Out from the crowd ...and proud!

This blog has a bit of a death wish

2007-06-12T14:13:00.000+01:00

Well, I haven't updated it in so long. If there is something interesting happening then I will update it but I will more than likely forget if that is not the case.

So this is a temporary goodbye for now.

Couple of poems

2007-04-22T15:22:00.000+01:00

Well, I had a comment on my last post suggesting that I post some of my poems. I'd be really interested to find out what people think of them.

The first one is about how I felt during my Easter holidays. My current poems are mainly about depression but I try to add something hopeful (though this is not always the case). I used the metaphor of a prison to explain my feelings. It's fairly easy to get what I was trying to say through this poem as I don't usually write crypticly.

'Thoughts of a prisoner'

The journey is long,
Painful,
Imprisoning.
There's no freedom
Any more.
I sleep to be free,
But my dreams aren't peaceful.

Scary things happen,
I want to get off.
No,
Correction,
I need to get off.
I'm not a criminal,
What did I do?

Imprisoned by my thoughts,
My dad's exaggeration
Once proved right.
No hope of escape,
Still on suicide watch.
No space,
No freedom.

Stop the world,
I've had enough.
The journey must end
With freedom,
Release from pain.
I can't carry on in prison
For something I didn't do.

The next is about how I expect some social stigma as a dropout but I seem to have come up against a lot more than what I had hoped for, mainly because of my emotions.

'The depressed dropout'

No chances in life,
Judgement every day
From those who don't understand.
I've tried to move on,
To correct my mistakes
And make something of myself.

So what if I dropped out.
It was for the best
But I face a daily judgement,
A social stigma
For doing what I thought was right.
But it doesn't end there.

I'm judged for my feelings,
Ashamed of my emotions.
When it gets really bad
I'm left unable to talk.
I write, but still fear judgement,
A poem, a suicide note.

Nobody cares, nobody understands,
So I am left alone.
Solitary confinement
For a crime I didn't commit,
The story of the depressed dropout
Has no happy ending.

Socially stigmatised,
My ambitions reduced to pipe dreams.
People judge me for what I've become,
They don't understand.
My emotions kept private,
The truth of the depressed dropout kept hidden.

The next is about the way that my faith has been tested recently. In some ways, it is a bit of a follow-up to this blog entry.

'Confusion in faith'

Sometimes it gets too much,
I can't take any more.
There's no explanation,
No reason for my feelings.

All I can do is pray,
But this is so difficult
When I've lost all hope
And all I have left is anger.

God doesn't need to listen.
I've done so much bad,
I don't deserve his help,
But listen he does.

I don't know why,
I can't explain.
"Have faith and don't give up"
Is what God says to me.

I've been left wondering,
Was it God who confused my emotions?
I wish I knew how I felt,
Even if I couldn't get any worse.

Sometimes I can't escape,
Days or even weeks of anger
And no end to my confusion.
I just wish it was all...

Over?
Finished?
Done?
Yeah, that's about right.

Finally, this is another poem about being a social reject and also what being depressed has done to me over these last couple of months.

'The social reject'

The social reject
With nothing left.
Choices I made
And problems inflicted upon me.
I hoped for success,
But chances wither away,
Leaving no trace of their existence
Like an anonymous death.

The social reject
With no hopes for tomorrow.
With no tomorrow.
What is the point?
Circumstances out of my control
Drive my emotions lower each day,
To the point I can no longer cope.
So what is the point?

The social reject
With a death wish at twenty,
Never regained the will to live.
There's no hope left,
All I once had withered away,
No trace of positive existence.
Another anonymous death -
Mine.

I hope you all liked those poems and that they weren't too depressing. It's just that I find writing about my worst emotions helps to get rid of them. Sorry that this entry was particularly long but my poems do tend to be fairly long. By the way, I am not after any sympathy. These are just poems.

The resurrection of the blog

2007-04-16T15:56:00.000+01:00

Yeah, my blog has been a bit dead recently. I've been dealing with a few personal issues so haven't really had the time (or the motivation) to post on my blog.

The Easter hols have been a bit mixed but my trip to Iona was great. If anyone is in need of spiritual renewal (which I definitely was before I went), then I would definitely recommend going. When I was there, I wrote a couple of poems. I've decided that poetry is my new thing and my current ambition is to put together probably 50 poems to inspire others who are going through what I've had to deal with during the holidays. I've only written 6 so far (but I have been offered some by someone else) so I have quite a long way to go but I will rise to the challenge as I find writing poetry really helpful and I believe that what I am doing is for the greater good.

As for the whole uni situation, I will be going somewhere else in October. It's a toss up between Birmingham and Keele at the moment. I'm both excited and nervous about this. I really can't wait to study politics but the thought of being in an environment where nobody knows me and I won't know where to go if I have any problems like I had in the last week of last term just before I dropped out really scares me right now.

Hopefully I won't wait quite as long before I make another post.

The English language is great, but...

2007-03-18T18:41:00.000Z

There are some times when people just say completely the wrong thing. This can often have unintended consequences. I will explain this in more detail when I give specific examples. It is normally because the person has used an entirely inappropriate word for the situation but can also be down to a misunderstanding.

The first of these problems can be best explained by a time when I wasn't exactly thinking rationally. I would have been alright with being accused of being irrational as that was true. However, I was accused of being deluded. This made me think that those accusing me were not aware that I knew exactly what I was doing, was perfectly capable of making an informed decision, and was completely in acceptance of the consequences of said decision. I was actually perfectly competent in the whole decision making process so it offended me that I got accused of being deluded by those I was with. The choice of words was really not appropriate considering that this was at one of the lowest points of my life (hence the lack of rationality).

The second of these problems can be best explained by two separate things I was told when I tried to switch courses. A friend even informs me that one of these, if interpreted as I did, is a form of discrimination. I have, however, had quite an insight into the world of academics and I do not like what I have seen.

When I had the flu, about half way through term 2, my personal tutor decided to help me with my course switch by negotiating with the politics department that I could drop out for the rest of the year to regain my health. She forwarded the reply to me to keep me updated on how the negotiation was going. One sentence really stood out above all the rest - "we do not accept transfers on welfare grounds". Keep that in mind as it will come in again later after I have explained the potential discrimination.

This was earlier than when I was informed that welfare is not a valid reason to switch courses (when, in my mind, it is a very good reason). I was speaking to the department when I was informed that I could transfer in October if I passed my first year. That was not all I had to do though. I was informed that I could not transfer if I was depressed. I wasn't so informed them of this straight away. I quickly worked out that the reason for this policy was mainly to make the department look good and not so much for the welfare of the students. I may have completely misinterpreted this but I understood the policy of not allowing people to transfer if they were depressed as "we don't want anyone in our department if they're going to kill themselves within the first week of their course because it looks bad for the department".

Since applying to transfer, I have come to the conclusion that the politics department do not have a conscience. I see it as though (and this is purely from interpretation of what I have been told this year) they see us as merely statistics and not so much as people. If someone had hit rock bottom on a course that they really hated and their only hope was switching to politics, I know I would not be able to stick to departmental policy. How could anyone live with themselves having turned this person away (as my interpretation of the politics department's admissions policy would suggest would happen in this situation)?

I guess it's a bit worrying that I still want to study in this department. They do not seem concerned about welfare to me. Originally, my transfer wasn't so much about welfare issues, just that I hated my course and it was making me miserable. This has since put me through hell and I did get to the point where being able to study something I was passionate about from October was pretty much all I had left to live for. I feel that if I had left it any later before I decided to switch then one of the two issues (either that I wanted to switch on welfare grounds or that my original course had made me depressed) would have meant that I would not have been able to switch courses and would have dropped out completely and ended up working in McDonalds.

I guess I'm just glad that I didn't take any of this too seriously. I've interpreted all these times that someone has said completely the wrong thing to me and been offended by the meanings but I know that there is normally a reason for such a breakdown in communication.

I've only gone and done it!

2007-03-16T23:20:00.000Z

Yes, I've dropped out of uni and am nearly done with all things maths and physics. There is only one more thing that I need to do and that is contact the student finance people. I am so happy! I hope to stay in the area but don't yet know how likely that will be.

My application to study politics is nearly finished now and that will be yet another thing off my mind once that is done. All this is so liberating. It may have taken a long time but things are finally starting to fall into place. It just feels so good. So good, in fact, that I want to act like a complete idiot by yelling random comments at the top of my voice. I may hate evangelism but there are some times when I just feel the need to tell the world that God loves me.

Sometimes things are just meant to happen

2007-03-13T21:37:00.000Z

As I mentioned earlier today, I have been battling with some pretty serious personal issues over the last week or so. In fact, I have had many issues to deal with for most of this year. It was only in March that I realised that there was a problem that needed sorting. I hope you will understand that I do not wish to disclose any further information as this is something I will have to deal with in my own time and way. I just wanted to use this as an introduction to a post about my religious beliefs.

I've believed in fate for as long as I've believed in God. I've put many of my experiences down to fate. For example, I believe that I was not destined to study maths and physics and so decided to drop out of the course and switch to politics. I believe that if something was meant to happen then it will happen. How we get there, however, is not so well defined.

I am about to take over as prayer secretary for Christian Focus. This role includes a bit of spiritual guidance for those who need it. I believe that events since the beginning of March happened as they did to help prepare me to use this role for God's glory. My faith is really being tested to the limit right now and I will confess that it has not been easy. I gave in to temptation once and very nearly did another time. Yesterday, it was prayer that helped me to resist temptation and carry on as things were. I feel that someone might be coming to me at some point with a very similar problem, needing spiritual guidance. It might be that I will be better equipped to help this theoretical person having been through hell myself.

In a conversation last night, I explained what I was going through to another Christian. He told me that he thought there were 2 different types of Christians - the 'happy clappy evangelicals' who spread the Word but don't seem to have too many problems, and those who seem to have their faith constantly tested. Both of us fell into the latter category and as such he knew exactly where I was coming from. He helped me to see that I could work for God's glory and not have to give in to any kind of temptation. He helped me to see that I would come out of this situation as a much better person with much stronger faith.

I just get the feeling that some things were just meant to happen and that we should not get too concerned by the situations we end up in as, with God's help, anyone can get out of any dodgy situation. Having been there, I know how difficult it is and how easy I thought it would be to just give up but I also know that it is possible to get out of even the worst of situations.

Pros and cons of proportional representation

2007-03-13T21:22:00.000Z

I posted an article that I had written for the student newspaper at Warwick onto this blog a while ago. That is probably what has attracted so many dropouts to my blog. That article did not get published, I believe because I had been a little too controversial.

I submitted another article that was inspired by an article someone had written about Angela Merkel. I thought that this article was much less controversial - after all, it was only an argument against proportional representation - than the previous one but this article also wasn't published. I have, however, decided to publish it on my blog.

Reading Sam Hancock’s article, ‘In the Lair of the Leitwolf’, in February 27^th’s edition of the Boar inspired me to write an article commenting on the pros and cons of proportional representation. I remember the backroom deals mentioned in the first paragraph and how it seemed to take forever for Germany to form a government following their last election. In fact, I often use Germany as an example to explain why I do not support proportional representation and would rather that Britain stuck with first past the post.

