabus changes are moving our education system away from this concept. This is bad news for the economy as ultimately it means we spend the money educating thick children from wealthy families, who ultimately don't repay that investment, whilst highly intelligent children from poor families are sidelined. Some will rise above this, but most will simply not have a rich life or contribut to the country in the way they should. Even worse, some will become embittered and use their intelligence in ways that are detrimental to our community, to try and achieve some sort of economic parity.

There is no way that this can be good for the UK. This is why a cabinet stuffed with old Etonians is clearly not fit for purpose. They simply don't get why inequality doesn't work in a modern economy. 

2020 - Corbyn, Farron and Osborne?

As David Cameron has stated that he will step down before the next election, it now looks like likely that the next election will be fought with Jeremy Corbyn leading Labour, Tim Farron leading the Lib Dems and George Osborne leading the Tories. It was once said that "a week is a long time in politics", therefore five years is an eternity. After John Majors unexpected win in 1992, Neil Kinnock stepped down and John Smith took over Labour. Smith was a hugely admired figure and it seemed like Labour had at last found an electable leader. Sadly it was not to be, as Smith had a heart attack and died (has anyone ever noticed how many Labour figures who were not Blairites unexpectedly had heart attacks? Should I be making a trip to William Hill?). Half way through the Parliament, John Major quit as Leader. The Tories were thrown into turmoil and promptly re-elected him. With the rise of Blair, the Lib Dems seemed like a sideshow and an irrelevence, despite having dozens more seats than their current total.

Anyway, the point I'm making is that I don't actually think that whatever happens in the Labour vote in September, we'll see the line up in the title contest the next election. I've no idea whether the Tories will keep Cameron, but history tells us that front runners like Osborne get shafted. whoever wins, his enemies know him and how to get at him. Will Corbyn actually still be leader if he wins in September. As a gambling man, I'd bet on two years. The right of Labour hae shown  a very anti democratic streak and I expect the plotting to start the day Corbyn takes the keys (assuming he wins). as for Farron, there aren't enough Lib Dems left to mount a coup. As he's young & healthy, unless he falls under a bus, I expect him to stay, but who really knows (and some say who cares).

We are in for some interesting times.

The great infrastructure scandal that plagues Great Britain

I don't know why, but the UK is lousy at doing infrastructure. At the bottom of my garden, I have the Thameslink line. I've always loved having my own trainset. Back in the early 1980's Ken Livingstone originally championed the concept of Thameslink, when running the GLC. The Snow Hill Branch was reopened between Farringdon and Blackfriars on a shoestring. This allowed Holborn Viaduct station to be redeveloped, releasing huge funds for the next phase of the project "Thameslink 2000" as it became known. This was a no brainer of a project. The idea was to allow trains from the East Coast mainline to also use the line and to improve junctions around Blackfriars and London Bridge to allow the Thameslink frequency to be massively increased. It was called Thameslink 2000 as it was due to open for the millenium. It is now scheduled to open in 2017/8.  If a complete no brainer of a project overshoots by 18 years, it is clear we need a fresh way of thinking.

Crossrail

When we read that a project such as Crossrail, which was first talked about in 1947,  cost the taxpayer £15.9 billion it seems expensive, however this is the headline costs. Huge projects like this (unlike tax cuts for billionaires, which are largely spent abroad and on foreign products) find most of the money is reinvested in the UK economy. The £15.9 billion includes wages for workers who are in the UK. Each one of these pays tax. There are huge amounts of steel, concrete, stone and building materials used. The vast majority of these are sourced from UK producers, again creating jobs and increasing the tax revenue. If we are extremely conservative, we can estimate that Crossrail will be used for a minimum of 100 years, therefore there is a huge time for a payback. The project will also generate building activity and economic regeneration, largely in the private sector in many areas of deprivation. Hundreds of small and medium size firms are also supported, producing components and the people who work on the projects spend their wages on high streets generating even more economic activity.

