Saturday, 13 October 2018

A DIVIDED SOCIETY?















Tony Harrison represents Britain as a divided society that he hopes will become UNITED. Is our society as divided???? DO WE NEED THE PHILOSOPHY REFLECTED IN THE POETRY OF TONY HARRISON in 2018? Spot the rhetorical Q!

How posh is Parliament..Channel Four News..
https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-qa-how-posh-is-parliament
48% of Conservative MPs were privately educated. 7% of population attend private schools.
FACTS on INEQUALITY IN BRITAIN
https://fullfact.org/economy/inequality/

Channel Four News clips
Aaron Banks is not an elected politician. He bankrolled UKIP.. Is this democratic?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vZ17-5bbGA
Homeless film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu1EVZgN0_8
Brexit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FsKuNSf4uQ
JOHN HARRIS' films for The Guardian are brilliant. Here are two that explore 'BREXIT'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB8GjRjV6oE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH0F0pzsivY
AUSTERITY BRITAIN..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Yg8QaeBdNs
BBC..Universal Credit..Note the comments of ex-Prime Minister John Major.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-45817897?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cn89m309ykvt/universal-credit&link_location=live-reporting-story
SKY NEWS...Universal Credit..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfhsjM9kBDQ
Prison crisis in UK..BBC Newsnight..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeFlGdPOQnA 
Minister for Suicide Prevention...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-45804225 
https://news.sky.com/story/suicide-prevention-minister-joked-about-throwing-herself-off-beachy-head-11522855 
The working homeless...BBC article..
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-44904638

Windrush? Grenfell? Boris Johnson and the Brexit bus?....Some Prisons in meltdown...School funding crisis...mental health provision being cut all over the UK due to austerity...WOWZA!

I don't want to depress any of my fine students but the government policy of AUSTERITY is an extremely controversial policy and has had a MASSIVE impact on the UK. Since 2010, council funding has been cut in the UK by 49%. The impact of this policy has been that local councils are struggling to fund resources for all kinds of services from bin collection to providing care for society's most vulnerable and isolated people.

I would love to provide some kind of balance. The government champion the fact that we have never had so many people in the UK in employment. The NHS and Education are receiving record funding.

Friday, 5 October 2018

POETRY Y10...Belated National Poetry Day...

METAPHOR POEM...

SCHOOL IS...
SCHOOL IS AUTUMN. Colourful and changes quickly.
SCHOOL IS MUSIC. Some great tunes but some melodies just give me a headache.
SCHOOL IS THE SKY. Vast and endless.
SCHOOL IS A BISCUIT. Sweet but has the potential to rot your teeth.
SCHOOL IS RUGBY. Tough, fun, challenging and occasionally painful.
SCHOOL IS....

Acrostic??
S
C
H
O
O
L

HAIKU?  A 17 syllable poem.
5 syllables
7 syllables
5 syllables.....

School
School is a fine Tree.
Autumn provides its colour.
It will change with time.

Poetry
Contains strong language
Intellectual Self-Defence
Muscle For The Mind