tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post7752164641658593985..comments2024-01-23T16:53:02.428+00:00Comments on Mark Thompson: Maria Hutchings and state education - we should butt outMark Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00744387583593537268noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-73440124525790772012013-02-18T08:16:00.495+00:002013-02-18T08:16:00.495+00:00The state education system is a poor joke that is ...The state education system is a poor joke that is destroying kids aspirations. I was educated by the state, and it was appalling. My friends kids are educated by the state, and all I hear is stories of bulling (both by other kids, and the teachers), poor teaching, no help, insults by staff, crying kids ignored, kids trying to understand belittled and/or ignored, etc etc etc.<br /><br />This is not down to one single school, this is from ALL my friends and aquantainces, with kids in both primary and secondary education. There's no point complaining to the head or the LEA, as they have the same attitude.<br /><br />And this is not a dig at teachers. I also have friends who are qualified teachers, and love working with kids. Strangely enough, most of them are no longer teaching, having been forced out one way or another for trying to teach properly.<br /><br />The state sector is not fit for the purpose of educating the next generation, only indoctrinating them. This is fine for the firmly entrenched political class, but not for the rest of us. We need a nation of free-thinkers, able to decide for themselves, not reliant on the State to do the thinking for us, seeing as it only really serves itself.<br /><br />And we need to forget this egalitarian crap. If we were all created equal, I would be able to run as fast as Usain Bolt, and look as good as Jessica Ennis. Kids need to be properly encouraged to be the best that THEY can be, not all dragged down to the same low standard.Dieselhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07671959970337429705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-64537097374273090332013-02-17T19:01:50.575+00:002013-02-17T19:01:50.575+00:00"The principle based one is that I do not thi..."The principle based one is that I do not think the children of politicians should be used as pawns like this. She shouldn't have said what she did but making her son the focus of our campaign would be wrong."<br /><br />It's not about the child. The parent decides which school he goes to, so it's entirely about her. And whether a kid goes to a state school or has an MMR vaccine is hardly much of a personal matter.<br /><br />The question is, how much should we trust politicians to run the monopoly state education system when they won't send their own kids there?Tim Almondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13369256383976094670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-38401845325888170112013-02-16T19:05:06.613+00:002013-02-16T19:05:06.613+00:00I don't believe this is "politicising her...I don't believe this is "politicising her children". If anything, she's the one who has politicised them by saying not simply that the state sector isn't the best for them, but actually that it isn't <b>adequate</b> for them.<br /><br />That is the crux of the criticism being directed at her, as far as I can see. What the Lib Dems have done is to respond by saying "of course the local schools are good enough: look at their fantastic reports". They were evidently good enough for our candidate's children and countless others and in government the Lib Dems are making sure even if they weren't that they'll get considerably better, thanks to the pupil premium." Everything else is just quoting her verbatim.<br /><br />So it's not the "education choice" that Maria Hutchings has made that we're criticising. She's completely within her rights to send her kids where she likes, just like Nick Clegg is. But having done so, then to denigrate the state sector when the evidence points to the contrary of your criticisms, then <b>that</b> is fair comment.<br /><br />I don't believe I've seen the Lib Dem campaign stray beyond that.Graeme Cowiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02704481523638679620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-36003035878467026782013-02-16T16:59:54.922+00:002013-02-16T16:59:54.922+00:00@Anon: Isn't that just the worst kind of "...@Anon: Isn't that just the worst kind of "he said, she said" politicking though? So what if she brought them into the campaign? We shouldn't attack her using them. We don't (and shouldn't) know the full circumstances. There are plenty of other topics I'd have no problem with us going at her on.<br />Mark Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00744387583593537268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-80140146661484079572013-02-16T16:57:37.450+00:002013-02-16T16:57:37.450+00:00Maria Hutchings brought her children into the camp...Maria Hutchings brought her children into the campaign by this comment, so totally disagree with you. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com