Apparently we're not democratic enough

In The Times today, Carol Midgley rightly criticises how artificial society’s endless series of examinations are, blaming our “elitist” attitude to education for allowing this system to overlook intelligent children. She points out the likes of Sir Tom Jones, Simon Cowell, Delia Smith, Sir Alan Sugar, Jamie Oliver, Duncan Bannatyne, Sir Richard Branson and Sir Philip Green all never advanced beyond the level of GCSE, but she overlooks that out of 100 people you would be lucky to find one with the genius of her examples. Ms Midgley’s propositions in themselves contradict her claims of elitism, for our education is structured to fit the majority and sadly the small number of geniuses will always be overlooked. To favour the budding Bransons of our society would require us to be intellectually elitist, which many would see as a positive change, but the majority will be unable to reap the benefits and for that reason no government would ever implement such a move.

Pretending to care

As The Times reports eco-obsession driving rifts within middle class families, I ask the question should are we getting worked up for the right reasons?

There have been a number of reports around the Copenhagen conference questioning the level of our concern over climate change and raising doubts about the predictions of the world ending by 2050. Just like any scientific issue there will always be discrepancies regarding the figures that are put out, and ordinarily we would encourage debate over the accuracy and correctness of the results.

However in such a situation where the fate of the world hangs in the balance can we afford to spend time arguing over when the world will end? Is it right for governments to use scientists to score points with a generally slow changing society? The cabinet will enjoy their time in power, embezzle some public funds and go away leaving their successors to take the blame for their dubious choices. I implore you to see sense; we should overestimate the impact on the environment, for the sake of the survival of our planet, rather than finding out that we are in fact too late.

Political irresponsibility has bred social neglect. Politicians selfishly look at what they can gain in their short term rather than how their policies can correctly implemented. I urge you all to drop the apathy and push your MPs to do the job they are paid for.

The Fountain of Plenty

Today The Guardian reports that universities expect to tighten belts even further in the forthcoming years, is the continuation of a worrying trend. Labour's appears to have accomplished their 1997 promise of "Education, Education, Education" yet I cannot help but feel that the quality of education has diminished considerably.

As a nation on paper we seem better educated than we have ever been, more of us are now achieving degrees, A-levels and GCSEs than ever, and as a result resources are now spread more thinly than they have ever been. Top institutes have resorted to finding financing elsewhere, frequently in the form of generous donors and wealthy international students. My university, Imperial College London in particular, has benefitted from noughties boom and industry’s funding. So at the end of the decade we find ourselves in the favourable position where three of the world’s top five universities are British. However all good things had to come to an end, the bankers our universities worked so hard to produce drove the world into economic meltdown, and this fountain of plenty has dried up.

Now of all times, it is critical for us to be supporting our top institutes, producing the cutting edge work, the Nobel Laureates and the solutions to our global problems. For now let’s forget political correctness, equality and fairness. Ditch the talk of underprivileged to Oxbridge, the 50% of the population to university, and the Mickey Mouse Degrees (and universities). For the sake of our nation, let’s make a few sacrifices for our universties. If we don’t in by the end of this decade we will definitely find ourselves a second rate country.

BOGOF

Imagine this: getting back home and you wonder what shall I have for dinner tonight? Actually, I can't be bothered to cook, I'll get a ready meal. When you reach the checkout the cashier thoughtfully informs you 'this product is on buy one get one free' (supermarkets always seem to have an endless supply of slightly overpriced taste the finest microwaveable lasagne) and you see no reason to turn down a half price dinner, and take up the offer.

Now you're settled down on the couch, in front of your TV with a plastic tray of barely-beef bolognese, interspersed in sheets of pasta and now you're thinking when I was a student this was a real luxury compared to baked beans. Therefore the other pack is then left in the fridge, after you decide that it's best to cook dinner in future.

Ready meals only make sense if you're a student, and BOGOF deals makes them even more pointless because everyone loses out. You still end up paying the full price for your serves-not-quite-one ready meal, you end up throwing out the other when it's gone mouldy, in the fridge and the supermarket is halving its profit...oh and also you'll probably end up getting one cancer, or a heart attack from it. And by the next week you've forgotten how bad it is, and go out an buy another two ready meals.

Welcome all

The idea of a comfortable life of 2.4 kids, and a wife at home in the ‘burbs sounds wonderful, but do we really think comfortable is enough? We all aspire to more, to enjoy luxuries and freedom from the daily grind. Fundamentally the American Dream is highly appealing but realistically it was doomed to fail, we would always want more.

Before we knew it we had been lured into self gratification, we spend £2000 on Balenciaga bags to make us look and feel A-list special. We delude ourselves that we need more than comfortable, the dream has become a twisted insatiable nightmare.

I convince myself it's all so pretty, and that's why I buy into this designer thing, but even I've fallen foul and caved to retail therapy too. So my aim is to try and find a new ideal to aspire to something more morally correct, more sustainable, and I hope you enjoy this journey too, and as with any media: don't believe a word it says! Go form your own conclusions and arguments.