When I got my GCE “A” level exam results a little over 50 years ago, I achieved two B’s and a C. At the time, these were considered good marks. Only the top 1% of candidates received an A, and three or more A’s were exceedingly rare. Most universities required C’s and D’s for entrance, with only a handful demanding B’s.

Fast forward to today, 10th August 2021, and it was announced that around 30% of students achieved an A or A* grade.

We must have been really dim back then! But according to our professor, we were in the top 5% of the population.

This got me thinking about where we might be in 2045 if grade inflation continues unchecked. Here’s a little story imagining that future:

My daughter’s exam results arrived today. She got three AAA++**s and one AAA++. She’s mortified. She can understand what happened in her pop music studies (the one where she “only” got an AAA++)—she didn’t realize there were more questions on the other side of the paper, so she answered just two out of five. But she was expecting to be in the alphas for her other subjects.

To secure a place at her desired university, she needed at least three AAA/alpha+*s and one AAA++**. Now, if she’s set on going to university, she’ll either have to resit all her exams or apply to a grade 2 or grade 3 institution. A degree from one of these will only qualify her for minimum-wage jobs, like shop assistant or nurse.

Alternatively, she might skip university altogether. She’s presentable and has a good voice, so she’s considering trying her luck in the music industry. Or, inspired by England’s Olympic netball win last year, she might aim to become a professional netball player. The only problem is, that victory has inspired countless other girls, all vying for a spot on a professional team.

Either way, it looks like I’ll be supporting her well into her mid-thirties. Things have certainly changed. Like most of my generation, I managed to move out of my parents’ house by the time I was twenty-nine.

I have also expressed some of my views on education here

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Today, we remember the tragic destruction of the Twin Towers in New York forty-four years ago, while also celebrating the fifth anniversary of Cornish Independence.

Cornwall’s journey to independence was long and fraught with challenges. With a population of just over half a million, the county could never have hoped to stand alone. However, its future was secured when it joined the Celtic Alliance, a coalition of Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man. (The Channel Islands are expected to join soon, further strengthening the Alliance.)

The roots of Cornish nationalism can be traced back to the early 2020s, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, thousands of wealthy English citizens began buying up properties in Cornwall, driving prices far beyond the reach of locals. These homes were often used as second residences, left empty for most of the year, or rented out to holidaymakers at exorbitant rates. Families who had lived in Cornwall for generations were forced to leave, unable to afford housing in their own homeland.

This displacement sparked outrage, and inevitably, an extreme Cornish nationalist group emerged. Mirroring the tactics of Meibion Glyndŵr in 1980s Wales, they began targeting the properties of incomers, setting them ablaze. While these actions alienated many locals who relied on the tourism industry, they also drew attention to the growing discontent with Westminster’s neglect. Cornwall’s infrastructure—hospitals, ambulance services, police, and roads—was overwhelmed each summer by the influx of visitors, deepening resentment toward the central government.

Politically, Cornwall underwent a dramatic transformation. Once a Conservative stronghold, it shifted to the Lib Dems, then to Labour, and finally, in 2034, elected two Mebyon Kernow MPs to Parliament. This marked a turning point. By 2037, Scotland had declared independence and joined the Celtic Alliance, paving the way for Cornwall to follow. At midnight on September 11, 2040, Cornwall became an independent nation. Just 24 hours later, it was welcomed into the Celtic Alliance, securing a seat at the Alliance’s headquarters in Dublin.

Today, Cornwall thrives as part of the Alliance, though some old habits die hard. The historic Cornish industry of smuggling has resurfaced, but with a modern twist: goods are now smuggled out of Cornwall (as well as Wales and Scotland) and into England, where officially sold products are significantly more expensive. The Celtic Alliance enjoys free trade with Europe and the rest of the world, while England continues to struggle with establishing stable trading relationships. English authorities often turn a blind eye to the smuggling, as the cheaper goods help placate a population weary of economic hardship.

