NOT the Majority Opinion

I think TB is right in what he is trying to do. Many people disagree. One thing is certain: He can deliver his political message in a very powerful way.

Tony Blair has described trying to get his flagship schools reforms through the Commons as a "highwire act". More than 90 Labour MPs oppose the plans for the introduction of trust schools with greater independence. At his monthly media conference, he said: "It's a bit of a highwire act... because I've got significant numbers of my own side who are against it." The issue raised "very, very important" questions for Labour about the role of central and local government, he added. He said he had no intention of losing the legislation and said he simply wanted to "level up" standards, adding that the reforms were not a return to academic selection.

"Whenever I look at education, I speak as a parent first and as a politician second," he said. "I know what I wanted for my own children, what I want for my own children and that is what I expect other parents to want and our job should be to help them to get it, not to stand in the way of them and say we know better than you what's good for your child." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4639030.stm