Big is Beautiful

The expansion in the numbers of HEors is mostly very good news, primarily, of course for the children it involves, but also I'd guess, because the ptb must conclude once and for all, that we are too significant a number to mess about with on the major matter of principle: whether or not HE should be a legal option. And thank goodness we can say this because it seems we face the prospect of "big school" government for some time to come, with even the probable future leader of the opposition, David Cameron, insisting on the importance of schooling (and spending on schooling).

Assuming for the mo, that the general principle of HE is safe, what of the other issues of general interference in the stuff of HE life? As quoted in the mail below, there is a general sense in the HE community that things are tightening up - that more curriculums and work inspections will be demanded. On the other hand, it seems quite likely that the clip-board carriers will not really be able to get on our case too much, since Mr Brown must finally be realising that he simply cannot be spending any more laundered money on any more useless bureaucrats. He doesn't have the cash and this sort of activity should soon be a political liability amongst everyone whose votes he has not already bought in his "Useless Jobs for Votes" scheme.

There remains, of course, the irritating problem of individual interpretation of the law. It is still perfectly possible to open your door to an interfering autocrat whose inclination would be to walk straight into your home, grab all school age children by the scruffs of their necks and dump them in the nearest available classroom; but certainly round our way at least, the LEA bods look to have their facts and attitudes just about right for a change. One of them has even home educated for some time, but I s'pose we shouldn't fool ourselves. It could all go so horribly wrong so quickly, with the appointment of someone of tiresome inclination.

The only way in which I can see the expansion of HE being a problem is in the matter of publicity and the media. In this Age of Diversity, it is almost completely unacceptable to attack vulnerable minorities, (however odious their ideas). HE, generally speaking, has been getting very favourable press here in the UK, which is as it should be, given that HE is so far from being an odious idea, but as the numbers swell, we will be seen as fair game and can expect the sort of negative press that HEors in the States have to put up with.

HE life would, though, be more than bearable, if this were our most serious worry!