Featured on Radio 4's Today over a month ago, with same explanation from Balls. Then takes tabloids 3 weeks to notice. Then gets denied again.

I prefer to think of bonfire night as something to keep MPs nervous though these days they seem to have such thick skins and an overwhelming belief in their own infallibility that I doubt anything gets through to them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jV2Mjc_kkY - heartwarming stuff.

Now that HMG is recording every website we visit and every email we send doubtless I'll be on a list somewhere for watching that clip.

K.

Every so often a report will declare that children should be taught 'relevant' skills. The government will wait to gauge public reaction before declaring 'only kidding'.

Proponents of this witless pandering to fashion always miss the point that new activities like Twatter and MeSpace are taken up and popularised by people without any relevant training or qualification.

The skills children *need* to be taught are the basic ones: literacy and numeracy. Understanding and critical thinking build on these through science, history, geography, literature, languages, crafts and so on. Music, drama and physical education complete the picture.

Our society and economy needs people who are adaptable, flexible and creative rather than the drones required by the new Statism.

'"also wrote the world's most popular phone hold music"

Citation please? Or at least some hint as to the punchline...'

You see? This is what happens when you stop teaching history.

There's a myth that Henry VIII wrote "Greensleeves", tinny renditions of which can be heard on cheap phones with a "hold" facility.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greensleeves#Greensleeves_and_Henry_VIII

The Spanish Armada was an even bigger threat than Groove Armada

Bollocks! The Spanish Armada didn't actually damage anything in Britain, whereas groove armada...

*shudder*

'"also wrote the world's most popular phone hold music"

Blimey - Henry VIII penned Vivalidi's Four Seasons? So much more to the big ginge than offing the missus and putting the monasteries into solution...

Henry didn't write Greensleeves (I assume that's what you were referring to), it's a myth.

Even Wiki knows that: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greensleeves

Mind you, it's fun to suggest that he did to a music historian and watch them turn red :-)

Well it would be nice that the teachers are actually teaching something they'll understand for a change.

Unfortunately it's not what's needed.

The vast majority of IT teachers seem to be so scared of the technology (or more specifically the students breaking it) that they won't let the students do anything, and consequentially most of the students only learn to be scared of the technology.

I love the idea that children won't discover social sites or Google unless they're on the curriculum!

I'm Henry the 8th I am,

Henry the 8th I am, I am...

Funny, don't remember hearing that while on hold. :)