But Crossrail is at least going ahead. There are a large number of vital projects that government simply cannot get its act together to get going. The most scandalous of these are the stalled electrification schemes for the Midland Mainline and the Trans Penine rail route. Both of these projects would massively improve access to areas which are in desperate need of economic regeneration. Both of these projects would make UK PLC a more competetive place. And as with Crossrail, both would generate far more economic activity in the country than the cost. In short, they are no brainers. There are plenty of other projects which are complete no brainers. In our neck of the woods, the most obvious is the reopening of the derelict tube line from Mill Hill East to Copthall. This would allow direct access from Central London to Rugby supporters visiting Saracens RFC. It would also give easy access to two local schools for staff and pupils in Mill Hill East and Finchley, as well as giving a handy alternative route to Central London for many people in Mill Hill.

Another example is the much talked about rail station at Luton Airport. Currently people have  to endure an annoying bus transfer if travelling via train. In this day and age, this is ridiculous. Another example is the fact that the RAF musuem at Hendon is next to a rail line, but has no station. What other nation on earth would have such an important site with no station? A station for the RAF museum would also serve the huge new redevelopments in Colindale. Why the developers were not compelled to build a station is beeyond me.

One reason often given for the lack of spending on infrastructure, is that the government wants to balance the books. Given how beneficial such projects are to the economy, it is clear that a new way of accounting for such projects is urgently required. My solution would be to add a 1% infrastructure contribution to everyones income tax. This money would be ring fenced for such projects and the income from the investment would help support the pensions of todays working generation. I would also make all developers pay into the fund. I would make any large development have to pay for an independent study to ascertain the cost required for the infrastructure to support the scheme. This would then be levied from the developers. Developers make huge profits and get a free ride from the public purse. This is clearly inequitable and unfair.

Finally there is the time we take to agree project and hold inquiries. One of the reasons people object is because generally they are shafted by big projects such as Heathrow. In France, people get handsomely rewarded for any inconvenience. Here we get dodgy compulsory purchase orders. We need to learn from the French, where communities campaign for TGV lines to pass through their community as they know they will get a nice bung. In the short term it costs, but in the long term, things get built quickly and the most inconvenienced benefit as well. 

If the UK PLC wants to remain competetive, this cannot go on as it has. We need to change the way we think about upgrading our country. Sadly, despite the fine words of George Osborne before the election, we now see his promises were hollow rhetoric. He is just another in a long line of blinkered bean counters who will run our country into the ground. It breaks my heart.

Why I am convinced that Jeremy Corbyn will win the 2020 election if elected

Until this morning I had bought into the concept that Jeremy Corbyn had no chance of winning a general election if elected as leader of the Labour Party. The reason I felt it was still worth supporting him is because I thought that whichever of the four won, Labour would lose. I felt that Corbyn would at least reinvigorate the party and connect it with its grass roots and help it move on from its 20th century obsession with spin and vacuosity. I can honestly see no way a party lead by Burnham or Cooper could win a general election and no way they could attract new members. Whilst I felt Liz Kendall could win a general election, there is absolutely no way the Labour party would choose her, so in effect she is a non candidate. I don't really like Kendall, she appears to have no compassion  and no empathy with her own party. I suspect that like many, if she was elected I'd grudgingly support her as "Cameron lite" is better than "Cameron Max". Whatever misgivings I had about the Blair/Brown years, there is no doubt that Britain became a far more socially progressive country. The reason I don't support Kendall is that she buys into a philosophy that ultimately failed us all miserably.

So what has convinced me that Jeremy Corbyn will win? You may find this rather odd, but my hallelujah moment came reading this mornings Sunday Times. Every page I turned, I saw yet another character assasination of Corbyn. Here's a few examples. Page 1 & 2 a story about how the Labour Party is being "Infiltrated on an industrial scale". It seems the Sunday Times objects to the fact that people who had left the Labour party due to the Blairites are rejoining in droves to support an MP they agree with. It says "there was absolutely no way that Labour officials would catch all the Green, Trotskyist and Conservative supporters who had signed up to take part in the leadership contest". It strikes me as unlikely that many Trotskyists will "rejoin to support Corbyn", certainly not enough to tip the balance. Corbyn isn't a Trotskyite and true believers would see him as beyond the pale. As for Tories signing up to cause mischief, again the numers will be miniscule. Many joke about it, but by and large Tories would begrudge the Labour party a single penny. Which brings us to Greens. Those rejoining are by and large former Labour members with principles, who see Corbyn as a chance to rebuild the party. On page 18 we have a full page Camilla Long hatchet job. Pravda would have been proud of this piece. It gives no insight into Corbyn and is full of sly innuendo, portraying anyone who sympathises with Corbyn as deluded. This Brian Eno quote, produced with no context is typical "I don't think that electability is really the most important thing". On page 23 we have a trademark Ian Dale article claiming Corbyn only even thought of standing when "Sarah in London" suggested it and yet another hatchet job, this time from Anne Applebaum, with the title "While Russia burns books, the useful idiot Corbyn swallows its lies whole". This rather odd article seems to ignore the fact that half the world wasn't born when Russia was under a notionally Marxist state. Because Corbyn has criticised western policies towards Ukraine (which have not exactly been stunningly successful) and suggested supporters may find the news coverage by Russia today interesting , he must support the burning of books, seems to be the analaysis of this Pulitzer Prize winning author. I buy papers such as The Daily Express as I like to read a wide range of views. I suppose that this makes me a pornographer, given Richard Desmonds business portfolio. It is nonsense.

