I was passed a link to the follow set of videos on Facebook today. They’re certainly worth a look, giving a lighthearted view at independence and Scottish history.
Having not watched Newsnicht for a few weeks (or read the Herald or Scotsman), I was somewhat surprised when I turned it on this morning to hear that seemingly a majority of academics and business people support going beyond the recommendations of Calman. This is particularly significant given that Alex Salmond is putting the case to the Joint Ministerial Council that Scotland should be given considerably greater economic powers.
This represents a massive turnaround on the part of the Scottish public. Just a few months ago, devolution max and fiscal autonomy were options being pushed by a minority of academics and the SNP, with many of those who are active in the field of devolution politics advocating the Calman Settlement. As predicted by many, it would appear that the realities of Tory government in the UK as a whole have given people cause to meditate on Scotland’s constitutional future.
The motives behind this change are obvious. David Cameron’s rhetoric on cuts – decimating the public sector, changing our way of life, nothing off the table – don’t sit well in Scotland. Here is a country which still bares the scars of the Thatcher cuts, has high unemployment and too little external investment and we are told that we must destroy one of our main employers, with cuts of up to 30%. We are, potentially, looking at a scenario where the Tories do to Scotland’s public sector what they did to Scotland’s mining and steel industry two decades ago, decimating yet another workforce and creating a new generation lost to unemployment.
No-one in Scotland wants that.
We can see how we have benefited from a large public sector. We know how important the quality of education and the need for carers and nurses is. We have benefited immensely from having nearly 100% of the 4-18 education system in state hands, and while private healthcare is more common, we have also benefited from the absence of foundation hospitals and other part-private endeavours. We know that we still need to do a lot of work to deal with the legacy of the 1980s and that requires public investment.
This is not compatible with the guiding vision which the Tories and Lib Dems have outlined for their economic butchery. That’s not to say that there won’t be cuts in Scotland – there has to be – but at the same time we must focus on maintaining the things which make this country great and maintain our way of life, not hawking them off to the highest bidder, holding a ‘bonfire’ of government agencies on the basis of public perception or seeking to create “a new way of life” in “the Age of Austerity”.
The important thing now is for the SNP to capitalise on this. The independence referendum, which includes an option for devolution max, must be brought back on to the agenda soon. Labour and the Lib Dems face losing creditability over their opposition to the referendum as public support for the devolution max or full fiscal autonomy continues to grow. The iron must be grasped while it’s still hot lest the opportunity slip away and Labour gain too much from Lib Dem supporters it’s picked up.
After the welcome announcement that the Lib-Con Coalition intended to end the detention of child asylum seekers in prison-like facilities such as Dungavel, (and the climb-down over time scales), we might be seeing a glimpse of how this issue is going to be dealt with. It could be rather bad news as regards the future of immigration policy in the UK and EU.
Last week, the EU agreed, in principle, to various member states setting up reintegration centres in Afghanistan. The centre planned by the UK Border Agency will be based in Kabul, with the facilities to handle 12 deported orphans per month and assistance for 120 deported adults per month. This would represent a massive step up in the numbers of asylum seekers being deported to Afghanistan.
It is worth remembering that Afghanistan is still an active warzone with a high degree of political instability and considerable problems with warlords, rape, murder and general human rights breaches. It is unlikely that British or NATO troops will exit Afghanistan in the near future without chronically destabilising the country. The idea that Afghanistan is safe to return asylum seekers to en mass is obscene and shows a lack of compassion or decency in the minds of our policy makers.
While initially, this is only going to apply to Afghanistan, I am concerned that it might open the doors to further similar projects in other countries. Many of the asylum seekers and immigrants from outside of Europe are here for genuine reasons and will face death or worse if they return to their original countries, something which this initial policy does not seem to take into account. Even with the recession, we should not be valuing the wealth of state or the appeasement of the right above the value of a human life.
This week, Michael Gove quietly hammered a nail into the coffin of the English education system. Admittedly, the English education system isn’t in the coffin yet, despite the confused system of exam boards, varying examination standards, the failure of the City Academy project, the involvement of increasingly unsavoury figures in the education system and the introduction of private curriculums by the back door. It isn’t far from being fitted for it’s last suit though.
The particular nail which I wish to hold forth on is the abolition of the General Teaching Council of England (GTCE). This body was set up by the Tony Blair’s Labour Government to perform the same job as the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCfS).
The GTCfS was created in 1966 to address concerns over unqualified teachers teaching in Scotland following the Second World War. More specifically, it was charged with ensuring that all teachers were trained to a high standard, maintaining a register of qualified teachers and removing teachers who did not meet professional standards. This role continues today.
As a registered charity, it is independent of the government or local authorities, although it works with both in an advisory capacity. Nearly all teachers in Scotland are required to register with the GTCfS, hold an approved teaching qualification and complete a probationary period after which their registration may be refused. There is little debate on the fact that the GTCfS is the best placed organisation to do it’s job. Indeed, the GTSfS is held in high regard by the education establishment within Scotland and has the support of various teaching unions.
The GTCE had yet to reach quite the same level of impact as it’s Scottish counterpart. In England, only teachers in state schools are required to register with the GTCE, but teachers from independent schools of which there are considerably more then in Scotland, may choose to so. Prior to full registration, potential teachers must obtain Qualified Teacher Status from the GTCE. This is to ensure that all state teachers have sufficient qualifications, both in their subject and in education to perform their jobs.
The use of qualified teacher status helps to ensure that teachers in England meet an educational standard which can be passed on to their pupils. It is also intended to weed out people who are not necessarily suited to the teaching profession. It is a weaker standard then in Scotland, lacking the probation element and with less stringent qualification requirements, but it is adequate. The lose of the GTCE will be reflected in the English education system as more poorly and even unqualified qualified teachers take up jobs.
The abolition of the GTCE is analogous to the abolition of the General Medical Council, over which there would be mass outcry. That such outcry has not been forthcoming over the loss of the GTCE is saddening and we can only hope that the GTCE manages to mount a legal challenge against the Government to ensure it’s continued existence.
Note: Wales has an independent GTC from that of England. It’s existence is not thought to be under threat.
I was recently sent a post-card with some advice that everyone should bear in mind:
