Liam Byrne is talking a lot of sense in today's Sunday Times (hot off the press!) “Sometimes we made arguments about choice that elevated the process over the outcome” he said. “We made a fetish of choice when actually what we should have been focusing on is how we give people more control over public services they pay their taxes for.”
I never signed up to the whole 'choice' agenda. People want their local school to be good and their local hospital to be good. Period.
3 comments:
A socialist who doesn't like to give people choice.
I'll educate my kids where I want to, not where you want them "educated".
I have a Biology GCSE paper on my site, if anyone wants a real laugh. My dog scored a B
"What we should have been focusing on is how we give people more control over public services they pay their taxes for."
Yes, but how will giving people "more control" (whatever that is) improve standards?
I can't see that me controlling the local school is likely to improve it any more than if the council controls it.
What's the mechanism for improvement here?
Choice is at least a mechanism isn't it?
Visited a school in Copenhagen this week which was very interesting. Flexi-time for kids, no set lessons, no class rooms as such, all children and staff take off shoes on entry.
I sort of loved it, but if push came to shove wouldn't send my own kids there. I think people should be able to choose this for their own kids though.
Problem is - real choice only exists in big cities where there are lots of different service providers - in rural villages there's usually only one school/doctors surgery/hospital
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