The much-publicized wall England began constructing along its borders was abandoned after the implementation of a nationwide DNA database and mandatory birth registrations. In exchange for a pledge of non-interference from England, the Celtic Alliance agreed to return any illegal English migrants—a policy enacted after English troops briefly stormed Cornwall in 2042. Those returned now face lengthy detentions in English holding centers before trial and sentencing.

The Celtic nations—often referred to as “Celts,” despite the majority not being of Celtic origin—watch England’s political machinations with a mix of curiosity and amusement. The frequent elections, each producing a new right-wing, fiercely patriotic government, are widely reported globally, much to the annoyance of English authorities.

Tourism in Cornwall remains vibrant, though the demographics have shifted. The majority of summer visitors now come from Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, as England imposes strict limits on how much money its citizens can take abroad. Cornwall, once a jewel in England’s crown, now shines as a proud member of the Celtic Alliance, its future secure and its identity firmly its own.

Author’s Note

This Cornwall independence fiction is inspired by real issues facing Cornwall today, including housing affordability, tourism pressures, and the revival of Cornish identity. While the Celtic Alliance and 2040 independence are fictional, the concerns driving this imagined movement are very real. 

What do you think? Could Cornwall ever achieve independence? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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My own opinion is that interplanetary travel by human beings is not a good idea. Humans have evolved over millions of years to live on Earth.  We are developing robots and AI at an increasing rate and these seem to be the sensible way to explore the solar
system – or even the galaxy. 
Would the AI benefit from a human self identity? – Maybe. It could change the clock rate to simulate time compression and it’s perception of time, and automatic systems could control  the emotional behavior
and simply apply a “reset” in the case of it instability.

Am I human? I feel like a human being. I’m Jack Hawkins, married with two children. But that was a very long time ago. I don’t look like a human being. I have no flesh or bones, I never get hungry. I’m really just a bunch of algorithms.

But my “body” is a starship, or more like a star drone really as I’m unmanned. An unmanned man?  

I’ve been travelling for thousands, (well actually 17654.238) years by Earth time but it only feels like a few months to me. Time compression due to my speed accounts for a very small part of the difference. Most of it is due to simply a reduced clock rate. for example I have been travelling over 100 earth years since the I checked the clock a few seconds (to me) ago, (well actually 125.632 years).

I keep dropping relay stations into space. Then I send my data to one and its sends it to the next and then to the next and so on back to Earth.

I wonder if Earth is still there. I had a reply a few days ago but I’ll have to wait a week or two even at my current timescales for a reply this time.

But soon I’ll be in a planetary system and I’ll speed up the clock. It’s quite an experience when the clock changes, and one which a regular human can never experience. At a few micro Hertz the stars move and I can see my destination getting closer. At a few giga Hertz I can see the languid eruptions of plasma from a star.

They did worry about me going insane, knowing that I will never see another human being again and I would live forever (or until something goes disastrously wrong) .

I feel fine, but I wonder if I have gone insane in the past and been re-booted. My memory would have been automatically adjusted so I would not actually know. It may have happened more than once, maybe hundreds of times for all I know. Whatever Jack! Live in the NOW.

The planetary system is a day away at this clock speed. Time to slow a bit.

Oh, here it is, I’m coming in at almost right angles, (well actually 78.2 degrees) to the ecliptic.

Sun – bigger than Sol (1.28 times).

Hotter than Sol  (7200 degrees).

Six planets, three gas giants, one small one too far out to be in the habitable zone, TWO in the habitable zone. Wow that’s a first. Let’s get closer.

Planet A – very young, recently formed or reformed, all lava and volcanoes under the ash clouds. It has a very wobbly orbit. That sucker has been hit hard by something.

Planet B – very old – strange – no atmosphere, no water.
There’s no life here, may as well move on.

I’ll do a slingshot maneuver around the sun (I like doing that, reminds me of a roller coaster) pick up some matter on the way for fuel and head to the next port of call.

That didn’t take long, (well actually 35.286 years in Earth time).

Data sent back to Earth, if it’s still there!

That reply for my last transmission should be here soon – (well actually 1768.239 years in Earth time).

Onwards, to infinity and beyond – oh good old Buzz Lightyear. My kids loved him.

Oh, here’s the reply from Earth now. Let’s see who is in charge now.

