Friday 18 April 2014

Letter 130: Parents are becoming enemies of promise now, Dave


"Dear Dave,
There seem to be alot of teachers in Brighton this Easter... It must be the annual NUT Conference. They're rather chipper - do you think they've heard that an increasing number of parents are enemies of promise now, having doubts about Michael Gove's education reforms?
What could be the cause of the growing opposition? The rise in the number of unqualified teachers in state-funded schools? Or maybe that families are being asked to provide contributions for basic materials normally covered by school budgets? Imagine - people struggling to put food on the table and now they have to equip the classroom with pens and paper too! Could it be that voters are angry Michael has approved plans to spend £45 million on a school for just 500 children. That's SIX times the average cost! Any you talked about learning to do more with less!
Public distrust points to your Education Minister's politicising of education and a lack of transparency, I think. Ask David Laws if you don't believe me - he's already said how "challenging and at times disruptive" the "permanent revolution" can be. By the way, why are struggling free schools being earmarked for special attention? Not a leak in the flagship, surely? If only there was a secret document that could explain it all...


Yours with best wishes, etc"




Wednesday 16 April 2014

Letter 129: The Lord said "Suffer the little children" & lo, CameronJesus took him literally & caused foodbanks 2 proliferate

"Dear Dave
I am totally baffled by your logic (and I'm sure I'm not alone) Could you possibly explain the following? Recently you said,"The Bible tells us to bear one another's burdens" and that "Jesus invented the Big Society 2000 years ago; I just wanted to see more of it."

How can it be then that under your Government, there has been such a massive growth in the need for food parcels? It is beyond shameful Dave, that one million have been handed out in the UK to date. Not quite what Jesus meant by "suffer the little children", you know. Add to this the startling contrast of how you treat your own. Your support of Maria Miller, combined with Iain Duncan Smith's new plans for dealing with ordinary people claiming benefits they are not entitled to, suggests your Government will always have the rich (rather than the poor) with you.
Make no mistake, the huge increase in the need for food parcels and food banks is not a sign of increased civic responsibility, regardless of your insistence. It is a sign of the failure of your economic and social policies. You seem to be paying down the deficit on the backs of the poor - what would Jesus say? I doubt he'd think that passes the "smell test". Reflect on that over Easter as well as finding "time for our whole country to reflect on what Christianity brings to Britain". I'm also praying that you'll see Easter as an opportunity to honestly assess just what your moral mission and welfare reforms bring to the UK's most needy and vulnerable.
Yours, etc"