At least as far back as 1997, moving towards a more proportional electoral system has been an issue in this country. Labour promised they would look into the possibility of adopting proportional representation in their 1997 election manifesto: ‘We are committed to a referendum on the voting system for the House of Commons. An independent commission on voting systems will be appointed early to recommend a proportional alternative to the first-past-the-post system.’ The Lib Dems are keen supporters and the Conservatives are strong opponents of such a move.

I am not denying that there are some reasons why proportional representation could be a good idea. I live in one of the safest constituencies in the country. One person will never be able to even dent a majority of 19,000 votes. I do feel that my vote doesn’t actually count. I often think “why, therefore, did I spend half an hour of my time on a Thursday evening about three weeks before the start of my A-levels to vote?” when that time would have definitely been better spent revising. At least with proportional representation, every vote counts. The entire election would not be decided on the votes of a few thousand people (out of an electorate of approximately 45 million) living in a few key marginals.

An example often given by advocates of proportional representation is that, at the last election, more people in England voted Conservative than Labour but Labour have more English MP’s than the Conservatives. Situations like this would not happen under proportional representation. Advocates of first past the post say that this situation was caused by unevenly sized constituencies and can be easily solved by redrawing the boundaries.

There is no point in denying that proportional representation would mean that previously unrepresented minority parties could find themselves with a seat in Parliament. This can be seen as a good thing or a bad thing, depending on who you are talking about. I am sure that nobody would object to the presence of a Green Party MP but even the thought of the BNP getting elected to Parliament would make most people cringe. I, for one, am yet to meet anyone who has anything good to say about the BNP, yet people still vote for them. There is a real possibility of extremists getting elected to Parliament if Britain switches to proportional representation.

To me, an important and perhaps the most important fundamental principle of democracy is that the average person on the street gets to choose who should run their country. A list system of proportional representation, as used in the European elections, hands over too much control to party headquarters and away from the voters. This means that our elected representatives are no longer accountable to the electorate, of whom only a tiny percentage are members of any political party. Even though I am a grass roots member of a political party, I feel far more disenfranchised by proportional representation than I do by first past the post. The thought of there being a small committee of only a few people deciding who should be in Parliament scares me.

In my opinion, proportional representation should actually be called proportional voting as there is no representation involved. One of the best parts of the first past the post system is the link between an MP and their constituency. This link would be lost with proportional representation. The constituency link is important because it means that it is easier for the people to know who their MP is and therefore be able to contact them. Representation would be lost if the constituency link was lost.

It is not only a lack of representation that would frustrate me about a Parliament elected by proportional representation but also the ineffectiveness of any government when compared to a Parliament elected under first past the post. Constant minority governments and coalition governments would mean that any legislation that is passed will end up watered down and far more legislation would not be passed.

The last time that Britain failed to elect a majority government was in February 1974. Less than eight months later the then prime minister, Harold Wilson, went back to the country in the second general election of that year. First past the post almost always produces a government with a workable majority – in the last 100 years there have only been six times (January 1910, December 1910, 1923, 1929, 1951, February 1974) that we have failed to elect a majority government out of twenty six general elections in the same period of time. Proportional representation, however, almost always produces no overall majority. Advocates of proportional representation may say that, in 2005, 34% of the vote somehow gave us 55% of the MP’s – the lowest proportion of the vote for any single party majority government in British history – but I would rather that than a government made up of 34% of the MP’s.

Trying to forge a coalition can be a lengthy process. It requires compromise from all sides involved. Incompatible manifesto promises are ignored and in the end we do not get the government that we voted for. All this goes on behind closed doors as every MP battles for their place in the government. It is likely that under proportional representation it will be the Lib Dems who are constantly in power as they are small enough that they won’t be fighting with their opponents but large enough that they could create a majority coalition. Whoever can form this coalition with the Lib Dems will form the rest of the government, regardless of how we voted. In my opinion, this is not a democratic solution.

I fear that it might not be too long before introducing proportional representation in Parliamentary elections is brought to the top of the agenda. There have always been supporters who have been ranting about such an idea in their free time but I have heard that the chances of the next election resulting in a hung Parliament are quite high. The Lib Dems will form their coalition with whomever they choose and introduce proportional representation. No future British government will have a workable majority and the resultant weak legislation will make the people on the streets want to return to first past the post and majority governments formed on the back of 34% of the vote. First past the post is by no means perfect and is in great need of reform but it is the best system we have.

I did quite a bit of research before putting together this article so I hope it was better than the previous one (which was pure opinion).

It's been a while

2007-03-13T16:40:00.000Z

Well, I've had some pretty major issues to deal with recently. It just didn't seem appropriate to blog when things were as they were. You haven't missed that much though - just the fact that I am still angry with student politics and still trying to sort out the admin regarding dropping out of uni. I still haven't found out the results of the committee elections that were last week and the referendum didn't even come close to quorum - though the fact that I did not see any publicity until the last day of voting may have had something to do with this.

On a slightly different rant (and what I actually wanted to post today), there seems to be a bit of a them with how people come to my blog. It is supposed to be predominantly political but has included a lot of personal issues - most notably my realisation that I am on the wrong course and that I have decided to drop out and reapply to study politics. I regularly check MyBlogLog to see how people are reaching my blog. It is normally a mixture of Facebook and Google with a few links on other blogs. The most occurring Google search that reaches this blog is anything remotely along the lines of dropping out of uni. I seem to be attracting all the dropouts. I don't mind that this is the case but please be aware that this is a blog and not an advice site. I can only speak from my personal experience which hasn't actually been too bad as my friends have been able to offer loads of support.

Getting annoyed with student politics

2007-03-08T00:03:00.000Z

I really am. I spent all of yesterday stressing out about getting back to Coventry in time to stand in an election that I never realised was online. I had been ill over the weekend so never got around to submitting a manifesto which is more than likely going to go against me. Anyone who doesn't recognise my name will think "oh, she couldn't be bothered to submit a manifesto so why should I vote for her." There was another election that I was planning to stand in but somehow my nomination got lost. I decided to stand in week 6 but the meeting was inquorate so all business was postponed until week 9. Nominations from week 6, however, were not carried forward to week 9. I definitely don't have a chance of being on the officer team now. My chances of being on the committee I am standing for are also very slim. I'm going to have too much free time next year. I just hope that my exec positions (and essays, of course!) take up a good amount of time. I'm so annoyed. Oh, and to top it all off, referenda publicity is almost non-existent. What on earth do the proposers think they are doing when last term's referenda were inquorate. At least I wasn't too ill to vote though.

Sorry about that really annoying rant, it was just something I had to get off my chest.

So we're to have an elected House of Lords

2007-03-07T23:35:00.000Z

Why???

What is the point?

OK, I might have controversial views on this topic but I believe that an elected Lords is bad for democracy. It will mean that the Lords just rubber stamp any bills passed in the Commons rather than scrutinising them and keep sending them back if they are rubbish. This is because if Labour (for example as they are currently in government) have a majority in the Commons then they are more than likely to have a majority in the Lords.

This is not the only reason that I am so against an elected Lords. I think that we have too many elections as it is and cannot see myself wanting to vote in yet another election, despite being someone who thinks that voting is really important.

Personally, I think the hereditary system was the best. It may not have been perfect but at least it worked.

Phrases I hate

2007-03-01T15:57:00.000Z

Over the last few days in the Telegraph there has been a list of words and phrases that readers really hate. This has inspired me to make my own list of some words and phrases that I hate.

Positive discrimination - surely discrimination, by definition, is negative.
Liberal Conservative - I may be one of these but surely you can be either Liberal or Conservative and not both.
The government will pay X amount of money for X - errm, no, we will.
Democratically elected - surely the word "democratically" is superfluous to requirement.
Actually - I use it all the time but I find it so annoying.
Oh my God - sorry, I had to put that one in but as a Christian I hate when people use the Lord's name in vain.
Prospective Parliamentary candidate - considering you only become a PPC when you are actually standing, what on earth is the point of adding "prospective" here?
You're entitled to your opinion but... - roughly translates as "you're wrong and I know better than you".
Thinking outside the box - what on earth is that supposed to mean?
Blue sky thinking - I'd rather think with my brain than the sky.

I actually hate 99.99...% of corporate jargon. Please, please, please speak in plain English.

The social stigma of dropping out

2007-03-01T14:42:00.000Z

This is an article that I decided to write for the Warwick Boar, our student newspaper at Warwick. It is because I have decided to drop out of the maths and physics course I was studying until about a week ago. I have ambitions that I hope I can still achieve and disagree with what I see as a social stigma against those who made a mistake when they were 17 or 18. I really hope that it is just a misconception of the situation.

It may be controversial me suggesting that drop outs are not necessarily destined to end up as social rejects but here goes.

I have decided to write about this topic following my own personal experience. I started a maths and physics degree last October with great expectations. I soon, however, realised that these were never going to be fulfilled. Over the course of my gap year and the first few weeks of last term I had discovered that I was more interested in politics than either maths or physics.

I started off happy with the arrangement that I would study what was considered by society as a “useful” subject whilst getting involved in politics in my free time. By about half way through last term, however, politics had taken over my life at the expense of my degree. I tried to continue as I had started out at the beginning of the term but I couldn’t escape from the lure of more political involvement. By now I was an active member of Union Council and I was also an active member of Warwick Conservatives. My political involvement was increasing whilst my attendance at lectures was decreasing.

It took another three weeks or so before I got the courage to consider switching courses. I was no longer enjoying the maths and physics course and knew that I didn’t want to be spending the next three years as I had spent the previous three weeks.

I spoke to my personal tutor first, then Advice and Welfare. That same day I sent an email to the economics department applying for a transfer to economics, politics and international studies. This application was rejected in January so I had to spend quite a bit of time reconsidering my options. I had never considered that I could end up dropping out of uni but this was now becoming a real possibility. I did not want to end up being a social reject. I was worried how my parents would react and also that I would end up spending the rest of my life in McDonalds and coming home smelling of chip fat. That was not the life I wanted.

Thankfully, things started to look up. I got a transfer to study politics and international studies if I passed the year. Then I went down with a nasty case of the flu and missed three weeks of lectures as a result. I returned to health in time for the Union elections but, as a candidate, I put far more priority on my campaign than I did on attending lectures. The following week I was back in bed with yet another bug. I was now advised that I should drop out and reapply for the politics course that I really wanted to do.

This was the course of action that I went for. I could have ended up reasonably high on the social ladder but I had dropped out of uni. The stigma of being a drop out was going to go against me. I hope one day to stand for Parliament but bad decisions I made as a teenager might work against me if they ever become known by my potential constituents.

