Progression/Regression

Watching the news about the Eurozone hasn't completely concerned me until now. Not to say I haven't been worried or thought that these are bad economic times, as they obviously are. But I've distanced myself, I mean, what can I do but just carry on?

It then hit me. There we are, nations with so much progression - we don't live in the Dark Ages, we've got computers to do everything and Apps for everything, we even have brand new recycling bins on station platforms (see-through mind you) for our commuter papers. And still. Still something is missing from our lives.

Democracy is a strong word, but do we really have it? - I'm not suggesting a military government, dictatorship or communist state is better, but we're all supposed to have our say. Decisions are meant to be made by ones who represent us, but really, do they understand what's actually going on?

Look at Greece, people are desperate and the government has got them into an impossible situation. As always, the lowly worker is made paid for the mistakes of those in greater power.

I don't know the answer, but honestly neither do the politicians. The Eurozone leaders have to treat the Greek PM like a little child, who can't have his pocket money until he takes proper responsibility. We can't say that this is the best situation the world has been in in history because when we take 2 steps forward in technology and science, we take 2 back with the dreadful financial and economical situation of instability.

I think I would rather live in a much more simple society, if it meant I didn't have my life up in the air. The worst part is we'll never get it back, because everyone is obsessed with possessions, we're past the point of no return.

But who am I?

An Unholy Dispute

I've found it rather interesting how the Occupy Protests outside of St Pauls in London have begun to challenge something completely different, and highlight a problem with church priorities. 

The protest is actually about anti-capitalism, and unable to camp outside the London Stock Exchange (it's privately owned land) the group pitched up in front of one of London's most iconic landmarks, St Pauls.  Originally welcomed by the church, slowly as the week has progressed, calls for the protesters to move on have become stronger, backed by legal a move towards action.  The cathedral had to close to the public on grounds of health and safety, but protesters have denied any breaches, keeping to regulations set out by the police.

So why was St Pauls shut? Obviously there was a fear that protests would turn violent, that the Wren designed building would be damaged.  However, there have been no threats or demonstrations that point towards force or anger by these protesters, although police did clash with demonstrators on the steps on the weekend before last.

Tourists have been disappointed, making the trip over to London - which is not a cheap holiday in this economic climate.  So it will be interesting to see whether the church will  practice what they preach and 'throw out the money lenders', or continue to be concerned with their own back pocket, as St Paul's loses more money during the closure.

One Minute Straussy?

Seriously, I’ve just sat down to treat myself – live coverage of the Ashes for an hour or so with a mug of mulled wine.  Fantastic, you may say.  Well, I would have agreed until I couldn’t believe my eyes!  Andrew Strauss out for a duck, in the first minute!  It can’t be any longer, because they’ve only just started the first over.

I sigh to myself.  I blame the commentators and the coverage they’ve just been giving in the last hour.  They’ve been saying that it looks like Australia may be the underdogs coming into the series, and of course this gives a glimmer of hope to every Englishman’s (and woman’s) heart.  Of course not! We are rather stupid Pommies to think those warm beer drinkers would not play for The Ashes when at home.

I continue to watch England batting.  I’m starting to feel rather jealous; not only is it sunny – with beautifully formed (definitely not rain) clouds in a blue sky, but it’s obviously a pleasant temperature.

My temperament starts to goes downhill.  Not enough alcohol to make myself merry and a loss of a wicket so early on; it’s very clear that England need to get it together in this first test match game.  I just nearly had a heart attack, as I write this blog, the Aussies appeal "hows thaaaaaat!". Please no, twenty minutes and two wickets gone?  I’m not sure I could cope!  Thankfully 'NOT OUT' pops up on the screen.

I am rather excited about the whole thing.  Apart from the matches being broadcast live from Brisbane at Midnight (in the UK) to 7am , I have never seen The Ashes live for a long time.  With Sky taking over the rights to broadcast, I’m left to remember the good old days of BBC – although I’m sure England hardly won in the days of Michael Atherton (who left me at the time, aged 10, with a bit of a crush; and to this day I have no idea why). 

I don’t mind staying up a bit later to enjoy the match, it’s therapeutic and gentle, not a bad idea to relax before bed.  Unfortunately I'm anticipating that I'll be waking up to bad news!

