GrodsCorp

Pushing forward back

Tuesday 15 May 2007, 11:02 am

The Editor

Categories: Australia Decides '07, Education, Religion

Howard

“Perhaps a well-ordered classroom where teachers have authority is an old idea. But it is a good idea, a forward-looking idea” — John Howard

The Howard government’s education posturing is now so predictable it’s becoming funny rather than serious. In the latest of his “Dog Whistle Rising”* series of speeches last night, The Man Of Steel ranted hysterically about how schools aren’t tackling bullying effectively and that the way to spend money on education in the 21st century is not to spend money:

TODAY’S education challenge in Australia is about quality rather than money, Prime Minister John Howard has declared.

He said that for a long time, debates in Australia focused almost exclusively on money spent, not results. This was still the territory fiercely defended by many educationalists, state bureaucracies and unions.

“But in the end, money in doesn’t equal quality out. What’s increasingly clear from education debates around the world is that quality demands choice, diversity, specialisation, transparency and competition.”

(source)

So with this new anti-spending philosophy in mind, Johnny has decided that the best way to tackle the scourge of bullying in schools is to have them provide more information about their bullying policies to parents. Take that, bullies!

Of course, ramming religion (in the guise of “values”) down the throats of our kids is far more important than tackling bullying which is why the non-spending Prime Minister recently found $90 million to pay for chaplains in schools.

Imagine the measurable effect that $90 million worth of welfare officers in schools would have on bullying and student wellbeing. Then compare it to the useless symbolism and wedge politics of forcing schools to better communicate their bullying policies to parents.

Must be an election around the corner. Time to bash public schools and rebadge 1950s black-and-white-television worldviews as forward-looking and progressive.

* May not be actual title of speech

8 Comments

Bridgit Gread (Tuesday 15 May 2007, 4:44 pm) #

But in the end, money in doesn’t equal quality out.

Let’s see Johnny incorporate that maxim into defence. Our troops in Iraq will end up firing crossbows and trebuchets.

Education is very much about money. Teachers need to be paid; the best teachers need to be paid more. Schools need modern buildings to create good learning environments. Libraries need books, students need PCs and broadband, teachers need resources, photocopiers and stationery. Those things don’t grow on trees Howard, you dickhead.
Mikey (Tuesday 15 May 2007, 7:24 pm) #

I find it ironic that Howard is coming out against Bullies when his dog whistle politics are divisive along racial and culture lines; to whit genisis of fuckwits like the Cronulla crew, Howard’s “we decide” demonisation of boat people, and general fucked up ‘look, terrorists’ asides about Australian Muslims - let alone his citizenship crap.

This is a man that has done his best to ensure or promote the primacy of the so called judeo Chrisitian Anglo culture at the expense of the value or worth of those not like it.

There’s a reason Lynton Crosby, former Liberal strategist wunderkind, went to the UK and convinced the Tories to run a campaign along the lines of “we know what you’re thinking” and putting up pics of gypos and travellers etc. Because they know it works with small minded bigots.

No bullies eh Howard? Then why has he created a workplace culture that fosters bullying. When you work for an employer that can effectively sack you whenever however with a minimal defence they can and do bully you.

This is a man who has done his best to remove the concept of fairness and equity and has promoted the individual over the community. He is a cause of bullying across society. How fucking dare he come out and piously claim the fault lies not with a cultural viewpoint he is promoting but somehow it’s the fault of overworked teachers who have ended up being defacto providers of morality because their greed obsessed parents do not give a flying monkeys.
Bruce (Tuesday 15 May 2007, 7:58 pm) #

What’s increasingly clear from education debates around the world is that quality demands choice, diversity, specialisation, transparency and competition.

Don’t forget to mention that the voucher system that Howard and Bishop are attempting to bring in at the bequest of Dr Kev has been tryed (and shown as a faliure) overseas.

Howard is just making things up.
The Editor (Tuesday 15 May 2007, 8:46 pm) #

And tutors don’t indoctrinate our children with a left-wing ideology. Only public school teachers do that.
phil (Tuesday 15 May 2007, 9:13 pm) #

“Vote Liberal - the party for small minded bigots.”

Has a nice ring to it and meets the truth in advertising requirements.

Bring back the stocks, I have a small whiny irritation what needs dealing with.
Jangari (Wednesday 16 May 2007, 8:06 am) #

Since you’ve closed commenting (by edict only) for the Iain Hall post, and since I wanted to comment on Cooper’s, I’d best do it here! (You asked for it)

Now, I’m very disappointed to learn that Cooper’s gives political donations to the Liberal party, I may have to seriously reconsider my tastes. But did you know that Cooper’s is the only commercially-available beer in Australia that’s vegetarian-friendly? The rest use gelatine derived from beef skin for filtering.

Does anyone know the political donations of breweries such as Little Creatures, or Matilda Bay? I can’t go back to the bland, empty-tasting crap that CUB or Lion Nathan urinates into the market (apart from Squire, which I understand is Lion Nathan).
Club Troppo » Thursday's Missing Link on Friday (Friday 18 May 2007, 10:49 am) #

[…] follows a very discussion in the comments thread. The Editor at GrodsCorp detects a certain inconsistency between the PM’s insistence, apropos of the bullying policy, that money can’t solve […]
templemonkey (Sunday 20 May 2007, 5:36 pm) #

Looking at John Howard’s craven toadying to Murdoch, GWB, etc it is fairly clear that he was a victim of bullying himself.

I understand from an exerpt of his biography that he was teased a lot when he was younger for having to wear hearing aids.

Some children when bullied try then to suck up to the bully, become their best friend and use their favorable position to then bully other children. From here, throughout their life, they commonly seek positions of power over others in order to become the bully that they feared so much in the first place.

Sadly, this appears to be the path that JWH has taken for himself. Numerous reports of how he treats subordinates bears this out.