God knows (if you’ll forgive the expression) what goes on in Michael Gove’s head. In politics, quotas are rarely a good idea at the best of times, but his removal of the 20% cap on teacher recruitment on grounds of religion has got to be a terrible idea, even for him. In short, he is saying that… Continue reading Faith schools: a bad idea just got worse
Month: February 2011
Labour must speak not only for organised labour
As predictable headlines follow Ed Miliband committing to speak at the TUC rally on March 26th, it’s useful to take a more detached look at how the relationships between Party, movement and workplace demographics interact. Let’s not be daft – no-one sensible is saying that Labour is “in the pocket of the unions”; however, it is not a particularly wild claim that… Continue reading Labour must speak not only for organised labour
So, the alternative to Cameron’s vision: we’re offering what, exactly?
David Cameron has many failings, but he is patently not a racist. There may just remain a few old Powellites in his party rank and file but largely, whether we like it or not, accusations of latent racism no longer dog the Tories. And it may just be, paradoxically, Cameron’s Saturday speech was more of… Continue reading So, the alternative to Cameron’s vision: we’re offering what, exactly?
Labour in Helmand: Operation Overreach?
Things like this make me wrestle with myself. My instinct as an activist is to be supportive and I feel like we all need cheering on. But I also need to understand why this trip was a good idea. I felt uncomfortable watching the footage of Labour’s Afghanistan trip and I have this uneasy feeling… Continue reading Labour in Helmand: Operation Overreach?