As I read this nonstop barrage of complete nonsense, two things struck me. First, despite the endless words and columns, there was no attempt at all to desconstruct the views of Corbyn. There was no analysis of what he was actually saying. I sort of expect this type of nonsense in the Daily Mail, which is not really a paper to be taken seriously, but for the Sunday Times to print so many "non articles" with so little analysis was extraordinary. I've no idea how much the Times pays people to write articles, but I'd guess Pulitzer Prize winners are not the cheapest columnists.  The second thing that struck me was, given that Murdoch is a natural Tory, why so much bile would be poured on someone who, if the Times is to believed, would destroy Labours chances of winning.If Corbyn was electoral poison, surely Murdochs papers would be more than happy to see Labour elect him and destroy itself. The only logical conclusion is that Murdoch does not buy into the idea that Corbyn is electoral poison. Why else would he throw every resourse at his hands at trying to give his leadership aspirations an abortion? The only conclusion is that Murdoch rejects the notion that Corbyn is unelectable and is in a state of high panic. I suspect that Murdoch knows that one of Corbyns first targets if he is ever elected will be the likes of Murdoch.

So how could Corbyn possibly win? What a ridiculous idea is that? If you consider the maths, maybe not. The Conservatives are embarking on a vicious program of austerity. I can't really see this enhancing their popularity. They won in2015 by cannabilising the votes of their Lib Dem partners. Many of these voters are already bitterly regretting putting the Tories in. I doubt there are many more Lib Dems to "turn" and many are considering "turning back". I've heard many people saying that it is only now we see how important the Lin Dems were. The economy is doing OK at the moment. This is not the product of this Tory administration, but of the Coalition. It will take at least a couple of years for us to know if a Tory only regime can improve the economy, but I doubt that the British Economy can sustain current growth rates for the next five years. Whatever happens, no commentators think interest rates will be anything other than higher in 2020, which will hit household budgets.

The Tories were elected by 24% of the electorate. It is unlikely that 24% of the electorate will do better under the Tories. Many of Corbyns policies will appeal to the 76% of the electorate who didn't vote Tory. Some such as abolition of tuition fees will appeal to the 24% who did, especally Lib Dem switchers. I doubt even too many Tories would cry if the railways were renationalised. As someone who uses the railways every day, it is clear that the franchising system doesn't work. In effect it is a scam that takes taxpayers money and lines the pockets of foreign investors. Whilst the hard right believe nationalisation to be a rude word, anyone who has had to endure years of sub standard travel services will take a different view. There has been so little discussion of left politics since Blair took over. Whilst the Tories hark back to the days of Michael Foot, for a couple of generations of voters this is ancient history. Things have changed. Corbyn isn't talking the language of Foot. How could he? When Foot was Labour Leader, railways were nationalised, students got grants. Corbyn has a whole swathe of ideas that appeal to many people not only on the left, but in the Centre. During the Blair years, the left displayed a remarkable amount of restraint and loyalty to the party. If the right of Labour show the same discipline and work with Corbyn, it is more than possible that a popular and populist platform could be developed. I suspect that decent NHS services, Student Grants, Rail nationalisation, a tax system designed to help the many, not the few and laws to protect working people from the worst ravages of rampant capitalism will not prove quite as unpopular as the Murdoch Press would have you believe.

