Education reform

This week, the British and Spanish governments have announced controversial and somewhat retro-inspired plans to reform their secondary education systems. As well as a vintage 'back to basics' refocus on core subjects (maths, sciences and languages), both sets of proposals demonstrate a move towards increased selection based on ability.

A tale of two Europes…

In both the UK and Spain, it is not uncommon to hear people talk about 'Europe' as if it were another continent. The only difference being that for Spain, 'Europe' is 'the-place-where-people-work-hard-and-things-are-done-properly', whereas for the UK the word is shorthand for 'the-place-where-all-our-money-is-wasted-by-people-lounging-in-cafes (probably wearing berets)'.

On being a Londoner

Person I've just met: 'Where are you from?' Me: 'London.' PIJM: 'Ah, I love/loathe/am indifferent to London.' Me: 'Understandable... Can you pass the cheese?' Simple, right? That's how the conversation should go. This is how it actually goes... Scenario 1: PIJM: 'Where are you from?' Me: 'London.' PIJM: 'Are you from London, London?' OK. Now.…

Toilets in Austria

Toilets in Austria, and apparently Germany, too, are a different shape to those in other parts of the world. How can I describe best them? A quick google finds the design described variously as: 'Lay and display' 'Trophy toilets' 'Reverse bowl design' 'The German Poo-shelf toilet' I think the last gives you the clearest idea…

Missing: the Austrian flag

I'd been in Vienna for two months when I realised that I didn't know what the Austrian flag looked like. It seems the Austrians, like the Brits, are not flag-wavers. There seems to be something about a history of empire and violence that makes a people more circumspect about parading their national symbols (massive exception:…

Vienna: the world’s most liveable city?

For the third year in a row, Vienna has topped the list of the 'world's best city to live in', or at least that's what the headlines proclaim. I've always found these rankings slightly puzzling. OK, so Baghdad is at the bottom of the table; that's understandable. However, some of the other placings always seem…