WOT ELECTION

Yeah I might post something later...

In the meantime Doctor Who #10: The Musical!!

Warning: Potty-mouth Lily Allen is featured




ht: The Bish

NHS

So we get our info packs about the central information spine for the NHS, plus the way to opt out.

But while myself and the wife got our info, our daughter's is missing - as in never arrived.

Does this mean that she cannot opt out?

Does this mean that the state has decided that we, as her parents and (for legal speak) her legal guardians, cannot decide what is in her best interest?

We're going to try and opt her out and see what happens!

ELECTION POST (honest, not the Doctor)

Nope, the Daleks!!!

This week's RT cover

TEACHERS

Expect the teachers' unions to go ape this morning after the Tories launch their manifesto.

I know it is traditionally left-wing but the attitudes of some teachers beggar belief. They are meant to be there to educate children, not indoctrinate children to fit with their own world-view.

Also, why, when standards have fallen, has no-one looked at the actual teachers involved?

It cannot just be the system at fault. My kid goes to an excellent school and although extremely bright, she was behind on her reading. A combination of being the youngest in her class and a fear of failure (she's a perfectionist, must get it from her grandparents!) contributed to this.

So her school gave her extra tuition and now you can't move in our place without falling over a pile of books that she carts around the flat!

So if one set of teachers can do this, surely it is reasonable to assume that in bad cases, there are teachers that are failing in their primary duty - isn't it?

On a lighter note - how kids in America were wished a happy holiday by their Maths teacher

HT: Geekchic

EH OH

Dammit someone beat me to a photoshop about the retro (Tory) cover from the Labour manifesto

PANTS ON FIRE

Now this is interesting.

For years Gordo has been dismissing claims that Labour has overseen a decline in the rankings of the UK.

This election so far has been littered with blatant scare tactics and lies from the Labour Party over Conservative intentions.

So let me be the first to congratulate them, for once, for telling the truth about our global status in of all places, their last manifesto.



For those of you hard of eyesight it reads:

1997-2005: Britain, the fourth largest economy in the world, with the longest ever period of continuous growth

So post 2005, we were a) no longer the fourth largest economy in the world and
b) Stopped growing.

Well, honesty is refreshing sometimes.

Pic ht: Holborn

SERVANTS

Actually there is one thing I want to comment about. The role of the Civil Service in GE-time.

The one thing that has bemused me in the last twenty years or so is the so-called neutrality of the Civil Service.

During elections, the government can call on the offices of state to fisk opposition policies -why?

Why should a political party be allowed to use the mechanisms of State to get themselves back into power?

Why should the taxpayer that may not even vote for them, pay the wages of the Civil Service just so it can do the sitting political party's election politics?

Surely from the moment of seeing the Queen, all researchers, press officers etc that are employed by the Crown (ie Us) should cease to be involved. If Labour want to fisk something then they should use their own staff, not ours.

MEH

I know I haven't written much about the election but I think I know why

I love politics, I have a degree in politics, but this election has just left me flat. which is odd.

One of the most venal, corrupt and incompetant governments in UK history is at the final furlong - I should be jumping up and down in joy at the chance that it maybe removed, finally.

But, but, I'm disinterested - nothing's sparking for me.

Is it that the troughers have affected my appetite, I don't think so.

The campaign has been on for a week and with the government coming out with blatent rubbish and the Tories not finding that core message, the whole thing (attm) is leaving me, well, a bit meh.

And if I'm thinking like that, what on earth is the ordinary "man-on-the-street" thinking right now?

JUST LOVELY

Spring seems to have made an appearance here in London so to add the niceness of the day, here's a film from Neil Gaiman about his new book with Charles Vess, enjoy

FLIGHT CHECK

OK this is cool, check out what flights are up attm over Europe

AND THEY'RE OFF

Here we go then


But hang on...isn't the Prime Minister meant to announce an election to the House of Commons not on the doorstep of Number 10????

HATE HOUR

An extraordinary story in the Sunday Times about the police installing CCTV inside people's homes to try an crack down on crime (I would link but Murdoch's gone behind firewall).

There is a brilliant contradiction in the article:

...police say they will collect footage from the cameras if other "serious offences", such as domestic violence or murders, are committed

Ok at least they are upfront about that but... then it goes on -

[Chief Inspector Martin] Kinchin denied the cameras curtailed civil liberties. "It's something that is done with the consent of the home owner...so a lot of the systems they will switch on when they leave the house and switch off when they're at home"

Can you spot the discrepancy?

And is everyone ready for the exercise and hate hours?

STAR WARS KITTEH

Yeah, I know, i know, but it's kinda a phoney war at the moment, am waiting for the guns to really fire off and the fun to begin.