So literacy and numeracy hit squads are on the loose in Glasgow.
But why, after 8 years of a Labour Government, enough time for children entering primary to be educated by the time the reach secondary school, are primary results still so appalling.
Well, let’s start of with what it is not the problem. It is not that “poor” children are stupid. That is an insult perpetrated daily in the media that people from poor back grounds will naturally do less well at school. Poor results are always talked about in terms of being from a deprived area. But are not all children are equal at birth?
So, if it’s not the fact they are poor and therefore inherently stupid, is it because of poor facilities? Er, no. Take Glasgow with some of the most modern primary schools in Scotland, and the poorest results according to the results published four weeks ago week. So it’s not the infrastructure.
What about the teachers? Well, given you can only teach if you qualify, and given, again in Glasgow that most of the teachers come from only two excellent academic institutions, I think we can safely say that teachers are not to blame. Indeed, they work harder and under more stress than I guess many of us ever will.
So everything inside the school gates is as it should be. So the problem must be out with the gates. And that can only mean one place. The home.
So let’s stop blaming children, teachers, poverty or facilities. The real problem is the total lack of involvement in the lives and education of children by their parents or guardians. And that is the problem Labour and others of their ilk will not or are too scared to tackle.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Monday, December 19, 2005
The Shires vs West Lothian Question
A few weeks ago in The Telegraph, Simon Heffer argued a good case in respect of the West Lothian Question. But there is one slight flaw in Simmon Heffers comments on the West Lothian Question and that is he only tackles half the problem. If he wants a truly representative settlement, then he needs to look wider.
For example, in the UK Cabinet, we have around the table all the Great Offices of state which are UK wide. And that is entirely correct.
But we also have England only offices such as Health and Education to name but two who sit at the UK table. Are we not all heartily sick of hearing Ruth Kelly being called the Education Secretary. She's not. She is the Education Secretary for England.
So as well as banning Scots voting on English issues, what we should do is not have these England only offices at the Cabinet table otherwise, quite rightly, Scots will ask why they are at UK cabinet given they do not represent the UK.
Instead, bring in an English Secretary of State to whom all these offices would report.
We had it that way in Scotland until Devolution. The whole of Scotland's interests were represented at Cabinet level by one person. And it worked. It was truly joined up government. And it saved a fortune in costs.
If it was good enough for us Scots for 100s of years, then it’s good enough for England now. That would bring a really fair settlement.
So a fair settlement with English MPs only on English issues and a Secretary of State for England who can sit along side other Secretaries of State for Scotland NI and Wales would be the perfect solution to the West Lothian Question
For example, in the UK Cabinet, we have around the table all the Great Offices of state which are UK wide. And that is entirely correct.
But we also have England only offices such as Health and Education to name but two who sit at the UK table. Are we not all heartily sick of hearing Ruth Kelly being called the Education Secretary. She's not. She is the Education Secretary for England.
So as well as banning Scots voting on English issues, what we should do is not have these England only offices at the Cabinet table otherwise, quite rightly, Scots will ask why they are at UK cabinet given they do not represent the UK.
Instead, bring in an English Secretary of State to whom all these offices would report.
We had it that way in Scotland until Devolution. The whole of Scotland's interests were represented at Cabinet level by one person. And it worked. It was truly joined up government. And it saved a fortune in costs.
If it was good enough for us Scots for 100s of years, then it’s good enough for England now. That would bring a really fair settlement.
So a fair settlement with English MPs only on English issues and a Secretary of State for England who can sit along side other Secretaries of State for Scotland NI and Wales would be the perfect solution to the West Lothian Question
Nine things Councils don't want you to know about 'speed humps'
Have you noticed the new speed humps that have been appearing across the country? Small red square pyramid ones. Big Red ones stretching across a road. Massive big black ones. Perhaps the most aggressive ones I have come across are on Maxwell Avenue in Bearsden, near Glasgow. Try them. Just don’t sue me for the damage it may cause.
But I have to ask the question, why are they being installed? “To slow the traffic” I hear you say.
But do they work? And what are the consequences of installing them beyond the slowing of traffic.
On 3 July 2002 the UK Parliament debated them. Many voices were raised in concerns about them. But what came of that? Nothing.
So, let us take a look at them. Why are they so controversial?
The first point is, depending upon the vehicle and the hump design, going over a hump at a higher speed may cause less discomfort than a lower speed. Strange but true. This point was amazingly demonstrated by Sergeant Mike Peck, a Police officer from Humberside, who boasted that his new Subaru Impreza patrol car could 'skim' speed humps at 70 mph! And it did! So much for slowing traffic.
