Cameron's secret weapon is amiability

Swiss Bob

He was a plant as shown by his unwillingness to understand plain English, that or he was just being thick.

JP

Ca va! D'accord, Fraser.

Paddy

I hope this is shown on the BBC.

We need more of Cameron being himself on the Leaders' debate.

alexsandr

Hmmm

This is either Cameron being genuinely sympathetic, or a cynical 'baby kissing' moment.
He needs to take care to be sincere.

On the subject of disabled kids in mainstream schools, care needed there too. Kids can be very cruel, so should we put vulnerable kids in that environment? Not a simple decision, I feel. I am torn both ways on this one.

A Porter

Why do wish him well? Do you not see that one of the reasons why journalism in this country enjoys today the reputation it does is precisely because men like you wish a party well? I'm that little bit older than you, and trust me when I say, it wasn't just because Ted Heath led the Tory Party that George Gale would sooner have died of shame than write, during a general election campaign, what you just have. Serve your readers, or serve a Party: don't kid yourself that you can do both.

stephen

Well done Dave!

Would Brown have been able to kneel and then get up again unaided? Sorry that's a bit bitchy but he looks terible and anyway no one does bitchy quite like Lord Mandy see Sky today Ha Ha!

Willie de Peepul

Heavens above, Fraser!

Anyone would think you are a Conservative supporter!!!

AngloWelshDragon

I will be interested to hear more about this. It sounds like Cam handled it really well but why was the dad giving him a "kicking" anyway? If he has cause to be angry surely it must be with Labour as his child's entire life has been lived under a Labour government?

Sarah Phillips

For those who did not see it (apologies for the length of the link)

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/David-Cameron-Is-Confronted-By-A-Parent-Who-Struggled-To-Get-Child-Into-Mainstream-School/Article/201004415620837?lpos=Politics_Carousel_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15620837_David_Cameron_Is_Confronted_By_A_Parent_Who_Struggled_To_Get_Child_Into_Mainstream_School

If anything the parent came across really badly. Here is Cameron trying to be honest and open and state his policy on the subject and all the parent can do is make a fool out of himself.
If you are going to raise a point at least come across as a human being and listen. If you want to rabbit on and on and not let someone explain then dont bother.

Why not have a go at labor who failed your son not cameron who in all certainty has also been failed by them in the care for Ivan.

Dear me.

Addenough

You are 100% right Mr Nelson, and right to emphasise the point. This ability to mix and to maintain a sunny disposition when challenged has impressed me throughout the campaign. In fact it has convinced me to support him despite reservations. Cameron is an infinitely nicer human being than the truly dreadful Brown and this quality will make a significant difference in government.

Laura McEvoy

The demise of special schools is nothing short of a national tragedy. More should be made of this if the Conservatives plan to restore special schools as part of their 'free schools' plan. It should have NOTHING to do with the government whether a disabled child is educated in a mainstream school or a special school, it should be only the parents' choice, as only they know what is best for their child. The government's role should be limited to enabling the choice, not to dictate from on high how disabled children should be educated according to their political agenda.

g bovill

As a father of a profoundly disabled child I fully understand the anger that is out there with regard the treatment of disabled children within the educational system.
The policy of one size fits all disabilities is wrong, disabilities vary and some can be catered for within the main stream education system others cannot. The voucher system will give some parents a choice. But to those of with a severely or profoundly disabled child the question is how they are handled within the education system as their needs are not best served by a policy of inclusion.

Jorge Publivic

The name of the man is Jonathan Bartley and until a few seeconds ago you could find an article he wrote on his website, Ekklesia.

He is a Lib Dem member and has been campaigning for them for quite a while.

So, yes, he was planted and once again the Orange coalition is trying to make Cameron's virtue of accessibility and openness aopear to be a vice.

Bartley has conceded, ambiguously, that the Lib Dem party asked him to appear, i.e. ambush Cameron.

Victor Southern

Mystifying why the father should seek to blame the Conservatives who have been in power for 13 years.

I have heard both sides of the argument for and against special needs schools but I have not been affected by it personally. They used to be regarded as schools where disabled children would not be bullied and could enjoy life. I worry about children with special needs being bullied in "normal" schools. Just recently we had a girl terribly bullied because she had red hair and an elderly man terrorised into a heart attack by feral youths of school age.

