Choice Mr. Cameron, Choice

"My education zealots are ready" says Mr. Cameron, reported in an article published by the print edition of the Telegraph today, although for some reason the on-line version of this article is slight different in wording. It seems that DC, like Gordon Brown, still sees a role for central government in the process of education.

Making the point that parents who can afford it resort to paying for their children's education in order to provide them with a better school, David Cameron says it is "crazy that we should have to pay lots of money for private schools. We all pay our taxes. You should have really good state schools available for all.". But surely it is up to parents to choose which school they send their children to. Remember the word choice, Mr. Cameron?

Likewise another idea of centralist control to which the Conservatives appear wedded is that they have already backed the use of "fair banding" whereby all applicants sit a test and equal numbers of poor, average and bright pupils get in.

It should surely be up to central government to provide funds for education and then for the local community - and by local community I mean the area covered by each local authority - to decide what type of school they, the community, want. That is choice, Mr. Cameron, choice which would also fulfill your stated aim to bring power down to the lowest level.

To be fair there are one or two good ideas in this policy, but while the Conservatives remain in the 'centralist government' mindset, in considering a change of government and the provision of true democracy, the electorate is faced with what is just an other example of 'rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic'.