Leave JK Rowling alone.

98 days until the Scottish referendum, will it go ahead or won't it? Are we reaching our final days as the "Great Britain" we know and hold dear? Nobody knows. SNP stickers are popping up all over Twitter making it seem that the party had lots of support (although by that logic the rest of Twitter is against it) including celebrities and journalists (many of whom are not Scottish/ or live in Scotland). The "Better Together" campaign, less so on Twitter although they too have had a lot of support from onlooking celebrities.

One of the celebrities is writer J K Rowling who recently came out in support of the "No" campaign by giving them £1million. This has sparked outrage amongst SNP supporters who think she needs to shut up. Granted, Rowling is only 1/4 Scottish and so you could argue that her view is biased and invalid but she is a highly intelligent woman who has made millions through the Harry Potter franchise, a franchise that has brought happiness to millions all over the world. Despite her wealth, Rowling is a long running Labour Party supporter and regularly donates to charities and good causes. This is why SNP supporter's reactions sadden me deeply.

Throughout the day, many Scots have called J K Rowling a Tory which is unfair and completely wrong. As a Scottish person, I get deeply offended by generalisations made and satire found in the Scottish people -"Monopoly money" is a term I particularly hate. I do agree with the view that the English (overall) underestimate and undermine the Scottish (and Welsh) people subconsciously. The misconception that "English" and "British" are synonyms, the change in the media of Andy Murray being "British" or "Scottish" depending on whether or not he won the final of a competition or not. The undermining of Scottish sport in general. I get it and I hate it. Despite this, I am not a suspect of using double standards. Just because Scots are met with prejudice by some of the English doesn't mean we should subject the English to the same kind of prejudices. Just because Rowling is English does not mean she is a Conservative. Just because she dares have an opinion does not mean she is a bitch or any less of a successful human being.

People are rich and sometimes they give to needy causes. Yes, she could have given to food banks or to the poor but she didn't, she gave to the "No" campaign and in my opinion that money will go to good use. She is just as entitled to have a voice and an opinion as you or I - so let her. Just because Thatcher was a bitch doesn't mean that every successful woman in England is too!

Here is her statement.
Here is a selection of Scotland's finest political opinions.


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So, the EU elections... let's talk UKIP!

Well after a few days of reflection, I can say that I am pretty happy with the result. (Ignoring UKIP for now) Labour gained 338 seats and the Greens 16 where as the coalition lost a total of 538 seats between them. Labour managed to take over what is usually easy Tory stomping ground and managed to claim 6 more councils than they did in the previous election. To me, that is a huge step forward for the left and something lefties should be proud of all over the country.

So onto "the UKIPs". UKIP did very very well for a protest party, obtaining 161 more EU seats. But let us not forget that before UKIP had 2 little seats and so although they did make HUGE gains in the election (second highest overall) they still only have 2/5 of the power the Lib Dems have and still came 4th overall. I can't help but wonder if the Green Party would get this kind of publicity if they did the same.

Since then, there has been all sorts of talking about what this means for next year's general election. We have been told that the result of Thursday's voting means that UKIP are now a strong contender next year and will probably do well; we have been told that the Lib Dems should 'prepare for the 2020 elections' and we have been told that the Tories are quaking in their boots. I read somewhere that many want Cameron out and Theresa May in (please no) and that Yvette Cooper could take Miliband's role if he fails to bring victory to the Labour Party. A lot have said Labour should have done a lot better and that they got cocky meaning UKIP were able to nab more than they should have and that Labour needs to up its game. The Daily Mail called Labour's victory a "savaging" for Labour (despite them having over 100 more seats than the Tories) because UKIP managed to get some bored Tories to vote for them.

UKIP are only successful because of the media. They have been given their platform and they have used it to their advantage. I was talking to a friend over Easter and he brought to my attention that actually, UKIP have no right to be where they are. If you look at the Green Party, they had 2 seats in EU parliament before Thursday compared to UKIP's 13 yet UKIP has been on our screens weekly whether it is the news, Question Time or The Sunday Politics yet the Greens haven't. Although there were 11 more seats in UKIP's favour they had nowhere near the same amount as 'the big three'. The public need to realise we are fuelling UKIP's success by retaliating to them. They are only as powerful as they are because the media make them so and because they know it will boost sales and ratings by having them there.

