April 25, 2005
Education
The Telegraph leads with a discussion of two recently published papers.
Intergenerational Mobility in Europe and North America by Jo Blanden, Paul Gregg and Steve Machin at the Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics, and a similar one by academics at the University of Cardiff.
What they portray is little less than a crime against humanity, perpetrated by left wing politicians in UK over the last 38 years. Please read on, I am not exagerating.
It all started with Anthony Crosland who was Secretary of State for Education and Science 1965–1967. He is famous for saying "if there's one thing I do, I will smash every fucking grammar school in the country". Fortunately, and I make no apologies for saying this, he died before he could complete his mission. This has not stopped his successors trying however.
While no-one could claim that the grammar schools were perfect, they did provide a mechanism for intergenerational social mobility which has not been equalled in UK since the late 60's when comprehensives arrived on the scene. With this system, if you come from a sink estate in Bootle, you will go to a school serving that sink estate with your peers from the sink estate. This has been true, and blindingly obvious, since Crosland started destroying grammar schools in the mid 60s. But the efforts haven't stopped there. We had an attempt to close the schools by requiring a vote from parents to keep them open, and now we have comprehensives saying they won't accept people who don't put them as first choice when they apply. Which means the only schools which will accept children who have put them second are fee paying. If you were poor would you take that risk? Blanden, Gregg and Machin state that of 8 countries investigated UK has the worst record on intergenerational mobility, and not only that it is the ONLY one where it is getting worse.
The glorious struggle to eliminate elitism continues. If you are a bright lad from a working class family you must not be allowed to rise above your roots, but must be ruthlessly kept down. Excellence is discrimination by another name. Inequality MUST be expunged, whatever the cost.
Now you might thing this is just stupidity. As usual there are two theories of life. The cock-up theory, whereby they're not out to get you, they just get you by accident; and the conspiracy theory, whereby they really are out to get you. Normally I subscribe to the incompetence theory, but I simply cannot believe that nearly two generations of socialist politicians, over the last 40 years are all incompetent. As Sherlock was wont to say, having eliminated the impossible, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truth. There is a strand of pure evil running through these men. THEY must be the only ones to escape their background. Crosland can go to Oxford, as can Blair, but not you, boy. You stay in your place.
Unlike the Sun I have not declared my support for any party.
Red Smoke at the Sun
However, what I will do, is come out against one.
Do not, under any circumstances, vote ZNL.
Got that?
15 Minutes of Fame
Melodie Staniforth (Commonly known as Boney Maroney)
Standing at Sedgefield against a certain Tony Blair.
Last time around she stood against William Hague (remember him?), where she got 561 votes.
|
Candidate |
Party |
Votes |
Share |
Change |
|
William Hague * |
Con |
25,951 |
58.9% |
+10.1% |
|
Fay Tinnion |
Lab |
9,632 |
21.9% |
-5.9% |
|
Edward Forth |
LDem |
7,890 |
17.9% |
-0.5% |
|
Boney Maronie
Steniforth |
MRLP |
561 |
1.3% |
|
|
|
Turnout |
44,034 |
67.4% |
-6.0% |
|
|
Majority |
16,319 |
37.1% |
|