Conference ends with a splutter
Most people would have felt sympathy for Theresa May when her conference speech went so horribly wrong yesterday.
But behind the headlines of the voice-loss and the ‘comedy’ invader was a speech that would have spluttered anyway – cough or no cough.
It pains me to say but the Conservatives are letting the opposition dictate the agenda and commentators are saying they are going ‘Socialist-lite’.
Education is my passion, so let’s focus on that.
Although there were some good proposals in the Prime Minister’s speech, such as more technical colleges and the new T-level, I was really hoping she would provide a bolder vision.
We need a huge overhaul of primary education, a radical approach to secondary education and a further/higher education that focuses on industry as much as academia.
Theresa May was so right when she said “education is the key to unlocking our future” but sadly her policies are not radical enough to make any real difference.
There is an old maxim (proverb) which is in the Bible. It simply says ‘Without vision, the people perish.’
There would have been no harm in Theresa May restating her vision for new grammar schools even if she can’t deliver it now.
A visionary should be undaunted and state their beliefs rather than tailoring it to the electoral situation or their own precarious position as leader.
After all, Corbyn is certainly propounding his Socialist revisionist vision even though he has no mandate for it – after all, he did lose the election.
To galvanise not only the people in the auditorium but also the public at large, I longed to see Theresa May throw caution to the wind and just go for it.
Her vision needs to be clear. Bold and brave whatever the consequences. Speak your mind and don’t back off.
But sadly we’re left with a minority government playing it safe, dominated by Cabinet in-fighting and distracted by the mammoth task of Brexit.
I will continue to lobby hard for a more visionary approach to education. Our country’s future lies not just with Brexit but how we can best survive in a post-Brexit era; and yes, education is key to unlocking that future.