Why our Education System is destroying British values.

I constantly used to hear at school about the 'National Curriculum'. What national curriculum? Successive governments over the years have given away control of education to the local councils, regional assemblies and parliaments and private business. The very concept of a national curriculum would be that all school children would learn and study the same things across the country. 

Let's use an example- it's called Scotland. Now historically, Scotland has always been allowed to maintain a degree of independence in the areas of education but you look at the curriculums at schools, colleges and universities in Scotland and 'British' themes are rarely studied. The Acts of Union with England and the formation of Great Britain are not discussed in history lessons. Instead they get nationalist, SNP drivel about William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and that nasty English king, Edward I. University courses discuss the 'Scottish Enlightenment'. Important as that is- why is not studied in a wider British context? After all, it happened under the Union! English lessons in Scotland and Wales look strictly at Scottish and Welsh writers. Is there any wonder why the United Kingdom is falling apart around us? And the nationalists are on the rise? There are so many examples I could use. Giving away central government control of the education curriculum is destroying the very concept of Britishness and is giving way to false notions of Scottishness, Welshness and of course Englishness.

Secondly, let's look at the rise of Islamic extremism in schools. Again, this is because schools have been given far too much autonomy to run their own affairs. These schools are regulated by that travesty called OFSTED. Schools have been infiltrated by fundamentalists whom teach pupils that Islamic law has primacy over British laws. Again, further eroding our values and even more damaging, preventing integration. Christianity, Hinduism and Judaism are chastised and taught appalling if at all. One school I heard on the news today was claiming their pupils would go to hell if they studied music and dance!! This is absolutely unacceptable but yet becoming more common. What's the government doing about it?

My final point here is the lesson that we all know as 'Citizenship'. That's funny because all I could remember studying was how to get a girl pregnant, flavoured condoms and how I was told it was okay to have sex under age. Sex education in schools has caused enormous damage to society- exemplified by the 'chav' phenomenon in the late 1990s. I remember pupils looking forward to their 'Citizenship' lessons every week. In my opinion, sex and sexuality are things to be explored by oneself. Sex is a journey in discovering yourself as well as others. It should be done in a private/personal capacity. It is most definitely something schools should not be 'teaching'. Again, this comes down to the lack of a curriculum and the autonomy of schools. I'm sure many reading this section will think I'm a prude killjoy but it's a serious issue that I cannot fully explain in a blog post. Although if people want, I can write a much more detailed post on this area.

However in Citizenship we should be teaching children how to exercise their democratic rights. Institutions of the country like the monarchy, Parliament and the Church of England. We should be encouraging public service and charity. British values such as liberty and tolerance. Is there any wonder why political apathy is so high in Britain? And also why women are still under represented in politics? Sixth form college was the first time I got to study politics and it was completely dominated by men. If everyone studies these things earlier then interest would be more likely to develop across the genders. Kids today are rude, arrogant and far less intelligent than our global partners.

"Education, education, education" was the Blair quote and he was absolutely right. Education is the fundamental core of our society and it is failing it in every single way. Don't be surprised if the United Kingdom breaks up in our lifetime. Don't be surprised when more terrorist attacks happen on our streets. Don't be surprised as teenage pregnancies continue to rise. 'Broken Britain'? I couldn't agree more.

Why the House of Lords is a fine institution.

This week, Ed Miliband has said Labour will replace the House of Lords with an 'elected Senate' if they win the general election in May 2015. The left has an obsession with tearing down old Great British institutions like the Lords, the Monarchy, the Church of England. They hate these historical institutions because they see them as symbols of privilege, oppression and discrimination. The facts and even public opinion suggest how wrong they are to tamper. The old cliche of course: 'if it ain't broken, don't fix it'.

The House of Lords of course historically was a forum for the great landed magnates and high clergy of Medieval England and that aspect of its history was of its time and is no longer with us. Most of the hereditary peers were removed in the late 1990s by the New Labour government. Again, they saw these ghastly fox murdering bastards as they like to believe as symbols of everything that was wrong with Britain. In fact many of them were in deep financial difficulty, many were active in charity and barely any had a large degree of influence over government policy. But since the Lords reforms of the Blair era, some just can't help themselves and want to see the whole thing, an institution over 800 years old just cast into the dustbin of history. 

In it's current formation, the House of Lords is primarily made up of 'Life Peers'- those given a seat by governments with approval from Buckingham Palace. Some of them are well knows faces. The recent death of Richard Attenborough was a loss for the Lords, a man hugely involved in charity, promoting Britain abroad and a man committed to a progressive worldview. Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Alan Sugar have both done enormous work for charity and sit in the Lords. The other peers are mostly experts in a particular field. Science, commerce, religion, technology, charity, those who have fought for justice such as Gary Newlove's wife and Stephen Lawrence's mother, poets and linguists also reside there, experts in various fields of law- they are all represented here. It doesn't matter where they come from or their backgrounds, the House of Lords is supposed and often rightly scrutinises the legislation which comes from the House of Commons. The feckless careerists in the Commons should look to their colleagues in the Lords with respect and dignity. 

Another important point is that the public cannot fathom the idea of more elected politicians from private schools who don't understand the real world or real people. The same applies to the idea of an elected head of state. The public have far more admiration for Her Majesty the Queen than any elected politician could ever dream of. She is highly respected on the global stage, herself and her family chair an enormous amount of charities and they bring in far more revenue to the UK than they take. These days, there own personal estates account for much of their revenue and local jobs. 

The House of Lords is a far more dignified institution than the House of Commons is. The debate in the Lords is often non-partisan and intelligent, sensible discussions usually take place there than you will ever see in the Commons. The Commons every Wednesday at 12 observes a spectacle not unseen from a pantomime whereas you don't see that kind of behaviour in the Lords- an elected Senate will create new levels of partisan nonsense and childish screaming and bitching. Of course nothing last forever, but it would truly be a disaster for British democracy, tradition, common sense and respect if the Lords became another victim of the fantasties and crusades of the left.