Tuesday 7 December 2010

DOES SCOTLAND EXIST, OR IS IT ALL A DREAM?


The Daily Telegraph at its English-centric best!

BRITISH schoolchildren, it says, have slipped down the OECD tables, coming 28th for Maths along with a many other impossibly bad figures.

It goes on to blame Labour for the fall in standards since 2000 and to complain about how much GCSEs have been dumbed down.

Strangely there is neither mention of the blame being on the SNP government nor any mention of standard grades.

What on earth are they talking about?

Ahhh, “chink”, a light has just gone on....

I wonder if the Daily Telegraph in its infinite wisdom has any idea that there is a country to the north of England, called Scotland (you know, the place they sell the so-called “Scottish Edition” of the paper). I wonder if they understand that that country (to its continued determent) is a part of Britain. And that that country hasn’t had a Labour government in charge of its education since 2007. And that that country does not set GCSEs nor has it ever done so.

As an afterthought. I was driving home listening to the BBC (big mistake, I know) and they tell me that the Justice Minister has announced a whole raft of new policies. But strangely his name is no longer Swinney (late correction, see below...MacAskill); they've given the job to someone called Clarke. Odd that!

Pics (1) OECD: The world’s most developed countries... or so THEY say. Some might think otherwise. (2) What Tory Cabinet minister does a pair of scruffy brown (Hush Puppies?) represent? (3) Kenny MacAskill getting a few minutes shuteye. (Eck works them hard)

11 comments:

  1. If you ever read Simon Johnson he's so misinformed he must read radio Scotlands website. I am thinking of concocting some yellow snow to envelop the central belt for delivery on May 5th.

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  2. You're just the man to do it CH....

    Do you think anyone reads Radio Scotland's website...?

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  3. I wouldnt know as I just read references to it and anyway my mouse is rather timid of labour websites. Listen to radio Wales its eons in front of pravda keys and there weather forecasts are better as well.

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  4. Ha ha...

    Now that's a good idea. Even their Labour leader is a statesman ... not like...ohhhh what's his name for heaven's sake?

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  5. That Mr Swinney has too many jobs...

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  6. Tris I hate to point out that the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice is Kenny MacKaskill, John Swinney is Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Development. Just a little niggle!

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  7. tris,

    Get a grip, man, what with confusing Niko with Dean yesterday (Houseman poem) and Swinney with MacAskill, Munquin will be forced to put on your report card - Must do better - what will Mum say when she reads your report?

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  8. Hello David. Welcome to the Republic. Er yes, I erm, see. I appear to be a victim of the BRITISH education system... How embarrassing!

    Thanks for the correction... Stick around, I may need to call on your services again ;¬)

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  9. Munguin. Thanks for the correction. I feel a bit of a numpty. (Lucky old me, some say.)

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  10. Hmmmm. Yes John. Thanks to you my mother has already phoned to point out the error of my ways. She asks why can't I be more like Mr Brownlie.

    I explained to her that I was trying to be more like Mr Brownlie, but by the time I was on to the second bottle I didn't really care about the justice secretary Mr Kim Jong Ill.

    That didn't go down too well, and I'm typing this from the cellar, in the dark. Heaven knows what that will do for the accuracy.

    Nice water though, and that bread is quite tasty!

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  11. The error has been corrected... see above.

    I'm hanging my head in shame. Could someone let me out of the cellar now.... please.....)

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