Public Interest.co.uk

Wednesday, March 30

The palpably normal Ruth Kelly is rapidly becoming my least favourite New Labour politician, aside from the Evil One himself, of course. Why? It's not just her secret, papally-inspired urge to have all our schoolchildren eating fish on Friday, nor even her fiendish plan to beat them all with whips dripped in vinegar, it's simply the sheer dullness with which she comes out with her platitudes. How can any one individual be both vacuous and threatening all at the same time? She can:

"I see no contradiction in strong, autonomous schools working together. We've created schools that excel because they have a clear mission and purpose, but we still need them to work together if they are to achieve their full potential".

Yadda yadda.

"So let's not forget that education is not just about schools. Children learn from the moment they are born. And education and learning cannot just be allowed to stop at 16. We want to effectively make the old school leaving age a thing of the past".

Why not bore them for another couple of years, why don't you?

"We should be careful not to confuse means and ends. If improved life chances and greater equality of opportunity is our goal, we should be willing to adapt the comprehensive ideal. By drawing on the best of comprehensive schools, but by making our education system work for all, we have a real opportunity, in a third term, to fundamentally change life chances and be a historic force for social justice".

Pitiful.

posted by Peter Briffa @ 3/30/2005 07:43:00 PM