What a way to kick off the New Year. Extra maths. I did not see that coming and still don’t understand what Rishi Sunak is trying to do.
His first major speech in a while – where have you been, PM? Nice Christmas? – and the headline out of it was kids having to do maths until 18.
I don’t get it. Apart from alienating even more teachers, various economists and every schoolkid in the country, what was the point?
Unless it was to distract from the other bits of the speech – bad for striking workers, migrants, the rest of us.
Maths. Just odd. I had a very similar relationship to the one I have with Margot Robbie, i.e. massive fan of the subject but absolutely no chance. As a result, I ended up with a serious dislike of it (maths, that is, not you, Margot).
Anyways, it was an interesting way to start the New Year. Worryingly, some people have been suggesting it could be the starting gun on an election campaign, five pledges and all that.
Surely not. I mean, this lot have to go, obviously, but it would be nice to do it without the hassle of a general election. Better if they just sort of... left.
An election in 2024 is still 1/8 on with the bookies, which is about right.
Mr Starmer came out with a speech of his own, which I was quite looking forward to, but gave a new meaning to ‘Dry January’. I sort of lost the thread of it but he said a lot about “sticking plaster politics”.
A great line but there wasn’t a lot in there. Take the NHS, for example. Mr Starmer agrees there’s a problem that will take more than a sticking plaster to sort out. But the solutions offered are not a lot deeper.
A training programme to take on more medical staff is great, so is lifting capacity. We do need to look at how the NHS works, though, and how to protect it.
I’m not for one second – one second – advocating some of the suggestions that have been made. In particular, the idea that letting the private sector get somehow more involved is the right idea. It’s not. It’s really not.
We need a grown-up conversation about public health and how we can use the NHS as wisely as possible.
Problem with that is that it’s a tough conversation and the problem with long-term solutions is exactly that – they’re long-term. Which politicians, unfortunately, don’t like.
It’s why conversations about the NHS are reduced to arguments around capacity. It’s a figure, easy to understand and deploy, and they think it resonates with the public.
But it’s a sticking plaster.
Same with lots of other issues – immigration, crime, housing. They can’t be solved in one quick hit. It’s not a simple equation. Speaking of which, the last time I tried to apply any of my rudimentary maths skills was earlier this year.
My mate was trying to move a wardrobe out of his spare room – an Ikea one that was easy to get in as flat-pack but impossible to get out made up.
I’d read something about how trigonometry can help in those situations.
Saw him in the pub a couple of days later. “Got that wardrobe out,” he says.
“Great. You use trigonometry?”
“Nah,” he says, “I just used a big hammer.”
Job done.
