1. The History of Empire

Where we are part of the G7 and one of the worlds most economic powers, the current of our society is bubbling over with the history of empiricism. The penetration of our tiny islands influence into the vast expanses of Africa, Asia and the

2. Daytime Television

Jeremy Kyle? Constructive television?

3. Futility

Never has there been such escapism in this country. The games industry is booming, serialised television has increased its audiences, sport is made out to be a matter of life and death. We can’t bear the truth anymore, it’s just too depressing. We’ve constructed a material fantasy world for ourselves, only in fleeting moments do we acknowledge it.

To round off a rather political tone this week, I’d like to draw your attention to British Universities and the current debates being channeled through such institutions. Currently at the University of Sussex; an institution which some agree that I should be privileged to attend (but otherwise I am not so sure); a debate is raging over whether the controversial British political party the BNP should be allowed to air their views on the campus facilities.

Sussex with its long tradition as proprietors of free speech, seems to have finally realized the limitations of adhering to something which in truth can only be an ideological concept. A society in which there is complete freedom of speech, is something that can never surely be realized as long as it continues to remain pluralized and variegated. In saying ‘we are for freedom of speech, but this voice shall remain silenced’, is there not a slight return to the totalitarian repudiations that the University is guarding against so fervently in the first place?

For those of you who don’t know your BNP from your B&B, the BNP is a party which runs on largely fascist principles. Although distancing themselves from the stereotypical racism one might come to expect, a strong sense of xenophobia and fear of racial mixing is propagated by the party’s assertions. It is important that we hear their voice in order to determine what is wrong and what is right; if such voices are repressed and sentiments ignored, do we not then come in line with their own strategies of authoritarian control and silencing the voice of the minority?

In British schools all students have to follow the national curriculum, that is an outlay of certain topics in varying subjects that are considered essential to the development of knowledge in young minds. Now, not all the educationary bods in our society can always agree on what should be encompassed in this curriculum, and this has lead to some bizarre points of dispute in the past.

None is more contested than that of the issue of creationism. Charles Darwin has been both the bane and saviour of scientific and religious lives in the recent history of our world. Much like (and I’m making an abstract comparison here) Salman Rushdie, he has been both vilified, glorified and completely ignored, but to withdraw the theory of evolution and natural selection from the mandatory lessons in school, is surely a step backward to the dark days of humanity.

Now discussion of this issue has been directly addressed by Parliament and can be seen on the British Humanist website: http://www.humanism.org.uk/site/cms/contentPrintArticle.asp?article=1385 There they discuss the relative merits of the curriculum: “The school curriculum as a whole should promote the “spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils””. If this is so, shouldn’t students have the right to decide for themselves whether they accept the theories of Darwinism?

The primary purpose of the British schooling system should be to foster such questioning principles in students. Students should be welcomed to challenge the theories and the facts they learn on the curriculum. In a world where facts and theories are constantly refuted, there should be careful emphasis on whether all that students learn should be solidly set in stone.

For a young voter like myself, there is little accessible information as to what the state of UK politics actually is. It is true that an individual should be responsible for their own education in such fields, but how many of us can tear ourselves away from the insipient vertical transient that is our lives of studying, contemplating the future and consequent escapism.

David Cameron was on Parkinson last night. He talked and joked about how Kate Moss thought he was a plumber, and we all laughed. Well, some of us did. Others were waiting for more important pronouncements, such as what the Conservative party intends to do with the problems of immigration in our society, if indeed there is one? Well, just-for-laughs-Cameron appeared to be appealing to his so called youth voters simply in his claims to know the rich and famous. However, we are not a moronic generation driven by celebrity fascination, we require substantiality from our politicians, and should they make important declarations we will stand up and listen.

The fact is, there is no radical voice in politics. The average young voter is apathetic to politics, they believe that not only will their vote not count, but that there is no distinction as to who they vote for. There is no glamour in politics despite Cameron’s best efforts.

David’s jokes are best left unsaid……