You couldn’t make it up….

Posted on February 10, 2012 by NikkiiH

My 15yo son has been set a task by his English teacher.

She is introducing the class to debating.

He has to debate Scottish Independence.

He has to debate against it.

When I stopped laughing, and he assured me he was serious,  yeah OK I started laughing again.

Hysteria I reckon….

Not a single politician the length and breadth of this nation has put forward a reasonable argument in support of the Union.

How is my 15yo, who quite frankly couldn’t give a toss, supposed to do this?

Not one to be beaten I turned to Twitter. There’s a lot of Scottish Independence noise on there so I put a call out on the #indyref tag for help.

My first reply was from a union supporter…

OKaaaaay…. I’ll assume my exasperation was construed as a threat of violence… it’s a stretch but hey-ho I fed the troll.

A couple of Independence supports then offered, along with condolences, some advice…. to check out Lesley Riddoch’s website, consider the debate from the British perspective (i.e. to whose advantage is it for Scotland to remain in the UK?) and possibly argue military/defence/scientific research as areas where being part of something bigger could be construed as a plus.

Then along came another unionist….

FFS – it IS a debate, a debate NEEDS two sides. I’m just trying to FIND the other side!

When I pointed this out to unionist no 2 and managed to convince them (I think) that I had a genuine reason for asking they replied…

When I asked for links or sites or anything that could expand on this I got nyada back.

It’s absolutely crazy that I can’t ask this simple question, with good reason, in a forum (a hashtag) set up to debate this very question.

Those against Scottish Independence are seriously lacking in any argument. They keep calling for debate debate debate but they won’t debate!

Maybe it’s just Twitter?

Maybe the London Scottish Conservative Club have managed to find 5 good reasons?

I am paraphrasing….

1. Why fix something that’s not broken? (NOT broken?)

2. The Scotland Act will make Scotland more accountable for its spending (as would Independence – in fact we’d be totally accountable)

3. (This one deserves to be fully quoted) “Scottish independence could mean the UK’s largest trading partner has a different currency entailing greater risk, cost and bureaucracy” (because everyone we trade with has Sterling…… oh wait… no, no they don’t)

4. An Independent Scotland would mean Westminster losing North Sea Oil revenues (yup!)

5. Scotland’s contribution to the military is far greater than its population share (and this is a good reason to stay? Britain would lose its cannon fodder?)

All this sounds like 5 good reasons for Scottish Independence if you ask me. So that would be a No then.  The title of the article gave it away I guess…

Five reasons why Britain is better off with Scotland in it

So, if I have any readers left, and any of you are against Scottish Independence, would you be so kind as to tell me why so I can at least try to help my boy with his English assignment?

Cheers peeps.

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Doldrum-o-rama

Posted on January 22, 2012 by NikkiiH

I’m in the photography doldrums.

I suspect it’s quite easy to slip into and quite difficult to climb out of.

2011 was, by any measure, a bit bleak.

After the promise of spring, bursting and racing in its fecundity and splendour towards…. yeah towards what?

Summer didn’t arrive.

And the glorious goldenred and cosy pinedamp of Autumn was, in 2011, a wet sludge of rot that dripped into a non-descript Winter with barely a brief pattern of frost to marvel at.

With almost a month of 2012 gone I still feel stuck in an interminable, seasonless gloom.

It’s wet wet wet.

Grey.

Windychill that the whips down my collar, up my sleeves and through me to the bone.

Caged in with fractious children, who have even more of an aversion than me to that heatless ball hanging white in the white sky.

I’m job hunting.

My CV must be good as getting interviews doesn’t seem to be a problem.

But three children and four decades, a “career break” and years of different priorities have left me with not a snowball’s chance in hell of achieving my former level of earnings.

If I can even get a job.

Over qualified, won’t be challenged, too small for you, can’t offer enough……

Blah.

Light should be creeping back soon.

When it does, I will take its photo.

Posted in Just Stuff | 4 Comments

Interesting Times

Posted on January 13, 2012 by NikkiiH

I think my Mum is worried that my Dad’s blood pressure won’t survive the 2 years and 8 months or so he’s going to spend yelling at the telly. If the last 48 hours is anything to go by.

We do indeed live in interesting times.

Exciting times.

In autumn 2014 we will go to the polls where we will be asked to make a momentous choice. Not about our currency, our defence force, our membership of the EU, our access to BBC, the DVLA, foreign embassies or high speed rail tracks.

Just a simple choice…..

… is it the will of the people of Scotland that their devolved government be given a mandate to negotiate with Westminster the terms for re-establishing an independent Scotland.

Or something like that.

I imagine.

There might be another choice in there for those that say Nay, such as “Does more devolved power tickle your fancy?”

Whether or not the weans will qualify for Blue Peter Badges or if we’ll still get Eastenders in an independent Scotland might well keep some people awake at night…… in only two days the arguments for maintaining the Union are taking on such epic proportions of absurdity it wouldn’t surprise me at all.

I’m laughing at the moment but whether I can maintain that humour for 2 years and 8 months or so remains to be seen.

I do hope that once this initial hysteria dies down and George “It’s our Pound and you’re no getting it” Osborne picks his toys back up, we’ll get down to some serious discussion.

It is indeed a momentous decision, it must not be rushed.

However, it’s just a small step, given the many we’ve already taken.

We’re been through the single bed stage and are now in separate bedrooms.

Time to get our own flat I think…….

And yes, I probably am going to go on about this for the next 2 years and 8 months or so.

I apologise in advance.

Have a photo. I made this. My hands hurt.

Posted in Politics | 7 Comments

Bricks in the wall

Posted on December 20, 2011 by NikkiiH

If I was left with even a niggling doubt that my childrens’ school has turned into an exam machine, this Christmas end of term has kicked the proverbial crutch right out from under it and eaten its Smartie tube.

Do you remember the end of term? At Christmas? Sparkly classrooms, relaxed uniform, concerts, happy staff with tins of Quality Street perched on their desks and Santa hats perched on their heads, watching the odd sneaky movie, gorgeous smells from the Home Ec department, class parties… music and cards everywhere.

That’s what I remember.

On 22nd December, the last full day of term, my daughter will be sitting a Maths NAB, an essential component of her Higher Maths course, and a Close Reading test in English.

At 10:30 tonight I finally persuaded her to stop her Maths revision and get some sleep.

And to what end? Having read Lily’s words over at Frothers, you’ve got to wonder.

I was shocked when I saw my daughter’s 5th year timetable back in August. There isn’t a single period that’s not devoted to the 5 subjects she’s pursuing at Higher level. No Social Ed, Citizenship, PE, nothing at all to take the pressure off the constant academic treadmill.

And now it’s clear she won’t be experiencing so much as an hour of joy at school this last week of term either.

But I must stop going on because the more I recall my wonderful memories of Perth Academy the more pissed off she gets that it’s not the same anymore.

The rector during my time there was a tyrant. When he died (recently) and I was offered the chance to write a few words recalling memories of his rectorship – I refused.

But at least he put a Christmas tree up… signalling a week of sparkly classrooms, relaxed uniform, concerts, happy staff……

Posted in Education | Tagged | 7 Comments