Monday 4 February 2008

Winston Churchill and Sherlock Holmes. Many voters don’t know who was real and who wasn’t

According to a survey 47% of those surveyed thought Richard I (the Lionheart), was a myth. Worryingly 33% thought the same about Sir Winston Churchill and Florence Nightingale.

Conversely 59% though Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson were real people.

Did the people conducting the survey especially look for thick people, or is it yet another indictment of State Education?

Possibly both - but more likely the latter, as even the those of the most modest mental ability, exposed to a half decent education would be more than likely to get such simple questions right.

More worrying, what else don’t the respondents have a clue about - and how does this affect important decisions they make in daily life, based apparently on completely mistaken information.

More worrying still ;-) These people can vote...

Quote of the day

” The great fish swallow up the small; and he who is most strenuous for the rights of the people, when vested with power, is as eager after the prerogatives of government.

ABIGAIL ADAMS 1775

UK Parliament now second place to EU to those in power.

Sir Mark Moody-Stuart ex-Charman of Shell has a downer on ‘rich’ people buying ‘gaz guzzling’ vehicles. He wants the EU to ban anything that does less than 35 MPG.

One suspects the problem is not actually with rich people, as there are probably not enough to make a significant difference and they can afford to assuage their consciences by buying a ‘greener’ vehicle. This may more likely be his prejudices speaking.

From experience, it is those who can’t afford better who end up having to run less fuel-efficient vehicles, and there are many more of them.

Leaving this aside, what is particularly telling is that Moody-Stuart is calling on the EU, the actual Government of the UK to ban them, rather than what is becoming an effectively toothless hot air factory, Parliament.

Once Gordon Brown dishonestly signs away yet more of the Voters loaned power to the EU, Parliament will be effectively largely reduced to the power level of a County Council. We already have those, so what is the point of Parliament, as it exists?