Humble Beginnings?

"Seven female cabinet ministers have talked about their struggles in their twenties, in an interview with a women's magazine. [ ] Company magazine editor Victoria White said it showed that successful women could make it from "humble beginnings".

Ruth Kelly - She was privately educated at Sutton High School. She returned to England where she won a scholarship to the Westminster School to take her A-levels. She went on to Queen's College, Oxford where she read Philosophy, Politics and Economics, graduating in 1989, and then to the London School of Economics gaining an MSc in Economics in 1992.

Tessa Jowell - educated at the independent St Margaret's School for Girls in Aberdeen, the University of Aberdeen, the University of Edinburgh and Goldsmiths College, University of London.

Harriet Harman - educated at the famous independent St Paul's Girls' School and the University of York, where she gained a BA in Politics.

Whatever happened to Prudence?

What has prompted Alistair Darling to declare that Britain is facing the "worst economic crisis in sixty years"? Could it be even worse than the early 90s!?!

"We all remember the early 90s. It was Britain's hard working families -the one million who lost jobs in manufacturing, the one million businesses that went under, the million homeowners with negative equity. It was hard working families who paid the price and bore the brunt of economic failure. [ ] Now, the Tories used to say a Labour government meant recession and unemployment but now Mr Portillo is pushing a new argument: to accept there is economic stability and growth but then to say this is nothing to do with the government. " - Gordon Brown. Conference Speech 2000.

Unions strike back!

If workers should not suffer when management make mistakes, should workers benefit when management do well!?!

"The workforce did not contribute to the situation which the bank now finds itself in and should not be expected to pay the ultimate price by being forced out of their jobs." - Graham Goddard, deputy general secretary at Unite on Northern Rock.

"This is a very profitable plant. It's made, we reckon, about a billion pounds over the last 10 years. Why is he attacking the workers?" - Labour MP Michael Connarty on Ineos

Labour's tragedy

The Labour Party lose an MP with principles and keep one with none!

Rubbish joke!

Will Salford dustmen be on strike every other week!?!

Beastliness

Was the media "like a feral beast" when Labour used it to target Tory sleaze before the 1997 General Election!?!

Home sweet Hain?

How can Peter Hain be "needlessly inoffensive " to Labour's core supporters when he believes their needs should not have priority over foreign nationals for housing or healthcare!?!

Trident Replacement

Who opposes a replacement for Trident now ?

Foot in mouth!

Tories won't win election - Tony Blair

Labour are now as popular as when Michael Foot was their leader.

Ironically, 1983 was also the year Tony Blair and Gordon Brown first entered Parliament...

Resigning issues?

Invading Iraq on the basis of a "dodgy dossier"

or

Sailors selling their stories to the media!

Grammar lessons

Will the mainstream political parties be explaining to parents of "Poorer children [who] benefit more from grammar schools" why they continue to oppose any expansion of Grammar schools?

If access could be widened then the case for keeping selective education would be greatly enhanced.

Meanwhile, social mobility continues to decline in the UK!

A tale of two loopholes

If Gordon Brown raised the tax rate on small firms to prevent income tax 'scams', why hasn't he also closed the non-domicile loophole!?!

A bad day for bright pupils

It is difficult to imagine a more destructive educational policy than selecting pupils for 'good' schools by lottery rather than by catchment area or entrance examination.

Left-wing educationalists gave Britain the 'benefits' of their comprehensive education experiment thirty years ago! Why are they still allowed to experiment!?!

Such a policy can only result in falling school standards and declining social mobility as those who can afford to go private escape the state system.

Pupils keen to study within the state system will no longer have the sanctuary of good schools offering good standards away from disruptive elements who place no value on a good education.

Hain rewards low flyers?

Why should two thirds of city bonuses be given to charity when 40% is already 'given' to the treasury in income tax? The treasury is the biggest charity in the UK!

City bonuses reward exceptional levels of hard work, dedication and performance and are paid to those who deserve them rather than those who don't.