Bring on the holidays

Too long since the last one, and the next one seems too far away. Kids are losing their damn minds, staff have already lost theirs. I sense Mr Chalk is having much the same experience since he's resorted to raising a petition to draw attention to the dismal state of discipline in many of our schools, which he - rightly, in my view - sees as the single most important barrier to improving standards in education.

Although it depends on where you work, I suppose. In response to his 'do something' injunction, I was wondering if it would make a difference if council tax payers in Glasgow were aware of what they are getting for their money. Not only does Glasgow have the shittiest schools in the country, it also has the highest council tax payments in the country. I wonder how many people are aware that one of the reasons for having the highest council tax bills is because we have shit schools. Because the utter shitness of our schools is one of the major factors behind people leaving the city and as they do, there are less people to pay the council tax - so the bills go up.

Another thing I was wondering, which has nothing much to do with this, is why 'libertarians' never follow through the logic of their position when it comes to education? Why stop at 'school choice'? Why not make education itself voluntary?

And why is choice the preserve of parents only? Where's my choice? Why don't 'libertarians' come out with any fun ideas like elected headteachers? Or no headteachers? Instead we get all this boring stuff about bloody vouchers. "Sweden has them, don't you know?" Oh, who gives a fuck? Libertarians? Pah! Lightweights...