Floods

A great flood is arising fast and one wonders how much of this island will remain above water. (hyperbole). Phrases like "a month's worth of rain in a few hours" are being bandied about and mobile phone and family video pictures of appalling scenes are on the net...not just the flood but the filthy mess afterwards.

I was impressed with the emergency planning which went into operation when the floods came. It is not like America where they couldn't care less what happened to the New Orleans poor and Barbara Bush even insulted them. Something in me feels proud of the RAF when they are rescuing people from rooftops rather than bombing unarmed civilians. I know which job I would prefer. Of course in the military they don't ask you!

We still spend more money on war than we do on defence against floods.

Should I start building an Ark and gathering together two of every animal?

Postal dispute

The Communications Workers' Union have asked me (and a few hundred thousand other people!) to circulate a leaflet about the postal dispute in view of the media misinformation on this subject.

It is here

"Not negotiable"

The GTC has opposed the excessive testing of pupils. On the TES website this has been met with a certain ironic celebration on the lines of "at last the GTC is doing something for its money" and about time too.

The government, as ever, uses the argument that SATs are "not negotiable". Is the term "not negotiable" ever used these days in its proper sense of being "valueless"? Or is it always used as term of authoritarian obduracy?