UKIP's success was not that much of an achievement. They have taken the place of the Green Party (who, from experience, UKIP see as a bit of a joke) in 4th place. That is good but U.K politics is mainly a two horse race with the occasional pawn shoved in to help gain power (cough, cough... Lib Dems) and those two horses will always be Labour and the Tories.

What did you think of the elections? Leave a comment!

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What percentage of MPs like a bit of tit?

The No More Page 3 campaign released information last night about the number of MPs in certain parties supported their campaign. The results are interesting.

Green Party

Labour Party

Lib Dems

Tories

Hmmmm... most of them were lower than I thought. Isn't it funny how UKIP aren't there? Here is the NMP3 campaign's website: http://nomorepage3.org/

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Gove is an arsehole.

I've made it clear in the past that Michael Gove to me is a perfect example of an absolute idiot with the Uni fees and the academy status (to name a few) and now he is beating out Labour peers from their posts with no reason and no warning? This man needs to leave politics and not come back.

This man is reluctant to allow the working class to have an equal right to education as the middle and upper classes and so triples University fees causing current students to be in debt until their 40. On top of this he enforces the Tory philosophy "If you're not a striver, you're a skiver." into compulsory education by making exams harder and harder for less able students to succeed. Somehow the man thinks these ridiculous changes will somehow raise the standard of the U.K's economy.

Some people may say that these proposals are a good idea and that we just have to wait and see yet almost 3/4 of the way through the Conservatives' term we have fallen out of the Pisa Top 20 and are now ranked at 26th place overall. To top this, Scotland (which is run by a separate government) are currently top in the U.K for the survey which tests 15 year old students on their maths, science and reading skills. Regardless, Mr Gove still insists that his new oppressive system which is pushing teachers out of their profession is exactly what the country needs.

It came to light over the weekend that Sally Morgan, OFSTED chair and Labour peer, had been sacked in order to, in Gove's words, "bring a fresh perspective" and insisted on the Andrew Marr show that it had nothing to do with the fact that she leaned towards the left and was a woman. Morgan and Shadow Deputy Prime Minister Harriet Harman seem to disagree. Morgan said in a Radio 4 interview that "I am the latest of a fairly long list of people now who are non-Conservative supporters who are not being re-appointed." which shows that Gove has an agenda to fulfil over the next year and a half to make weaken Labour's influence in organisations such as OFSTED. Harman stood up to Gove on the Andrew Marr show and asked why so many female's post were being replaced by men also saying "It's like raining men in the Tory party!" she continued to question Gove and asked "What is your problem in government with women?". I agree with her, apart from Nadine Dorries and Theresa May I wouldn't be able to name a recent female Conservative MP off the top of my head.

As much as I sympathise with Sally Morgan, OFSTED aren't in my good books either. They to me are a spineless organisation that seem too scared to stand up for what education is really about and go along with Gove's 'children are numbers' strategy to reforming the British education system. They do not motivate schools, they push them down and create tension in the work place and between the school and its peers. Yes, of course if a school need to improve, it needs to improve but the fact that some inspectors observe lessons and then don't give the teacher feedback afterwards (I am saying this from experience) renders the whole operation as a complete waste of time.

Maybe OFSTED does need a fresher outlook and maybe teacher need to improve standards because obviously schools in the U.K are not doing as well as they should be, as Mikey has told us that enough times, but how long can he put the blame on other people? The facts are simple: since the Conservatives came into power, standards in education have gone down and who is meant to be in charge of education? Yes, Michael Gove.

Sources:
Sally Morgan's radio interview - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-25997102
Gove on Andrew Marr - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26005917
2013 Pisa results - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-25187997
Harriet Harman on Gove - http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/02/02/harriet-harman-mocks-gove_n_4711813.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

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