It was a meeting between Derek Wyatt, MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, and Steve Moore of Policy Unplugged, that sparked the idea of the Bricking it? event ... so Derek was ideal as one of three people asked to warm up the meeting with some challenging issues.
Outside Channel 4 I asked Derek to recap - and he explained the profound impact of a trip he made to India.
He said he had gone with a slight prejudice that India was a country of cheap labour and calls centre - but that had turned out to be completely wrong. He found a society that is skilled and smart, where students are being educated to levels often above those in the UK. And, of course, they speak English.
"Fundamentally I think we have got to change the way that we educate at every level - at schools and even at university. I think we are in for a hell of a shock."

Here's a link to a recent blog by Steve Pavlina listing 10 reasons why you should never get a job:

Steve explains;

"Getting a job and trading your time for money may seem like a good idea. There's only one problem with it. It's stupid! It's the stupidest way you can possibly generate income! This is truly income for dummies.

I spent yesterday afternoon at a wedding in Henley and had to hop on and off a couple of trains.

Depending on when you call National Rail Enquiries, you'll get through to either;

Someone in Rotheram, South Yorkshire

or

Someone in Mumbai, India.

Yesterday I spoke to people in both locations.

The idea of running Bricking It came to me when I was sitting in the MP Derek Wyatt's office in the second week of the New Year. He was sharing anecdotes from his recent trip to India and in particular how impressed he was the education facilities and the appetite for learning in the sub-continent. We mused about the grandchildren and children of his constituents in the Isle of Sheppey might be doing for a living twenty years time.