Educayshun, Eddukayshun, Edyoucaishn British Style

Not content with screwing up the state education system, the government is now looking for ways to screw up home schooling: 'Home teaching could mean abuse'. Since terrorism seems to have dropped off the agenda, child abuse is moral-panic-excuse de nos jours for Labour.

Unfortunately, the people who run the whole show are either illiterate or suffering from administrative logorrhoea, hence 'Literacy minister told to use plain English in reports'.

Labour Already Has The Answer To Child Abuse

In all the coverage of the dreadful 'Child P' case and the arguing in parliament, I have not yet heard a single mention of Labour's system to 'stop this ever happening again'. Otherwise known as Contactpoint, which is due to be in place by the end of 2008.

It strikes me as odd that Labour have not trumpeted this is as their big new answer, having spent years dreaming it up and spending vast amounts of money on it.

Conjured up after the Victoria Climbie case, it bears all the marks of New Labour: it's a technological response to human and system failure; it's also intrusive, authoritarian, unethical and open to misuse. And it will prove inefficient and expensive.

If anyone has heard mention of this in the media I would be grateful for information. They seem to be ignorant of its existence or unwilling to mention it - or confront the government with it.