Ah, Dennis Skinner! I’m ‘lucky’ enough to live in his constituency. Currently seems to spend most of his parliamentary time lobbying for tax money to prop-up the last three deep pits in the country. None of them are in his constituency; make of that what you will.
Meanwhile, on the odd occasion I’ve needed his services, my concerns weren’t worthy of parliamentary representation. On the last occasion (at the end of the last Parliament) we asked him to present a petition from Bolsover constituents against the proposed changes to home eduction. He wouldn’t do it (so I can confidently say Mr Skinner is against freedom in education). Luckily for us, it was presented to the Commons by the tory MP for the Derbyshire Dales, who kindly offered to do it in lieu of Mr Skinner, as he was presenting a similar petition from his own constituents. Representative democracy, anyone?
The Bolsover seat appears to be a ‘dead man’s shoes’ situation, as Mr Skinner seems to be determined to hang on to the bitter end. Still time for the grim reaper to pay a visit before May!
Yes Mr Skinner may be a “character” – but he has turned his corner of Derbyshire from about 90% Labour to about 50% Labour, he is a dreadful Member of Parliament, with a large negative personal vote. People who would vote for a dog with red rosette on, hesitate to vote for Mr Skinner.
Yes, it kind of satisfying to look at the stats and watch his majority slowly evaporate over the last 15-20 years. However its not evaporating fast enough, and he will undoubtedly be back again in May – unless all the disenfranchised Labour voters come out for UKIP (but I won’t hold my breath).
Not current, but going back to about 2008. Then education secretary, Ed Balls, got his buddy Graham Badman to produce a report on the current state of home education. The ‘Review into Elective Home Education’, or Badman report, was a nasty, spiteful, cherry picked piece of rubbish. It willfully ignored all positive indicators and reasons for home ed, and ignored academic studies showing benefits of home ed. It concentrated on playing up emotional scare stories. It was peppered with Badmans unfounded beliefs and opinions (most unburdened by any evidence – indeed he willfully ignored evidence that refuted many of his ‘beliefs’. My children are autonomously educated, so I KNOW it works. Badman dismissed it in one sentence in the report as ‘unlikely to be effective’ if I recall correctly.)
Badmans recommendations for regulation were tagged onto the ‘Children’s, Schools and Families’ Bill. They would have required a compulsory central register of home educators, and would have required families to be monitored, and reapply to the register annually. If registration was refused, the child MUST attend school. It amounted to licensing and the imposition of a curriculum by the back door (as they would have to set ‘standards’ by which they could monitor). It essentially overturned the distinct sense of the current law in which the parent is responsible for education, and may chose how to discharge that responsibility.
Home educators came out in force, I’m glad to say. The protest can boast the largest number of petitions presented simultaneously in parliament on a single issue. About 80 MPs stood and presented at once (Mr Skinner decided he couldn’t be bothered!). The hubbub ensured the bill was held up in the Lords (thanks to Lord Lucas among others), and Ed Balls couldn’t get it through before the end of Parliament in 2010. The Tories stipulated they would let the bill through the wash-up IF the home ed aspects were dropped, and Ed Balls . So, by the skin of our teeth, we avoided that.
I am sure Ed Balls has this one chalked up for revenge. I had a year of campaigning where I saw into the darkness of his twisted soul. We hurt him. I’ve no doubt that it will all be back on the table again if Labour win in May, with extra bells and whistles for our trouble. I hate the Tories, but at least I know they will leave me alone on this matter, and that’s something I suppose. For whatever reason, Ed Balls and his ilk fear and loath us, and will try to destroy us again. Don’t let your guard down for a moment!
Ah, the footage of the 120 petitions being presented in the Commons is on youtube!
The principle of “doing what they tell you cos they got voted in” has to go.
Yes –they have lots of costumed thugs. But the more they try to micro-manage tiny aspects of life the less they can claim “justification” for handing out heavy punishment for minor defiance. The supermarkets could easily tell them to fuck off over bags and Tobacco companies likewise over plain packaging.
Here is a piece on democracy. It is in an American context but is very like just as true as the UK.
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so
with the approval of their own conscience.”
C.S. Lewis.
Ah, Dennis Skinner! I’m ‘lucky’ enough to live in his constituency. Currently seems to spend most of his parliamentary time lobbying for tax money to prop-up the last three deep pits in the country. None of them are in his constituency; make of that what you will.
