A Quick Thought On Margaret Thatcher

If Margaret Thatcher had been a man, people would have been much more supportive of her work.

Obviously, I am not saying that everything she did was perfect (she ruined education and declared a war we probably didn't need to fight, but do we ever need to fight any war?) and I don't claim to know all about 1980s politics, in the same way I don't really know about modern politics.

My point is just that a lot of things that Maggie did which were right, or at least for the right reasons, were understated. Had she been a man, they would've been more highly regarded, a bit more like Winston Churchill is. I mean, he made some mistakes (quite a lot, if you look at it) but also did some things right and we remember him as one of the greatest political figures of our history. Well, a lot of people do at least.

Don't worry friends, I've not gone completely off my rocker, I still disagree with everything that the Tories do/say and, when the revolution finally comes, I'll be close behind Miss MacNeill in the line for the Tory Fox Hunt.

What my point is here, really, is that sexism is still rampant in our society; even at the highest level when a strong, independent woman manages to defeat all the chauvinistic men around her and actually ends up running the country. And, had Margaret Thatcher been a man, people would be more supportive of the good she did and more willing to overlook the lesser of the evil things she did.

Rest in Peace Maggie.

And I apologise for sounding so much like Miss MacNeill in this blog post (except that I'm pretty sure she'd never say anything positive about Mrs Thatcher.)

The Gay Marriage Proposal

Hello Internetty Folk! Today I am pondering how very strange society is. It just doesn't make any sense to me. Only a few days ago it was finally decided that homosexuals should have the same rights to get married as the rest of us "plebs" (the Government's word, not mine) which, to be honest, doesn't really make any sense to me.

I really can't see why people have such a problem with this whole shebang. If two people love each other and want to spend their lives together and never be with anyone else then it shouldn't matter who they are. And by that, I don't just mean whether they are both men or both women. Throughout history, similar problems to this have arisen, where some duke or other has given up his fortune and run away with the scullery maid, or a perfectly respectable white woman has fallen in love with a black man. Looking back at these so-called "scandals" even fifty years later, we can see that there's really nothing wrong with them, so why should homosexuality be any different?

To be honest, I struggle to comprehend why so many people have such an issue with all this stuff. If you believe that all love is just chemical reactions in the brain and nothing to do with emotions (which are, after all, merely triggered by the release of chemicals in the brain) then it shouldn't be an issue to you because it's all superficial and nothing more than a positive response to a person anyway. If you believe (as I am inclined to) that there is the perfect person out there for everyone and that we all have the potential to find our soul mate one day then does it really matter if somebody's soul mate is the same gender as them?

I know that many of you are now wondering whether I am about to announce that I actually support this so strongly because I am myself a lesbian. No, I'm not gay (and even if I was, I would not use this as a platform to 'come out') but it disturbs me that it matters as much as it does. As a very wise German (Mr Gaertner) once said "does it really make a difference?" Would it make you think differently of me if I were? If not, why does it matter?

I know by posting this that I have opened myself up to abuse from the ever-reasoning and all-knowing voice of the Internet, but I'm not sure it matters. This blog is here for me to tell you what I think, so I have.

John Hirst, A BBC Interview

This is (hopefully) a video of John Hirst being interviewed by BBC News in 2012 about his historic victory in the European Court of Human Rights. Mr Hirst's case against the British Goverment has started a seven-year-long war against prisoners' voting in the UK. I have been pondering this a lot recently as it's my EPQ project (me posting this on here is partly laziness on my part.)

His argument is very sensible and logical and he makes a valid point. Please listen to what he has to say, it will only take two minutes of your time.
Thanks :)

(If the video doesn't work, the link is http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20452172)

The Royal Family

OK, like many others throughout the country, I am currently pondering the Royal Family. In the news today (as I'm sure you've heard), there is a scandal about a French newspaper/magazine printing photos of Princess Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, topless whilst on a private holiday in Provence.

Seriously, why?

Last month everyone was all excited because Prince Harry got his kit off at a party in Vegas. (Kelly says he was especially excited about this.) The papparazzi had a total field day saying things like "it's a disgrace that royals can act like this in public!" He's now back out in Afghanistan, serving for his country. Something much more noble and respectable than most journalists have ever done. Get some perspective people! That party, which you so rudely exposed (if you'll pardon the pun) was probably the last one he attended before going out to risk his life for his country. He's just a normal guy; he does deserve some down-time now and again without the fear of ridicule.

And as for this apparent stalking of Kate and Will, it's ridiculous! You saw what happened to Diana when the press followed her around (as Prince William apparently said to The Sun); just get over it already! No other royal family on the PLANET has this much underserved bad press. Not even the Scandawegians. And whether or not Prince William and Princess Catherine are having a baby or not, is it really our problem? (P.S. Chances are that they're not) The only reason we should care if Kate gets pregnant is if the baby ends up ginger. And they should totally call it Emma if it's a girl. Just saying.

So yeah, just leave off the Royals, please. They've done nothing to deserve this except be born/marry into a particular family. That's no reason to follow them around.

The Queen

Today I am pondering the Queen, she's a wonderful person, isn't she? I'm not exactly sure what her political job is, or why we have her in the first place, but to be honest, I don't really think it matters, she does so much for the country, including boosting morale. If you talk to someone about meeting the Queen, they always say how lovely she is and how much of an honour it was to meet her.

