When is our Future Determined?

A false picture is given when people say that your future is determined by your GCSE and A level results. I think it is determined when you sit your entrance exams for secondary school. It starts this young because there’s a fight to get into the best secondary schools whether it be a grammar or private one. This is because they provide the best education, quite unfairly, to enable a child to get into a red brick university from which employers tend to recruit.

I am worried about the path ahead of me and what it brings. Firstly, I am worried because of the shortage of University places even for students with A’s or A*’s.

Education has two purposes:

1. To give you qualifications that will help get you a job so you can earn a reasonable living.

2. To help you understand the world around you E.G Politics and Art.

Secondly, even though I am already achieving the benefits of point two I am worried about point one because of the shortage of jobs and houses. The London Evening Standard has carried a report on youngsters sleeping in tents, caravans and mobile homes in traveller sites because it is the lowest cost housing they can afford. Is this the future for young people? I do believe that the Lib Dems have a real commitment to providing for children but I worry that the cuts will set back this agenda.

Happy Birthday to Me!

It will be my birthday on 25 August. I am blogging today because I will be hyper from here on from overdosing on sugar. Those who have children or are children will know what I am talking about –being unable to concentrate and feeling sick afterwards. My best birthday present so far came about when I installed ‘Blogger Stats’. I have hundreds of readers in the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, China, Russia and most parts of Europe. Imagine my excitement – and at the age of 10 only. I want you to tell me who you are because people aren’t leaving comments or following my blog. It would be very nice to have your comments and make contact with you. It's been a hard and tiring year so far and I need to revive myself before starting school and attending Conference which is always fun but exhausting.

How Long Is The Road To Homelessness?

How close in distance are you to a homeless person? Have you noticed the increase in the numbers of them? Last year in London alone there were 3, 673 people sleeping on the streets. The road to becoming homeless is decreasing in size and it could happen to anybody.

Have you ever spoken to a homeless person to understand their situation? Years ago my family were lucky enough to be able to help a homeless man. His name was Andy and he used to work as a builder. He fell down a ladder and broke his leg. He couldn't work anymore and had no income. He couldn't afford to pay for housing and became homeless. This shows you that the road to homelessness can be as short as falling down a ladder. You can create a whole ladder of opportunities but fall down it so quickly.

As Liberals we have a responsibility to help those who are in need. In the Orange Book, David Laws wrote about how breaking the cycle of deprivation is part of 'Social Liberalism'. To me being a Liberal Democrat means helping others to help themselves. My family were able to help Andy by providing him with a new wheelchair because the wheelchair that he was using had a bent wheel and the other wheel was missing. He was using all his strength to drag himself along and wasn't able to get anywhere. The new wheelchair provided him with social mobility. In no time Andy was able to get himself to the Big Issue office where he became a seller. Then he was able to get to hospital where he underwent physiotherapy. He moved on from the area finally because the council was able to house him.

The Government does need to intervene to help those who cannot help themselves but I think that as individual members of the Liberal Democrat party we have the power to help people in need. Let's get out there and demonstrate the party's values and HELP.

Work or Kid?

The Westminster Civil Service play scheme, which I have been attending for the last 6 years, is due to be shut down. The play scheme is subsidized by the civil service who have decided to cut it. The Government is meant to be making family friendly decisions but with this closure what will the parents who use this play scheme do with their children during the school holidays?
It is known that women are the main users of public services so it is mothers like mine who are hardest hit by this decision. Since the Government is trying to get women to become more involved in the workforce this decision will not help the Government's intentions.
Good and affordable childcare is very important to a working mother and if it is not there mothers may have to make decisions between work and staying home with the children. This is why women leave the workforce.
The Government has always set an example in family friendly workplace practices. With the closure of this valuable play scheme I dread to think what other companies will do.
After the coalition Government was formed there was so much hope that the Lib Dems would bring their family friendly policies into power.

Big Society Dublin bus driver

I think i saw a 'Big Society' concept at work on a Dublin bus the other day. I was on holiday and a passenger shouted some very rude words, which my mummy says i am not allowed to use, at the lady next to him. The bus driver immediately stopped the bus and told the passenger to get off. The passenger, without a fuss, did what the driver said and apologised! I was very impressed, firstly, because of the bus driver's reaction and how brave he was and, secondly, of the passenger who showed respect to the bus driver and apologised for his behaviour.