Until this morning, I'd thought that such talk was wishful thinking, but I read the articles several times and it is clear to me that the rich and powerful such as Murdoch are rattled and resorting to everr more desperate tactics to try and scare the living daylights out of people who are tempted by the Corbyn camp.  When I read the articles it actually had the reverse effect on me. The Britsh dislike dishnoesty and I am sure that they see right through the dodgy spin of Murdoch and his army of highly paid Pulitzer prize winning mercenaries. In fact if by chance we see a Corbyn lead administration in 2020, I think the likes of Murdoch will be one of the reasons. For decades the attack dog tactics of the Murdoch Press have destroyed leader after leader for the Labour party. One may conclude that because its always worked, it always will. Sadly for the likes of Murdoch, things have moved on. In the electronic age, Twitter, Blogger and Facebook mean that there are many other sources of information and the likes of The Sun and The Times can get called out in away that the likes of Michael Foot could never have dreamed of. The trouble for Murdoch is that he's largely preaching to the converted. Papers such as the Times and The Sun have shed readers and influence massively in recent years. It is not inconceivable that one or both may not even exist in 2020. At best The Times is likely to be the equivalent of the Saga house magazine, read by wealthy pensioners mainy reading it to plan autmn holidays in Tuscany and investments of their pension pots. As for The Sun, in 2010 it had over 3 million readers, now it has under two million. If it has more than a million in 2020, that will be a minor miracle. It's decline is accelerating, shedding over 200,000 readers between 2013 and 2014. Whilst Kinnock and Foot knew that they would face a slow assasination from these papers, a Corbyn leadership would face a different beast. Not only that, but social media is built for campaigners such as Corbyn, who can rely on people using Fazcebook and Twitter to feed campaigns and bolster support. Whilst Foot and Kinnock had no mass media to make their case, Corbyn knows that if he gets it right, his message will go viral on the net. This costs nothing and is far more effective than dodgy articles by paid hacks. Whilst we don't trust the Murdoch press, we all trust our friends and family and when they share info with us, we read it.

It is interesting to see new Labour figures desperately looking at means to "fix" the Corbyn problem, I suspect that all of the denouncements of entryists is counter productive. If Labour start banning ex members who got disilliusioned and joined the Greens, they are doomed. Green members are hard working activists and generally honest and principled. If Labour are saying they don't want them, what exactly are they saying. If all Labour want to be is a metropoitan elite who believe in nothing, they will be permanently unelectable. There will be plenty of water under the bridge between now and the 2020 election. The Tories have tied a huge albatross around their neck by announcing Cameron will go. This Parliament will be dominated first by the EU referendum and then by the Tory leadership contest. I suspect that Cameron will have to go in 2018 to allow a new Leader a period to make his name. This puts another variable into the mix. Osborne is the front runner, but just suppose he does a Gordon Brown when stepping up to the top table. When Brown took over, he was viewed as a heavyweight and an awesome presence. Within six months, it was clear that he was a liability. Just suppose that Osborne is another great chancellor who can't step up, then it is possible that Corbyn will prove to be the man in the right place in the right time. As Napoleon once said "Give me a lucky general any day".

Consideration for disabled people when travelling

Sunset over Bartres

Most years at this time, I travel to Hosanna House in Bartres in France with a group of disabled people, as a volunteer helper with HCPT (please note this blog is written totally in a personal capacity and does not necessarily represent any view or policy of HCPT). I have written about this before, as I personally find it to be a fantastic experience. In our group there were 36 people. Approx 1/3 have some sort of disability. Some have Downs Syndrome, some cerebal palsy, some are just a bit old and rickety and can't walk too far. I've been a member of the group since 2001. In that time I took my mother, who was housebound after a stroke, on five occasions. When shen passed away, I took my cousin, who is my age and has Downs syndrome on four occasions. Unfortunately she has deteriorated and the views of the care home where she lives is that it would not be in her interests to go.