Perhaps controversially, I do not believe that there should be any social stigma attached to dropping out. I do not believe that making a bad decision when you are seventeen or eighteen should count against you for the rest of your life. I am going to make it right to the top of the social ladder. One day I will be helping to run this country. I know that I have done the right thing. Why should I aim for lower aspirations just because I made a mistake and wanted to put it right? I want to say to my potential constituents on the day before the election:

“My name is Kerri Parish and I am your Conservative candidate for Parliament. I have made some bad decisions in the past but I put them right. It is true that I dropped out of uni half way through my first year but that was because the course I was studying was not right for me. I went back and gained a good degree and really enjoyed it. This experience does not make me any worse of a person. It has helped me to realise how committed I am to representing you all in Parliament because no longer will I take any important decisions lightly.”

Now that, in my opinion, is a good election speech!

This is an opinion piece so I might have got some facts wrong but I really do want to be honest about my past when I eventually get round to standing for Parliament. I don't want to end up feeling that it is better to just pretend that this year didn't happen. It was one of the most important years in shaping my future plans. It is because of this year that I know what I want to do, both now and in the distant future.

Can democracy function without the truth?

2007-02-27T20:19:00.000Z

I have just finished reading a book called "The Rise of Political Lying" by Peter Oborne. I found it very interesting and have decided to analyse the situation myself.

One of the chapters in this book, "Why do politicians lie", I thought I could answer in just three words - to get elected - but Oborne gives some good analysis in far more detail. This I shall not go into but I will confess that the whole time I was reading the book I was thinking that dishonest politicians are the reason that our democracy is in such a mess. One of the biggest fundamentals, in my opinion, of democracy is the need to make an informed choice given the facts. Not being in possession of the facts denies us this right (as Oborne explains throughout the book - something that really got me thinking).

I will make it clear now that I do not claim some kind of moral high ground here. I myself have been dishonest for the very reason given above. I stated in a recent manifesto that I had been actively involved in the organisation of Go Green Week when at the time I had only been to one meeting. I had done very little for the organisation of Go Green Week, though would have done more had I not gone down with a bad case of the flu so I guess I can be excused. I had taken something and exaggerated the situation to sound better.

Despite my own dishonesty, I believe that democracy cannot function properly without the truth. How can some average guy on the street make an informed decision on any issue without hearing the facts from all sides of the arguement. Without the facts, we cannot be properly informed. This, I believe, is the root of all political lying. If Tom, Dick and Harry (or should that be Sarah, Mohammed and Abdul in today's equal opportunities obsessed society?) knew everything then most of our MP's would be out of the job at the next election. It is in the average politician's best interests to be economical with the truth.

Interesting happenings

2007-02-27T20:08:00.000Z

Well most people will probably think that they are boring but I just want to explain why it has been so long since I last posted on this blog. I have, for once, not been ill but I have been busy. I spent the weekend at a Christian event in London and when I arrived back at uni was the AGM of one of my societies (Christian Focus) and I was elected as prayer secretary for the coming year. In the next week I have a couple more exec elections that I am standing in - well, I like to be busy. Last Wednesday I resigned from the craft society exec because I wanted to take on a different challenge in the coming year.

Also last week I decided to drop out of uni. This is not going to be a permanent thing as I hope to be back in October studying politics. I will be staying in the area in the mean time as here is where all my friends are and there is just too much that I am involved in (and a ball at the end of term 3 to help organise).

The dreaded lurgie

2007-02-19T20:35:00.000Z

I haven't updated this blog in ages so I will post something quick now. It is because I have yet again been ill. In fact, I only seem to have not been ill for one week this term and that was elections week so I didn't exactly care too much about attending lectures. I'm now almost certain I am going to fail the year. I wouldn't be too bothered but I need to pass to get onto the politics course that I really want to do next year. On a weird and slightly off tangent point, events this term for me can be seen as proof I'm destined to be a politician and not a physicist but that is just my weird way of thinking. Hopefully I will be in better health for the rest of this term, even if the only thing I manage to achieve is a good night out to celebrate my birthday that's at the end of next week - arrgh, I'm getting old!

Still recovering from last week

2007-02-11T15:04:00.000Z

I guess "I didn't get to bed until 4:30am" is not the best of excuses for not doing an integration worksheet but I am still procrastinating. I've actually been procrastinating all of this term. It is true that I attended more lectures in week 5 than I did in the entire rest of this term put together. Having been too tired to concentrate during 66% of the lectures I have attended this term is really not that good. I can say, however, that PMQ's has not contributed to me missing any lectures this term, unlike last term where it was a major factor in my lack of attendance. Falling asleep in random places has taken over.

I'm hoping that next week is much better. Maybe I could continue the trend and attend 4 lectures next week, then 8 the week after. In fact, I really should get in a week when I attend all of my lectures at some point.

I actually had an interesting conversation with a friend last night when I returned home from the party. It started when I was trying to explain why I left the party in tears having heard "Don't look back in anger" but went on to being about courses. We even managed to come up with our plan to take over the world in some distant future. My political career may be over for now but I will not give up and one day world domination will be mine! Oh the ideas I come up with at 2:00 in the morning.

I've been thinking during today what I could do next year. I will be looking into my options and I will work out what is doable. I know that there are still a couple of officer positions up for grabs that nobody stood for and I could be on one of the committees if I wanted. I will, however, make sure I am back bigger and better than ever before next year. Nobody will ever get rid of me that easily!

I know most of my blog postings have been a little boring lately but I will try not to drag any of my rants about any recent events much further. I, for one, would much rather focus on something positive.

Why do they always play really emotional songs at really emotional moments?

2007-02-11T02:44:00.000Z

I made it to all of the party, but only to be disappointed. The election I was standing in was really close but I missed out. Congratulations go to Katt though.

The very last song they played before we were kicked out of the Union was "Don't look back in anger" by Oasis. I love the song. It reminds me of my last day at primary school. Even now, nearly 9 years later, it still makes me cry. This is because I was bullied and had a really bad time that year. I was desperate to escape from it all. The song reminds me of my need to escape and has so many emotional feelings attached. This is not only because of the fact that I listened to it on repeat for most of my last day, but also because of the words.

Slip inside the eye of your mind
Don't you know you might find
A better place to play

You said that you've never been
But all the things that you've seen
They slowly fade away

So I'll start a revolution from my bed
cuz you said the brains I had went to my head
Step outside, summertime's in bloom
Stand up beside the fireplace
Take that look from off your face
You ain't ever gonna burn my heart out

And so, Sally can wait
She knows its too late as we're walking on by
Her soul slides away
But don't look back in anger
I heard you say

Take me to the place where you go
Where nobody knows
If its not our day

Please don't put your life in the hands
Of a rock and roll band
You'll throw it all away

I'm gonna start a revolution from my bed
cuz you said the brains I had went to my head
Step outside, cuz summertime's in bloom
Stand up beside the fireplace
Take that look from off your face
cuz you ain't ever gonna burn my heart out

And so, Sally can wait
She knows its too late as she's walking on by
My soul slides away
But don't look back in anger
I heard you say

So, Sally can wait
She knows its too late as we're walking on by
Her soul slides away
But don't look back in anger
I heard you say

So, Sally can wait
She knows its too late as she's walking on by
My soul slides away
But don't look back in anger
Don't look back in anger
I heard you say

At least not today.

It is for a completely different reason that the words have such meaning for tonight. I have put so much effort into this last week. I've been out there with the people and it has been really good. I have enjoyed it so much and my only real regret is perhaps getting a bit too involved. I never saw Katt flyering in the snow or nagging random people in the coffee shop in the Union to vote for her. She just had a better manifesto than I did and her posters weren't taken down on the day voting began by really annoying people from the university (like mine were, but that is something I really do not want to go into right now).

I did what I thought was best and am glad I put in so much effort. I most certainly don't look back in anger at what has been such a good week and such an interesting experience. It is just that tonight was really emotional and I was really disappointed. The DJ didn't even know who I was, let alone the fact that I was bullied at primary school. How could he have known that I was going to leave the Union building in tears. The memories brought back by this song, and events of tonight, were just too much when put together at the end of a very stressful week.

Finally, whatever happens next year, I will not go around just annoying people like I did on Friday. I should actually make an attempt to be nice.

Can I really cope with tonight?

2007-02-10T13:29:00.000Z

I'm procrastinating right now because I can't be bothered to do an integration worksheet. I'm still recovering from last week and would quite honestly rather be in bed. However, I plan to go out tonight. There's a free party in the Union and the results of the officer elections will be announced (or they will be if enough people voted!). If I am to find out the results at the same time everyone else does, then I really should go. I can just see myself not wanting to socialise and not actually caring about the results (other than Democracy Committee Chair) so maybe I should just pop in at 11:30 and then leave again as soon as I find out which one of my opponents was elected. I guess I should go now and have lunch as that should hopefully give me the energy that I need to do the worksheet and actually be awake at 11:30 tonight.

Links

2007-02-09T21:42:00.000Z

If anyone links to me and I have not linked back then please let me know and I will provide a link to you.

Similarly, if anyone notices a blog that has linked to me and I have not linked back then please also let me know and I will link to there. In other words I will link regardless of whether or not you own the blog.

Lastly, if you do not think that you are in the right section (or can suggest ways of amending my blogroll so that it better describes the blogs I link to) then please also let me know and I will get it sorted.

What a week

2007-02-09T20:42:00.000Z

I'm so glad it's over. I've spent far too long annoying people today and I really hope all my effort has paid off. I've been falling asleep at weird times (such as 4:00 in the afternoon) and in weird places (such as on the sofas in the coffee shop in the Union) for all of this week. I've enjoyed the bits where I have been awake but really want campus life to get back to normal. I don't like being annoying but sometimes it is necessary. I don't like walking around looking really stupid wearing a hat with a sign hanging off it but sometimes I need the publicity.

I decided to tell my personal tutor about my course switch today. She saw this as yet another opportunity to go mad at me for my commitments so I decided to say that I was downsizing (though anyone who has been around campus this last week would have been aware that I am standing for a position in the Union). I am not at all downsizing. My commitments are changing slightly. I have less time to do some but more time to do others. I hate time spent doing absolutely nothing and would much rather be doing something I enjoy in between lectures. I may have been ill due to stress at the end of last term, and stress may have made me more susceptible to the illnesses I've had since then, but it was definitely down to the fact that I was on the wrong course and not that I was having a good time in between lectures and in the evenings.

Sorry about that rant. I've been ranting at people all day after having heard that the snow was affecting turnout in the Union elections, despite the fact we have to vote online! I've never heard of a couple of inches (at most) of snow affecting whether the internet works. There is, however, some sort of weird psychological connection between bad weather and voter apathy. Apparently this is the case even when you don't even have to walk out the front door. I'm half dreading tomorrow night because I really don't want to see elections week take 2. I've also been praying all day that, even if nothing else happens, the election for Democracy Committee Chair is quorate. I simply cannot cope with another week like this one has been, at least in the near future.

Oh well, that was yet another rant. Just don't get me started on incompetence in the Home Office!

Another one (or a few of them)

2007-02-07T23:18:00.000Z

Well, I'm bored and can't be bothered to work so I'm doing these quizzes.

Your Dominant Thinking Style: Visioning

You are very insightful and tend to make decisions based on your insights.
You focus on how things should be - even if you haven't worked out the details.

