Troops in schools
Following the NUT’s vote to ban troops from schools, I wrote to all my secondary schools. I am delighted to report that all of them said they welcome visits from the armed services (one was just about to welcome the Marines) and would continue to do so. Quentin Davies - the Tory MP who defected to Labour - has just prepared a report for Brown which has been given as an exclusive to The Observer. It claims that there should be cadets in every school, and all secondary school children should be taught how to handle firearms. This is not as barmy as it sounds - teaching children to handle guns properly is far more likely to teach them to respect the deadly nature of the weapon and could (I know it sounds counter-intuitive) reduce the use of guns. However, the report is presumably uncosted, and apart from a quick headline and a re-announcment in six months’ time, nothing will actually happen.