Our Group

This year, as I have in other years, I took two of my teenage childen. They have been going for many years. I do not force them to go, they opt in. What do they do when they are there? Well they don't have TV or easy access to broadband. They go to mass every day (HCPT is a faith based organisation and the focus of trip is around the shrine of Lourdes, which is about 4km from Bartres). My children do not attend mass in the UK regularly. Although they were raised in the Roman Catholic tradition, like many teenagers, they are not overly keen on going. Apart from Xmas and Easter, requests  to attend mass are usually politely declined and attempts to force the issue are met with furious argument. When they are away, they attend without fuss and my son plays the violin at mass (something he would never do in Mill Hill). I suspect that the daily mass is not the reason they attend. It probably sounds like hell for most teenagers, from the above description. I consider my kids to be quite typical teenagers. Whilst I love them to death, they are very typical in their lifestyle and are no saints. They do however find the week to be a brilliant experience. In their everyday life, they don't have much contact with disabled people. On the trip, they spend every waking minute in the company of people with issues and challenges. If you haven't had much contact with disabled people, it may or may not come as a surprise that many are highly intelligent. They have exactly the same wants and desires as the rest of us. They don't want to be patronised. They are not particularly keen on basket weaving or other activities which are often part of activities that they are asked to partake in. They want to have some fun. One of our group, Helen, who is severely disabled with cerebal palsy and is confined to an electric wheelchair, requiring lifting with every activity that can't be done when sitting down, is one of the most funny and intelligent people you will meet. Several years ago, on a trip, she shocked a rather "holy Joe" pilgrim who asked her what the NHS could do to improve the quality of her life. The answer "Get me a male prostitute" was not quite what they expected. Helen can be hard to understand, but it is always worth the effort. When HCPT remodelled Hosanna House, she advised the designer on what they should do to improve accessability. Some of her suggestions were acted upon and have made a huge difference. Some weren't (annoyingly for Helen when she is in a bedroom, she can't get out without help as the doors open inwards).

My elder daughter was assigned to care for a teenager with Downs syndrome (along with a friends teenage daughter, who also attended). This was a huge challenge for my daughter, who has not been a "primary helper" previously. The young lady in question was lovely, but also rather mischievous. Basically she needed to 24 hour companionship for a number of reasons (not least because she was rather keen on winding everyone up!). My daughter found the experience to be a very rewarding experience. My son, who is younger was primarily involved in tea making duties and pushing the elderly members of the group around on trips. He spent much of his free time playing table tennis with another teenager. Again he had a great week.

Often people assume that such groups as ours are all very religious people seeking redemption. I can only speak for our group, but I think this couldn't be more wide of the mark. The group are primarily driven by a desire to help other people and HCPT offer a great way to do it. I've no idea how many of the group are regular church attenders, but I'd be very surprised if the total was above 50%. Various faiths have been represented. After Roman Catholics, CofE are the next most well represented group, but we had Methodists, Church of Scotland and Evangelical members. There are also quite a few people who dont ally themeselves with any formal group, some who are no faith at all and a few people of Jewish and other non Christian traditions. In the group, none of this matters. We are a group. HCPT has an ethos of doing everything together. This means we eat together, we socialise together. It means at meals, we try to sit with different people every day, so little cliques are avoided. our group has a strong musical ethos. As I mentioned my son plays violin, I take a guitar (this is the only time I play guitar in mass, being primarily a punk rocker), and we had a clarinetist and an organist. As  well as music in mass, every evening we have a bit of a sing song. One of the group, Margaret is  a folk singer of note, playing regularly in York. Her speciality is risque ditties. She's 80 next week and her party piece this year was "Teenage Dirtbag".

One other thing which must be mentioned is the food at Hosanna House. Jean Bernard, the Basque chef ensures that we feast like kings and queens. The food is delicious and all freshly prepared. Fresh salads, regional delicasies, finished off with the finest cheeses. Meals are accompanied with a glass or two of wine, for those who partake.  Before I first attended, I assumed the meals would be of school dinner quality. They are actually some of the finest meals I've had. My kids have developed a liking for duck, Coquelles St Jacques and many other foods which previously they would have point blank refused. As there is a lot of physical activity, you get hungry and there is no choice of what you get. As it is all delicious, this isn't generally a problem (if you have a special dietry requirement, this is catered for).