An idealist, thinking of the future helps you guide your path.
You tend to give others long-term direction and momentum.

What's Your Thinking Style?

And my summer anthem of 2005 is my ringtone!

Your Summer Anthem is Holiday by Green Day

"Hear the sound of the falling rain
Coming down like an Armageddon flame (Hey!)
The shame
The ones who died without a name"

Dude, you're harshing everyone's summer mellow.

What's Your 2005 Summer Anthem?

And I never thought this would happen.

You Are Most Like George W. Bush

So what if you're not exactly popular? You still rule the free world.
And while you may be quite conservative now, you knew how to party back in the day!

What Modern US President Are You Most Like?

What a song - I love it!

Your 2006 Summer Anthem Is

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley

"I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind
There was something so pleasant about that phase
Even your emotions had an echo
In so much space"

What's Your 2006 Summer Anthem?

But I guess this one is pretty accurate.

You Are Midnight

You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits.
Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle.
Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it.
You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.

What Time Of Day Are You?

And I knew there was a reason I hated maths so much.

Your Career Type: Enterprising

You are engertic, ambitious, and sociable.
Your talents lie in politics, leading people, and selling things or ideas.

You would make an excellent:

Auctioneer - Bank President - Camp Director
City Manager - Judge - Lawyer
Recreation Leader - Real Estate Agent - Sales Person
School Principal - Travel Agent - TV Newscaster

The worst career options for your are investigative careers, like mathematician or architect.

What's Your Ideal Career?

Last but not least, I guess I'd make a good politician!

You Are 16% Brutally Honest

You're not very honest - even with yourself sometimes.
While it's good to be diplomatic, all your little lies are turning you into a pathological liar!

How Brutally Honest Are You?

I like this one

2007-02-07T23:04:00.000Z

I've just found this quiz from a link on ThunderDragon's blog.

You Are a Centaur

In general, you are a very cautious and reserved person.

However, you are also warm hearted, and you enjoy helping others in practical ways.

You are a great teacher, and you are really good at helping people get their lives in order.

You are very intuitive, and you go with your gut. You make good decisions easily.

What Mythological Creature Are You?

One of those days

2007-02-05T20:04:00.000Z

It really has been weird. It has, however, been a good day.

It all started this morning (well that is what normally happens!) when I was sitting in the Chaplaincy. This is a normal occurrence - in fact, I probably spend more of my free time in the Chaplaincy than all other places put together. I had an interview this morning in the politics department, which led to a really interesting conversation with one of my friends (another Chaplaincy regular) about how bird flu would affect the next election. The best I could come up with, however, was to compare it with foot and mouth in 2001. My contribution to the debate was along the lines of "I don't think it will because foot and mouth didn't have much affect in 2001 and I think incompetence in the Home Office will be much more of an issue" and every so often stating that I can't wait to see the back end of this government.

It was an interesting debate but I soon had to leave for my interview and I managed to get lost in the Social Studies Building. This was, however, not before my friend advised me that I should remove my "I love Boris" badge that I nicked from the freshers' fair back in October as it showed a political bias (I'm so obviously not sporty in any way and I don't think anyone would ever think that I would support a tennis star from 20 years ago in any way). He didn't, however, advise me to remove the huge sign I am wearing on my back all this week to encourage anyone who happens to be walking behind me to vote for me in the officer elections that are this week. I was surprised at this as I was sure it was better to go in and say "yeah, I have a political allegiance" than "I'd actually far rather be a Union officer".

The interview went really well and I was informed as I left that I just need to pass this year to be accepted on to the politics course that I really want to do.

The next bit of good news today was that I managed to get rid of loads of flyers. I still have a huge pile left but I've started to really spread the word, this time to people who seem a little more interested. Having swapped flyers with several candidates today, I have decided that I have a new policy on accepting flyers from people for the rest of this week. I will only accept flyers if the person giving them out accepts one of my flyers. I have a pile at least a couple of inches thick that I still need to get rid of.

All in all, today was a pretty successful day. I hope the rest of the week is as good.

Reasons to hate evangelism

2007-02-04T23:33:00.000Z

I've had one of those really annoying weekends. I have 600 flyers to get rid of (why I decided to get that many, I do not know) so decided to stand outside the Union for a bit on Friday afternoon. Nobody was that interested in my flyers. Instead they all decided to go to the Christian Union's stall as last week was their big evangelism week. I'm currently hating the CU for stealing my customers, who surely could have taken one of my flyers and gone to the CU stall. I really do not have a clue what I am going to do with 600 flyers because it is really obvious that nobody cares.

Yesterday was not much better. I spent much of it trying to decide what on earth to do with the flyers but managed to get absolutely nowhere. I guess I'll be out again on Monday but being less nice to everyone who happens to walk past.

Follow-up to last night's post

2007-02-02T13:20:00.000Z

If you want to know why I spent all of last night cutting flyers then go here.

I also want to encourage all Warwick students, though don't know how many will stumble across this blog, who are reading this to follow the second link (the one called "here") and vote in the upcoming officer elections next week as well.

General rants

2007-02-01T23:27:00.000Z

Well, firstly I would like to apologise for not having blogged in ages. I had the flu and have only just recovered this week, a week that has been rather busy for me.

As I sit here blogging, I should really be sorting out some very important publicity that I need tomorrow and really can't be bothered to do anything with. Why oh why did I decide that I needed 100 sheets worth of flyers with 6 flyers on each sheet? And why oh why did I decide that I should cut out these 600 flyers at 11 o'clock on a Thursday night when I'm supposed to start giving them out at 9am tomorrow morning and would really like some sleep tonight? In fact, I think that the Students' Union should realise that the only reason anyone would be up at 9am on a Friday morning is that they are still awake from the night before (unless, of course, they have a really important lecture at that time). It is a time that doesn't even exist as far as I am concerned!

In fact, I have had some sleep already this evening. I had to go to the AGM and got so bored that I fell asleep during most of the speeches. I really don't want to go next year but it is more than likely that I will get roped into it somehow.

There is actually one more thing that I should be doing now. I am one of the most computer illiterate people around and this has been causing me all sorts of issues this last week. I only have until tomorrow to sort out these issues otherwise I will end up looking such a fool as I will be advertising myself as somewhere between a complete technophobe and someone who simply cannot be bothered with sorting out font styles etc.

I really do not know what is more frustrating out of cutting out flyers and trying to at least appear computer literate when I'm blatantly not but, either way, I'm in for a long night. I hate publicity. It would be so much easier if these kind of things could be done telepathically.

Qualifications and careers

2007-01-12T20:06:00.000Z

Never again will I repeat my amazing rendition of "Things can only get better" from last term. The latest thing to do when I've had one too many drinks is now to attempt to plan the rest of my life.

This came about after I decided last term that I had made a really big mistake when I was 18. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact I have always associated that song with that Friday morning in May 1997, "Things can only get better" would be one of the songs that best represents November 2006 for me. Instead, however, I decided to settle for "Suddenly I see" by KT Tunstall.

Having discussed the reasons behind my wish to change course to something that I am certain I will enjoy more we decided to move the discussion on to what should I change to that is relevant to my career choice. I don't, however, actually need a degree to do community work. I just enjoy studying so would much rather be on a course that I would find interesting.

Now thinking a little further into the future (and by now I was also rather drunk), we decided that all I really needed was knowledge of GCSE's. That being defined as knowledge that they exist. I may hate John Prescott but he does come in useful for drunken conversations.

Seeing as nobody reads the small print

2007-01-11T00:10:00.000Z

The Monster Raving Loony Party is a great conversation starter. One of my friends has met one guy from the Monster Raving Loony Party many times whilst at home and decided to ask me if my local area had any representation from them. We don't and, in fact, it wasn't that long ago that I thought they were just any old crowd of complete idiots and not an actual political party with policies and candidates and all the rest.

The conversation about the Monster Raving Loony Party then led on to a conversation about how to hide anything you do not want people to find out about but still be honest and mention it. This, I thought, was a great way of sneaking really unpopular policies into election manifestos. The end result would be completely honest but would look something like:

I believe that you want more from the NHS and therefore I will stop your local hospital from closing.
We have been promised that everyone will have access to an NHS dentist time and time again by Labour but this is clearly not happening so I want to do something about it.
I believe that we need more bobbies on the beat and that policemen should not spend all their time in offices doing paperwork.
Taxes will have to rise beyond recognition to pay for my overly ambitious proposals.
We need to build more prisons rather than letting criminals back into the community where they can easily re-offend.
Every child should have access to good education.
I actually plan to spend most of the next 4 years on holiday and I don't actually care about the people on the street.
Binge drinking is a serious problem for our community today and needs to be sorted but any goals should be realistic.
I'm actually a really nice person, just in case you were interested.
- but you are all such losers and probably don't care.
People who don't vote for me should have to pay three time more tax than the sane people.
In fact, if you are all that stupid then I am going to abolish the right to vote.
I oppose the planned road pricing scheme and would replace it with something that I see as much better for the environment and also revenue neutral. I would abolish road tax and increase petrol tax to cover the cost so that you pay as you pollute.
Recycling facilities would be available to everyone.

It should be noted, however, that this is purely a hypothetical example. I do believe in some of what I have written but definitely not all of it. I am merely trying to express a point that came up in a conversation that I thought was really interesting and relevant to some of the previous posts on this blog.

If, in a hypothetical parallel universe, I decided to stand for a hypothetical parallel universe Parliament on this hypothetical manifesto then I would have every right to raise taxes beyond recognition and abolish the right to vote. Anyone who complained would get the simple response of "then why didn't you read the small print, it was all there".

If only it were that simple. But for now, I think dishonesty will continue to reign.

It's always good to know who you're up against

2007-01-10T23:29:00.000Z

There was a sort of mini societies fair at uni today. I went along to man the Craft Society stall in the morning. Once my shift had finished, I walked around and saw my friends from my various other societies. On the way out, I got roped into helping at the Conservatives' stall (though most of the hour I did was spent helping to bring the stall inside as we had chosen to be in a really windy spot and all of our paper was constantly blowing away).

I finally managed to break for lunch at about 1pm but I left with a pile of flyers to deliver to halls. On the way out this time, however, I was given a flyer by none other than the Labour party. This was despite the flyers I was carrying having the words "University of Warwick Conservatives" written across the top of them in rather large letters. Not only this, I am well known as a Conservative on campus. I was at the Go Green Week stall when someone who I don't recall ever having met before asked me if being at that stall was a case of "vote blue, go green".

I read the flyer from the Labour party with interest, though there was only one thing I agreed with - that being where whoever wrote the flyer decided to admit the government weren't too great. I know that knowing who I'm up against in 2007 is not going to be of much use in 2017 or thereabouts but it is always useful to know the strategy and thoughts of your opponents.

I can negotiate the Circle Line, but...

2007-01-08T21:09:00.000Z

I've had a few issues on my mind lately. I like to think of it as though I have just reached a roundabout/complicated road junction with lots of different options of where I can go. There are no signposts so I do not know where any of the roads lead. I have already tried some of the roads but I end up deciding that the destination that they lead to is not where I want to end up so I have had to turn back and return to the roundabout to try another road.

