Relaxation of pension rules

The relaxation of pension rules is a time bomb that will explode in 2021. The government will gain a small ecconomic boost to spending  that will later be followed by a demand for public funding for those people who have blown their pension pot. Yes the poor will always be with us caused by their lack of forethought.

Scottish independance

When Scotland decides to go it alone after the publicity of the Commonwealth games and the votes of 16 year olds lets hope the rest of the UK give them the support they deserve by pushing their independant boat as far away as possible by depriving them of the pound and limiting shared assets to pro rata of population. However  IF common sence applies and they say no will the English, who had no say on the issue , have the good grace to welcome them back with open arms - we shall see????

At noon upon the mountains purple height

A day or so ago I was listening to a podcast on astronomy and started pondering on why I had an interest in this and cosmology. My mind went back to when I was at school at Minehead Secondary Modern School aged about14. I had sucessfully managed to fail both11 and 13 plus examinations and this school held no horrors of homework. It is only after an interval of nearly 60 years that I have the hindsight to realise how lucky I and many of my friends were to have had such a dedicated team of teachers, both men and women. Men who had experienced war and war time production. Women who may well have been spinsters as a consequence of war. They used their life experience and teaching talents to give us an education different but in many way superior to that of any grammar school. We were accepted for who we were and they raised our ambitions to reach for our stars in many fields. One teacher Miss Olive Kent Smith took and unlikey group of 14 year old and exposed us to the poetry of the stars and encouraged us to learn some of the works. Not the language of Shakspear but the world of science and endevour. It is only now I am realising the debt I owe to that team of teachers and Headmaster Reville Johnson.

The wolves of war

As the wolves of war snap at the politicians heels what do we get: an incompitent official carrying "secret " papers so that a photographer can take a photo and the newspaper then makes  public the UK governments strategy in relation to the Ukrain crisis. My god Black adder had nothing on this load of incompetents and their actions which are akin to at least criminal in respect to their responibilities to our contry.