I wrote this following another non fiction (well I think so anyway) article on AI

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This is a work of satirical dystopian fiction. Any resemblance to actual government policies is purely coincidental… I hope.

I got done today. My own fault I suppose. Last week as I came out of Tesco, my receipt blew away as I was packing the car. I spent a half hour trying to find it but to no avail. But a licensed litter picker managed to find it. Maybe she caught it almost as soon as it blew away, I don’t know.
Anyway, the letter came today.

I’ll get the statutory fine for littering of £50n, but I’ll also have to pay the litter pickers fee of £100n, Tesco’s fee of £250n for recovering my card details from the receipt, the credit card companies fee of £250n for providing my address details to the litter prevention enforcement agency, and the latter’s admin fee of £300n. So that’s £950n I have to find. I have one month before I can expect the bailiffs.

I’m a licensed dog excrement collector. (Often called a pooper scooper). I get £100n for every piece of dog poop over 100grams I can find that results in a prosecution. By the time the dog owner has paid the fine plus my fee plus the animal DNA look up fee plus the environmental agencies costs it will cost him around £2000n.

The question is can I find 10 extra clients in the next month? There are not many dogs around nowadays. It will probably mean me hiding in fields and watching for dogs doing their business out of sight of the owner then collecting it when they’ve gone. It’s a risky business, if the dog or owner spot me and realise what I do things can get very nasty.

To tell the truth I don’t have any sympathy for my clients. Anyone who owns a dog these days is pretty damned rich. They could even work for the litter prevention enforcement agency! I bet they won’t have to find an extra month’s money in a month to pay their fine.

Still it’s better than the old days. Apparently everybody had to pay almost everything they earned as taxes! At least that’s what they did according to the newspapers and the news websites. My Dad says that’s rubbish and they only paid about 20% but I don’t really believe him. He’s getting on a bit, 87 next birthday and only three years to retirement. But he won’t really be able to afford retirement. He’s a web policeman, spends all day searching the web for anti-government posts or websites. It used to pay well (per find of course) but they are getting much harder to find. Fines for the perpetrators are very high and the bots pick up most of them anyway. I do wonder if he has started believing some of what he reads on these weirdo sites.

Just now I’m looking for a doctor for my son. It has to be a special doctor – one who has a dog! I could never afford to pay his fee of course but if I can get some of his dogs poop I could hopefully agree a deal with him. The problem is I don’t know if the payment he could get for turning me in might be worth more than fine from the environmental agency. I could try to find out on-line but that will arouse suspicions from the web police. Even my Dad!

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May 5th 2025

They came in different ways, but all spectacular.

In China, a three mile wide spaceship blotted out the sun over Beijing and the ambassador flew down in a small craft. In Moscow a ship landed in red square. In London, a beam of light shot down from a ship in stationary orbit and the ambassador transported down it.

In Washington a ship landed, and the ambassador got out and walked to the Whitehouse. The ambassador seemed human, about six feet six inches tall, with short cropped blond hair. He was dressed normally in slacks and a short sleeved green shirt.

Of course they tried to stop him. They tried very hard. Individuals were deflected when they got within a couple of meters. Cars and even tanks were pushed aside with no apparent effort from the ambassador. Bullets and missiles were either deflected or simply disappeared.

They realized quite quickly that he was walking to the Whitehouse and they desperately tried to get the president out. But the Oval office was sealed with the president inside. Even explosives on the door and the windows had no effect.

Finally the order was given to stop trying to impede him and just let him go. When he reached the oval office 150 army officers were packed shoulder to shoulder and 5 deep in front of the door preparing to give their lives to defend the president. A hale of automatic fire was directed at the ambassador – with no effect. There was no where for the soldiers to go, and if the ambassador continued his walk they would be crushed to death against the walls. But he disappeared.

And re-appeared in a chair opposite the president.

“That was one hell of an entrance” said the president.

The ambassador smiled.

“The purpose was simply to establish technological superiority” he said. “We could have done much more, but we are trying not to cause any casualties”

“Well what do you want, I’m a busy man” said the president.