Liono

The father is Jonathan Bartley of the think tank Ekklesia - not sympathetic tot he Tories. Looks like this wasn't a random passer-by - he was on a mission to confront Cameron and Cameron dealt with it well. Good job DC.

Billericay Dave

This farther is a little more than just a normal dad "Jonathan Bartley" google the name and see what comes up !!!

Holly ......

I think Cameron handled this amazingly.why?
Simple,he is of the respectful class,putting
himself on the level with the person in the wheelchair,he was most uncomfortable about the 'heated'discussion in front of a child
...something today's parents are lacking,
notice how DC lowers his tone to almost a whisper when replying,when the father,quite
understandably angry,challenges DC's answers
I think this is a misunderstanding on the fathers side,who is determined to protect his wishes for his son.
I have just read the manifesto and from what I get from it is,at the moment Labour are closing special needs schools and putting special needs children into mainstream schools.
This will be stopped,so for the parent who believe a special needs school can have that choice.
For the parents who believe main stream school is better for their child this will still be the case as the money will follow the child.
What if the system in certain areas do not oblige? That most likely would be for opposition councils to answer to.LOTS of negative publicity,backed by DC and the party should nip that little tactic nicely in the bud.
Will council have as much say under a Conservative government???
Doubt it very much,they would be voted out by the locals,or they would have the new ability to set up a petition to sack the local MP...
From what I have seen from DC this morning has been a hell of a lot more honest,
inspiring and positive than anything Labour have shown.
Brown would never have gone one to one with an angry voter.
David Cameron knocks the spots off the other bogus,scheming,self serving parties.

Tim Carpenter LPUK

Is is not just the parent's choice, but the school's, too, and the voucher funding would resolve that on most cases.

It is not perfect, but certainly less perfect that the Soviet system is now.

g bovill

if Jonathan Bartley was using his severely disabled child as a political prop for the liberals what does it tell you about him and his party?
Shame on him, he should know better but then again...

Jorge Publivic

The link column of the father, Jonathan Bartley, is pasted below.

It speaks for itself. He's no political virgin and his lack of scruples in using his son's disability in the service of Lib-Dem/ Lab speaks volumes agaisnt hi.

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/11885

Hugo

Iain Martin agrees with this analysis.

He highlights another example...

http://blogs.wsj.com/iainmartin/2010/04/26/cameron-at-his-most-effective/

Irene

Jonathan Bartley of Ekklesia writes very very favourably about the LibDems it seems.
Sounds like he didn't read the manifesto properly, or misunderstood it or was making mischief!

gbovill

bartley says on his website Ekklesia that 'Either we are for inclusion or we aren’t.'
Well, there you have it - an example of someone who professes to know what is best for every disabled child whatever their needs and circumstances - perhaps he would be at home in the former Soviet Union.
If only diability and the handling of a child's education was as black or white as Batley makes out - perhaps his liberal orange tinted specs are confusing him. Inclusion doesnt suit all disabled children fact.

Peter Ould

Fraser,

Jonathan Bartley is one of the Directors of Ekklesia (http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/home) and has an anti-Tory axe to grind.

Paul B

So the Lib Dems are quite prepared to play emotional blackmail and use a disabled child to beat DC with. So much for cleaning up politics.

Lizzy

He (the parent) was obviously a plant as some posters have already identified. Otherwise he would have been looking for the Labour member who had represented him for 13 years. Labour is always doing this stuff although I think the Lib Dems are no slouches at it too.

Chris

If this is true re a Lib Dem plant, please make your views known to the Lib Dems (and about the fake policeman and nurse)on 0207 222 7999

Don

The "angry" parent.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/richardpreston/100036649/doh-no-wonder-camerons-heckler-wouldnt-let-go-hes-been-on-the-moral-maze/

Not quiet the innocent you would believe from the coverage so far.

AngloWelshDragon

What a pathetic stunt and how shameful of the father to exploit his child like this for his own seedy LimpDem ends.

Tiberius

Unfortunately the father, rather like the student who Cameron spoke to earlier in the week, didn't actually want to give Cameron the chance to answer.

