Tennis, more tennis and a big rant

Today is a national holiday in France. There are 5 holidays in May alone, out of a total of 13 for the whole year. Very strange!

Rob's girls arrive in Nimes on the early flight from Stansted. We need to get to the airport for 10.00 am, so it's no problem for us, but these poor souls have been up half the night. The flight leaves Stansted at 7.00 am, so what with check-in, and an hour and a half journey to get there, they have to leave home at about 4.00 am.

Let me explain. Rob has a big reputation as a good tennis coach and has coached these ladies (Anne, Cilla, Helen, Jane and Sue ) before. They all come here, on a girls weekend away, get coached, play a lot of tennis, eat, drink, and generally have a good time. They leave kids, husbands and troubles behind and come and let Jan spoil them. Quite a lot of this spoiling rubs off on me as well. So thank you darling!

It's the UK elections today and we are fascinated as to the outcome, but then so are lots of other people as well.

Ohhhhhhh I feel a rant coming on!

I consider myself apolitical, and don't have strong feelings about who runs the country, as long as it is done well. However, there are two issues that really get my goat.

The first is school discipline and, what appears to me, the total lack of support that we give to teachers in the mamby-pamby society that has now emerged in the UK. By definition, children need a strong, loving, positive, friendly leadership. I have taught children in a tennis environment for many years so I feel I know a little about what I am talking about. A disproportionately high number of children are currently fed an unrealistic sense of self importance and power. They seem to have a high regard for talentless celebrities, an ill defined work ethic, and have little or no respect for their parents and/or teachers. We are all to blame and we should be ashamed of ourselves. However, the government of the day has a responsibility to empower its teachers, punish errant parents and generally help to get some children back into line.

What is happening to the education system? Not so long ago, the incumbent Education Secretary went through a long consultation process, and had, I believe, the support of the teaching profession, to replace the current awards system with a European style diploma. So far so good. He was being well paid to do this, he had lots of support and I trusted him to make the right decision. He then gets moved to the Home Office, and the new Education Secretary promptly cancels everything. WHAT IS GOING ON? I make no comment about the relative merits of any system; I don't have that information, but others do, and surely therefore one of them must be incompetent?

And the second is MRSA. If I can believe the figures, more people die from hospital acquired infections than die in road traffic accidents. How dare any government put itself up for re-election, and expect to win, without having sorted that one out. It's a national disgrace without any excuse whatsoever. No blaming previous administrations, no blaming overworked and under paid hospital staff just get it sorted NOW! No excuses. Move all the police from the roads and motorways, which are amongst the safest in Europe (if you want to see dangerous driving come to France!) and have them patrol hospital wards, which are far more dangerous.

OK, the last bit was stupid but at least it made me feel better!

You know what I said about being apolitical, well I reckon that I could be a benevolent despot! Hmmm, need to think about that one.