When two senior police officers were confused last week about the current lockdown rules, I was not surprised. The different regulations and tiers across the country are bewildering and, what’s more, they are changing from area to area, day by day. And if senior police officers are unclear, the public must be, too. Of course, … Read more
After six long months, our children are finally returning to school and that news has cheered me enormously. Initial reports suggest attendance rates are high. Parents and teachers know that being back in the classroom has incalculable benefits not only for children’s education and futures, but for their mental health and family life, too. If … Read more
On Radio Four last Tuesday night, a heavily-promoted programme tackled yet another phrase in the lexicon of today’s grievance culture. It was called ‘Code-Switching’ – a term used by some ethnic minority citizens to explain why they feel oppressed on the basis of how they speak, how they present themselves and how they behave. Code-switching … Read more
Every parent and teacher knows that a child who misses just a couple of weeks from school can fall rapidly behind his or her classmates. Which somehow puts into perspective the crisis facing a generation of children who have now gone without school for three months because of the coronavirus lockdown. I find it astounding … Read more
When two politicians who, for years, have clashed over policies now find themselves on the same side of the argument about a mandatory 14-day quarantine period, it must be time to reflect whether the Government has got it wrong. The Home Secretary’s policy is a devastating blow for anyone hoping to holiday abroad this summer, … Read more
The wartime President of the United States, Franklin D Roosevelt, once proclaimed that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. And at this critical moment, nothing could be more true – not least when it comes to the inflammatory debate about whether or not some primary-aged children should return to the classroom … Read more
Lord Blunkett today accused teaching unions of acting against the best interests of pupils David Blunkett, the former education secretary, today accused teaching unions of ‘working against the interests of children’ after they told members not to engage with the Government on its plans to reopen schools in June. Lord Blunkett, who served in the … Read more
We all understand why the Government’s daily briefings are necessary – both to give the latest news and to reinforce key public safety messages. However, I am beginning to feel their purpose has got lost. They are becoming little more than a daily Sermon on the Mount, offering scant new information and, worse, often delivering … Read more
Ex-Home secretary David Blunkett blasts ‘Sermon on the Mount’ daily coronavirus briefings by ministers The Labour life peer made the comments in interview on the Today programme He said that people are now being ‘hectored’ during the coronavirus pandemic In the interview he also discussed the police reaction to the lockdown in place Learn more … Read more
The long goodbye is over. Jeremy Corbyn’s exit spells the end of the power exercised by the very small clique around him. But it does not spell the end of a much wider group who still control the party’s machinery and decision-making processes. Proclamations of unity and outbreaks of sweetness and light are, to say the … Read more