Recently, I discovered where my destination is. I'm still, however, going in completely the wrong direction. I have to keep making U-turns until I get it right.

This whole situation reminds me of the lyrics of a song I really like - "if you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there". The issue is, however, that the only thing I know is where I am going. I don't know how to get there and I've tried the "any road" approach. It doesn't work.

I'm in the middle of quite a stressful time at uni right now. Last November I discovered that I had taken a wrong turning back when I was 18 and since then I have done everything I can think of to put it right and at least head in the general direction of where I want to end up. I am still unsure of exactly which road I will take to reach my destination. It does not feel right for me knowing where I will (hopefully - nothing is guaranteed) be in ten years but not having a clue where I will be in ten months.

Five things

2007-01-04T11:55:00.000Z

I've just been tagged by Dizzy so here are five things that you might not know about me:

I got offended one night when I was 5 because nobody asked me what was my favourite colour.
I've got to most of my achievements using dishonest tactics.
I became a Christian whilst in hospital when I was 15.
My parents have no idea what my long term aim is.
At least one thing in this list is a lie.

I am going to tag the following bloggers:

10 things I would change (if I ever got the opportunity)

2007-01-02T16:38:00.000Z

This is one of those random posts that I'm doing because I'm bored. It is not a meme but if you also want to do this post on your blog then feel free. If you want me to read it (or anyone else who reads this blog) then let me know in the comments section.

The 10 things that I would change if I ever got the opportunity are:

Differences of opinion would always be solved by talking rather than fighting.
Protesting at the heart of government would not be illegal.
People would stop blaming the Tories for the winter of discontent - it was during a Labour government.
Nobody would be held back from achieving their ambitions by expectations.
Reality TV (and it's contestants) would disappear back into whatever hole it came from.
Prison would be a proper punishment.
The media would be politically impartial.
Student tuition fees would be more affordable.
Politicians would be honest once in a while.
The NHS would not be a financial black hole and would instead be a health service that we can be proud of.

I know most of these are wishful thinking but I can always dream.

Irony is definitely not dead

2007-01-01T16:45:00.000Z

I've held back from telling anyone about what is in the list I have made of things to do before I'm 30 (apart from a few friends) until 2007. Well, we are now in 2007 - I can't believe it - so I will start by saying happy new year to anyone who happens to stumble across my blog.

I will first say that the plan is not to achieve everything on my list by my 30th birthday. I've picked another date a couple of months later to want to have achieved everything by (that I got by looking at some recent trends and making a few weird calculations with them). For those who are interested, the date I came up with is May 5th 2017.

As I mentioned before, I do not have an average list of things to do before I'm 30. I do not plan to go backpacking in the Far East. I do not plan to go bungee jumping. I do not plan to go sky diving. I'm not that way inclined. Most of the things on my list involve some kind of community service. I set out to make a positive difference to the most number of people and not to go to as many countries as possible or do as many extreme sports as possible.

As it stands at the moment, there is only one part of my plan that does not take into consideration the greater good of anyone else. That will happen next year and is also the only date not subject to amendment. Yes, I've decided to include "turn 21" on the list of things to do before I'm 30. At least I'm not innumerate - I know that 21 comes before 30.

That, however, is not the point. I'm not restricting myself to one drunken night out in the next 10 years. It is just that the very last thing on my list - by which time I will actually be 30 (assuming I have my dates right) - is not really the sort of thing I could do before I turn 21.

Doing loads of random community service is not my new year's resolution for 2007 - I gave up on them a few years ago when I decided that I couldn't be bothered and I always failed anyway. I'm not intending to fail with any of the things on the list, though do know that the odds are stacked against me in some of the things - particularly the last one. There are also a few things that I know I would really like to do but don't know if I should do - a sabbatical for example as it would take up a whole year and would require a great deal of commitment.

So, what on earth has all this got to do with irony, I hear you ask. When I first thought about this in November, I discussed it with a few friends at uni. They were supportive and even seemed to know my eventual aim before I did. That was weird for me but not the weirdest part of that day. I gave a speech to my friends about what I was intending to do in some distant future (that I have actually since brought forward by about 10-12 years) that was more inappropriate than something else I did earlier on the same day - turning up at an SSLC meeting with a little bit of a hangover following Top Banana on the previous night. The gist of this speech was:

I'm sick of always only representing other people's best interests. It is about time I considered what was in my best interests.
...
A bit of waffle about how I enjoyed representing everyone else's best interests when it was appropriate.
...
I'm going to stand for Parliament.

My friends offered their support and informed me that they had known all along. They didn't seem to care about how I had started my speech. I actually think that they were pleased that one of us had decided to take something that had started in the middle of October as a bit of light-hearted fun a bit more seriously rather than pleased that the resident Conservative wants to be an MP in some distant future.

Anyway, as another friend advised me in December, I'd better get started writing my victory speech. According to my calculations, I have only 10 1/2 years left.

(Thinks for a little while)

Though, I'm quite a last minute person. I think I'll leave it until about ...

(Thinks for a little while again)

... 2017?

Pretty much as I expected

2006-12-31T18:59:00.000Z

I found this through Daily Referendum and thought I would give it a go and see where it put me. I've always considered myself to be naturally conservative but I see myself now as a Cameronite.

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 60% Conservative, 40% Liberal

Social Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

24 hours to live

2006-12-29T17:32:00.000Z

No, not me. I'm talking about Saddam Hussein.

I've just heard that the ex-Iraqi dictator has been handed over to the Iraqi authorities and will be executed either later today or tomorrow. I'm not saying that this will make Iraq a better place free from the insurgents but the citizens of Iraq can be happy that Saddam will not be returning.

2007 - hopes and predictions

2006-12-29T12:47:00.000Z

With another year about to begin, I have made a list of things I would like to see and expect to see in the next twelve months.

I've missed the political activism over my holidays but hope to get back into it soon. Term 2 will most likely see many campaigning days with my CF branch in the run up to the local elections next May.

The first big event of 2007 for me will not be my return to uni in January or my much dreaded analysis exam. I was talking to some friends in November and they only went and suggested that I stand for Union officer next year. I thought they meant next academic year but they meant next calendar year. I've taken their advice and decided to stand so I guess it's fingers crossed between now and February.

Another thing that it is normal to do at the end of term 2 of year 1 is to get onto society execs. I definitely plan to stand for UWCA but have a couple of others that I am considering.

My Easter holidays will be a spiritual time for me. I have booked a week on the island of Iona and am really looking forward to going.

Term 3 will start at the end of April and will be the time that I start thinking about exams.

A couple of news events now. I've had my fingers crossed for some friends for a while now who are standing in the local elections next year in Leamington. I have my money on the next day, May 4th, being the day that Tony Blair resigns. I'm expecting Gordon Brown to be the next PM and think it is quite likely that John Reid will be the deputy.

As a non-smoker I am really looking forward to July 1st as that is when the smoke ban in England will start. I really can't wait for when I can go out and not come back smelling of other people's smoke.

Sadly, however, it is not all going to be good in 2007. I'm not expecting an end to reality TV and actually think that we will yet again see the X Factor winner as Christmas number one.

I'm hoping that next year will be another good year for the Conservatives in the opinion polls and I am expecting more of the same from Labour. I mean that there will be more re-announcing policies from years ago as new ideas, more promising the same money three times over, and yet more scandals. It could be a really interesting year politically, not to mention the possibility of there being a general election as early as next October.

Last but not least, if I have got my dates right, sometime in the first half of 2007 will see there only being ten years left in which to do all the things on the list I made in December 2006. I have a rough idea of what order I need to do them in but I'm hoping that 2007 is when I start doing the stuff that doesn't need a huge amount of commitment. Sometimes I wonder if I have enough time to fit it all in but I am definitely looking forward to the challenge.

Here's to 2007 being a really good year for all!

2006 for me

2006-12-28T15:29:00.000Z

It was October that I will remember the most out of 2006. It was mostly an uneventful year but October was when I went to uni. This was one of the most important events in 2006 - the other happened in November but more information on that will follow later.

January saw my baptism and confirmation. After 3 years as a Christian, I was now ready to make a lifelong commitment. The service was really good and I will hopefully never forget the day.

As happens pretty much every year, February was a bit of a non-event. However, I already have plans for February 2007 that will follow later in the week.

March was also a non-event (apart from my birthday) so nothing to report here.

I guess April was when I started the countdown to when I went to uni. I remember being so bogged down with paperwork. I hope never to see another student finance form ever again - though it would be advisable for me to avoid applying online after the issues I had in October with online voting!

May was another non-event. It was, however, when I really started to think about spiritual stuff (which actually became the theme for my gap year).

June was the end of the paperwork madness - thankfully. Seriously, I hate filling in forms so much!

July was really when I started to come to an end with all the spiritual stuff. It is still going on, even now, but has been winding down since summer.

I think that August was the most random month of 2006. I attempted to start writing a book but didn't really get anywhere. All I have now regarding the plot is there is a twenty-something dropout who was in debt.

September was my last month at home before going to uni. I discovered that the ultimate cure for insomnia is the data protection act - I think next year I am not going to read all the small print as I am sure it will all be the same. I also discovered that students living away from home do have the right to vote (having believed the opposite during most of my gap year). This was also when I became a Cameronite and when I started blogging.

This leads us into October, the month I had been looking forward to for so long. It was the month I went to uni. In addition to this, I turned up at a non-existent lecture on my first day, went mad at the freshers' fair, spread my diseases to everyone one weekend, stood for the student council and got elected, and double booked myself whilst leaving the decision out of my hands. This was also when I discovered I had a passion for politics. If that wasn't enough, I managed to fulfil 2 of my lifelong ambitions in the same day. They were going on a protest and appearing on TV.

The biggest and most important event of November will be covered in more detail later but I will say for now that irony is definitely not dead. It may have been 3 months early but I started thinking about whether or not to increase my involvement in student politics by standing to be a Union officer for 2007-2008. I also lost the right to vote in the Union referenda because of rather dodgy circumstances.

In December I managed to get my vote back for the referendum motions - I never thought I would say this but thank goodness for student apathy (though I do not actually mean that). I also came up with a rather unusual list of things to do before I'm 30 that I will go into more detail about soon and I came home for Christmas. I'm now desperate to go back to uni, even if I do have an analysis exam on the first day.

2006 in the world

2006-12-27T15:37:00.000Z

I can't believe it is nearly 2007. I have decided to list the highlights of 2006 in the news and provide my analysis where appropriate.

January saw Charles Kennedy's resignation as leader of the Lib Dems. I liked him but thought that it was not a good idea to have a drunk in a position where there was a possibility (albeit very small) he could run our country.

Since then, the Lib Dems seem to have disappeared off the map. This takes me on to May and the local elections. I was happy to see gains for the Conservatives and losses for Labour - of course I hope to see the same in 2007.

The next day Charles Clarke was sacked following the foreign prisoners scandal in the Home Office. John Prescott lost his job without losing his title or salary following an affair with his secretary.

