Black Lives Matter is not a football match, it's not people crowding on the beach looking for a tan, it's not a Stereophonics concert, it's not a picnic in the park.

Sure people broke lock down marching from O'Connell Street to the American Embassy in Ballsbridge, many breaking the law by assembling 5k outside their homes.

However wishing demonstrators Covid and blaming them for the spread of disease is an appalling reaction. This march represents everything you'd imagine from a fair, decent, and caring society, it was the most human reaction to a most inhuman event. The death of George Floyd has shocked the western world. The march in Dublin was in solidarity with other democratic nations who want to uphold our values of freedom and justice. BLM might very well be the most important movement of this generation, a society accepting that it has been hurt by racism but willing to heal.

Anyone condemning the marches is attempting to silence justice and makes the road to equality a much harder journey to travel. If you value democracy you need to stand up for it or send your support.

The march in Dublin tells our Government that equality is important to us. At the very least it says police brutality is not something we will ever tolerate here. It spreads awareness that direct provision is not the kind of provision you'd like to live through. It says we are worried about America and troubled by the racism it has hidden for so long. It says we have hope for the future.

Photo shared on Twitter by Damien Storan @StoranPhoto

There’s never been a better time to do the leaving cert, an additional three months to cram, more college places available, enough time to learn basic French, and no pubs open to distract you from studying.

There’s no doubt that LC reform is required, it’s a horrific end of year marathon that’s usually poorly prepared for and badly executed. If there is a chance now to spread exams out one week at a time that would be a huge benefit to anyone doing the LC. There might also be good reason for dropping one or two subjects, or letting students sit their best four subjects.

However cancelling the exams is the talk of privilege, those who expect to take a college place without earning it. This would be a catastrophe for students who might do poorly in class but are self motivated to achieve results. The mock exams are the first real wake up call for most students, it shows how much material needs to be covered and what preparation needs to be done.

The idea of teachers influencing grades without independent assessment is really dangerous to the equality of our education system. Results based on subjective opinion is open to all manner of abuse, there is no equality in allowing teachers guestimate grades for their students.

Also consider if the top colleges are given the opportunity to grant entry based on private school recommendations and interviews, you will be damn sure that money will get people further than hard work.

The CAO system isn’t perfect, anyone close to education will tell you about its flaws and how it disadvantages outliers. But it’s time to cop on and start thinking about how the leaving cert should be done. There needs to be more thought given to students who are working to over-come the odds and fight for college places, that’s what the CAO system was designed to do in the first place. What the CAO is not is a democracy where a student survey that suits 60% of students gets to decide the fate for the remaining 40%. The wave of support for cancelling the exams has silenced  any student who disagrees with hitting the auto-eject button. Anyone who has ever sat an exam will know there is pressure involved, an easy out will always gain more support than the option that rewards hard work. 

Sure there might be a more illuminated path for someone who can afford grinds and access material online, but cancelling the LC will be a huge barrier to everyone else who travels the road alone.
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The leaving cert is a person’s first opportunity to make their own way in life, it’s the first step in an individual journey. For anyone who might be sitting the LC it’s time to start looking at how it should be done and rally behind destiny.  

“They used to say a rising tide lifted all boats, now the rising tide just seems to lift the yachts.” Ed Miliband

Why is it that in a democratic society we deal with gaping inequality and mass poverty? Democracy is the collective power of the people, and the majority of people are decent individuals, charitable, and fair minded.

So how do we end up with politicians who deny climate change, normalise homelessness, and ignore the basic needs of the people?

The answer is that people aren’t educated in democracy and as a result democracy fails the people. Democracy may be an imperfect ideology but it is a powerful tool that can safeguard equality. However if people aren’t thought how to use it then democracy becomes a form of corrupt government powered by the votes of an ill informed jury of children.

Thomas Jefferson once wrote; "Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves, therefore, are its only safe depositories. And to render even them safe, their minds must be improved to a certain degree."

A state’s investment in its education is the only method it has to safeguard its democracy. If there is vast inequality in the education system a state is simply sowing the seeds of inequality and disruption. Without the potential of enlightenment through the education of ethics and political philosophy people will continue to select candidates who misrepresent their core values and humane instincts to care for the poor.
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Inequality in education is the biggest threat we are facing in society right now, it has lead to a colossal disconnect with politics, the rise of demagogues, and the lack of accountability in government.  The education system needs to be reassessed and revamped if we are to get serious about creating a just society and eradicating poverty.

(Picture is of a DC art exhibit which features an Ivanka Trump look-alike vacuuming....because that's where smash & grab democracy has taken us)