Meanwhile, on the odd occasion I’ve needed his services, my concerns weren’t worthy of parliamentary representation. On the last occasion (at the end of the last Parliament) we asked him to present a petition from Bolsover constituents against the proposed changes to home eduction. He wouldn’t do it (so I can confidently say Mr Skinner is against freedom in education). Luckily for us, it was presented to the Commons by the tory MP for the Derbyshire Dales, who kindly offered to do it in lieu of Mr Skinner, as he was presenting a similar petition from his own constituents. Representative democracy, anyone?
The Bolsover seat appears to be a ‘dead man’s shoes’ situation, as Mr Skinner seems to be determined to hang on to the bitter end. Still time for the grim reaper to pay a visit before May!
What are these changes to home education? Since I’m supposed to be an expert on the matter, I suppose I ought to know.
I want to know also, since people sometimes ask me to do it for their children.
Yes Mr Skinner may be a “character” – but he has turned his corner of Derbyshire from about 90% Labour to about 50% Labour, he is a dreadful Member of Parliament, with a large negative personal vote. People who would vote for a dog with red rosette on, hesitate to vote for Mr Skinner.
Yes, it kind of satisfying to look at the stats and watch his majority slowly evaporate over the last 15-20 years. However its not evaporating fast enough, and he will undoubtedly be back again in May – unless all the disenfranchised Labour voters come out for UKIP (but I won’t hold my breath).
Not current, but going back to about 2008. Then education secretary, Ed Balls, got his buddy Graham Badman to produce a report on the current state of home education. The ‘Review into Elective Home Education’, or Badman report, was a nasty, spiteful, cherry picked piece of rubbish. It willfully ignored all positive indicators and reasons for home ed, and ignored academic studies showing benefits of home ed. It concentrated on playing up emotional scare stories. It was peppered with Badmans unfounded beliefs and opinions (most unburdened by any evidence – indeed he willfully ignored evidence that refuted many of his ‘beliefs’. My children are autonomously educated, so I KNOW it works. Badman dismissed it in one sentence in the report as ‘unlikely to be effective’ if I recall correctly.)
Badmans recommendations for regulation were tagged onto the ‘Children’s, Schools and Families’ Bill. They would have required a compulsory central register of home educators, and would have required families to be monitored, and reapply to the register annually. If registration was refused, the child MUST attend school. It amounted to licensing and the imposition of a curriculum by the back door (as they would have to set ‘standards’ by which they could monitor). It essentially overturned the distinct sense of the current law in which the parent is responsible for education, and may chose how to discharge that responsibility.
Home educators came out in force, I’m glad to say. The protest can boast the largest number of petitions presented simultaneously in parliament on a single issue. About 80 MPs stood and presented at once (Mr Skinner decided he couldn’t be bothered!). The hubbub ensured the bill was held up in the Lords (thanks to Lord Lucas among others), and Ed Balls couldn’t get it through before the end of Parliament in 2010. The Tories stipulated they would let the bill through the wash-up IF the home ed aspects were dropped, and Ed Balls . So, by the skin of our teeth, we avoided that.
I am sure Ed Balls has this one chalked up for revenge. I had a year of campaigning where I saw into the darkness of his twisted soul. We hurt him. I’ve no doubt that it will all be back on the table again if Labour win in May, with extra bells and whistles for our trouble. I hate the Tories, but at least I know they will leave me alone on this matter, and that’s something I suppose. For whatever reason, Ed Balls and his ilk fear and loath us, and will try to destroy us again. Don’t let your guard down for a moment!
Ah, the footage of the 120 petitions being presented in the Commons is on youtube!
Ah, thanks. I remember that one, because I did some work on it. You had me worried earlier that I’d missed on some new horror.
You’re on top of the game, then, Sean – good stuff. Keep a wary eye out for the new horror. I’m confident it will be along soon enough!
The principle of “doing what they tell you cos they got voted in” has to go.
Yes –they have lots of costumed thugs. But the more they try to micro-manage tiny aspects of life the less they can claim “justification” for handing out heavy punishment for minor defiance. The supermarkets could easily tell them to fuck off over bags and Tobacco companies likewise over plain packaging.
Here is a piece on democracy. It is in an American context but is very like just as true as the UK.
http://www.fredoneverything.net/IntelligentVote.shtml
The likes of Skinner are the worst of them…
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so
with the approval of their own conscience.”
C.S. Lewis.