A second point is on the environmental impact. Accelerating after negotiating a hump generates more pollution than if the hump hadn't been there. And as humps are invariably near children, think of all the nice fumes they are enjoying. Research carried out in Austria on a mile long stretch of road with six humps and a 40kph speed limit showed that cars negotiating the humps emitted 10 times more nitrogen oxide, 3 times more poisonous carbon monoxide, and 25% more carbon dioxide, than vehicles maintaining a constant speed. And fuel consumption rose from 7.9 litres to nearly 10 litres per 100 km. And the UKs Transport Research Laboratory has conducted emissions tests on roads with a 75 metre hump spacing and found CO emissions increased by 70–80%, Hydro-carbons by 70–100%, and CO2 by 50–60%. . I didn’t know that! Did you? So have the Councils carried out an environmental audit?
Point three is noise. Speed humps actually increase noise levels. Have you heard a milk float in a residential areas at 5 o'clock in the morning going over bumps? And vehicles accelerating after a hump generate more noise than had they been travelling at a constant speed. Such is the impact of the noise generated by bumps that the issue is being tackled by the Noise Abatement Society
Fourthly, have you noticed how your car jolts as it goes over, even at a slow speed? Well, repeatedly traversing humps causes long-term damage to vehicle components, especially the suspension. This in turn has serious implications for safety and stopping distances. Shock absorbers are key in ensuring vehicles are able to stop effectively and safely - perhaps if a child ran in front of a car. And if you live in an area with humps, or use roads that are “humped”, do you notice how more frequently you are visiting HiQ or KwikFit? Speed humps are nothing more than inverted potholes. Whilst Councils readily admit that potholes are dangerous and cause damage to vehicles, they intentionally install speed humps which are just as dangerous, and then try to deny that they cause damage. I wonder if Councils knows that Fire Engines fitted with a water tank containing up to 2,250 litres may suffer structural damage so great that it puts the appliance off the road, and results in a massive repair bill? And someone always has to pay in the end. In Hastings in November 2002, taxi fares were increased by 10p during the day and 20p at night to pay for the increased cost of maintenance due to damage caused by traversing speed humps up to 200 times per day. In 2004, the Metropolitan Police told the London Assembly that 34 of its vehicles had been damaged by speed bumps in a three month period. Who paid the cost? Us, the taxpayer!
A fifth point is the impact of vehicles traversing a speed hump. It sends shock waves through the ground. And depending upon the nature of the soil, the proximity and construction of buildings, the weight of vehicles, and the frequency of traffic, these shock waves may cause structural damage to nearby properties. If you don't believe that, read the official UK regulations stating where humps can be installed - they specifically exclude anywhere within 25m of bridges, subways, or tunnels. But not your house.
Sixthly, take care at night on roads with bumps because they cause headlight beams to rise. Oncoming traffic may be dazzled. And if you live on a road with them I bet you are fed up with the headlights dancing though your curtains.
Are you sitting comfortably? Well, point seven is that humps cause unnecessary discomfort to drivers and passengers. It’s a real pain in the backside! Bus drivers operating Gatwick Airport's Shuttle Service are being signed off sick because they are having to drive over 1600 humps per day. And in November 2003, bus drivers in Sheffield forced the council to remove speed humps after threatening to withdraw several bus services, and take legal action, because the frequent jolt from the humps was causing back pains. And if you are disabled, tough! Humps discriminate against the severely disabled, elderly frail people, and those with serious back or neck problems.
And if you think that once you leave behind your earthly coil you are freed from all this, sorry. Point eight is that for funeral cortèges, speed humps cause distress to mourners. Trying to drive a funeral vehicle conveying a coffin over a speed hump with any degree of dignity is simply impossible.
Point nine. I leave the most important point to last. The most serious of all is the delay which humps enforce on emergency vehicles.
Ambulances rushing an injured patient to hospital may have to slow to a ridiculously low speed to negotiate a hump; in cases of severe injury they may have to find an alternative route to avoid the hump altogether.
Karen Higginson of Avon Ambulance Service; reported in the Bath Chronicle in 2004 that "We already know from the London Ambulance Service that so-called 'traffic calming' causes over 500 deaths a year in London alone, and now the police have confirmed it affects their response times too. The evidence is clear — road humps are a menace which are endangering Londoners." If that doesn’t make you sit up and take notice, how about this from Brian Coleman, of the London Assembly. In 2003 he stated: "For every life saved through traffic calming, more are lost because of ambulance delays." It was a point echoed by Sigurd Reinton, Chairman, London Ambulance Service who noted in January 2003 that "They affect our attendance times. Each ramp delays our attendance by ten seconds. In fires, minutes can cost lives."
