Tuesday

A day when I should have done lots of things and done very little. Tomorrow of the BCME, a conference of maths educators. Many years ago I realised that maths was the thing that was for me. It is still something which excites me and it is hard to understand why other people don't get excited by maths. It has a beauty which exceeds almost any other study, with both form and function.

Saw an old friend for coffee and we wondred why Blair has got so many old labour party workers so disillusioned. It seems that we are being told to vote New Labour because the alternatives are even worse. That seems to be blackmail, you have to vote for me, I might be dishonest and I will lie to you BUT I am still the best bet. Sorry I am not going to buy this story. If Labour haven't got the guts to get rid of Tony Blair then they had better lose their jobs. They let him lead them into an illegal war, support private profiteers and pretendthe market will support the poor and disadvantaged. This is both stupid and irresponsible.

Private companies exist to make a profit NOT to give a good service to their customers. They will give the cheapest quality goods and services and goodsthey can get away with. There is nothing new about this. Many people know the story of Archimedes leaping out of his bath shouting "Eureka". But do many people know why he was worrying. The King had bought a crown which the goldsmith claimed was made of gold. The King was suspicious but how to work out whetherthis was true, so he consulted Archimides. He knew what the density of gold was, but how to work out the volume. That was his eureka moment.

The point is that the goldsmith had lied and had not used pure gold. So private companies have always tried to cheat, and when we trust them to run public srvices they will still try to cheat! So never trust a profit making company, "caveat emptor", nothing changes.

Immigration

Went to the London Jewish Museum in Camden Town. An interesting exhibition about immigration. Untill 1905 there were no restrictions on anyone travedlling in Europe, true globalisation, no passports, not nothing.

Then the nutters started getting worried about immigrants form Eastern Europe, the lies by the newspapers and MP's trying to whip up hatred against the immigrants who were mainly Jewish. The stories keep getting repeated as each new wave of immigrants arrive, they take our jobs, steal our women, take housing, etc. All untrue but somehow appeals to some peoples' fears, fears of difference. Why, it is new things, change which drives us all on.

In Norwich at one time a third of the population were French speaking Hugenot refugees, I wonder what percentage of the current population of Norwich now has Hugenot blood? We must realise we are all human and should have a decent chance of a good life. Britain is one of the richest countriesw in the world why do we have to be so mean and selfish

My First Blog

This is going to be very simple and boring!

I have created it because my son-in-law has one and the only way to find out about their holiday was to read his blog!

It is easter monday and I have about five things to do before going away and am panicking.

My main thoughts will be political and mathematical, which seems to drive my life at the moment.