Now for the real examination

If William Beveridge were commissioned to write another report into Britain’s social ills, he would find that two of his ‘giant evils’ — ignorance and idleness — still stalk and shame Britain.

If William Beveridge were commissioned to write another report into Britain’s social ills, he would find that two of his ‘giant evils’ — ignorance and idleness — still stalk and shame Britain. At the time, one might have argued that this was because schools lacked enough money or because the economy was a ruin. But today, when schools enjoy record funding and immigrants occupy one in seven jobs, only one conclusion can be drawn: that the welfare state has been incubating the very evils it was designed to eradicate. It betrays our country’s most vulnerable people. David Cameron has committed himself to reversing this.

His social agenda — led by Michael Gove in education and Iain Duncan Smith in welfare — is as bold as any we have seen since the creation of the welfare state. But there are disconcerting signs about the pace of reform. In welfare, a ten-year plan has been announced: a disconcertingly leisurely timetable for a government that can by no means count on lasting the full decade. And in education, the battle is fierce — and the government undermanned. There are signs of reforms being watered down, and a slower pace of change adopted.

This week, Gove released a White Paper on education full of laudable ideas: the importance of teacher training, emphasis on discipline and a less proscriptive curriculum. But what makes him think the system will do as he says? The great secret is that the Education Secretary does not control education: power lies in the hands of local authorities and the unions.