Cameron talks about values rather than in tractor production stats. A scene like that gives you an idea of what those values are and therefore why he would be, amongst all the policy reasons, a worthy PM.

John Lea

I thought I recognised him! He's a regular panellist on that Nicky Campbell Sunday morning faith programme (The Big Questions), and what an annoying little leftie he is, too! Cameron handled it well, though, and I believed him when he said he felt passionately about the subject.

Greenslime

What, no Prick of Yerk telling us that Bartley is being smeared by the dastardly right wing press. Hopefully, he has suffered terminal damage to his internet connection or perhaps Mandy has been lying in a dark room trying to get over the abortion of a press conference he chaired this morning, and therefore indisposed to brief Dick of Dork on what to respond. Never mind Morbidly Obese Waddling should be along soon.

Jorge Publivic

Kay Burley has given an immense amount of time, both to the 'incident' and to a gentle interview with Bartley afterwards.

Although, the Conservative reply was printed at the conclusion of the piece the highly slanted report was designed to show the Conservatives as being 'nasty' to disable children.

As a matter of fact the Conservative position is quite correct not all disabled children benefit from inclusion in the mainstream, especially at secondary level.

Many, incontinent kids for example, cannot cope. Cameron's position of allowing choice is sensible and humane allowing parents to judge for themselves whether their child can in an environment which caannot cater to all needs .

Full marks for DC minus ten for Bartley.

Nicholas Hallam

For the first time I really want Cameron to win.

Paul L

Just watched his interview on the BBC where he was twice asked to explain why he was in the same street at the same time as Cameron.

Double Gloucester

This is what I don't understand about all the Clegg mania. David Cameron comes across to me as a genuinely nice man whilst Clegg seems tetchy and arrogant.

Verity

Jorge Publivic says: Many, incontinent kids for example, cannot cope. Cameron's position of allowing choice is sensible and humane allowing parents to judge for themselves whether their child can in an environment which caannot cater to all needs...

Why should the parents of a disabled child be privileged to decide for a whole class of children without disbilities what should be visited on them?

Children with disabilities will inevitably hold up the class, and children obtaining their foundations of the education that will serve them for a lifetime should not be held back or have their learning interrupted by less abled children.

Sorry, but this levelling down to the weakest is not a good idea.

Woody

Just switched on the TV and seen this 'incident'. My first thought was it was a set up despite the special needs child being there.
If this man is a Lib Dem activist, then how absolutely appallying that he used his child for this. This should lose them a lot of votes but then as far as the MSM is concerned there is one rule for the conservatives and one for everyone else.

Snowman

Whether the guy was a plant or not matters little in the broad scheme of things.

The role of the government isn’t to look after the specific needs of each and every individual, it is to create an environment that best suits all of us. A government that tries to enact policies matching the individual needs of any one of us is bound to cause resentment, and in the end cannot but fail.

Kennybhoy

David Cameron was magnificent. A credit to himself and to the memory of his own wee lad, God keep him.

Marcher Baron

I used to teach special needs children in the mainstream. It was not in the best interests of some of them. One size does not fit all.

Fergus Pickering

If Bartley thinks all disabled children should be incuded at a normal school then he is a fool. My daughter looked after a disabled boy who couldn't speak. There were a lot of other things Ryan could not do. At a 'normal' school'? Don't be bloody silly. And never mind profoundly disabled children like Ryan. What about deaf children? Think for a minute, Mr Bartley - if thinking is something you do. How can deaf children be taught with hearing children?

Jorge Publivic

Verity,

You make a valid point and your view is one that many people share but the issue at the moment is about Mr Bartley's attempt to make a false representation of Cameron's position, which is that is that while being in favour inclusion, as far as is possible, special schools still need to exist.

Bartley and Balls are exclusively committed to the compulsory application of inclusion and I think this is wrong though the inclusion of special needs pupils in mainstream schools may be desirable, if possible.

On the whole I've got strong reservations about the question and there is no doubt it involves heavy demands for pupils and teachers but the issue is not best addressed on the streets during hustings, especially in a basic misrepresentation of the issue.

