Tomorrow (2 November) is the big day. America goes to the polls in the US Mid Term elections and all eyes are on the tea party wierdos…

I see that Republican Senator Lamar Alexander, a “seventh generation Tennessean” has been out on the stump in Delaware, drumming up support for the absurd Tea Party starlet Christine O’Donnell.

As it happens, I was in Alexander’s home turf last year and, quite by chance, happened on a Tea Party in Nashville. (I was there for the blue grass).

The colourful rally was almost exclusively white and completely off-the-wall. It was an event to savour and remember.

Anyway…

The pundits tell me Christine O’Donnell has no chance of winning the Senate seat in Delaware (phew!) but, nevertheless, she is projected to get a respectable 40% of the vote.

40% no less!

Don’t these voters care that she has only a rudimentary acquaintance with the US Constitution?

And that she is as mad as a hatter.

Obviously not.

Whatever happened to…   the EMA

The Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is to be scrapped, saving £0.5 billion.

The Comprehensive Spending Review declared that it would be replaced with “targeted support for those who face genuine financial barriers to participation.”

What exactly does the Coalition have in mind? The EMA is currently means tested.

The EMA had real problems a few years ago in getting money to students who desperately needed it. But things were sorted out.

Now the least well off students (and there are plenty in Pendle) are again in the firing line.

The Young People’s Learning Agency is unable to comment on the changes proposed.

They could at least say the idea behind the EMA is a good one and worth saving.

In Lancashire, thousands of students get help to stay in education.

For the moment.

The NUS promises a demonstration on Saturday in Central London. We shall see if it gets a mention on the news.

(Check out the local numbers in the attachment.)

Attachments:

Nashville Tea Party 2009	[ ]	2103 Kb
Nashville Tea Party	[ ]	2242 Kb
EMA Take up	[ ]	279 Kb