Balls's independent thinking

hogarth zombie

Didn't J Major once say it was like going for a swim and discovering the other chap had stolen your clothes when you got back? Look what happened to him.

jimmy

Good for the country if (a) it is genuinely independent (un)like the bank of england, and (b) it takes an early political hit by dramatically lowering the percentages getting an A. One brave but necessary step is to remove the A* grade from GCSE, which has forever been the most transparent indicator of devaluation of that exam. I wonder how brave they will *actually* be... (By the way Matthew, may I humbly suggest giving a URL reference to news stories if they are in the public domain?).

Perry

There is something deeply unsettling in this analysis. Can’t put my finger on it, - but it is something to do with the fact that the even IF the Tories had a good idea, - who knows about it? – or cares? - outside of a select, perhaps informed, circle? As I understand it, The Great Man took care at every turn to promote his views and analysis about events and the direction in which they were headed. Deeply unpopular, he persisted, but his voice WAS heard. I wonder what he would make of the oh-so-timid and shamefully PC opposition? Oh well, - never will know, - but I conjecture. [Afterthought : of course one could argue that times are different, - that there is no threat to this land, - either militarily or culturally, or socially. But would that be a helpful or accurate assessment?]

Perry

[Further consideration] Perhaps it is the Lone Voice that attracts and holds attention. One is mindful of voices through the years that talked about, and held, a position. One is mindful of a sometimes dissonant London Mayoral candidate whose name invariably draws attention (and who I am bound to support – yea, even more so were he were candidate for PM). This dissonance is, to me at least, attractive (and I may say to many other thinking people). It separates such people from the sheep-like flock of people-who-graze, - even though the barn is on fire. Perhaps parties really are for the lumpen masses : individuals get things done. Let us – or me - look forward to hearing people who speak clearly and well about Issues That Matter – namely, things concerning our land, people, and culture.

Perry

[Yet further consideration] Oh, - and in regards to the comment by Major, J. : one suspects that (a) The Great Man would not have shrunk from going to and fro naked (b) no-one would have doubted whose clothes had been stolen – and their nature.

Cogito Ergosum

The problem was not that the QCA controlled both the teaching and the exams, but that the government controlled the QCA. Detaching the exams from the QCA will solve nothing if the exams are still controlled by government, and will just generate more bureaucracy.

judith

So, two useless quangos in place of one. Great. And how well did Brown's invention of 3 controls over banking do when the sh+t hit the fan? Think Northern Rock'n'roll'nfallover.