I think we need flexibility but I don't know whether or not we can afford flexibility. We certainly need to show humanity, as Cameron did today, and be prepared to discuss the issue in a non-partisan.

Cameron told Bartley that this is not a political issue and he was right. Bartley attempted to make it a political issue and he was wrong.

Fergus Pickering

Don't be silly, A Porter. Are you really saying that journalists back in the fifties had no party allegiance? Bill Deedes was in Macmillan's cabinet. Anthony Howard - still with us - has always been a Labour man. Of course the Editor of the Spectator is a Tory. And the Editor of the New Statesman is a Labour man. And, do you know what, the Editor of The Tablet is a Catholic.

Joanne Morley

A comment from the Ekklesia Facebook page:

'I've looked at the speech in July last year when Cameron said that parents should have choice between mainstream and special schools so that their child can live a life that is fully enjoyed. At no point did he say that he wanted to stop the choice, only that he wanted to stop the closing of special schools so that parents had the choice. I'm disgusted that Jonathan Bartley today twisted what he said to suit his own political views and used the Ekklesia site to explain his behavior. Ekklesia fans should be ashamed of such a cheap trick by one of their founders to gain TV publicity.'

Hysteria

But Verity - isn't the point here that they are trying to remove the socialist "we know best" approach we have suffered for far too long (under both colours of government)

You are right that there are some challenges and issues to be worked through - but surely you can agree the basic premise that parents are best placed to choose what is right for the child, and not have to abide with a Whitehall/Townhall instruction?

mjt

Setting aside the complicity of the Lib Dem's in using a disabled child to try and score political points it raised a point worth debating.

Hopefully, parents of disabled children across the UK will be clear that if they choose to vote for a Conservative government then they will have a choice of their child gaining an education in a mainstream school or a specialist school.

The choice will be theirs.

Verity

Sorry, Hysteria - I don't think that "one size fits all" is necessarily a socialist idea. It is an idea of governance. The same laws and rules and standards for everyone.

Snowman put it very well, above.

You refer to "the basic premise that parents are best placed to choose". Certainly, but which parents? The parents of a very slow child may feel that their child would benefit from being in a class with quicker thinking children with more retentive memories. But the parents of those quick-thinking children with retentive memories may feel that their children would be put at a disadvantage having to travel at the speed of the slowest.

This is a typically destructive, levelling down socialist idea, and it doesn't surprise me that it originated with David Cameron.

jane S

Under section 316 of the Education Act 1996 as amended all parents are entitled to have their children educated in a mainstream school unless incompatible with efficent education of other children which is a very high hurdle for any Local Authority to surmount . It would seem that the complaint was about lack of choice and demand for good maintained schools exceeding supply.This a concern for all parents and will only be addressed when all schools are taken out of the hands of politicians .Bring on the big society.

stephen

Sky just gave Bartley a lot of airtime at 7pm. I wonder if they read Coffee House and if so if they feel their interview with Bartley was balanced? If they don't read coffee house they should!

Jorge Publivic

Verity,

(sigh) Provision for the disabled, so-called, and for other special needs (a meaningless euphemistic category for a massive and very diverse array of people with many diferent problems is not a 'socialist levelling down' and it did not originate with David Cameron.

The attempt to trap Cameron failed but you don't seem happy about this and I wonder why.

Pramston

Twice Cameron has been 'ambushed' by angry voters and once had an egg thrown at him. Neither of the other two have.......strange that huh? Who's pulling the strings here?

David Ossitt

This was a Liberal Party sting, Google the father, then Google all of the links, for him to use his child in this way was despicable.

When you view the video again with the knowledge of who the father is, one can see that his agenda was to do down Cameron, he was not wanting answers.

Kennybhoy

Verity wrote:

“...class of children without disbilities what should be visited on them?”

Interesting, nay revealing, choice of words there Verity. Is that how you see disabled children-as a visitation?

Verity wrote at 18:36:

“I don't think that "one size fits all" is necessarily a socialist idea..”

Really? You do not believe that universal comprehensive eduction is a “socialist idea” then?

“This is a typically destructive, levelling down socialist idea, and it doesn't surprise me that it originated with David Cameron.”

You just can’t help yourself can you? Is there ANYthing that is not grist to the mill of your obsessive dislike of David Cameron?

