The Educational Social Experiment

The BBC reported a little while back that, according to an annual report from Ofsted, ‘the social divide in schools in England shows little sign of closing’.

You may have thought that our educational system was meant to be a place for actually educating children; instilling in them fact and intellectual rigour rather than a method of profound and radical social engineering.

Well, if you thought that modern schooling was about learning and teaching then sadly you’re mistaken. Successive British Governments have slowly shaped the educational establishment around the equality agenda and the desire to force everyone down one set path.

In real terms this has meant the gradual decline of standards over the past few decades. This has been exemplified by changes in the examination system, with exams having been purposefully made easier to such an extent that seemingly nobody can actually fail one. Furthermore, through the destruction of Grammar schools and the selective system, the brightest and best children have been thoroughly failed by being held back to further the creation of a more ‘equal’ generation of children.

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We Serve Hell And Suffer Well

It is perhaps nowhere more evident than in London the many reminders of Britain’s long and historic past.

As I walked the time-honoured streets of Whitehall, Parliament Square and the Victoria Embankment this grey morning, I was reminded by the presence of numerous solemn and silent bronze statues of celebrated Britons, that ours was once a great nation based on values of self-determination and self-governance that served us well for centuries before – and that this should not be forgotten.

Yet, arguably and very much unfortunately this is no longer the case. At today’s Steering group held Pro-Referendum Rally outside Parliament in London, I believe the most important point made by any of the assembled speakers was that the European Union did not take the supranational powers that it has slowly obtained without permission - in fact quite the opposite. Successive British governments elected by us, the people, have unfortunately and underhandedly frittered away sovereignty to a corrupt and undemocratic external body.

So, in reality, it has been a small and unrepresentative set of British people who have slowly whittled away our right to self-government. Furthermore, the great problem is that those powers of self-rule were not our Parliament’s to give away. MPs are merely custodians of our rights and constitution; powers which they must protect and return to us intact after every successive general election. Yet, for decades our MPs certainly have not been protecting these powers and without consulting us, leaving Britain at times in an utter mess, both politically and constitutionally.

This is all made more worrying by the fact that far from the initially projected half a million marchers today, attendance was rather dismal (or so I thought anyway.) My guess was that only about a thousand or so people turned out – if that. While a thousand people in itself it not too bad, you may have thought the enormity of the issue would command a higher level of participation – though admittedly the lack of support may have been more down to bad organisation and lack of publicity rather than apathy.

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A Bridge Too Far

Sadly, it was not to be. Despite a remarkable turnaround from a team that had been at an all-time low, England’s world cup dream was cruelly put to the sword at the Stade de France this evening by a triumphant South Africa.

Played with full of courage and determination throughout, England sadly lacked that certain flair to break through a solid South African defence, and were perhaps also unfortunate to have a Mark Cueto try not given.

Statistically speaking, South Africa fully deserved their ultimate victory. They scored more points and more tries than England throughout the tournament, and that difference eventually shone through tonight. However, the England team that South Africa had comprehensively defeated 36-0 only weeks earlier did not give in without an admirable fight, and I think that despite coming so close, England can leave France with heads held higher.

What was quite amazing about England’s world cup journey was the support that slowly grew behind the team as the tournament continued. England’s heroic underdog performances had a strangely uniting effect on the nation and continues to show why Rugby is a far more civilised and enjoyable sport than football. What’s more, High street retailers recorded massive increases in merchandise and replica shirt sales, while the supermarkets sold gallons of alcohol. Huge numbers of fans crossed the channel to support England at the knockout stages and especially the final, and English troops around the world in Afghanistan and Iraq gathered to urge on their men.

Despite disappointment tonight, England under Brian Ashton have really created a fantastic side to build on, and there’s always another chance on the horizon in four years time.

Now Where Have I Heard That Before?

David Cameron today announced that he was going to ‘make poverty history’ by pledging that a Conservative Government would remove three hundred thousand children from poverty through increases in the working tax credit.

Sam Coates over at ConservativeHome briefly expressed his unhappiness and disappointment that the media had chosen to cover the Ming Campbell resignation saga rather than this supposedly important Conservative announcement.

But really, does the media response surprise you all that much? Yes, the Ming story is about as interesting to many as watching paint dry – but then Cameron’s latest policy initiative isn’t exactly a box office blockbuster exhibiting outside the box thinking either.

What’s more, there was certainly a bizarre sense of déjà vu surrounding Cameron’s ‘Social Responsibility’ press conference. You can be forgiven for thinking that you’ve heard and seen something quite similar before - because quite probably you have. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown spent the past ten or so years making similar sounding claims.

It does all seem to be getting very crowded in that miniscule area some people refer to as the centre ground (in my opinion there is no such thing) – all the while as yet more and more people choose to abstain from voting.

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