Lies, Damn Lies

Learninating

So, back to university, and things to learn. Not to an early get up time this morning I have to admit- 10 to 12 I struggled out of bed, and with only two lectures, this was not the most strenous day so far. I am beginning to get highly suspicious, however. I know we should be getting set coursework, and yet it does not come. I think the two courses which will be setting it are waiting til the last possible moment. Perhaps at the same time as revision, that would be fun.

Thats the frustrating thing about coursework- while theoretically it is a better way of measuring achievement, its such a small percentage that you still have to revise hard for that exam, but not small enough so you can crash and burn in it. With the tendency to set it at the same time as revision for other courses without coursework, all it does is effectively double your workload. Some courses manage to have really easy coursework, which you can easily score highly in, and I rate those highly, but most do not, which means the advantages of coursework are really quite obscure. Who DOES it benefit?

Ah, such is life, and at least I don't have to do 10,000 word essays as you hear other students on "easy" courses. Thats always the amusing lie, this idea that science students do more work because we have a few more lectures. The fact is that we get it really quite easy, with only a handful of problem sheets a week. None of this essay nonsense. Urgh, imagine it.... you wouldn't even be able to help each other, as helping someone with an essay normally amounts to straight plagarism in reality.

Hmm, so the new election comes, with the conservatives launching a new manifesto. Its got a few reasonable ideas, although I have to admit a slight suspicion at the idea that they are going to reduce taxes, reduce borrowing, and match Labour spending on various vital organisations. Apparently this is going to come from reducing waste. Hmmm. I wonder how easy it is to work out which beuracrat is essential and which isn't (because some ARE needed. We don't have beuracracy for nothing). I suspect that if you make massive cuts in staff, you are bound to get rid of services somewhere (as well as living many unemployed. These are real people after all...). I agree we probably have a lot of waste, but if you are relying on getting rid of it to make money, rather than doing it incidentally as a good thing, I suspect mistakes will be made.

And frankly, this weird thing about choice of hospitals kind of freaks me out. You can choose which hospital you are going to??? On the few occasions that you are in a position where that is viable, surely the most qualified person to do that is your doctor, and not whatever some ratings table says? Oh.. hmm it seems to say you might have your local GP to help you. Hmm, still...

But I think the thing that really sells any other party but the conservatives for me is the line "take a fixed amount of refugees a year from the UNHCR". How on earth is that justifiable? Do they understand what refugees ARE? These are people who have been raped, tortured, had their families killed, been threatened with death, people who have desperately escaped. How on earth can we close our doors on them? The thing is, we don't actually take THAT many. The only reason the conservative party has introducted this is because it will be popular. Its a really, really bad way to deal with what is admittedly a situation that needs dealing with.

But anyhey, they were never aiming for my vote at all, so meh.

posted by Mr K @ 6:21 pm