Big Society is going to be part of all our lives , including public transport but how? The third strand of the Big Society is community empowerment.

How is the Big Society going to help public transport workers feel more safe in their job? How do we get to the point where all people can respect public transport workers and make a bus driver feel empowered to deal with bad behaviour? If Big Society is to work it will require lots of community action and a cultural change.

The Comprehensive school debate

David Cameron has said he is 'terrified' about sending his children to secondary school because of the 'low standards of comprehensives'. He says he understands why some parents 'break the bank' to pay for private schooling. My parents are one those who spend alot of money on my education. If my parents didn't have the money to do this than i would've been sent to a comprehensive school in my area which isn't of a high standard. All state schools in my opinion should be of a high standard where the children come out of it with an ability to reach goals in life and a sense of achievement.

To cycle or not to cycle?

My last blog was about child health and safety rules and I wrote that, in my opinion, these had gone too far. Now look what has happened one week later! Perhaps the news hasn't made it outside of London but a family called the Schonrocks who live in South London have been publicised for the parents' decision to allow their eight and five year old children to cycle to school by themselves. The school that the children attend don't approve.

This raises three questions:
1. Does it matter how the children get to school just as long as they get there safely? You might say that cycling a mile to school by yourself at the age of five and eight isn't exactly safe. However,if the children and the parents feel comfortable with this then does the school have a right to object? Traffic allegedly is not a problem as the children have only one road to cross and there is a lolly pop lady to help them.
2. Should it be the State's decision as to whether or not the parents are capable of checking if the route that the children take is safe?
3. If the parents are reasonable and responsible should they not be allowed to make decisions for their own children?

I personally would not cycle to school because I don't feel safe and there have been a few attacks on the streets close to where I live. However, I think that these children should be allowed to cycle to school because they have obviously been doing it for a while now and have shown that they are capable of staying safe. Their parents have made the right decision and should be allowed to get on with it.

Be careful kid!

Lately children's health and safety measures have gone way to far! As an example, we have to wear goggles while playing with bluetack. In my school we have to wear hats to go in the sun and if we have forgotten our hats we are not allowed in it. Even my mum is buying sun lotion which is 50+ on protection. I'm ten years old for goodness sake. Anyway, i'm hoping that when the Goverment is looking at regulation and trying to get rid of laws that are uneccesary they will look at the ridiculous safety measures in place for kids. Kids just want freedom and to have fun. I understand that we have to be safe while doing this but we shouldn't have to go so far with safety measures. If you put too many regulations in place you will stop children from experiencing childhood freedom. Adults just don't understand, do they (sigh)?

Afghan Children situation

The Government's decision to deport all Afghan children who have come over unaccompanied to England to escape the trauma of the war is detestable. The Government is just sending the children back thinking this is the best outcome for all of the kids. The four million pounds being spent on a 'regeneration centre' in Afghanistan could be used on doing risk assesments to look at each individual child's case to decide what is the best for that child's future.

These children might be in serious danger if they are repatriated. Some of the children that have come over to England could well have previously been working on the streets in Afghanistan because this is a wide spread social problem there. I think that UK Government should recognise this, understand and help instead of just deporting the poor children.

What is even more shocking is that the EU has agreed to this method. The concept of thinking that repatriation is the best option came from a paper circulated in the EU by the Labour government. I cannot understand why this Government with a progressive agenda hasn't changed the policy.

An article in today's London Evening Standard newspaper carries a story on an Afghan teenager in the UK who asked several famous people, including Obama and the Queen, to encourage her and her schoolmates in their GCSE exams. She is sitting for 14 exams because she appreciates the opportunity to be given an education. This shows how an Afghan child who moved to England can contribute to our country.

Not in my lifetime

That's what people said to me.

'The Lib Dems will never be in power in your lifetime, Maelo'.

'Your children may live to see the Lib Dems in power, Maelo.'

'Your party will never win, Maelo.'

Yaddah Yaddah

Well, where are these people now? On this historic day the Lib Dems have made it into power after around 65 years. I am still alive so it's in my lifetime, isn't it?

The downside is that I can't make fun of David Cameron or shout 'Tory Boy' as I did to the Conservative canvassers in my area. POO! Or can I? What are the rules about heckling please?