Writings

Mary Warnock’s cost-cutting defeatism

Read Melissa’s latest post on Comment is Free, the Guardian website, about Mary Warnock’s proposals for secondary schools in an age of austerity.

4 Responses to Mary Warnock’s cost-cutting defeatism

  1. I’m tired of reading the misogynist, misinformed and generally right wing comments in the Guardian’s forum. Maybe because the paper is one of the few left that isn’t owned by that paragon of virtue Mr Murdoch, some are deliberately hijacking the forum (no surely not)?

    I think the greatest problem with education in the UK over the past 50 years I’ve been on the planet is the constant meddling and interference by governments of every political colour just as the front line (teachers) have come to terms with the last round of moving goal posts. Some of the forum posts accuse Melissa of rewriting the English language to suit her own point of view yet the terms “modernisation” and “reform” are just long winded monikers for “CUTS” used by NuLab and Tory for at least 15 years.

    Others post to say that they think segregation is a good thing. Dressed up as caring for their allegedly high achieving kids, it appears that anything is fine as long as it doesn’t impact on their little angels. OK so NuLab was Thatcher’s invention – so was “I’m alright jack pull up the ladder” that still seems to prevail – apparently amongst the Guardian’s forum contributors.

  2. I guess, Tim Hoy, that means they have a view that is different to yours. Whilst your are correct that meddling by governments of every hue, the greatest damage was done by Shirley Williams and her band of levellers, by which is meant “levelling down” not levelling up.

    And having read the CIF from beginning to end, I saw not one instance of misogyny (referring to MB as Viscount Stansgate’s daughter is fact, not misogyny). My 63 years outranks your declared 50 years, and as our we educated our children at home, your snide comment “dressed up as caring for their allegedly high achieving kids” does not apply. I am, however, concerned for the state of Britain as semi educated children enter the work force. (The Navy has stopped its apprenticeship scheme because it can no longer get the recruits of adequate intelligence)

    And the champagne socialist denigration of technical schools, and the artisans they used to produce, is beneath contempt. We have more than enough graduates with useless degrees.

  3. I guess, Tim Hoy, that means they have a view that is different to yours. Whilst your are correct that meddling by governments of every hue, the greatest damage was done by Shirley Williams and her band of levellers, by which is meant “levelling down” not levelling up.

    And having read the CIF from beginning to end, I saw not one instance of misogyny (referring to MB as Viscount Stansgate’s daughter is fact, not misogyny). My 63 years outranks your declared 50 years, and as our we educated our children at home, your snide comment “dressed up as caring for their allegedly high achieving kids” does not apply. I am, however, concerned for the state of Britain as semi educated children enter the work force. (The Navy has stopped its apprenticeship scheme because it can no longer get the recruits of adequate intelligence)

    And the champagne socialist denigration of technical schools, and the artisans they used to produce, is beneath contempt. We have more than enough graduates with useless degrees.

    • Sorry I only just picked up on this response to my post. Thanks for your comments, some of which I agree with entirely. I didn’t mean to start a competition on how old we could be though. I’m sure someone else might chip in that they are 80 – so there. My point about misogyny appears to have landed on your chin me lovely (sorry not sure of your gender but me lovely is a term I use for everyone anyway). I have read a number of Guardian and other threads – some as stated referring to Melissa that are indeed sexist to the extreme (unless you think that the use of the word C##t is acceptable for describing another member of the human race) I’m sure that’s NOT what you taught your children to say when you were teaching them at home, but again, it wasn’t actually all about you my love. Sorry again for my delay. I hope the font size and colour gets sorted soon. These alternate posts are difficult to see.

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