The attempt at levity was lost on the ambassador.

He said “Your race has established space travel within your solar system and we have detected that you are on the threshold of developing technology to enable inter-stellar travel. This must stop.”

“Why?” said the president

“You are a predatory ecology” said the ambassador simply.

“What the…..! I don’t understand”

“Your entire ecology is based on predation. Even your microbes fight and devour each other. Your plants compete for land and minerals, and almost every living thing on your planet thrives at the expense of others.”

“I don’t understand” said the president again. “What would you expect?”

“Predatory ecologies, are quite common but very rarely reach your state. Usually as soon as intelligence develops, technology follows quite quickly, and the ecology usually wipes itself out.

“Hmm, I can believe that” said the president thinking back over the last few decades. “But that’s how evolution works.”

“No, that’s all you can imagine, as you are part of a predatory ecology. All of the highly advanced species in the galaxy have evolved from symbiotic ecologies. Those where the organisms work together for mutual benefit. They have had billions of years to develop their technology, you have only had a few thousand years. Species that have evolved from symbiotic ecologies are the only ones that we allow to leave their planets.

“But you have managed to reach the stage where interstellar travel is becoming a possibility, and we cannot allow you to proliferate your aberration across the galaxy or beyond.

“How can you stop us” said the president

“Many ways” said the ambassador, “we can push your planet closer to the sun, we can switch off you gravity for a few seconds, or we can just rain down nuclear bombs, one a minute for a hundred years.”

“You would actually do that?” the president was wide eyed, shocked.

“Yes” said the ambassador simply, with no emotion

“Bastard” said the president.

The ambassador tilted his head to one side, and looked puzzled

The president regained his composure. “It’s a term of abuse, usually used for people we detest when we have no other way to express ourselves” he said stiffly. “What are asking us to do?”

“We are not asking. We require you to abandon all of your craft and bases that are not on your planet and confine yourselves to earth for the remainder of the life of your species”.

“That’s monstrous; we rely on minerals from the asteroid belt.”

“We will return in ten years and if your culture is not confined to the planet we will destroy it”.

“It is physically impossible to get all of our people back to earth in ten years. We would need to build extra ships and that will take time.”

The ambassador was silent for a moment. “Very well, you can shuttle them back. You have twenty years”.

“Now wait a minute…” said the president, but the ambassador was now transparent and was fading from view.

May 5th 2045

The world president raised her head and what had been an empty seat was now occupied by the ambassador.

“You are very punctual” she said

“And you are very unwise” he (or it) said. “Your species is still crawling all around your system, and we have detected some interstellar vehicles. Did you not believe me when I said we would destroy your civilization?”

“We did assume that there would be some compassion.”

“You think we would exercise compassion when the well being of the entire galaxy is at stake?” He was silent for a moment.

“We can give you further time, but to show our seriousness we will destroy one of your major cities to a radius of 200 miles. You must pick the city, if you do not choose, than it will be this one.”

“You wouldn’t” cried the president, eyes wide, shocked.

“Choose now” said the ambassador simply

The president regained her composure, and her voice was low and measured. “If you do this, trillions of beings will die”.

“There are not trillions on the planet.” said the ambassador

“I know” said the president

“Explain!”

“The interstellar craft you detected were only a few of tens of thousand probes we have launched. They are programmed to search the galaxy for intelligence and destroy it by means of disease, or atomic explosions. We have stations in all of cities which send out regular codes to keep the probes inactive, if they do not receive the signal they will activate. If you destroy any city, then the codes cannot be sent.”

“But your technology is insufficient for this task, some will fail.”

“Yes, I am truly sorry.”

“You have not done this terrible thing”

“You think we would exercise compassion when our entire race is at stake?”

There was silence for a moment

The president said “We will need access to some of your technology if we are to find and destroy these probes across the galaxy”

“Bastard!” said the ambassador and vanished, this time with a loud crack as the air rushed in to fill the space he had occupied.

The president smiled to herself. She was looking forward to the time when Humanity would be spread across the entire galaxy and interacting with other civilizations on the back of alien technology.

“Fucking amateurs!” she said softly.Th

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