If I remember rightly, it was either April or May when Patricia Hewitt said that the NHS was having its best ever year. Hmmm, not quite!

An ongoing news story for 2006 was the cash for peerages investigation. Lord Levy was arrested and Tony Blair was questioned by police (though not under caution). You can see my analysis of this here.

In other news, the education bill was only approved thanks to Tory votes, the House of Commons rejected calls for an inquiry into the Iraq war, Princess Diana died in a car crash, Tessa Jowell left her family to spend more time with the cabinet, Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death, Russian spy Alexander Litvenyenko (is that how you spell his name?) died from radiation poisoning, and the Hungarian prime minister admitted to lying about the economy during an election campaign.

Finally, Tony Blair announced in September that he would resign within the year. My metaphorical money (I don't believe in gambling) is on May 4th 2007.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-23T17:34:00.000Z

I can't believe how quickly 2006 has gone. It will be Christmas in only 2 days. Therefore, this will most likely be my last blog entry before Christmas.

After Christmas I will be needing to revise for the much hated maths module they call analysis but will most likely want to spend more time procrastinating. I can't be bothered right now to spend my free time watching the Parliament Channel (as I do quite a bit at uni in between lectures) so expect the following blog entries between Christmas and new year.

I will be providing my analysis of world events of 2006 and giving my predictions for 2007.

I will also be doing the same for personal events, the highs and the lows. This will include my hopes and predictions for 2007.

In 2007, I plan to continue blogging. It will continue to be mainly about politics but there will be the odd entry about me and my plans. In November 2006, I made a very important decision which lead me, in December 2006, to make a list of things I need to do before I'm 30. Watch this space for more information (it is not the average list and does not include anywhere anything about bungee jumping or backpacking in the Far East).

All that remains now is to wish you all a very happy Christmas.

Election next year?

2006-12-19T12:09:00.000Z

Reading the BBC News website this morning, I found this article about the possibility of Gordon Brown calling a snap election when he becomes prime minister. The Lib Dems have reshuffled their front bench in preparation. The election could be as soon as next October.

Labour's rivals are eyeing the possibility of a snap general election, when Tony Blair steps down next year.

The Liberal Democrats have reshuffled their front bench, and appointed a manifesto chairman, to put them on an election footing.
They believe there could be an election as early as October 2007.

October 2007 is only 10 months away. I, however, will have my own issues to deal with. I would have just started my second year at uni. I probably would not have got round to getting my postal vote sent to the right address yet.

Over on Conservative Home, commenters on this article are thinking about the possibility of the election being as early as May (to coincide with the local elections?). This is even more of a dodgy situation for me to be in as that will be just before my exams. I will be far more concerned with revising (this year does actually count towards my degree, even if it is only 10%) than I will with voting. No doubt also that there will be many opportunities to go campaigning with my CF branch.

Either way, this next year could be a very interesting one politically. I'm predicting a small majority (single figures) to the Conservatives - or is this just wishful thinking?

Commitments at uni aside now, maybe I should rethink my 11 year plan I came up with last Saturday in Battersea on the grounds that I got the dates wrong. I think it should be the 13 year plan now.

Lunatics running the asylum

2006-12-15T16:50:00.000Z

Well they have been for a few years now, but I've just read this (and the comments) at it made me want to rant.

A while ago, there was a case brought to the European Court of Human Rights by ex-prisoner John Hirst about prisoners getting the right to vote. I remember being very much against any such idea at the time and my views have not changed in the slightest since then.

Yesterday, I posted a comment on Iain Dale's blog stating my opinion regarding the issue. This is what I said:

I can't believe anyone has come up with such a ludicrous idea (in my opinion). Other than the most basic human rights that keep them alive, prisoners should have no rights. If you don't want to do the time, don't do the crime (but reintroduce "innocent until proven guilty").

I would like to emphasise again how I think that prisoners should have no rights. If you have committed a crime then you should have to pay your debt to society. In my opinion, this includes losing all the rights you would enjoy as a law abiding citizen. This includes the right to vote.

I know that opinions on both sides of this debate are controversial. People may think that I support the idea of political prisoners having no rights. I don't. I think of prisoners (in this country, and any other democracy) as those who have been sent to prison because they have committed a crime serious enough to warrant their removal from society. It is very important that the principle of "innocent until proven guilty" is upheld at all times.

I would like to end by quoting another commenter (going by the name of RK) on Iain Dale's blog, who put it far better than I ever could.

You may have won a round in court but the majority of people in this country will find this ruling intolerable and ultimately democracy is rule by the people and not rule by court order.

Hear, hear!

The rise of student apathy

2006-12-09T19:14:00.000Z

I'm procrastinating. What could be more appropriate?

This, however, is a far more serious subject. I mentioned the other day that the Union referenda had their lowest turnout since 2004. I blogged about this in detail here. I want to go into more detail about the wider problem here.

I remember watching the news during April 2005 and a theme running through the news back then was why it was the 18-25 age group who were least likely to vote. I could connect with this as I had only recently turned 18 and really did not want to vote. I had better things to do, such as revising for my upcoming exams and even watching paint dry.

I came up with every excuse I could think of, but there seemed to be something wrong with everything I said.

I could just be 17 again.
Not quite. This is probably the most rediculous excuse I've ever come up with to get out of anything. It lasted less than a day.

I don't get home before 5:30pm on Tuesday.
It would have helped if I got the day right! I still get confused between Tuesday and Thursday. The time, also completely wrong, was just made up on the spot when my friend asked me why I wasn't going to vote. It sounded sensible at the time. I actually did get home on time so this excuse went out of the window after about a week.

Well, I just can't be bothered.
Great excuse but I had to do better if I wanted to spend the next 4 or 5 years bitching about how I didn't like the government.

Actually, I'm not even entitled to vote. I'm only the average guy on the street.
And so is everyone else! For anyone who was wondering, this is where my display name came from. I have never felt so stupid. This excuse lasted all of about 5 minutes (thank goodness).

This is the example I regularly use when it comes to my own apathy. I have been there. I therefore consider myself more than entitled to criticise everyone else. For information, I did vote in the end. I had taken an interest in current affairs by accident (I was trying to get out of doing homework one night), became really involved in the debate and decided I couldn't wait to see the back end of this government.

Back now to the Union referenda. So few people bothered to vote that the motions could not be passed and will be discussed in the next council meeting. I find it hard to believe that most students would rather leave it to 70 or so people (average turnout at a council meeting) in a room, who are not exactly representative of everyone else, than make the most of their one chance to have their say on Union policy and vote.

The jist that I have been getting from most people I have spoken to this week is that nobody cares. It is true that none of the motions were particularly exciting this time but only 1426 people needed to vote (why 1426 as opposed to a more round number, I do not know - it was not me who made the rules).

I am not trying to take the moral high ground here. In fact, I went down with a really bad sickness bug and spent all of referenda week in bed so didn't vote. I get my vote next term though shouldn't really as more people should have voted last week.

Just to add a small point of irony, there was a motion called "Lack of Confidence in the Students' Union" stating that we had no confidence in anything to do with the Union. It included drinks prices, Union events, services provided by the Union, the democratic structures, and such issues as a smoking ban that was passed in a referendum last year only to not be implemented on economic grounds. The irony is that not only was this motion inquorate (not enough people voted) but it also received the least number of votes.

A case of I have no confidence in the Students' Union so I am going to show this by not voting in the referenda.

David Cameron - first year analysis

2006-12-07T15:12:00.000Z

I have been known many times to say that this is the kind of analysis that I like to spend my time doing. No epsilons, no sequences tending to infinity, no natural numbers, and - best of all - no really annoying maths symbols that nobody can understand. Sorry for the maths joke but I'm doing a module called analysis at the moment that is hated by the vast majority of maths students.

I'd far rather think of analysis as something that sums up my opinions on a particular subject. That today being David Cameron's first year as Tory leader.

I remember last year not being too bothered who was leader, as long as there was someone who I could vote for at the next election. In fact, at the time, I didn't even realise that I would be entitled to vote in 2009 because I knew I would be at uni.

I didn't have much of an opinion when I heard Cameron was elected, though I was pleased the Tories finally had a leader. I was more concerned about policies and actually thought 2013 was too far into the future for me to be worrying about in 2005.

Not much changed concerning my opinion in the beginning of 2006. I had what I then considered to be far more important issues on my mind. In all honesty, I didn't really care about politics. I was interested in what was happening but didn't need loads of opinions on who I thought should run the country. I still thought I wouldn't be able to vote until after I graduated in 2010.

I wasn't particularly bothered about the environment in April/May 2006 when Cameron launched his "Vote blue, Go green" campaign shortly before the local elections. It was at about this time that I decided that I was a "true blue" and that I didn't like what I saw as wishy-washy liberalism from the Tories. This is not what I remember voting for 12 months earlier. I was becoming concerned that I wouldn't have anyone to vote for. I was wanting this to change by 2013.

Over summer I took an interest in politics again. I was still a little concerned with the wishy-washyness. I still considered myself a "true blue". I was by then getting rather frustrated at the lack of policies.

Then, all of a sudden, sometime in September, something happened. I had been sceptical of Cameron's leadership for 9 months but I started to support him almost overnight. I became passionate about the environment. I wanted to see economic stability before tax cuts. I was now well and truly a Cameronite. I still believe that he wasn't right to support top-up fees (£3,000 is far too much debt to get into when you're 18 in my opinion) but I agree with him on a lot of things. I now had someone to vote for. This was really good as it was around the same time that I found out I would not lose my right to vote if I went to uni.

More passionate than ever and more in favour of Cameron's leadership than ever, I decided at the societies fair at uni in the beginning of October to join UWCA. The time was right for me. I knew where I stood politically and wanted to get a bit more involved.

Now, in December, I am glad that Cameron is trying to bring the party into the 21st century. Thatcher may be an inspiration to me but I can say with complete honesty now that Thatcher was the right leader in 1979 and Cameron will be the right leader in 2009.

Long time, no blog

2006-12-06T18:45:00.000Z

I've just got a few minutes as I'm about to go out for a Christmas dinner with my CF branch but I just want to post what to expect here over the next few days and let you know that I haven't forgotten this blog.

It is a year today since David Cameron became leader of the Conservative party so I will be posting my views on his first year hopefully tomorrow.

Also the Union referendums at Warwick saw their lowest turnout since 2004. I will be bringing up my perspective on the rise of student apathy very soon.

Watch this space!

Quotes

2006-11-22T00:04:00.000Z

I love a laugh based on stupid things that people have said or things that have been said at really inappropriate times, so have put together a short list of my quotes I have said over the last few weeks.

"I'm really bad at making speeches so I'm going to shut up now."
This one really went against me. I was at an NUS conference, standing for the NUS national council - I thought they needed a little less left wing domination. This was how I ended my election speech. Nobody voted for me (well, apart from myself).

"The vast, the overwhelming majority of Muslims are perfectly rationable and law-abiding citizens."
This was during a debate on whether or not academics should spy on Muslim students. I think I'd had a bit of a democracy overload that day (it was the same day as the conference) and got to the point where I didn't know what I was saying so just started making up words to get my point across.