John Richardson

"...parents are better placed to choose what is right for a child.."

No.

This is totally wrong, morally and intellectually.
One reason amongst so many; money.

Who pays for what those parents thinks they deserve ?
Who decides a School's financial priorities ?
The above form of thinking makes every parent beg & demand from The State whatever they imagine is available.
Thus, they outbid other parents in the name of 'need'.
With predictable and ugly consequences that I have seen for myself, again and again.

In short, the State creates a war of All Against All, under the guise of 'equality' or 'inclusion' or 'accessibility' or whatever is floating in the water tank this month.....

That's it.

Sorry to be didactic but I have worked with the consequences of this warped anti-logic for years.

Pongo

Verity I don't think you or Snowman get it, Mr Cameron is not saying all abilities should be in the same class. He is trying to reverse that policy. Anyway where would you draw the line, who is good enough to be in your class and who sits outside with the dunces hat on? There are plenty of non-disabled children who are disruptive to the class and plenty of disabled children who make no fuss at all but may need some extra help from a classroom assistant. Disability is a fact of life, if children learn to accept it at an early age it will help them to help others later in life.
I think that Dave has the right approach in giving people the choice and not dictating what type of school is best for their children. As for “levelling down” I am sure he is not advocating putting someone in with the brightest children, just because they are disabled but rather on merit.

Kennybhoy

Pongo,

The whole point of Verity's post was the

"and it doesn't surprise me that it originated with David Cameron"

punchline!

TrevorsDen

Dear Verity and her fellow travellers.

It is a parents responsibility to choose. They can be advised but it is their choice and they should have opportunities to choose betweeen. Thats not put in a state straightjacket.

but the real story is the cheap and nasty LD stunt. The obnoxious guy was not interested in engaging he was only interested in misleading - for a partisan purpose. Whose idea? And this on top of Labours latest nasty PPB.

This still leaves us sadly with a disabled boy who equally sadly has a dork of a father.

Its fortunate we also have Mr Cameron.

Verity

Pongo - I'm not interested in special pleaders who feel that their cause is completely different and somehow holy.

If we're still talking about disabled children, and you were curiously unspecific in your post, my position is, any individuals whose habits or ability might militate against learning normally (yes, I hear you, special pleaders: "What is 'normal'?") should be sequestered during the formal learning process from children who are going to grow up to be revenue creating adults.

Verity

kennybhoy or however you spell your name - perhaps you're dyslexic? - You clearly feel rather forensic trying to pick my post apart, but you cannot.

I carefully put it clearly: children with disabilities should not be holding back classes of normally-abled children. Is this clear enough? Don't "cleverly" demand that I define "normally-abled" because we all know what this means. I'm sick of people like you poncing around the education system and weakening it.

Boo, bloody hoo.

Verity

Trevor's Den - you write: "Dear Verity and her fellow travellers."

Perhaps you're a slow learner - and good luck to you! You are a very valuable member of the human race in all its diversity! - but "fellow traveller" in common parlance over the last 70 years or so has meant "communist".

You've got the wrong gal, pal.

Victor Southern

Verity - you exhibit here not only an obsessive hatred of David Cameron but also a meanness and cruelty of thought otherwise.

I find it impossible to believe that you could even claim 1% of the direct experience with disabled children that Cameron has.

The issue is clear - should parents have choice? The alternative seems to be state prescription for their children. These parents are not left to puzzle things out by themselves. There are good and trained professionals who are able to give them objective guidance and information.

I see that you despise dyslexic children and people as well. I deduce that you count these as educationally disabled and likely to hold back "brighter" children. You are a bigoted ignoramus.

Jorge Publovic

Rivety,

The term 'fellow traveller' has been most commonly to Communist Party sympathizers who are not card-carrying members but it can also be applied to unofficial supporters of other parties and causes.

George

If I was David Cameron I would have been furious - that offer to come and meet with parents of disabled children implied that he didn't understand the problem. David Cameron was the parent of a disable child until he tragically died. I'm sure he knows plenty of other families with disabled children. Of all people he really does not need someone preaching to him in such a sanctimonious fashion. It's the first time I've felt sorry for a politician for a while