The Lure of Power
Elections are seen as times of promises and posturing, as parties make their pitches for power. Indeed, the electorate often gets rather cynical about the truth of the conflicting claims and counterclaims, as politicians bid for support and try to counter their opponents’ bids.
However, the process can highlight truths as well, such as the fundamental importance attached to the need for security and the apathy that the electorate’s lack of influence on affairs of state engenders. One of the things that people concerned about the welfare of children and young people have to come to terms with is how far down the political agenda their subject is.
Over the last few years the Government has done more for children than any other Government in British history in terms of legislation, major initiatives, wholesale restructuring of systems and finance. For this we have to be thankful and hope that child welfare remains a priority for the next Government, whoever is in power.
Yet if you look at the party manifestos, the need to consolidate this major achievement seems a pretty low priority.
As one of their top ten soundbites, the Lib Dems want primary school class sizes to be smaller. It is only when you get to the detailed print that you learn of their ideas, which broadly match those of the Labour Government, though with the bonus that they want to see a Children’s Commissioner to have more powers, based on children’s rights.
The Labour party’s ideas are essentially to take forward the policies they have adopted in their ten year plan and to see them implemented.
The Conservatives meanwhile appear to have a theme of playing on people’s fears and their key educational aim is to give heads the chance to exclude unruly pupils. Again, they offer more in the small print, but the ideas appear rather a ragbag and they admit that they have not yet worked their policies out fully.
Traditionally, children and young people have had to rely on the sympathy vote. They do not have power themselves, though there is a campaign for votes at sixteen. In the last Government, however, there appeared to be a real appreciation of the importance of investing in children and their education for the future of the country.
With the progressive closure of large-scale manufacturing industries the country is going to have to rely on its inventiveness, which will depend upon education, both in terms of the skills and attainments of the adult workforce and in relation to their attitudes to work, such as preparedness to think, flexibility, imagination and willingness to graft.
Children are therefore vital to the country’s future, not only for reasons of sympathy but economics, but despite greater interest by the main parties than in the past, the importance of children in this respect has not yet been translated into making them a top priority.
The changes made by the last Government were good, but are not yet bedded down. Let us hope that the next Government, whatever its colour, makes their implementation a priority.
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