Rebellion

The 1960s were years of change. The second world war was still a clear memory for those who had been alive at the time and the long years of austerity were coming to an end. Opportunities were opening up in all walks of life and there was a sense of freedom in the air. The status quo was no longer acceptable to many and the old order was threatened from all sides.
I went to a traditional grammar school where masters and mistresses all wore gowns and sometimes their hoods. Discipline was tight and old traditional values were thrust down from above. Even so the discontent was fermenting quietly and things began to change.
My own rebellions were restricted to a rejection of uniformity and a refusal to obey petty rules that seemed to have no purpose.   The biggest protest being a refusal to run in the annual cross country race; we walked from the start and of course finished long after the rest, only to face the wrath of the staff.
I was reminded of those days by Oscar the other day. Their sports day is coming up, and even the nursery class is expected to participate. Being there and four year olds, they need to rehearse and the other day they were lined up on the running track to go through the routines. When the moment came to start, Oscar, who is a good runner, decided to turn around and ran the opposite way to the rest, thinking that this was very funny.  I have to agree with him, though four is a little young to make such protests. What will he be like when he becomes a teenager?

Brahms and Lists

One way to fill in time, which of course would have passed anyway, is to make lists. We all do it, whether it be shopping lists, friends lists, to do lists and things not to do perhaps. In one of my many idle moments, I was exposed unwittingly to Britain has got talent, and was appalled as to how unbelievably bad some of the music that emerges from youth culture today. I know that there are good musicians about but it seems that the get famous quickly culture is in the driving seat. Being unable to find any endearing features in what I was witnessing, my mind wandered into the past. At my age there is a great deal more of that than there is ahead, and I was reminiscing, making a mental list of the bands that I grew up with and have seen.
My first real live band was The Beatles. I saw them on stage in Weston Super Mare, where they topped the bill. Gerry and the Pacemakers were there too, and they were very impressive. The Beatles were about to become massive and whatever they played was pretty irrelevant; they could not be heard above the hysterical screams of teenage girls. It is said, though I can't say that I was aware of it, that cinemas hosting their tour had to be deep cleaned afterwards, due to the quantities of urine expelled on the seats and puddling on the floors.
Living in the back of beyond, it was difficult to get to any gigs, until I left home and went to college. There we had frequent social events and hosted a number of bands for very little money. I think we paid £40 for Status Quo to play for an evening and tickets must have been as much as 25p each. In those days, equipment was trundled about in Bedford  dormobiles and the band were their own roadies.
Trips home were as rare as possible but the Winter Gardens in Malvern were a wonderful venue for music. There I got to see Cream. That was a memorable evening and already the tensions in the band were becoming obvious. Eric Clapton broke his top E string in one of the solos and carried on as if nothing had happened. Winter garden events were dances and of course people could stand close to the stage. There was no stupid behaviour, no heavies guarding the band, they just played and we enjoyed.  It was at the winter gardens that I saw the late great Sandy Denny with Fairport Convention. She and they were amazing.
Most college functions have faded into the darkness; there were many bands some very good, others less so and all I can say is that I made the most of the opportunities available. Memorable evenings included Jethro Tull, Free, Rory Galagher, Joe Cocker, Spooky Tooth, Julie Felix and Family.
The majority of bands that I have seen were post college and post children. Only then were away trips a realistic possibility. I am proud to have seen great performances by Pink Floyd, Queen, King Crimson, Pentangle, Maddy Prior, June Tabor, Moody Blues, Oyster band, Loreena McKennitt, Robert Plant, Genesis, Bruce Springsteen, Canned Heat, Fleetwood mac and many others. There are so many more that I would love to have seen, The Stones, The Who, Santana, The Kinks, The Doors, Led Zepplin and Tom Petty. Now either they or I or both are too old, and so they belong on my list of regrets.

British Values

We have been hearing much this week about British Values. I have no idea what they are and I suspect that the majority of the population are in a similar position.  Our  personal values probably vary considerably and yet we probably share a large proportion, but does that make them British? Being nice to people, caring for others, helping those less fortunate than ourselves, giving to charity, being polite and understanding and trying hard to tolerate those around us seem pretty universal to me.

The likes of Michael Gove would love to thrust his own set of values onto all of us and given enough rope he will hang all of our children out to dry, whilst enforcing his own right wing, so called "Christian" idealism into the National Curriculum.

I loathe all religions equally, but having said that, some of the ideas handed down have helped some to build their moralities and provided a framework for living.  Others of course have used the same sources to build an alternative morality based upon hatred and intolerance of others.

Ridding our schools of religious influence might well be a step forwards; a step towards a less divisive society. In schools unfettered by religious dogma, our children might learn their own way throughout the muddle of growing up and develop their own value system, rather than having one thrust upon them by the zealots who run some of these establishments. Enforced beliefs and values are in the long term meaningless, though if children are forbidden from thinking or communicating with those who are free to do so, then they are condemned to a life of slavery of the mind.

It is not right to force our own values and prejudices onto our children, and it is the role of an education system to prepare young people to find a place in the world and to  furnish them with an ability to make reasoned decisions based on information that is freely available; only then will be begin to forge a society that is coherent and free.  Michael Gove and his cronies would probably disagree.