The Guardian (Free subscription) | 1 hour ago
• Aim would be to restore trust after expenses row • Emergency budget as soon as June if Cameron wins A new Conservative government may keep parliament sitting through next August in an attempt to show its determination to implement its manifesto commitments, a source has disclosed. The move would send a message of a symbolic break with the current parliament's self-serving practices, the...
Labourlist (Free subscription) | 4 hours ago
By James Valentine Yet again education is a political battleground and it’s worth examining the Tory thinking about schools. They see little future for conventional state schools, which are “bureaucratic”. Head teachers are seen as battling against the forces of the State. Once they are set free then, hey presto, wonderful schools will arise. Basically, that’s it. The argument...
Peter Stothard (Free subscription) | yesterday
'Civis Romanus sum' was the proudest boast any citizen of the ancient world could make, writes my old ' friend Michael Gove in The Times this morning. It was a declaration of allegiance that entitled the individual to the full...
Shuggy's Blog (Free subscription) | 21/11/2009
This is deep music nostalgia - positively subterranean. I'd completely forgotten about this band until I heard them on the radio recently. They're a hard rock outfit called UFO. In retrospect it's an unfortunate name for them because today on Google and YouTube rankings they have to compete with people looking for shit about alien autopsies. Quite a few bloggers who are around the same age as me talk...
Liberal Democrat Voice (Free subscription) | 21/11/2009
Welcome to the latest LDVideo instalment, featuring three of the most memorable video clips doing the rounds on the blogosphere. First up is Ed Balls – the guy might have a debating style reminiscent of a school bully demanding tuck money, but here he completely out-smarts tongue-tied Tory education spokesman Michael Gove: (Hat-tip: Sam Coates). The second [...]
Political Scrapbook (Free subscription) | 20/11/2009
It seems today is the unofficial “let’s all laugh at Michael Gove day” in lefty blogosphere land. Thanks to an anonymous contributor for this Eye-esque comparison of the shadow schools secretary and a beloved 1980s children’s TV character, although in fairness to Pob* he probably has a more defined chin. *”Pob who?” Those younger than mid-20s (or in [...]
Dizzy Thinks (Free subscription) | 20/11/2009
Ed Balls MP, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, is a man very proud of children's achievements in schools. He also, as the man who would be Chancellor likes to think of himself as a bit of an economics/maths whizz kid. This makes the following from Parliament from Balls quite funny, because, whilst discussing GCSE questions he said the following, The third question comes from...
Political Scrapbook (Free subscription) | 20/11/2009
The schools secretary embarrasses his opposite number in the clip below by turning Michael Gove’s trick of reading out GCSE exam questions in parliament – “these questions are sooo easy! standards have slipped! it’s a disgrace!” – on its head. Do you know how a fluoride atom changes into a fluoride ion? Neither did Michael Gove. 0/3 – see me after class. Hat-tip:...
Conor's Commentary (Free subscription) | 20/11/2009
Until yesterday, Ed Balls had commendably resisted attempts by the teaching unions to scrap accountability, by refusing to abolish testing and league tables. Yesterday, he announced pefectly reasonably that teacher assessment results would be published in league tables alongside test scores. What was unreasonable was his suggestion that Key Stage 2 tests could go, in a shameful attempt to curry favour...
UK Against Fluoridation (Free subscription) | 20/11/2009
GCSE quiz backfires on Balls as he makes 'schoolboy error' trying to outwit Tory shadow By Laura Clark Last updated at 8:37 AM on 20th November 2009 It was Ed Balls' attempt at revenge for a series of attacks on exam standards. In the Commons yesterday, the Children's Secretary tried to fox his Tory shadow with GCSE science and maths questions. But Mr Balls may be regretting not doing more homework...
The Guardian (Free subscription) | 20/11/2009
A handful of Labour MPs turned up on the day after the Queen's speech. And most of them could scarcely be bothered to stand up and ask a question. Nobody believes in this thing. It's not worth the parchment it's written on. David Heath, for the Lib Dems, called it an abracadabra Queen's speech. "Shazam! The deficit halved at a stroke. Shazam! Poverty abolished around the world. This is fantasy...
Educating Outside the Box (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009
I could torture myself and you by going through this piece of authoritarian drivel but 1) I don’t think it will make it into law and 2) if it does they can just FUCK OFF because I won’t be co-operating. OK, now we’ve got that clear I’ll go back to laughing at Michael Gove’s jokes at [...]
Dare to Know (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009
...on Graham Stuart's Twitter (HT: Jemmo): "I have confirmed with Michael Gove that the Conservatives will oppose compulsory registration of home educated children in the Bill." but we should remain cautious as we have heard that from the DCSF that, for some reason which remains unclear, they think there will be no prelegislative scrutiny of the relevant sections. There certainly wasn't...
The Bleeding Heart Show (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009
Normally a debate between Michael Gove & Ed Balls would find me rooting for them both to lose, but I must admit that there’s something delcious about this moment. (via John B) Elsewhere: Cory Doctorow reckons the govt’s draconian idea of ‘cracking down’ on filesharing could spell the end of the internet in Britain. Ghastly stuff. Sigrid Rausing [...]
Musings from Medway (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009
Michael Gove didn't pass this one...
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