Is Gordon a Hypocrite

A great challenge now presents itself to Gordon, and not of the type that most people expect. And it pertains to a subject close to Gordons heart - at least based on previous behaviour and announcements. Its Education.

Now Gordon has pushed back on all of the most recent educational reforms put forward by Blair. In the early years of the Labour Government, having rolled back tentative reforms started by the Tories, Blair went on to do very little except manage British Educations decline. Of course we had targets, but these now measured the outputs of an increasingly bankrupt exam system. The Blairs, faced with the realities of this system promptly put their own families interests before principals and bussed their children across London to one of the few selective schools available.

But now back to Gordon. Having stood in the way of all recent reforms, he has been the epitomy of the kind of class-based egalitariansm that has plagued British education since the war. Remember the case of Laura Spence - a comprehensive school pupil who was rejected by Oxford despite predicting 5 A* at A-level. Rather than asking the question why is it today that so many pupils get 5 A* that Oxbridge cannot easily find the very best - Gordon made this an issue of priviledge and bias.

And so, why is this an interesting issue for Gordon now - and why does it touch on the subject of Gordon as Hypocrite?

Because, Gordons son John is reaching an age where he has to be sent to school. In inner London.

So, now Gordon has the chance to prove he is a man who walks the walk and does not just talk the talk. Here is a man who - no son of privaledge - flourished in his local Grammer school only to preside over a system that banished this school to replace it by a comprehensive. And so, in his son's catchment area there is a wealth of mulit-cultural, multi-lingual comprehensive schools so beloved (apparently) of the left.

I will watch with interest where Gordon and Sarah send John Brown.