Blair’s ‘high wire act’ – heading for a fall?

What we think

Education white paper:

Blair’s ‘high wire act’ – heading for a fall?

SO FAR nearly one hundred Labour MP’s are opposing the Schools White
Paper backed by Blair revealing a Prime Minister who is well past his
sell-by-date. Guardian journalist Seumas Milne correctly described
recent events as "the end game of the Blair era."

Under the bill (due to go to Parliament next month) all schools will
be encouraged to become self-governing trusts, sponsored by industry,
faith groups and charities. They would control their own admissions.

Two main issues are being cited for the rebellion – that these
proposals would increase social segregation while Local Education
Authorities (LEAs) would no longer be responsible for admissions. The
bill would open up our schools to more privatisation with big business
and faith groups running schools, unaccountable to any elected bodies.

Trust schools will seek to select pupils whose needs can be met more
easily and who are most likely to boost their status and position in
school league tables. Neighbouring schools would be plunged further into
difficulties as they lose pupils and the funding that comes with them.

A report by an education charity which had been suppressed by the
government concluded that if these proposals are implemented more
children from the poorest families will be excluded from top state
schools.

Blair has expressed his determination to force the bill through, but
he is faced with real problems on how to proceed. He could rely on Tory
votes but this could spell the end of Blair. Or he could refuse to make
any changes and risk the bill being defeated which would severely
diminish his authority. If Blair gives concessions to his opponents this
will also weaken him.

Increasing problems

But Blair has had a spate of recent problems including the curbing of
the internment without trial bill and the Lords voting down compulsory
ID cards. Problems around Iraq are also never far away. Having stated
that Britain was definitely not involved in ‘rendition’ flights (flying
prisoners to other countries to be tortured) Jack Straw now admits that
there may have been requests from the US for use of UK territory or
airspace.

The government has been forced to give a figure of the number of
British soldiers injured in Iraq as Defence Secretary. John Reid
admitted that there have been thousands of casualties, with some of them
taking legal action against the Ministry of Defence.

Blair’s problems are set to increase both inside, and more
importantly, outside parliament. Strike action is looming by local
government workers, fire-fighters and other workers in defence of their
pensions. NHS protests are spreading around the country.

Some will interpret this rebellion of Labour MPs as the beginning of
opposition to neo-liberal policies and the possibility of the party
shifting away from the right. It is true that the growing opposition to
privatisation and deteriorating public services in society is being
reflected to some degree within parliament.

Yet many of the ‘rebels’ within the Labour Party, such as Neil
Kinnock and Estelle Morris, are firmly in the neo-liberal camp. And
rebel MPs are likely to accept the Schools Bill with some concessions;
knowing this will still lead to more privatisation in education. Even
if, as is to be hoped, the bill is scuppered completely, it would not
alter the overall trend of the government to destroy public services.

Whatever happens to the bill it will bring Blair’s demise closer.
Although a new leader could create illusions that the Labour Party might
change this would be short-lived. Brown has made it clear that under his
leadership the neo-liberal agenda would continue and he is backing Blair
on the Schools Bill. Other contenders for the leadership would also
support the neo-liberal interests of big business.

All three main parties share the same agenda resulting in more people
having no party to vote for. Working-class people who are opposed to
privatisation and want business to stay out of our schools and other
public services have no political representation. Our campaign for a new
mass party of the working class is more urgent than ever.


Liverpool

Parents resist special needs school closures

ON 19 January, 50 angry parents of children with special needs,
children and supporters demonstrated outside Liverpool’s city council
offices. The council was meeting to close three special schools this
year and force the children into mainstream education. It wants 360
special needs school places and another 56 resourced places to go by
2014.

Rachelann Flinn

The government’s own Audit Commission recognises that "one child in
30 needs more support than their school can provide". However, parents
are losing the right to choose what’s best for their children. Children
with the severest disabilities won’t have their basic educational needs
met and parents have been offered no part in the decision-making
process.

The main problems were caused by a council blunder resulting in a
shortfall of £250,000 in the Special Schools budget. The schools must
find the £250,000 themselves.

If Liverpool council closes all special schools, children will then
have to attend mainstream schools. But most mainstream schools are
simply not equipped, nor staffed, to provide for all special needs
children, such as those with autism, who could find the experience of
mainstream traumatic, resulting in some children having no education at
all.

Every child deserves to be educated in the way that suits them best.
It’s time to stop New Labour’s destruction of the education system and
put the focus on the children at its heart and not simply on saving
money.