It is impossible to describe how the dynamics of how ther group works, or why it is a joy, not a chore. It is also impossible to describe how much personal joy I get from the experience. My view is that anyone who has a heart and who likes the company of other people would get something from the week. I'd strongly urge anyone who cares about people to consider volunteering as a helper. HCPT is not for everyone. There are secular organisations who do equally great work, although I've not been with any. I did however speak to some of the disabled people. I asked one guy, which he preferred, his answer surprised me (why I don't know). He said "I like both, they are both different. Wouldn't you get sick of steak if you ate it every day". This guy was someone with no religous affiliation. I asked him if he enjoyed the daily mass. He said "It pulls the group together". He also highlighted something I hadn't appreciated. Many disabled adults have seen many friends die. They've also lost family and for them, the section of the mass where we are encouraged to say prayers for specific people and intentions are perhaps a highlight. Often people will break down in tears when they say their bit. At first I thought this was a bad thing, but when I discussed it, it became clear that for many it was a massive help in dealing with the grief of loss. We have a service which simply consists of lighting a candle for someone who is ill, troubled or passed away. Some just say a name, some tell the story. It is moving. Many past members of groups, some who died decades ago are recalled. It is a very powerful emotion. I wonder how many of us bottle suchg things for years/

So far I've spoken of the upside. Now for the downside. For me I feel highly conflicted. I always come away having to deal with some very negative emotions. For me this time, for some reason, I was more troubled and in mental turmoil than ever. This was almost to the point that it ruined the trip. Having been many times, I know the routine, I love the expereince, but from the moment we arrived at the airport, to the moment we got back home, I saw a barrage of casual ignorance, intolerance and in some cases sheer selfishness of my fellow man towards the disabled members of our community. This time, in a way I've never felt before, this really got to me. There are the little things, such as the fact people always talk to the person pushing the chair, rather than the person in it. I should state that this is not an issue in our group, who "get it".

When we arrived at Stanstead, the first challenge is boarding disabled people onto the plane. This is always traumatic. Airlines take no account of how you load disabled people in design of aircraft. They make billions, but there is not design consideration at all of how how transfer a heavy adult into an aircraft seat. In short, this makes it a dangerous and stressful operation for both the disabled person and the people moving them. Just consider how you move an 18 stone dead weight into a seat, where you have to bend your back because of overhead lockers and where other seats, armrests have to be navigated. Even worse was the way the airline have abolished their policy where people in wheelchairs have to be loaded first. To transfer a quadraplegic person can take up to ten minutes. It involves 3-4 people to lift the person out of their chair, into an aisle chair. They then have to be hauled out of the aisle chair and into their seat, then slid along on a slider blanket to a middle seat.

This is hard enough, but when people are barging past and trying to get "the best seats" it is almost impossible. It was bad enough going out, coming back, I saw the most diabolical thing ever. A group, supposedly on pligrimmage with their parish arrived early. They boarded first. When we arrived, we had two people who needed "heavy lifts". This group refused to move from seats with moveable arms, and one took issue with me for "not arriving earlier" (we arrived in ample time). This particluar nasty individual said "we have disabled people too", failing to realise the difference between someone with a walking stick and a quadraplegic who needs manhandling into a seat. She then proceeded to get one of her group to video "what we were doing" on her mobile phone, to demonstrate how much of a pain in the arse we were with our disabled people, for their "well organised group".  I informed the said individual exactly what I thought of her, in a way that did not contain expletives. It gave a tad of reassurrance that members of her own group expressed disgust.

As a result of her intransigence, we had to lift a severely disabled person over an armrest. This may sound as nothing, but for her and for the helpers, an operation that is difficult had extra risks and was even more painful and distressing than it would be otherwise. I cannot tell you how disgusted I was. As I didn't want to inflame the situation, I stepped back, but I found it hard to contain myself as she berated another member of our group for "thinking HCPT own the plane". We simply asked for four people to change seats, so we could let two severly disabled people be moved on in safety. She said we "walked on like we owned the plane and simply were looking for the best seats for our group" I found this horrific. I've done this many times and have never seen another group put their own interests, before those of a disabled person before.

For some reason, this time I was far more acutely aware of this casual discrimintation. It is vile and in many ways it negated a lot of the good which a week of calm reflection had done. So can I sign off with a simple request. If you are travelling and you have a nice comfy seat, please give it up without needing to be asked if you see a disabled person or someone with greater need. Sure you may need to have a minor inconvenience, but I have seen first hand the issues disabled people face every day of their lives. Some cannot be avoided, but few cannot be negated with care and consideration.

