Victory for parent power

The Labour Government's backdown on its schools closure programme will further stoke the anger of thousands of families caught up in the current reviews, says National Education spokesman Bill English.

Education Minister Trevor Mallard is still to confirm the closure of up to 71 schools in areas around the country, including Invercargill, Upper Hutt and Timaru.

"I am urging the Minister to back away from this savage culling and go easy on these schools," Mr English says.

"It's unfair to proceed with closures in Timaru and Invercargill when other communities will now have no closures. Seventy-one schools will close just because the change in political polls was three months too late.

"Today's announcement has made parents even angrier

"The Minister has an obligation to act consistently and listen to the concerns of parents in these areas.

"Other communities have been saved by Labour's backdown.

"The decision is a reaction to the significant pressure applied by communities and spear-headed by National through our "skools" website and postcard campaign.

"Communities are telling us that any changes to schools should be driven by parents' choices and local control.

"Labour has paid a heavy price for being out of step with public opinion again."

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>