"Surely the people aren't going to care if we're being pedantic about every bit of grammar and whatever."
This was a week later. I was in the middle of our composite meeting and decided, completely at random, to dis the entire point of composite. I felt so stupid.

"I know this is really controversial but can I suggest that the motion with the most votes is the one we pass?"
Well, I'm not too sure what is so controversial about some sort of majority voting system but everyone else in composite thought I was an idiot for suggesting such a thing. One day I will get the hang of this democracy thing, but until then the world will have to get used to me coming up with such ideas.

"My stance on this debate can be best described by my choice of drink."
Still in composite - the fun we had that day - we were debating how to word the motions that were submitted concerning Coca-Cola. It started a huge debate, however, on where we all stood on the debate because some of us chose to turn up with Coke (and some of us with other soft drinks). I was among those who had chosen their drink just because it was what I wanted to drink but my stance was reflected in my choice of drink.

"Speeches at Craft? I must have missed that one. Why were we making speeches?"
This was at a Craft Society social last Wednesday. A few of us stayed behind for drinks and we got into an interesting conversation about how one of the exec members had made a speech during our regular meeting. I couldn't remember the speech so had to enquire as to why she had made a speech. I could not believe it when the society's president told me that, not only was I there that week, but I also made a speech. I had made a speech as this person's opponent!

"Thanks, and I'm really sorry if I gave you freshers' flu during, like, week 2."
This was at Top Banana (a club night) this Monday. Some random guy came up to me, though I had met him in week 2 during my efforts to give freshers' flu to everyone (that should read "get people to vote for me in week 3's council elections") and asked me if I ever did get onto the council. That, I thought, was really random for week 8. I had to apologise for giving him freshers' flu - probably something that will haunt me forever more!

Randomly surfing

2006-11-16T18:44:00.000Z

I came across this. It says Blair's legacy is a word in the English dictionary named after him. I love the definition!

"To blair" (verb): To make an intentionally false statement, tell a lie or lies.

I wonder if Iraq and the WMD that could be fired in 45 minutes has anything to do with it?

The next PM

2006-11-05T00:01:00.000Z

What I would really like to know is what on earth has happened to democracy in the Labour party. I have just read that it is highly unlikely that there will be a leadership election when Tony Blair stands down. Gordon Brown is the only person standing.

This is bad enough for a party in opposition - I would have liked to see someone stand against Howard in 2003 (or whenever it was, I can't remember) - though it's not a complete travesty of democracy. For the party in government, however, there should be at the very least a proper leadership election with at least 2 candidates and, especially if the new leader has completely different policies to the previous leader, a general election within the year.

Top-up fees debate on BBC1 tomorrow

2006-10-28T16:44:00.000+01:00

Regular readers will know that I passionately disagree with top-up fees and am supporting the Admission Impossible campaign. I will be going to London on a protest tomorrow with 200 other students from Warwick and thousands of students from across the country. This is because the government is thinking about lifting the £3000 cap on tuition fees in 2009, therefore students will end up in even more debt than we are in currently. This could then cause many more young people to not want to go to uni - admissions for 2006 were down by approximately 17,000 compared to 2005 (the last year of the old fees system). That is the equivalent to our entire student population at Warwick.

It is scary for me to think about as, if the cap is lifted in 2009, I may be prevented from following my dreams as I will not be able to afford to continue my study and gain a PhD (which I will need if I want to get to the top of physics research). This is just my personal case. Many others will be affected too.

As well as going on the protest, I will be on TV tomorrow lunchtime. On Wednesday this week, the BBC came to our campus and filmed 4 of us in a debate about top-up fees. I know that 4 people cannot be truly representative of everyone else and also that the 4 of us were chosen for being against higher fees but there was a definite consensus of opinion. You can watch the debate between 12:30pm and 1pm on the Politics Show in the West Midlands region (or on Sky channel 970-something elsewhere in the country).

Freedom of speech

2006-10-23T21:16:00.000+01:00

I've just recently finished watching a really interesting debate about Muslims and freedom of speech on "Dispatches" on Channel 4. I am passionately in favour of freedom of speech and believe that we should even have the right to offend others. I would far rather that someone offended me than felt that they could not express their true feelings in front of me for fear of offending me.

I must admit, however, that I am notorious at taking my right to freedom of speech what some people may believe is too far. For example, a while ago I was thinking out loud and I called a group of people "random losers" for turning me away when I was on a kitchen tour around my halls.

We live in a democracy and throughout history many people have died for our right to freedom of speech. I believe that we should do everything we can to preserve this right and not let the fear of offending the minority restrict our expression.

Sorry to be a bore but this is hopefully the last time

2006-10-19T20:43:00.000+01:00

I've had one of those really annoying stressful days today. At the beginning of last week, I was told to expect an email on the morning of Thursday 19th October (today). Fairly excited, though also very nervous, about the contents of said promised email I logged on this morning before my lectures began. There were no emails from this person. In my lunch hour I returned to my computer and logged in again. Still no emails from this person.

I was promised an email on Thursday morning. What had happened? I was already stressed out enough that I had heard nothing but it was even worse because my plans for Saturday were dependent on the contents of this email.

Just before my 3pm lecture, I was becoming extremely stressed out. I really wanted to know what I was going to be doing on Saturday - council training or a day out in Leamington with the Conservative Society. Frustrated at having heard nothing, I decided to take matters in to my own hands and email the guy I was expecting the email from. I then went off to my lecture.

I was in lectures until 6pm this evening, still with my mind far more on what will I be doing Saturday than on anything remotely linked to physics or maths. When I returned to my room and logged in again, I had received 2 emails (I CC'd the email I sent to another guy who I thought might have been able to help me if the original guy couldn't).

The first I read went along the lines of "you should have already been informed but we have just published the results online and you should be able to access them if you log in." OK, I thought, I will do this once I have read my other email.

That is exactly what I did. I was so glad that our very nice sabbatical officer AJ had decided to tell me what I wanted to hear - "congratulations and see you on Saturday at 9:30am."

My problem had been solved. I now knew what I was doing on Saturday, even if it did take considerably longer than what I was expecting. Council training it is! The Tories can just wait a little longer for my much sought-after services. I'll be going to Leamington with them another weekend but I am informed we will be out most weekends between now and May 2007 so I feel I have gained much more than what I have lost out on.

Anyway, much as I hate really long blog entries, I feel that there is one more small thing I need to add. A while ago, PragueTory commented on my blog about taking some of the credit if I was elected to my council. At the time I said that it was not a problem - don't worry, I'm not regretting it or going back on what I said - I just want to thank him and say he can take as much credit as he wants.

Bored, nervous, and just felt like procrastinating

2006-10-18T20:51:00.000+01:00

Sorry about this being a really random post - I'm just trying to get out of doing some work that I actually do not understand. I thought that I would just rant about random goings on in my life right now.

I know I said yesterday that I would add some political posts soon but that time is not now. Politics is not really on my mind right now. The weekend is.

So, the big question, should I go to Leamington or Union Council training day? The choice, however, is not mine to make. By the evil invention they call democracy, I've let my fellow students decide where they want me to go.

The training day is my first choice (on the grounds of it being compulsory) but the day out in Leamington sounds much more fun. I will not know until tomorrow, however, where I will be able to go. I'm dreading checking my emails in the morning. I am, however, really desperate to know one way or another. Nervous as I am (despite it not being the biggest ever deal whether I'm on the council or not), I'd much rather know what I'm doing at the weekend that do my sheet on vectors. I think it is far more demoralising not knowing how to do any of an assignment when you are already one of the most stupid people in your year than it is finding out that "none of the above" is more popular than you are. Though the latter may be because I was giving everyone freshers' flu last weekend.

Odd happenings and encounters

2006-10-16T23:41:00.000+01:00

I'm in the mood for ranting about something completely random but cannot think of anything remotely sensible so have decided to tell the world about the randomness that was the weekend and today. I will, hopefully, get back to the political ranting soon but for now here goes.

I've been ill since the middle of last week. Annoyingly for me, it got worse just in time for Saturday. I will take this opportunity to advise anyone not to do anything that involves speaking when you have a sore throat and have therefore lost your voice. I found this out on Saturday afternoon. "Hi, I'm standing for Union Council and would really appreciate it if someone would vote for me" really does not sound good when you've lost your voice. My flatmates were even making fun of this on Saturday night.

Another piece of similar advice that I would give is do not attempt to sing in Church when you've lost your voice even more so than when you were out on campus canvassing the previous day. One of my fellow Church-goers decided to ask me about why I was standing for Council after the service. Thankfully for this person, I am not very computer literate and could not figure out how to copy my manifesto from Word onto the website so decided to write it out and copy it - long winded but at least I managed to publish my manifesto successfully. I handed her a scrap of paper that had been in the bottom of my handbag since Wednesday. She complimented me on what I had written but is not a scientist so cannot vote for me (don't ask, it's something to do with equal representation for all or something like that, but I did not make the rules).

Later on Sunday, I was at a random social with one of my societies - having now got my voice back. I discovered here that I had actually gatecrashed a pool tournament on the previous day and most likely gave everyone there freshers' flu in the process.

Then, on Sunday evening, I decided to go to another social. I now had no problems speaking though decided that I would not be really annoying so hardly mentioned Council. There is, however, always someone who is really interested in how my campaign is going. I was innocently washing my hands and someone who I did not recognise came up to me and asked me. I felt so embarrassed. I'm just hoping that she either read my manifesto on the website (with the very lovely picture of me at my confirmation earlier in the year) or was someone I saw around at the weekend.

Then this morning was my worst morning of any week. I hate Monday mornings. It was even worse today because I spent so long trying to figure out how to vote online (I'm a bit of a traditionalist myself - I like walking to the polling station and ending up in the wrong building. Note to self: church services are normally on Sundays!) that I nearly forgot to eat lunch. There is no way that I would have survived physics foundations and relativity without lunch.

I still have loads of random stuff on in the rest of this week. I have a meeting tomorrow about a protest I'm going on at the end of the month. I then have some random boring kitchen rep's meeting on Thursday, though a few of us are thinking of getting together and having a night out on Thursday night (celebrating or drowning my sorrows). I then have council training all day on Saturday so will have to do all of my weekend work on Sunday. And if this week was busy, next week is not going to be much better - we have our first Council meeting on Tuesday. Talk about being thrown in at the deep end!

If anyone is interested...

2006-10-14T13:06:00.000+01:00

You may remember that I was asking readers for snazzy election slogans last weekend. So if you want to see how I have used the one that was suggested and others I came up with then go to my other blog and read this post.

Oh, and wish me luck :)!

Sorry it's been so long

2006-10-13T21:11:00.000+01:00

I know I haven't posted in ages but I've had so much else on my mind recently. I've had socials on almost every night of this week. I've also had lectures to attend. Oh, and an election campaign to run. I've definitely been busy so haven't actually had any time to post. I've even fallen back on keeping informed on current affairs lately.