X Factor - A Way To Stop Benefit Fraud

Not that I consider this particularly newsworthy as an 'X Factor report', I have still found the following story amusing!  Who would have thought that reality shows could be helping the coalition crack down on benefit claimants...

It has been revealed that X Factor finalist Wagner Fiuza-Carrilho, 54, has been claiming incapacity benefit since injuring his shoulder last year.  He has had two operations on the shoulder, the second in January of this year.

As part of the X Factor, Wagner attends the gym, and gives rather energetic performances on the live shows - which has called into question his acceptance of these benefits.  The Department of Work and Pensions appeared quite open minded when speaking to The Mailonline, saying: 'People's conditions change all the time. When new information comes to light, we reassess their fitness for work.'  I'm sure they will.

This, however, wouldn't be the first case where a reality show has exposed benefit claims.  In 2009, Britain's Got Talent entrant Fred Bower, 74, who received disabilty allowance, wowed the audience when performing a breakdance.  Unfortunately for Fred, it was noticed that his injured leg was obviously not holding him back as much as he had stated.  He had to pay back £3,000.

If David Cameron is looking for a clever way to form an attack on benefit fraudsters, I would suggest he employ Simon Cowell.

'Beatles For Sale'

Hallelujah...Hallelujah...

I admit, these lyrics are from a different artist altogether; even so, the words mimic my reaction to the news that finally the Beatles are on iTunes!  Ever since owning my first iPod and iTunes library, I wanted to download Beatles albums.  I was rather confused and frustrated when I couldn’t find them – then realised it was the complexities of record labels that held the music back.

Not completely believing the reports of the Wall Street Journal, I opened my own iTunes account.  The sight that greeted my eyes was fantastic, a huge ‘The Beatles’ sign with all the available albums.  Thirteen studio albums, selling at £10.99, as well as a couple of double albums priced at £17.99; this previously desired back catalogue is now appearing rather expensive at £196.84.

Only £125 for the Beatles box set.  Hmm.  I better start saving.

Engagement Party

I know there will be many who do not care too much about Prince William and his personal affairs, and many who do not care about the royal family altogether.  However, the news of William’s engagement to Kate Middleton should, in my opinion, be celebrated. 

Yes, they exist in a completely different bubble, but it doesn’t mean they’re not human.  Having watched the live news coverage of Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997, it hit home what high expectations Prince William was to inherit. Two young boys, one my own age, and the other only two years older, stood waiting for their mother’s cortege.  They had to then publicly – viewed by millions worldwide, follow it, without any show of emotion.  It was their beloved mother, and yet everyone else was able to cry, whilst all they could do was hang their heads.

It was then passed onto a 15 year old, who had so many of Diana’s looks, to carry on causes which she had supported.  If he was to have any kind of ‘normal’ childhood before this tragic event, it was unlikely he’d get it after it.  Still, he managed to complete his education, whilst remaining a public figure (unlike most celebrities, who propel themselves into the public eye, and then complain of the attention).  He even partook in ‘normal’ activities – taking a gap year before university.  It wasn’t much of a surprise that adjusting to university life was quite hard for Prince William, and I’m sure meeting Kate helped him to carry on his studies when he wanted to give them up.  I hardly think William’s career depended on gaining a degree – it’s generally who you know, and he knows rather influential people.

William has also been well aware of his parent’s unhappy marriage, which often has a negative effect on someone.  However, he managed to find himself a companion that wasn’t of royal or aristocratic kind (although still from a rich family) who obviously made him happy.  Their engagement, after at least 8 years together, shows they haven’t rushed into anything to please anyone but themselves.  I hope they enjoy a happy marriage, because there is no reason they shouldn’t.

The role of the royal family within modern society is debated, often seen as outdated and irrelevant.  I wouldn’t deny I’m not keen on my taxes paying for corgi food, but at the same time, I see the culture and history continued by the monarchy.  So many people from other countries are, dare I say, jealous of our royal family and history, and I feel quite proud.  I don’t think a trip to London would be as special, if you weren’t looking for The Queen’s flag flying at Buckingham Palace, wondering if she was inside having a cuppa.

'We Don't Need No Education' - Well, Not When You're Charging Us That Much!

With every university student, the thought of tuition fees is pushed out of mind whilst studying and replaced with partying and shopping.  The fees are covered by a student loan (if they are not lucky to have parents/relatives to cover the cost) and apart from excessive amounts of paperwork, there is no real concept of owing over £9,000 in fees, and possibly the same in Maintenance loans.