Talking of fires, you won’t be surprise to find that the Fire Brigade are not too keen either. Divisional Officer Dean Johns, London Fire Brigade; noted in October 2002. "We have certain standards to meet and we have to have vehicles at the scene of a Category A emergency within eight minutes. That's a life-or-death situation like a heart attack. Before road humps came in we used to be able to get from the station to the scene within the required time, but now it can take up to ten minutes."
So my advice is, don’t have a fire if there are speed bumps between you and the Fire Station.
Or the Ambulance Station. For according to Geoff Farnworth, divisional officer, North Yorkshire Ambulance Service; "Speed humps do slow our responses very much. These humps slow our vehicles to an absolute crawl, virtually having to come to a complete stop on some of them to avoid damaging our expensive vehicles. ... it would truly help our service to the citizens if we can get the truth out."
So, what benefits do speed bumps offer us in our towns and villages? They slow the traffic. Well, yes. But at what cost in life, in damage to our vehicles, in adding to the emission of noxious gassed from cars.
And know what? Most bizarrely, there is virtually no evidence speed humps have an impact on overall accident rates.
Surely our Councillors are not keeping the true facts of speed bumps from us?
So, how about instead we call for road safety initiatives to concentrate on better training that would make drivers realise the need to drive slowly in residential streets, and better police enforcement that would target those who do not act responsibly.
Then we all would be happy. And safe!
But I have to ask the question, why are they being installed? “To slow the traffic” I hear you say.
But do they work? And what are the consequences of installing them beyond the slowing of traffic.
On 3 July 2002 the UK Parliament debated them. Many voices were raised in concerns about them. But what came of that? Nothing.
So, let us take a look at them. Why are they so controversial?
The first point is, depending upon the vehicle and the hump design, going over a hump at a higher speed may cause less discomfort than a lower speed. Strange but true. This point was amazingly demonstrated by Sergeant Mike Peck, a Police officer from Humberside, who boasted that his new Subaru Impreza patrol car could 'skim' speed humps at 70 mph! And it did! So much for slowing traffic.
A second point is on the environmental impact. Accelerating after negotiating a hump generates more pollution than if the hump hadn't been there. And as humps are invariably near children, think of all the nice fumes they are enjoying. Research carried out in Austria on a mile long stretch of road with six humps and a 40kph speed limit showed that cars negotiating the humps emitted 10 times more nitrogen oxide, 3 times more poisonous carbon monoxide, and 25% more carbon dioxide, than vehicles maintaining a constant speed. And fuel consumption rose from 7.9 litres to nearly 10 litres per 100 km. And the UKs Transport Research Laboratory has conducted emissions tests on roads with a 75 metre hump spacing and found CO emissions increased by 70–80%, Hydro-carbons by 70–100%, and CO2 by 50–60%. . I didn’t know that! Did you? So have the Councils carried out an environmental audit?
Point three is noise. Speed humps actually increase noise levels. Have you heard a milk float in a residential areas at 5 o'clock in the morning going over bumps? And vehicles accelerating after a hump generate more noise than had they been travelling at a constant speed. Such is the impact of the noise generated by bumps that the issue is being tackled by the Noise Abatement Society
Fourthly, have you noticed how your car jolts as it goes over, even at a slow speed? Well, repeatedly traversing humps causes long-term damage to vehicle components, especially the suspension. This in turn has serious implications for safety and stopping distances. Shock absorbers are key in ensuring vehicles are able to stop effectively and safely - perhaps if a child ran in front of a car. And if you live in an area with humps, or use roads that are “humped”, do you notice how more frequently you are visiting HiQ or KwikFit? Speed humps are nothing more than inverted potholes. Whilst Councils readily admit that potholes are dangerous and cause damage to vehicles, they intentionally install speed humps which are just as dangerous, and then try to deny that they cause damage. I wonder if Councils knows that Fire Engines fitted with a water tank containing up to 2,250 litres may suffer structural damage so great that it puts the appliance off the road, and results in a massive repair bill? And someone always has to pay in the end. In Hastings in November 2002, taxi fares were increased by 10p during the day and 20p at night to pay for the increased cost of maintenance due to damage caused by traversing speed humps up to 200 times per day. In 2004, the Metropolitan Police told the London Assembly that 34 of its vehicles had been damaged by speed bumps in a three month period. Who paid the cost? Us, the taxpayer!
