Comments on: A quick calculation: http://www.eridu.org.uk/blog/2007/11/20/a-quick-calculation/ Liberalism and general burblings Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:34:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Joe Otten http://www.eridu.org.uk/blog/2007/11/20/a-quick-calculation/#comment-18423 Joe Otten Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:32:18 +0000 http://www.eridu.org.uk/blog/2007/11/20/a-quick-calculation/#comment-18423 Tom, you're a councillor, innit? Find out what your LEA does, and get it to stop. Bingo. Tom, you’re a councillor, innit? Find out what your LEA does, and get it to stop. Bingo.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.eridu.org.uk/blog/2007/11/20/a-quick-calculation/#comment-18399 Anonymous Wed, 21 Nov 2007 11:07:17 +0000 http://www.eridu.org.uk/blog/2007/11/20/a-quick-calculation/#comment-18399 Yes, and the inability of Lib Dems to do that leap, in education, health care and other public services is probably the main reason why the Lib Dems can't appeal to a certain group of liberals, who don't identify themselves as Lib Dems. Yes, and the inability of Lib Dems to do that leap, in education, health care and other public services is probably the main reason why the Lib Dems can’t appeal to a certain group of liberals, who don’t identify themselves as Lib Dems.

]]> By: tristan http://www.eridu.org.uk/blog/2007/11/20/a-quick-calculation/#comment-18323 tristan Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:00:58 +0000 http://www.eridu.org.uk/blog/2007/11/20/a-quick-calculation/#comment-18323 And the lowest level to devolve to - the educator (in most cases the school). Unfortunately that leap from government to an institution not controlled by the state isn't being made by LibDems... And the lowest level to devolve to - the educator (in most cases the school).
Unfortunately that leap from government to an institution not controlled by the state isn’t being made by LibDems…

]]> By: wit and wisdom http://www.eridu.org.uk/blog/2007/11/20/a-quick-calculation/#comment-18312 wit and wisdom Tue, 20 Nov 2007 16:20:48 +0000 http://www.eridu.org.uk/blog/2007/11/20/a-quick-calculation/#comment-18312 Devolve, devolve, devolve. It's the only answer to bureaucracy. Deliver services at the lowest appropriate level, say a sub-region, with a small national department for educational standards to keep an eye on the basics, while allowing different systems to develop. Devolve, devolve, devolve. It’s the only answer to bureaucracy. Deliver services at the lowest appropriate level, say a sub-region, with a small national department for educational standards to keep an eye on the basics, while allowing different systems to develop.

]]> By: Tom Papworth http://www.eridu.org.uk/blog/2007/11/20/a-quick-calculation/#comment-18305 Tom Papworth Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:58:18 +0000 http://www.eridu.org.uk/blog/2007/11/20/a-quick-calculation/#comment-18305 Tristan, I got a little lost in this, but what seems of particular interest to me is that the state spends around 25% more on educating a child than schools; in other words, a fifth of the education budget is lost in bureaucracy. By comparrison, all bureaucracy is captured within the cost of an independent school. So when Gordon Brown talks about raising spending in schools to independent school levels, he needs to either find a way of reducing that wasted 20% to zero or explain why we should spend the money in this inefficient way rather than just giving people the money and sending them private. As the reform figures make clear, we could give every child a voucher worth £6,150, which is more than the government plans to spend per pupil but less than the current education budget. We can continue to regulate the schools using Ofsted (a separate debate) but get rid of the deadweight bureaucracy in Whitehall. Tristan,

I got a little lost in this, but what seems of particular interest to me is that the state spends around 25% more on educating a child than schools; in other words, a fifth of the education budget is lost in bureaucracy.

By comparrison, all bureaucracy is captured within the cost of an independent school. So when Gordon Brown talks about raising spending in schools to independent school levels, he needs to either find a way of reducing that wasted 20% to zero or explain why we should spend the money in this inefficient way rather than just giving people the money and sending them private.

As the reform figures make clear, we could give every child a voucher worth £6,150, which is more than the government plans to spend per pupil but less than the current education budget. We can continue to regulate the schools using Ofsted (a separate debate) but get rid of the deadweight bureaucracy in Whitehall.

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