I myself am in that boat, having graduated from university a year ago, I have a rather large debt hanging over my head.  However, I haven't started paying it back yet, not earning enough and then taking on a Postgrad course, it's unlikely I'll tackle any of that debt for a while.  At the same time, I've pretty much resolved myself to the fact I may never pay off my loans!  Some of my friends attended university straight from school, when the fee was just over £1,000 per year.  It turns me a bit green to think if I'd gone to university straight away I'd owe much less and probably hold a pretty good job.  It's best not to think about it and to be glad to have met the people at university when I did!

Even so, the proposition of uncapping the cost of tuition up to more than double the current rates, and owing up to £7,000 a year in fees alone is rather astounding. I would end up waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat trying to juggle those amounts in my head.  Thankfully, I only have to have the money up front for Postgrad; well, I'm not sure it is much better (although I'm not quite living on bread and water just yet), but at least it's not going to be with me for another 25 years.

I suppose it's not necessarily a question about rising fees, but whether the education provided by the universities is worth their jump in costs.  Over the last 5-10 years, new universities have emerged, often from former colleges and poly-technics, but do these really give students the high quality of other established universities or do they fall below?  My friends have attended a diverse range of universities, and I have visited several.  It is true, they do differ in their approaches to students; some have a more laid back atmosphere, where others really push their students to succeed.  Unfortunately, some friends attended university where they were let down by lecturers, not providing the training and teaching that they should have had on that specific course.  After confrontations by the students, they were offered alternative lessons, but by this time they were about to leave the university.

This should ultimately cause an underlying worry for new students.  The problem is, those fresh faced 18 year olds won't have a clue what they're getting themselves into, or putting their parents through to fund their life of late nights and late mornings, occasionally showing up to lectures when they fancy.  It's only when they hit 30 they'll realise they owe a small fortune in excess of £25,000.

The Price of Primark's Popularity

With the promise, as far back as the summer, of a new Primark store in Winchester city centre, more than just a few students' hearts lept for joy at the idea.  Replacing the BHS store, Primark would occupy a large retail unit in the Brooks shopping centre, a prime location.  Finally, affordable clothing for the residents of Winchester (both students as well as permanent residents) was about to arrive.  The city of Winchester is well-known for its expensive living costs not only in rent but also in its high end retail shops such as Hobbs, Jigsaw and Jack Wills.  It draws in a significant amount of tourists visiting the historical sights, but also the smaller boutique shops.  All in all, shopping in Winchester has remained a costly venture.

Primark began trading as Penneys in Dublin, Ireland in 1969 and crossed the water in 1973 taking on the Primark brand name.  It has always carried the association of lower priced goods and has thrived through developing a wider customer base.  The immediate appeal is to those on low income; this can range from the elderly to students and, as unemployment is set to increase further, many more will become reliant on buying goods more cheaply.

Opening on the 4th October (a day earlier than planned), Primark unveiled its most recent store.  On initial inspection the store ticked all the boxes, catering for all ages (although grumbles of a smaller than desired Menswear section from the other half were ignored). What stood out was exceptional tidiness and a very organised stock; very unlike Primark.  As lovable as Primark is, it's a universal truth that you enter at your own risk, ready to do battle with mounds of unkempt piles. This pristine presentation was brushed off in the knowledge it was the first day of trading and was bound to look like this.  However, closer inspection resulted in a few emerging horrors in the perfect exterior.  Possibly having to look twice at the price tag to double check it has read correctly was a bad sign.  Things went from bad to worse, wafting around the very pleasant and good tempered staff, with the discovery that all items just seemed a little bit too much.

The higher prices made you think again about what you were purchasing.  Was the item really worth it?  Or was it best to hold off?  Of course, walking away from Primark to even New Look proves the store remains cheaper, but at the same time, the quality hasn't increased.  Also what appears unclear is whether prices have been hiked up above other Primark stores, just because of the location and assumption that Winchester customers will pay with no other alternative.  The bosses of the company are laughing, having risen in the public eye as a cost effective brand and yet through this reputation have been able to increase their revenue.

In a way, it feels the fondness I had for Primark has diminished with the disappointment of the Winchester store.  Clothing hasn't declined at Primark, but I couldn't say they warrant what's on the tag.  Primark - who would have thought we'd be paying for the brand name?