Barnet Unison rep John Burgess to stand for election as general secretary

It has been announced that John Burgess, Barnet Unison rep has decided to seek election as general secretary of Unison. I could write a long blog explaining my reasons for giving John my 100% support and backing, and I will do once I've had a chance to properly speak to John but for now I will simply urge everyone who supports the concept of social justice to work their socks off to support Johns campaign.

Don't jump!

There are many times we make spur of the moment decisions. Some are good and some are bad. Sometimes we have to make a quick decision, such as when we are driving, but when we have time and the issue is important, we surely should listen to the arguments and base our decision on the best information and facts not prejudices.

Members of the Labour Party have just such a decision. Some commentators have stated that the length of time the process is taking is damaging, but we believe it is healthy and democratic. Most critics support candidates who have run abysmal campaigns and clearly have little to offer except a degree of profile. There only argument seems to be "the other guy will lose the next election" ignoring the fact that their own campaigns expose their lack of political savvy. If they can't even persuade their own side that they are the best potential Prime Minister, why on earth should anyone else believe them?

The only campaign that has sparked the publics interest is that of Jeremy Corbyn. He is the only candidate to put forward a positive agenda. As such he is the candidate who most deserves the job. His opponents state Labour cannot win with Corbyn at the helm. I disagree as he seems to be the only one who can string two coherent sentences together. If that makes you unelectable then God help us.

One Barnet - Mr Reasonable speaks

It is worth reminding ourselves that there were plenty of warnings about the dangers of outsourcing in Barnet. This is an interview with Mr Reasonable from 2014. I think it is fair to say that he's been proven right.

Stan Davison - Remembered

I thought I'd post this little clip of the full interview with Stan Davison. I was thinking about the Labour Leadership contest and I thought a little wisdom from Stan wouldn't go amiss. Whereever Stan is now, I am sure he's still running a good campaign.

The Saturday List #81 - My impossible bucket list

I'm not a believer in bucket lists. I think if you want to do something, do it. I've done most of the stuff I really wanted to. There will always be new stuff, so there is always stuff to do. But there is stuff I didn't do, which I will now never do because the chance has gone. If however Dr Who stops by in his Tardis, here is my impossible bucket list.