A fifth point is the impact of vehicles traversing a speed hump. It sends shock waves through the ground. And depending upon the nature of the soil, the proximity and construction of buildings, the weight of vehicles, and the frequency of traffic, these shock waves may cause structural damage to nearby properties. If you don't believe that, read the official UK regulations stating where humps can be installed - they specifically exclude anywhere within 25m of bridges, subways, or tunnels. But not your house.
Sixthly, take care at night on roads with bumps because they cause headlight beams to rise. Oncoming traffic may be dazzled. And if you live on a road with them I bet you are fed up with the headlights dancing though your curtains.
Are you sitting comfortably? Well, point seven is that humps cause unnecessary discomfort to drivers and passengers. It’s a real pain in the backside! Bus drivers operating Gatwick Airport's Shuttle Service are being signed off sick because they are having to drive over 1600 humps per day. And in November 2003, bus drivers in Sheffield forced the council to remove speed humps after threatening to withdraw several bus services, and take legal action, because the frequent jolt from the humps was causing back pains. And if you are disabled, tough! Humps discriminate against the severely disabled, elderly frail people, and those with serious back or neck problems.
And if you think that once you leave behind your earthly coil you are freed from all this, sorry. Point eight is that for funeral cortèges, speed humps cause distress to mourners. Trying to drive a funeral vehicle conveying a coffin over a speed hump with any degree of dignity is simply impossible.
Point nine. I leave the most important point to last. The most serious of all is the delay which humps enforce on emergency vehicles.
Ambulances rushing an injured patient to hospital may have to slow to a ridiculously low speed to negotiate a hump; in cases of severe injury they may have to find an alternative route to avoid the hump altogether.
Karen Higginson of Avon Ambulance Service; reported in the Bath Chronicle in 2004 that "We already know from the London Ambulance Service that so-called 'traffic calming' causes over 500 deaths a year in London alone, and now the police have confirmed it affects their response times too. The evidence is clear — road humps are a menace which are endangering Londoners." If that doesn’t make you sit up and take notice, how about this from Brian Coleman, of the London Assembly. In 2003 he stated: "For every life saved through traffic calming, more are lost because of ambulance delays." It was a point echoed by Sigurd Reinton, Chairman, London Ambulance Service who noted in January 2003 that "They affect our attendance times. Each ramp delays our attendance by ten seconds. In fires, minutes can cost lives."
Talking of fires, you won’t be surprise to find that the Fire Brigade are not too keen either. Divisional Officer Dean Johns, London Fire Brigade; noted in October 2002. "We have certain standards to meet and we have to have vehicles at the scene of a Category A emergency within eight minutes. That's a life-or-death situation like a heart attack. Before road humps came in we used to be able to get from the station to the scene within the required time, but now it can take up to ten minutes."
So my advice is, don’t have a fire if there are speed bumps between you and the Fire Station.
Or the Ambulance Station. For according to Geoff Farnworth, divisional officer, North Yorkshire Ambulance Service; "Speed humps do slow our responses very much. These humps slow our vehicles to an absolute crawl, virtually having to come to a complete stop on some of them to avoid damaging our expensive vehicles. ... it would truly help our service to the citizens if we can get the truth out."
So, what benefits do speed bumps offer us in our towns and villages? They slow the traffic. Well, yes. But at what cost in life, in damage to our vehicles, in adding to the emission of noxious gassed from cars.
And know what? Most bizarrely, there is virtually no evidence speed humps have an impact on overall accident rates.
Surely our Councillors are not keeping the true facts of speed bumps from us?
So, how about instead we call for road safety initiatives to concentrate on better training that would make drivers realise the need to drive slowly in residential streets, and better police enforcement that would target those who do not act responsibly.
Then we all would be happy. And safe!
Olympic spirit
It has been reported that there is to be a “Muslim” quarter at the London Olympics.
Can we also expect quarters for Atheists, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and every other religion that is in attendance?
I also assume these facilities will all be of equal size and expenditure in relation to the number of athletes of other faiths attending. If not, the organisers are in danger of being taken to the courts for discrimination.
And there was me thinking the Olympic ideal was for the games to be a melting pot of all cultures and creeds.
Can we also expect quarters for Atheists, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and every other religion that is in attendance?
I also assume these facilities will all be of equal size and expenditure in relation to the number of athletes of other faiths attending. If not, the organisers are in danger of being taken to the courts for discrimination.
