Setting the Level

In the days of old (1960's) the UK was a world beater, we had the TSR2, Blue streak,English electric Lightening, Concord,  

We had Electrical companies like GEC, AEI, BICC, English Electrical, Ferranti , Bush, McMichael, RGD, Decca, Hotpoint etc the list is to long 

We even had a few car companies as well, Rolls, Rover, Austin, Morris , Ford, Vauxhall, Triumph , Riley, Reliant, Morgan, Jaguar, Landrover, Hillman and not forgetting a company in East Anglia called Lotus.

The UK produced the best quality rolled steel in the world and our Tool steel was was a big export.

For our younger viewers sit down first and Google any of the above and you will find what the "Great" meant in Great Britain.  

Most of the older politicians sat "O" levels or "ordinary " and then went on to "A" Level or advanced level, a few like me sat CSE's or "Certificate in secondary education" and some like me were double entered for both the CSE's and "O"levels, just in case.

a CSE grade 1 was the equivalent to a grade c "O" level and very well respected, you had to sit a number of core subjects and a few self chosen.

Then we had the years of madness (1970's) with Strike after strike , bread strikes , sugar shortages , Electricity blackouts, Petrol stikes, and the dead were not buried, yes not buried , then the Fire brigade went on strike and the Army in their Green goddesses Army Fire Engines patrolled the streets. 

Slowly but surely education was changed, at the time they said it was for the better but then reports came in that the UK was slipping down the international education tables. Strangely enough the countries that were overtaking the UK in the education stakes were the very same countries we had given our old Matriculation system to.

They were using the British system and it was us that had changed. the French called their version of their Matriculation system the Baccalaureate

Even now a few hours after the announcement that the old system is coming back, we hear the boo hoo politics start

Sandwell Tory said
If the old way was good enough for the politicians who rule us now , why don't they want it to come back?

Sir Winston Churchill, once said "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery". how correct he was

Don't forget 146 out of 151 see below