Bag's Rants

Try, try and try again.

It's a good philosophy in many ways. Keep going and never give up. That seems to be our governments mantra for everything. Implement it and just keep going. Oh! We are up to our knees in water. Keep going. We are up to our waists now. Keep going. Oh! It's getting deeper. It's up to our necks now. Keep going. It's going to work out OK it always does. (Gurgle gurgle. Cries for help and sound of thrashing. Lifeguards rush to fill out the 45 page questionnaire and tick all the fairy boxes. Then, 30 minutes later, they rush out. It's ominously quiet. Maybe they managed to save themselves.)

Ooops, another bunch drowned. That's the fifth lot since we started this. Let's hold an enquiry. Hutton wrote an interesting read last time lets get him to investigate. Huttons reports indicated it was because they were unfit. Not able to swim for 45 minutes with a 240lb rucksack non stop. Therefore our policy was sound it was because they need to be fitter. So keep issuing the 240lb rucksacks and implement a policy where we spend more time swimming at infant school. That should help them.

It seems that our government are yet again tinkering with things, in this case the education system, although it covers everything they grip in their sticky paws. Read here about the new proposals to keep our ill educated kids off the dole figures but, obviously, still on the state payroll.

It seems that there will be an obligation, not just on the pupil, but on their parents and, interestingly enough, employers. It seems that every school leaver is 'entitled' to an apprenticeship place. The government claims that it has "successfully revived" the idea of apprenticeships after their "near extinction". Yes, that's what it laughingly says. Clearly not happy with reducing the value of our qualifications they are moving on to reduce the value of apprenticeships. And, I don't understand, how are they going to ensure that there are enough. Oh wait! Let me guess. Quotas. That sounds familiar. They must be looking at firms providing apprenticeships like they did for free a few decades ago. Now of course we will have to pay for them and firms over a certain size will probably have to make them available. The rest will have an apprenticeship in 'Public bodies' where they can work for our inefficient councils. Now that will be an apprenticeship worth something I'm sure.

I'm also interested in how they will make parents responsible for 16, 17 and 18 year olds. Parenting orders and the obvious fines for parents of kids who cant control at 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 now are expected to control them for a further two years. Politicians heads are only there so they can see in 3D and hear in stereo. Clearly they don't have any other use for them. Personally If I had kids like some of these I'd be kicking mine out at 16 and won't that be interesting. Old enough to get married, have kids and yet too young to stay at home and watch the kids. Oh dear. Better get some creches set up in schools as well then.

Personally I thing 16 is the right age. But they need to make sure they are actually learning things. They can make it any ages they want to make sure they keep their teachers employed, including the useless ones, and voting for them but unless they leave school able to read, rite and do sums they are just pouring more money down a, clearly, bottomless pit just to buy a few votes and give a show to the rest of the gullible public that they are on top of it. Jeez, it doesn't even start to come in until 2013. We are writing off another 5 years worth of school leavers. By the time this lot is finished a complete generation will be classed at an almost illiterate level.

Well, I suppose having a third world education system fits nicely with a third world society and ran by a third world dictatorship. All hail the state.

posted by Bag @ 11:47 am