6 December 2018
Diary of a Corbynista
How to destroy an education system
by Don Urquhart
29 November
On the BBC Hannah Richardson reports that some universities are increasingly recruiting students with unconditional offers.
They are telling students that A-level grade requirements will be dropped completely if they put the university down as their first choice…
Education Secretary Damian Hinds said the proportion was “disturbing”.
He added: “The systematic use of unconditional offers is not in the interest of students and they should not be used just to get people through the door.
“I expect universities to use them responsibly and where institutions cannot justify the rising numbers being offered, I have made clear to the Office for Students that they should use the full range of powers at their disposal to take action.”
It is almost as if his government had not marketised education, making it a dog eat dog free for all rather than the public service it once was.
30 November
I do not wish to invite a libel action from the BBC so I will simply quote the Daily Mirror:
The BBC has been accused of using an actress to pretend to be a Brexit-backing pastor on Newsnight.
Dog collar-wearing ‘Revered Lynn’ appeared on the flagship show to fiercely defend Theresa May, urging viewers to “have faith in the government”.
She is the pastor for a tiny organisation called the Seeds for Wealth Ministries, which claims to “help you realise, release and walk into your financial freedom in Christ”.
However eagle-eyed viewers spotted that a woman who appears to be the same person regularly works as an extra under the name Marina Hayter – and was even in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.
Little wonder that Jeremy Corbyn is not keen to debate Theresa May on the BBC.
1 December
For the first window of the Corbynista Advent Calendar I am indebted to the Birmingham Mail with its photo of a homeless camp which has just appeared on Hodge Hill Common.
It is one of many thousands throughout the land.
2 December
It’s panto time so the second window of the Corbynista Advent Calendar covers auditions for the Ugly Sisters in the House of Commons production of Cinderella. I have filched this from The Independent which has covered the event under the caption:
Tory MPs have been taking pictures of themselves at foodbanks
3 December
Should the Government publish the advice proffered by The Attorney General?
Oh No they shouldn’t says Mrs May
Oh yes they should says Sir Keir.
At any event the third window of the Corbynista Advent Calendar belongs to Sir Geoffrey Cox, courtesy of The Daily Mail. He is the perfect Uncle Ebenezer. As he performed today at the Dispatch Box, I along with all the other tots was screaming LOOK BEHIND YOU!
4 December
You shall go to the exams says Amanda Spielman, the Chief Inspector of Schools, and for this she is the fairy on the Christmas tree on Day 4 of our Advent Calendar. On the Today programme this morning she flagged that schools were removing thousands of children from their rolls just before exams in order to boost the schools’ league table performance.
5 December
For Day 5 on the Corbynista Advent calendar I am reprising my annual role as King Herod – not a pretty sight. As is traditional I castigated my wife for pouring money into the bloated coffers of Crisis at Christmas, the Salvation Army and Centre Point to the detriment of whatever paltry presents might have been coming my way.
OK you had to be moved by the letters of thanks she received. This from Crisis at Christmas:
We should all have a place to call home. It’s possible – we know the solutions to end homelessness. But until that day, we will be there, side by side with people who need us.
