In which Polly Toynbee Gets Some Gumption, Too Late
Blair’s middle-class mania is madness on every count
This explosive and elemental issue goes to the heart of class, inequality and what the Tories call “social engineering”. Secondary schools cannot compensate for the damage done in one of Europe’s most unequal societies: by the age of five children’s destinies are all but set by social class or parental ambition. Schools are only remedial. Real change will come only if society grows more equal in wealth, status, esteem and reward. It is a chicken-and-egg dilemma: if society has no resect for and expectations of a great slab of its underpaid workforce, how can it expect the disrespected to have aspirations for their children? Against the odds, many do. But why are the odds still stacked against so many doing essential jobs? This inequality Blair never speaks of.
Dear Polly : Blair has to push this through. The GATT agreement obliges the UK to turn our democratically accountable public services, including education, into a marketplace with no oversight, just ‘commercial confidentiality’ and so-called ‘choice’.
We are to be passive consumers to be marketed to, rather than democratic participants in our children’s futures. Schools are apparently just another commodity like shoes ; if you’re well-off you can shop at Jimmy Choo, if not it’s George at Asda for you.
This isn’t actually about education, or our children’s personal development, or societal coherence. It’s about letting business run schools to produce the skills they want. We’ll be training a generation of cubicle jockeys and Walmart associates – but hey, if that what the market wants, that’s what it gets. UK plc agreed, there’s no going back now.
The Tories would do the same, the Lib Dems are falling apart, the progressive left, which could have made a difference if it had built on the antiwar movement rather than allowing a small group to coalesce around Galloway, is denatured by Big Brother – so it’s up to the few remaining principled members of Labour, and journalists, to stand up.
But what am I talking about? IT”S TOO BLOODY LATE. The GATT agreement is signed, done and dusted, thank you Mr. Tony Blair. The unions warned Labour ad infinitum what this would lead to, a corporate state with the only state function remaining that of authoritarian enforcement of social control.
Now here it is.
We’ve sold off our children’s futures, our education , defence, health and all of our institutions (see Qinetiq et al) are to be controlled by… who? It’s anyone’s guess.
Certainly not us, the voters.
