Are there really opportunities in Tottenham?

I was a bit surprised when British Prime Minister David Cameron said there were opportunities in Tottenham on television last night. Whenever I go there, I am surprised how little the place has changed over the years. Let's hope Spurs will be able to build its new stadium at White Hart Lane, which might give the area a bit of pep.

Education minister Michael Gove is still with us!!

With the United Kingdom falling foul of Murdochmania, the education minister Michael Gove is still trundling along. I suppose his reforms might work but they could take a long time to make the normal, bog-standard comprehensive any different. The move to
academy status and giving head teachers more independence might help but there are not enough inspirational head teachers to go round.

In an interesting article former Education minister Estelle Morris says there is no
big picture strategy just quite a few minor changes based on a narrow political focus.

It looks like Michael Gove is sinking without trace.

It looks like the UK Coalition Government's schools minister Michael Gove is sinking without trace. His "free schools" policy seems to be hitting the buffers while each major decision has to be followed by a U-turn. I have to accept that it is not easy stepping up from a job of newspaper columnist to running a major government department and certainly not easy dealing with the educational establishment in England. Apparently, Mr Gove is a good friend of Prime Minister David Cameron, but perhaps that will not save him from the axe.

I don't think the Department of Education expected to clamp down on the possible teaching of creationism by potential free schools and it is difficult to argue against the assertion from "Labour at the Chalkface" that Gove is incompetent.

The wheels are already falling off the coalition's policy for universities.

The wheels are already falling off the coalition government's policy for English universities. I don't think the powers-that-be expected universities such as Exeter,
Manchester and Essex to start charging £9000 a year. We can thank two brain
David Willetts for that.
Last week's Sunday Times was a bit depressing. James Dyson said it was madness educating our competitors and complained that some Chinese students were spies while there was a story that Oxford University was not taking cheating and plagiarism seriously.

I went to a polytechnic and we had quite a few lessons during the week and we were expected to go them. The common refrain from students is that they have acres of free time and the experience is not quite as portrayed in the prospectus. I do feel sorry for university lecturers trying to teach the increase in student numbers and do research. However, it was unfair for some lecturers to go on strike recently in defence of their pensions. That is an issue, which should be negotiated.

I was impressed by Jack Wilshere last Saturday.

I was impressed by Jack Wilshere playing for England v Wales last Saturday. Perhaps it represents a change of policy for his Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to try and develop local talent. I read in the Sunday Times that Arsenal is the team, which has employed the most foreigners in the last few years and Arsene always complains about the alleged rough-house tactics of lesser teams such as Stoke, something never stated by Man Utd's Fergie, who usually treats the opposition with
respect. However, Arsenal have a good chance of winning the league this year and it will be interesting to see if they take it.

It must be hard for Wilshere playing with the least-talented Brazilian (Denilson) in the Premier League, although there are reports that a host of Brazilian youngsters will be joining Man Utd soon like Fabio and Rafael with the scam of getting Portuguese passports. Personally, I don't think Fabio and Rafael will make it as full backs since they are too small and you just lob the ball over their heads. Denilson is apparently a home-grown player but if that is true I am a banana.

Dave looks a bit weak about the Big Society

British prime minister David Cameron did not look too convincing about his promotion of the "Big Society" yesterday. Anyway that is my view. In most areas the local council is the main player because it holds the purse strings and thereby has the resources to carry out projects.
Although councils can be much maligned in many locations they do have the expertise to help run schools and look after the elderly. Perhaps these activities can be outsourced to private providers to save money but look at the problems of the private care home operator Southern Cross loaded up with debt by private equity
purchasers.

In addition, it is a sad state of affairs that most English people do not want to volunteer for anything. Most don't want to know their neighbours and perhaps we have a duplication of charities (too many of them). Existing volunteers are perhaps dismayed by the lack of a new generation of people coming through.

Also, the British government has no shown no sign of working with civil institutions such as trade unions, churches, mosques, temples etc, which already do their best in helping people participate in society.

It looks like Dave and Gideon are feeling the heat.

Dear Reader, it looks like the Old Etonian mafia are feeling the heat. The Royal British Legion has accused the government of breaking the military covenant while increased job losses in the pipeline are not going to help stimulate economic confidence. Some public sector workers (and I say this with a heavy heart) will not find private sector conditions very conducive. Lower holidays, can't go on sickies and no pension plan (although we will have this stuff and nonsense called NEST coming your way soon)are not particularly attractive to some people in the UK public sector (especially amongst Catholic public sector people in Northern Ireland, I suppose it is part of a Gandhi-style disobedience campaign).

I am sure disaffected public sector voters will vote for Labour at the next election but if this is four years away then it would be simply too late for them. New Labour had already initiated cutbacks in the National Health Service (NHS)such as the planned closure of A&E departments like Enfield Chase Farm. (See Note***)

Changing the subject it is a shame NEST was not up and running a few years ago and we would still have some more British companies, which have been since swallowed up by foreigners, to invest in. The roll-call includes Cadburys, Smith & Nephew, Wellstream and British Oxygen (BOC). Here, everything is up for sale. The City is like Wimbledon. We host the tournament but don't win it. Even the Spanish bought up Bristol Water, Luton Aiport, BAA and O2. While our major investment was the massive amount of money wasted on the Vodafone acquisition of the German company Mannesmann Telecom.
Makes you glad to be English!!

Gawd knows why the London Stock Exchange (LSE) wants to merge with Toronto Stock Exchange. I suppose it is to get rid of the threats from the French and Germans.


Note*** Chase Farm was originally a profitable hospital then it was shunted into a joint operation with Barnet General. Now it is threatened with closure because greedy w***ers see a nice little earner selling off the site for houses