Over the next few weeks, we will be watching in awe as the Queen celebrates sixty years of doing... well, whatever it is that she does. This probably started about 18 months ago, because that's how we work in England - celebrate the diamond Jubilee year for at least a year and a half, but today it was the start for me when I saw the parading of the Armed Forces at Windsor on BBC1. It was fascinating and the fly-over was really cool. I always respect the way the Armed Forces are so disciplined and can march in time whilst staring in the other direction, and the bands are always amazing, even if the don't have a bari sax.

Anyway, back to the Queen. She is amazing, and probably a good role model. I'm not really sure what for, but there's got to be something. She never abuses her power and hasn't sold Greece, which a weaker monarch would've done. And she's a fashion icon. Just look at this....

This is a beautiful image of all the colourfully pictures of the Queen at various events. She's so pretty, like a rainbow and she's only worn beige once.

That's impressive. And she's never worn brown, well, not in the last year or so.

Having asked my family, I have discovered that the Queen is a good role model because of her devotion to her faith, her belief in family values and the fact that, and I quote, "She's old and people respect the elderly". And she's awesome :)


Isn't the Queen lovely?

Examinations (Part the Second)

So, my ponderings are back for "part the two".

Adults and other old people often say that exams are getting easier. This is possible, but it is more likely that the number of opportunities we have to resit and increase our marks has practically tripled. Apart from the fact that our exam system now is spead out over several weeks, so that if you have a bad day on the day of English paper 1, you can  make up for it with English paper 2, you can also then redo English paper 1 in six months time. And if, after that, you are still not happy, you can resit again six months after that.

However, I'd like to point out that the a Level exams are NOT easy! A "friend" of mine in year 13 said that he knows people who are resitting their AS Level English paper again this month for the second time because the exam board requires three essays about six different texts to be written in two hours and that requires superhuman speed and agility (or something). Secondly, Chemistry is almost as bad; if you write one incorrect word, you can lose three marks. And we're not even talking key words, just the difference between "lots more" and "increase in" or whatever.

Personally, I think the government should have away with compulsory written exams, give people the choice as to whether they answer with a written piece, a verbal response or some other form of assessment, such as a practical exam (which there already are for some subjects) as that would be a much fairer way of assessing people based on their own skill set. Or, as they've begun to do in primary schools, continuous assessment throughout your time at school, rather than three weeks of pressure at the end of every year; in what possible way is that an accurate representation of someone's performance??!?!?!

Thanks for listening to my random and annoyed/annoying wafflings. Have a nice day and good luck in your exams!

Examinations (Part the First)

So, here I am in a German lesson (hooray!) and I find myself pondering, surprise surprise, the impending exam period. Written exams are actually the most pointless invention of the human race since someone decided that the eyelash curler would be a step forward. When do I ever need to be able to write a coherent essay after I finish in education? Surely being able to write a decent letter which achieves a purpose is a much more marketable skill? Or being able to physically tell the difference between Hydrochloric acid and water, rather than the different effects they have on the human body after consumption. Isn't it a bit late by that point?

And what about the sheer number of exams we have to participate in? Seriously, next Wednesday I have two exams on the same day and I have to write five essays. Five essays. When will I ever have to write coherently about "Frankenstein" under timed conditions again (with the exception of the retake I'll have to undoubtedly do in January)? How is it in any way useful to put teenagers under this much stress for four years? I'm not suggesting that we should have the old-style exams, where your entire future was balanced on one five-hour long paper on the history of the sock or whatever, but there has to be a better way!

Seeing as this is going to turn into a very long rant, I'll post the next bit as a separate post. Stay tuned (or something...)!

What Am I?

As you can see, my ponderances this week have been mostly philosophical, on a personal level. I have been trying to decide what I am, based on what I know and what had been said about me in the past.

Well, to start with, I'm a girl, although some people say I'm now a woman (hahaha), and Mr Bean (bless 'im) called me a "lady". But I'll stick to girl. According to one person, I'm "a lovely girl with a special personality", but, as someone else said, I'm a "weirdo". They're probably just two ways of saying the same thing...

I'm a rocker, a student, a tea-totalist (shhh, it's a thing...) and a member of a generation which is in the process of ruining the planet for all those who come after us, whilst trying to clear up the mess left behind by the last lot. I've been labelled an anarchist, a communist and fascist (all in the same conversation, by the same person), but only the first two of these are true.

I'm sober, legal, underage, overage, conscientious, stressed, overworked, underworked, tired and confused. I'm a Scout and a Guide (please don't take offence Martha, I did it alphabetically) and I always will be. Apparently, I'm a "musician", but I have very little sense of rhythm, I'm an alto in most of the choirs, I'm the only girl in the school Soul Band who's not a singer and I'm the only person in the school crazy enough to own a barington (baritone) saxophone.

According to recent surveys - or some other unreliable source - I'm broken-hearted, which I suppose answers the question "What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted?"; they write stupid blogs nobody except Oliver cares about. I'm used and abused, forgotten, remembered, lead, followed, thanked, ignored, asked and answered, Armenian (but not really, it just sounded good. I like alliteration) and apparently, I'm opinionated, but I think otherwise...

I'm a daughter, a sister, a niece, a granddaughter and a cousin to name but a few. I'm also - hopefully - a friend, I very love you all much, and a provider of Vegan Cake twice a term for my RS Class ( It's you guys).

I'm many other things too; in the depths of the internet somewhere I'm a little teapot, but the less said about that, the better. Seeing as this post is one of the longest yet, we can also assume I'm quite arrogant, but I promise I'm not usually. I'd write a post about my friends, but I'm sure I'd miss someone out, so I'll play it safe and not... None of this really answers the question, but it's a start. If you feel like if (If anyone's reading this) you can comment with stuff that you are and I can agree / disagree as I see fit.