mrkirkman's blog

Apart from ‘cuts’, ‘deficit’ and ‘it’s all Labour’s fault’, three other political buzz-phrases have been knocked about the past couple of weeks – some of them not so new. Freedom. Choice. Big Society. They, of course, all sound exciting, positive and perhaps even solutions to the problems our public services face. But these catchphrases are beyond idealism. The reality behind each is that whilst some may reap the benefits, those for whom our public services are need, not just want, will suffer.

Take the first – ‘Freedom’. I am of course talking about the Tory’s proposed Free Schools Policy which I have lost all patience with now after it was announced that even shops and houses could be used as schools and that it was teachers who were the main interest groups clamouring at the chance to set up their own schools. I can guess which group of teachers it is who are interested – and that is a whole other post in itself. Of course this policy makes it plain that Michael Gove does not have a clue how schools operate. I to an extent agree when he says, ‘the most important aspect of education [is the] quality of teaching’ but if a child is sat by the checkouts in an abandoned shop freezing to death, they might not be able to learn. Makes sense, huh, Mike? Of course the connotations of the word free suggest that the independent school model of freedom from the shackles of the local authority, admissions policies, national curriculum, and in some cases I am guessing, the rational thought of education professionals, will be the basis of the Free Schools that will inevitably appear. This type of freedom may appeal to the fee-dodging, suburban, middle class intelligentsia who are desperate to set up schools for their children. But will this ‘freedom from’ really work for those whose families are not able to be involved in the school setting up process – the children and families who need the public service of schools so much? My guess – and this is no wild one – is no. They will probably be stuck with the LEA school that has had its funding and services siphoned off to the school down the road. Where is their ‘freedom’?

This brings me nicely on to the word ‘choice’. The idea that if we get to choose where we get our public services, the ensuing competition will drive up standards. Of course this is not a Tory invention – Labour, to my personal horror, was almost obsessed with the concept of choice in schools and hospitals. But choice is highly problematic. Choice only works if you are able to make one. Sure, if like with the free schools policy you are able to choose to set up your own school, choose to buy a house in the catchment area of decent LEA school or choose to travel 40 miles rather than four down the road to get your hip operation, then that is great. But what if you don’t have choice. What if you have to use the now understaffed hospital down the road? What if you have to attend the now underfunded school down the road because you don’t meet the admissions criteria for the Michael Gove Academy of Freedom? For those people choice is a myth. Choice is actually no choice at all. Choice is an exclusive concept that won’t fix the problems of public services nor close the gap between rich and poor, able and unable.

And the over arching theme connecting all of these is the Tory ‘Big Society’ model. In their pamphlet ‘Big Society not Big Government’ the concept is described as ‘a society where people come together to solve problems and improve life for themselves and their communities’ and who can argue with that – a co-operative approach to society. Great. But does it really mean that? Both supporters and detractors of the Conservatives received the policy with reactions ranging from luke-warm and reluctant agreement to finger-pointed ridicule. The plans hand over responsibility and power to those who are able to take it on – the Toby Youngs of this world – and will ignore those who most need the public services – or those who simply do not have the time to run a doctor’s surgery, police station and post-office in the time between work, looking after the children and sleeping. The New Statesmen’s Mehdi Hasan summed it up best in his blog when he compared Big Society to a the self service checkouts in supermarkets. He concluded that ‘it’s quite nice having someone who is paid and trained to do the job for you. We have other things to be getting on with.’

Hasan is right – we do need paid professionals to do what they do best for us a lot of the time. But more importantly, if you hand over all responsibility to the people and let them run public services, it’s not the people who most ‘need’ that will benefit. It’s the people that ‘want’ that will gain. What our public services ‘need’ is to be operational, effective and well resourced no matter where they are based so that choice doesn’t need to exist and that everyone, no matter their starting point, is really ‘free’.