It appears that my last blog update was on the 6th of March and so I have been rather neglectful in my communication duties towards family and friends – for this I apologise profusely, although the reality is that there really isn't anything to tell.
The weather is starting to pick up for the summer and I have already managed to have one beach outing with my students. Sandcastles and ice-creams by the sea is a far superior option to book exercises, sat in the classroom, but it does involve some serious homework marking at a later date, as the aforementioned students are all tasked with writing about any out-of-class activities post-excursion.
I do not keep a very close eye on news from the West because it no longer affects me greatly, and most of the time it consists of people whining about one thing or another, but at last glance it seems that the UK is planning to go on strike.
Why is it that people who work for state institutions expect to automatically be paid for years and years after they cease doing any work? The argument appears to be over pensions and the requirement for people who have not made any personal arrangements for their retirement to put in a little bit of extra effort before reaping the rewards offered by the state.
Given that the UK is still struggling to escape the huge financial burden gifted to it by so many consequetive months of 'financial growth' since Blair, Brown et al. I do not think that it is unreasonable for the government to expect a little help from those who benefit the most from the freebies long after they have hung up their plimsolls and mortar boards.
For those who are not happy with the situation back home (and I still consider it to be my home) I recommend a move overseas. Whilst we happily criticise communist regimes and the corruption in foreign countries, there is a lot to commend much of the thinking behind the red flags.
Citizens here in China love their government, despite the censorship and the poor human rights history. The love is not universal but it far outweighs the feeling towards the powers that be in the UK. And long may it continue.
If the strikers understood that the government is trying to correct the debt issues and the financial problems that the country faces, then perhaps they would not be behaving like spoilt children with too many teddies to throw. And maybe their time on strike would be better spent addressing their own plans for pension income once they cease to contribute anything worthwhile to society (assuming they are doing anything worthwhile at present), rather than just creating a further burden to a troubled country.
But this is just a blog, read by family and friends, and not the place for political whining. So, forgive me my rant, many thanks to those of you who have contributed so generously to my student stamp collection campaign and I will try not to leave the next update for so long.