And there was me thinking the Olympic ideal was for the games to be a melting pot of all cultures and creeds.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Iraq
From a different angle
It may be Christmas here in the UK, the time for the larger of the Christian calendar celebrations. But in Iraq, Christmas is not the Big One. For Iraq's 800,000 strong Christian population, Easter is the biggest festival of the year. They call it 'the Major Feast' (Christmas is 'the Minor Feast') and celebrate it with a special Passion play in churches across the country that is unique to Iraqi Christians.
It's one of the oldest Christian communities in the world having been already well established by the time of the first major schism in 431 A.D, and has survived the coming of Islam, the sacking of Genghis Khan and the Mongol hordes, and the vicissitudes of life in modern Iraq.
One monastery dates back to 363 A.D. when a pilgrim called Matthew arrived as a hermit and founded it. It housed 7,000 monks at its height. But after the 9th century it suffered from repeated attacks as different military rulers swept through the area and today the large complex houses only two monks and a bishop.
But this monastery is famous throughout Iraq. Saddam Hussein's late uncle, Adnan Khairallah, who was for many years defence minister, went there in 1979 and asked for his wife to bear a child. The family are Sunni Muslims, but it's quite common for people in the Middle East to visit shrines of different religions. Khairallah's wish was granted, he told Saddam about the monastery, and the President went on two visits in 1980 and 1981.
And Iraqi Christians - many of them from the city of Mosul an hour's drive away - flock there at the big Christian festivals like Easter.
Father Adda Khidr Ablahad Al-Qiss is a small, jovial man with twinkling eyes and an extremely public appreciation of the generosity of President Saddam Hussein to his cliff-hanging monastery. "He gave a large donation to the monastery and we are still benefiting from it. We have used it to rebuild and repair the monastery. He offered to put everything right inside the monastery and out - except for the most ancient parts, which he ordered should stay as they were so people could see how old they were," Father Adda said. "The monastery is open to all sects and religions. We pray that God will always keep President Saddam Hussein and preserve him.”
That was in April 2003.
Of course, Father Adda couldn't very well say anything else about Saddam even if he wanted. Everyone knew the penalties of public criticism in Iraq.
But it is now, Christmas 2005. And there are increasingly good reasons for thinking that Iraq's Christian minority might genuinely think their community's position may have been better under Saddam secular régime than it might be under a successor regime dominated by a collection of religious groupings who’s intent is a Muslim state.
It may be Christmas here in the UK, the time for the larger of the Christian calendar celebrations. But in Iraq, Christmas is not the Big One. For Iraq's 800,000 strong Christian population, Easter is the biggest festival of the year. They call it 'the Major Feast' (Christmas is 'the Minor Feast') and celebrate it with a special Passion play in churches across the country that is unique to Iraqi Christians.
It's one of the oldest Christian communities in the world having been already well established by the time of the first major schism in 431 A.D, and has survived the coming of Islam, the sacking of Genghis Khan and the Mongol hordes, and the vicissitudes of life in modern Iraq.
One monastery dates back to 363 A.D. when a pilgrim called Matthew arrived as a hermit and founded it. It housed 7,000 monks at its height. But after the 9th century it suffered from repeated attacks as different military rulers swept through the area and today the large complex houses only two monks and a bishop.
But this monastery is famous throughout Iraq. Saddam Hussein's late uncle, Adnan Khairallah, who was for many years defence minister, went there in 1979 and asked for his wife to bear a child. The family are Sunni Muslims, but it's quite common for people in the Middle East to visit shrines of different religions. Khairallah's wish was granted, he told Saddam about the monastery, and the President went on two visits in 1980 and 1981.
And Iraqi Christians - many of them from the city of Mosul an hour's drive away - flock there at the big Christian festivals like Easter.
Father Adda Khidr Ablahad Al-Qiss is a small, jovial man with twinkling eyes and an extremely public appreciation of the generosity of President Saddam Hussein to his cliff-hanging monastery. "He gave a large donation to the monastery and we are still benefiting from it. We have used it to rebuild and repair the monastery. He offered to put everything right inside the monastery and out - except for the most ancient parts, which he ordered should stay as they were so people could see how old they were," Father Adda said. "The monastery is open to all sects and religions. We pray that God will always keep President Saddam Hussein and preserve him.”
That was in April 2003.
Of course, Father Adda couldn't very well say anything else about Saddam even if he wanted. Everyone knew the penalties of public criticism in Iraq.
But it is now, Christmas 2005. And there are increasingly good reasons for thinking that Iraq's Christian minority might genuinely think their community's position may have been better under Saddam secular régime than it might be under a successor regime dominated by a collection of religious groupings who’s intent is a Muslim state.
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