Competition results

2006-10-09T18:55:00.000+01:00

Well, I had only one entry in my competition. Thank you to PragueTory for that. I am currently in the process of writing my manifesto. As I am not entirely sure of whether or not outsiders are entitled to read the manifestos (I know only students are allowed to vote and that the manifestos are available to read when we vote but do not know if the manifestos are available if we are not logged in), I will be posting a copy of my manifesto on my other blog as I hope loads of students will read it there and think "oh, she looks really cool, I'm so gonna vote for her!".

I have been thinking myself over the weekend of possible slogans I can use. I will probably use at least part of the one that was suggested so I guess first (and only) prize does go to Mr PragueTory.

Competition time for the masses

2006-10-07T00:07:00.000+01:00

I've decided to run a competiton on this blog.

What I need is a good election slogan according to the following rules:

I need it to be snazzy.
It must not be rude or defamatory.
It must be eye catching.
It must be relevant to the election in which I am standing. If you do not know, then read here (or here to find out more).
And, last but definitely not least, it must get people to vote for me.

The competiton is open for the rest of the weekend, closing on Monday morning when I get up (therefore giving me enough time to put together my campaign literature by Friday).

I will go through anything that has been posted - please use the comments section - when I have some free time on Monday and will then post another entry once I have decided if I want to use any of the suggested slogans or come up with one myself. Have fun coming up with suggestions. I would really appreciate your help.

PS: If nobody comments on this post or if I get only comments that blatantly break the rules I have set then I will still add a further post on Monday saying what losers everyone is. I do not want to do this so get commenting!

In at the deep end

2006-10-06T18:31:00.000+01:00

Sorry it has been a while since my last post - freshers' week has been really hectic and I haven't got around to posting any blog entries lately.

Anyway, I've decided to throw myself in at the deep end. I've joined loads of societies and even decided to stand as Union Councillor. It looks like I will have virtually no time left to attend lectures.

I also have a few other things on in the next few weeks. I'm going to an anti top-up fees march in London soon and also to a novice debating competition (though how I am going to fit that into campaigning weekend, I do not know!) at UCL.

A hectic week has soon turned into a hectic month but I am certainly looking forward to the challenge - including turning up at the odd lecture or two. Well, maybe I should actually attend all of my lectures as I do not want to fail my degree.

As if all this wasn't enough, I've somehow been nominated as my hall's kitchen representative (what actually even is a kitchen representative???) and have, perhaps in my own stupidity, decided to accept. I really must find out what my responsibilities are. At least I know why I want to study maths and physics, join societies, and stand for Union Councillor.

Stressed out!

2006-10-03T20:31:00.000+01:00

Well, it wasn't the lack of money that got me down first. Nor was it the excessive drinking. It was getting lost and not understanding my timetable. I think that next year there should be a competition offering a million pounds to whoever can actually understand their timetable first time.

Apart from that small issue (though kind of important if I actually want to get to lectures), things have been going well. Top Banana last night was good. That, I am reliably informed, is the most popular clubbing night of the week.

I have maths exams tomorrow which is really annoying but the rest of the day is the societies fair. I'm going to that to see which societies I want to join - there will probably be a few. The societies fair lasts until Friday (different societies on different days) and I will probably get another social event in with a bit of luck. I will also be going to involvement day on Friday. That it pretty much it for week 1.

Surviving Freshers' week

2006-10-01T23:21:00.000+01:00

My blogging has fallen a bit behind lately. This is because I have had loads of other stuff on my mind. So sorry to any regular readers (are there any??) that there haven't been many postings recently.

I'm now at uni. I've had loads of random stuff to do to prepare over this last week or so - hence the lack of postings - but I hope it was all worth it. Well, I'm sure it was because I've been looking forward to today for years. There's loads on this week (and next, and in all of the rest of the term also!) and I am really looking forward to it all.

I hope I won't become ill from drinking too much (or in masses of debt) over the Freshers' period. I intend to provide updates as and when I can so keep reading if you are interested - but don't worry, I will continue the political rants also.

Update on the Battersea Open Primary

2006-09-28T16:11:00.000+01:00

Comments on Guido's blog are proving my theory right. We'll have to wait until probably 2009 to find out for definite whether the open primary was political suicide on the part of the Tories. I'm hoping not as Battersea is a key marginal and I really would like to see the back end of this government.

Slip of the tongue?

2006-09-25T16:50:00.000+01:00

I've just been reading a thread on the Warwick University enrolment forum (link not provided because I do not know what the rules are for outsiders viewing the forums) about Gordon Brown's speech at the Labour party conference. Apparently, he said "There are still many valuable purses worth fighting for". He meant to say "purposes" but it was a slip of the tongue - or was it? After all, he does like the idea of getting his hands on more and more of our money. Was this slip of the tongue deliberate or accidental? Answers in the comments section please.

Welcome to the Annual Spin Conference

2006-09-24T15:12:00.000+01:00

The Labour party conference starts today. I'm hoping it will be more interesting than the Lib Dem was (in my view).

Anyway, the BBC have a discussion going on about this on 'Have Your Say'. I thought I would submit a comment on this. This is what I said:

I would like to see the following:

1. Walter Wolfgang given a standing ovation (much to Blair's annoyance).

2. Blair arrested during his speech by Yates of the Yard for his part in "cash for peerages".

But then I think that this is just wishful thinking taking over.

I'm almost certain that it will not be published - my comments never are, maybe they are too right wing/anti-Blair to get approval - but wouldn't that just make such a good conference?

Update (16:47): I have just been back on the BBC Have Your Say website and, surprise surprise, my comment was never published.

What is the point of open primaries?

2006-09-20T15:22:00.000+01:00

Out in the blogosphere today are many postings on the upcoming Battersea Open Primary, particularly on Guido's and Dizzy's blogs. As I have understood it, correct me if I am wrong - we don't have open primaries in my constituency, anyone registered to vote in the entire constituency is allowed to vote for who they want to be the Tory candidate at the next election.

Why? I see this as suicide on the part of the Tories. I can see that there will be a lot of tactical voting for whoever will be the best opponent - similar, in my opinion, to the Tories for Gordon campaign.

I have nothing against making candidate selction more democratic but I think that this is a step too far. Maybe a better option would be to only allow Tory members in that constituency to vote.

Jesus Camp

2006-09-20T15:10:00.000+01:00

Whilst listening to the radio yesterday evening, I heard a story about Jesus Camp. It is, in my opinion, a Christian version of Al-Qaeda. Members are expected to die for the Gospel.

I think this is going in completely the wrong direction. We have leaders of Jesus Camp encouraging people who are younger than me to become Christian extremists. That is not the way to take the faith.

I hope that the vast majority of Christians are not going to subscribe to this way of life. Instead, I think we should be focussing on values such as tolerance and treating others as we would like to be treated ourselves. I'm a liberal Protestant and it is this that I subscribe to. Aside from being the Son of God, I believe Jesus was a good man and a good role model for society and I aspire to follow his example.

Political schizophrenia: The tendency to vote Lib Dem

2006-09-18T13:17:00.000+01:00

Over the weekend I decided to pick up a book and read it (well some of it). The book I chose was Have I got views for you by Boris Johnson. It is a very interesting read.

In his chapter on politics (chapter 2), there is a section entitled Where would muddle-headed mugwumps be without Charlie? that is mainly about Charles Kennedy's drink problems and resignation at the beginning of this year. Also mentioned was how he sees the people who vote for each party. I completely agreed with his comments on this.

On Tory voters, he says:

There are millions of people out there who want freedom, lower taxes, less regulation, less spin, the maintenance of Britain's democratic institutions, a culture of enterprise that encourages people to get on as far as they can, with decent public services and a net beneath which no one can fall.

On Labour voters, he says:

Then there is another huge group of people who seem to believe in higher taxes, more public spending, regulation, bossiness, control, surrendering the rebate to Brussels without any reform of the CAP and horrible bendy buses that crush cyclists.

On Lib Dem voters, he says:

But there is a third group, a minority, but a minority that possesses a characteristic human psychological deformity. They can't stand the pettiness of intellectual consistency. They want it all ways, and are capable of holding two mutually contradictory positions at once. Their policy on cake is pro-having it and pro-eating it, and they need a party that reflects them and their politically schizophrenic personalities.

I'm so glad I'm not one of the politically schizophrenic minority. I know what I believe and I vote accordingly. It has long been a joke around here that the Lib Dems possess a pathalogical inability to make their minds up. Maybe Iain Dale should add this to his many reasons for hating them.

Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few

2006-09-15T15:26:00.000+01:00

Yes, today is the anniversary of the Battle of Britain. We must not forget.

Bad news for ill people in Tory constituencies

2006-09-15T14:14:00.000+01:00

Reading the news today, I saw this story - Labour accused over hospital cuts - and was rather offended. I live in one of the safest Tory constituencies in the country so I guess my local hospital may have to watch out. Of course, I do not support this scheme of giving more money to hospitals in Labour constituencies. The NHS is funded by the taxpayer. Taxpayers live all over the country. Are we not all entitled to the same level of treatment? The NHS is for everyone who needs it, not just Labour voters!

I guess I should not be getting ill when I'm at home.

Shock horror!! Hewitt said something I agree with

2006-09-14T15:01:00.000+01:00

More current affairs. Today's story I want to comment on is Hewitt wants public say on leader. I think that this makes sense because Labour are in government so their leader will be the PM. That is our PM, not just a small section of the country's PM.

The ultimate cure for insomnia

2006-09-14T14:33:00.000+01:00

As I have already mentioned, I am a student. I am off to university in Warwick in October. This week, I needed to enrol. I also needed to accept my accommodation offer.

In doing these things, I have come across a very important discovery - the ultimat cure for insomnia. I had so many terms and conditions etc. to read through before I could actually enrol/accept my accommodation offer (it is always useful to know what the rules are, ignorance is no form of defence). On top of this, there was loads of data protection act stuff I had to read - I really could do with knowing who has access to my personal details and what they will use them for. I have never known anything to be more boring. I was almost falling asleep at my computer.

Unemployment figures - New Labour innumeracy

2006-09-13T15:55:00.000+01:00

I am a bit of a news junkie, as you will get to know by reading this blog. When I was reading the news earlier this afternoon, I found 2 completely contradictory stories about unemployment.

The first was UK unemployment at six-year high. The second was Unemployment down, says Blair.

What?!?! I think many bad things about this government but I never thought that innumeracy was one of them. I am about to start a maths degree (with physics) so it would seem that I can count. Not so. Unemployment has gone down to reach a 6 (yes, six) year high.

This is me

2006-09-13T14:21:00.000+01:00

Hi guys!

I am a student with loads of opinions. I am studying maths and physics in the hope of eventually becoming a research physicist. I am a Christian and politically I'm right of centre.

I hope to use this blog to rant about whatever issue comes to mind - but in particular current affairs, politics and the ups and downs of student life.

Feel free to comment about any of my posts. I believe passionately in freedom of speech so you can say pretty much what you want. Also if you want me to link to your blog then just let me know in the comments. Also (again - my vocabulary is not that large and I can't think of another word to put here) please feel free to ask me any questions in the comments.

Enjoy reading - more posts will follow later.