Drink, Politics and stuff

Hmmmm…. things have been quiet on the Head Teacher front - I am awaiting the crunch.  Most of the staff have been very supportive.  One teacher said she, “felt uncomfortable” with how the meeting went.  I was actually greeted on my way in to school by a member of the support staff who had overheard everything saying, “Well done”

 Anyway - I’m orf to Norn Irn tomorrow.  I’m going for nearly a week - the boy and I.  Wifey is studying - her Med finals are coming up, so we will be able to give her the space she needs.  I’m looking forward to Ireland - I feel I will be able to breath again.  I find Glasgow schools so stressful - and it isn’t the kids that make it so.  I wish more teachers would get the confidence to speak out about the pressure each diktat places them under - the Authority and the executive have got to review their policies towards teachers and nurses next year - apparently more nurses and teachers are off work for stress than any other job/profession - and that was from a Psychiatrist friend.

I can’t wait to walk in the Mournes - or even down Banbridge High Street.  It isn’t Glasgow or Scotland that is oppressive - just the constant pressure of responsibility which is magnified by little hitlers.

I welcome my “second life” world  - a lot.  I have made some great friends there - and it is a great outlet (sorry Higs - but you do listen to some crap from me!) - a place to let off steam.  Higs introduced me to a great sim (those who haven’t a clue what I am on about - get a second life! lol)  - it was like a movie set.  Someone had created a town - with a subway - in all it’s detail - and it looks as if they did it just for the hell of it.  It is a work of art, really.  There is nothing commercial on the sim - so the person did not make it to make money.  If I can get the slurl (if u have Second life and log on - and then click a slurl - it will take you to the sim), I’ll place it here later.

I am bloody annoyed.  Something happened in school today where I totally lost it with the Head Teacher.  She bandies around words like “professionalism” but acts in a completely unprofessional way.  Then she tries to intimidate in order to get her way.  I told her to take her intimidation elsewhere and appologise.  I sort of got a half an apology, but I know she will be gunning for me.  If she does, I will remind her - a bit more gently than I did today, that what she did has been a sackable offense in the past.

Anyway, the Scottish elections are hotting up.   If you read down my posts from last summer, you will see that the SSP had a bloody awful time of it.  Well - we’re back.  We may be battered and bruised - but we are out there doing what we do best - fighting on issues that will make working peoples and people who can’t work for one reason or anothers lives a bit better.  Free School Meals for all
Scottish Children; Free Public Transport; Affordable Housing; Scrapping the Council Tax and replacing it with a fairer income based tax and a SCOTTISH SOCIALIST REPUBLIC.  The press were painting us as a spent force after our ex-convenor shafted his friends and split the party with his lies (some socialist) - but we are back - as a proper collective.  And we are not going away.

OK.  I know I said I was going to quit this blog… but instead I have decided (and I realise it has been 6 months) to partially rename this blog and carry on. 

There are a number of reasons for this.  Firstly, I want to blog… and erm…

OK.  I admit it - I enjoyed doing this blog.  It was an outlet for a lot of thoughts that just drift into the ether these days… and I made a few friends here.

Secondly, I want to talk about the booze, much in the way I spoke about it during the year off - that is, hardly at all.  I will say, I went back on it, and found it was hard going.  It didn’t take much to give me a huge fucking hangover… and wasting hours on end recovering the next day.  I have decided to give the booze a rest for a while again, but It won’t be another year off.

Thirdly, a few other things have come along I would like an outlet for my own thoughts.  I have been involved in a “Left Unity” group on “Second Life” which has had successes and failures - and would like to give my own partial view on those, as within the group this is difficult as I am accused of trying to be a leader when I offer my sometimes forthright take on things.  If you haven’t become involved in Second Life… my advice is this.  If you already have a life, then to be honest don’t bother.  It can take a lot of your time - though I would say, those who live in the parts of the world where we have dark afternoons and evenings in the winter - it is an ideal space to visit sunny beaches and Dublin pubs etc and meet some interesting people.  Though I must say there are some people who are there not to be interesting, but to fulfil inner desires they may not be able to fulfil in real life (rl) like being a mating dog or something.

I also want to use the space to place my political views on record and my views on education generally and education in Scotland specifically.

Lastly, I hit a wall during my time away from blogging - and this wall actually led me to Second Life.  Depression is an awfully dark place.  And a difficult place to emerge from.  I may use the blog to talk about that.