1. Get taken for a spin in my Dad's Wellington bomber in 1944. My Dad was a bomber pilot during WWII. I'd loved to see him in action flying his plane. It would be pretty scary, but I'd miss the Ploesti trip where he got shot down. I know him and his crew got back from the rest in one piece!
2. Take the Blue Midland Pullman from St Pancras to Manchester Central Station. This service ran until around 1966. It used to pass my house in Mill Hill around 11am. At the time, there were green diesel engines with red coaaches and green multiple units. But there was only one Blue Train. As a four year old, I used to get really upset if I missed seeing "The Blue Train" pass the window. Mrs O'Keefe, who used to clean the house for my mum and was a lovely lady from Co Kerry, the nearest thing to a Grandma I had, usd to make sure she'd come up and we'd watch together. She told me it was "The luxury Express to Manchester" which sounded impossibly glamarous. She even got me a book with a picture of it in for my 4th Birthday. Sadly they don't run "Luxury Expresses from St Pancras to Manchester" anymore. The service terminated at Manchester Central Station, which is now the G-Mex centre. Out of curiosity, I googled it a few years ago. It was indeed a first class only luxury service. It convinced me that Blue was the right colour to associate with Manchester!
3. See The Clash at the Music Machine. It was a gig I missed. I had "something better to do". The music machine was my favourite venue and The Clash were in their absolute prime. I just assumed that I'd go next time. A bad mistake.
4. Visit Berlin and see the wall fall. When Bowie released Heroes, I was intrigued. I wanted to go to Berlin and see the wall. Back in the 1970's and 80's we didn't have budget airlines and I was skint. If I knew then what I know now, I'd have moved heaven and earth to get there for one of the most iconic moments of our time. Instead I watched it in a pub!
5. See Manchester City beat Newcastle United 2-1 to win the 1976 League Cup final and see Dennis Tuearts overhead bicycle kick, which was the winner. I thought long and hard about whether this would be my football moment or whether England vs Germany would be. In the end I went for this as it was at the height of my youthful football obsession. i was too young to remember the world cup victory well, however Tuearts goal to win the League cup was just a brilliant moment in my life that I missed.
6. See Ali Vs Frasier (1). I love Muhammed Ali, to me he is iconic, the greatest boxer ever. But if I had to pick a fight of his to see, I'd love to see his first fight against Joe Frasier. I also love Joe Frasier. Ali had it all in some ways, the banter the aura. But I loved the way Frasier was just a boxer. If ever you saw the two men on chat shows, it was clear who the star was. I always felt that Ali's personality and aura totally overshadowed him. However on that night, it didn't. Of all the fights, I think it was the most interesting. I find it quite sad that Frasier will only ever be a footnote. He deserves a bit better. He was the only man to beat Ali at his peak. To me that makes him pretty unique. As my Dad was an Aussie with no interest in football, boxing was the iconic sport in our home. Those fights made a lasting impression on me. I'd have taken my Dad as well!
7. Drive an E-Type Jag at full pelt from Bunns Lane Works to Watford on the M1 and back and chalk the time on the wall of my Dad's workshop. There has only ever been one car I really wanted, that is a blue E-Type Jag. I am not a petrol head, but I loved the E-Type. Not the convertable, that is for posers, the proper job with the roof. When my Dad ran his crash repair business, if a new sports car came in for repairs, before he gave it back, he'd thrash it up the M1 to Watford at full pelt and back and clock the time on his workshop wall. He always said this was a "necessary safety check". As a driver, he was a complete maniac. I am not, but I'd make an exception. However he used to do it in the 1960's and 70's at around 8pm, when the roads are clear. No chance of that now!
8. Save the bottom of my garden from the chainsaw of the man who "cleared it". Until I was six or seven, the bottom of my garden (I still live in the house I grew up in, bought it from Mum in 1987 after Dad passed away) was a magical place. There was the big apple tree, that was full of lovely apples in the autumn. There was the sad, old lonely pear treee, that only ever had one pear a year in it. There was the "Rose Gazebo" planted by the old ladies my folks bought the house off. There was "The ditch", full of leeches, frogspwan and sticklebacks with its magic spring. Then my Dad "paid a Paddy" to "clear it". All of this was destroyed (apart from the ditch which my Dad filled in the year after, when Valerie fell in). I can remember my complete horror when I saw what had been done. My Dad was made to feel so quilty. I've spent years trying to repair the damage. We have a pond, apple and pear trees, but the magic has never quite returned. I am sure if I could have shown my Dad what it would look ike and how my sisters reacted, he'd have thought twice. It taught me a valuable lesson. It is easy to destroy magic and hard to make it.
9. Have you ever gone home early because you are tired and missed the best night ever? Actually I haven't, there is something in my DNA that prevents me from doing that. But if I had that Tardis, I would have persuaded myself to do just that sometime back in the early 1980's. You see because I stayed up, I caught two people kissing and that completely changed my opinion of one of them. I really wished I hadn't because that one is still a friend and when I see them now, I still think of that scene and it still occasionally troubles me. Some things are actually better not to know.
10. And finally. Anyone else remember Jack Geache's clothes shop in Harrow. Used to be the shop where all the Teds went for their 1950's outfits. They had a pair of purple suede shoes in the window. I really wanted to buy them but they were a squillion quid and I was skint. So I never did. I happen to believe that if you've never owned a pair of purple suede shoes, you ain't really a proper rock and roll guitarist and that is a problem for me. For my 18th birthday my mum asked me what I wanted and I said "It's really expensive and you can only get them from Geaches in Harrow and they are Purple Suede Shoes". My mum, to my amazement said "You are only 18 once so we'll see what we can do". On the day, I got a shoe box with a pair of Hush Puppies inside. I asked her why she got me them. She said "I made your father drive me to Harrow to get you the ones you wanted, but they were really expensive and these are far more practical". My Dad who was an altogether more generous soul and got what having the right clobber was all about simply stood looking shamefaced and embarrassed (not enough though, to nip up and get the shoes). Have a great weekend.