tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31588679.post3413077212092562524..comments2023-10-21T16:25:58.899+01:00Comments on Three Score Years And Ten: The Destruction of Adult Education.Harry Barneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600933854461096745noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31588679.post-32026609560422640292008-04-24T11:15:00.000+01:002008-04-24T11:15:00.000+01:00Tony Taylor: You are correct to say that the assau...Tony Taylor: You are correct to say that the assault on liberal adult education can be traced back to the establishment of the FEFC. In 1992 I served on the Standing Committee of the Further and Higher Education Bill which set up the Funding Councils and at the time I expanded upon the sytle of arguments posted above in vigously opposing the measure. In those days, what I said was still in line with Labour Party policy.<BR/><BR/>Earlier I was on the Standing Committee for the initial Student Loans Bill (1990-1) which also hit access to Adult Education Colleges. Again, Labour policy was at the time still in line with my stance. <BR/><BR/>In the early 1990's I was with a number of Labour MPs who met with Tim Eggar the Tory HE and FE Minister in a failed effort to save the traditional two year courses at Ruskin College.<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, New Labour built on the Tory's foundations.<BR/><BR/>It will link to your web-site. I notice that Malcolm Ball is part of your collective.He has arranged for me to address a session at Wortley Hall in June on Iraqi Trade Unionism.<BR/><BR/>Thank Marilyn for her good wishes. My own wife, Ann undertook Youth and Commnunity work until I became an MP. The Gosforth Youth Centre in Dronfield has a "Barnes" room which is named after her.<BR/><BR/>If you are not already aware of the blog of "Fat Man On A Keyboard" who has similar interests to your own, a link can be found at the close of the original item I posted above.Harry Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01833380054575757928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31588679.post-30668290578503047722008-04-24T08:34:00.000+01:002008-04-24T08:34:00.000+01:00HarryYou won't remember me from Adam, but our path...Harry<BR/><BR/>You won't remember me from Adam, but our paths crossed in the mid-late 80's, when I was a District Community Education Officer in Derbyshire and active in the Chesterfield Labour Party.Any road thanks for the link to the Guardian piece on Adult Education. The irony is that a version of this critique about the attack on liberal, adult education could have been written 20 years ago. Indeed in the early 90's, when back in Wigan, as an Education Officer responsible for AE, I fought a losing battle against the impact of FEFC funding upon a rounded, eclectic, even wonderfully eccentric 'evening class' curriculum. In all of this the WEA were amongst the few allies.<BR/><BR/>I haven't a blog, but coordinate a web site on behalf of a loose, pluralist, but critical and dissident group of youth workers, community educators and voluntary activists at http://www.critically-chatting.0catch.com<BR/><BR/>The strong anti-New Labour sentiments to be found there are not just ultra-left prejudice, but rather reflect people's responses on the ground to its 'social liberal' policies.<BR/><BR/>Oh, and Marilyn Taylor, my wife sends her best wishes. From around 86-90 she worked for NE Derbyshire, setting up the PR/ Media/ Communications Unit [not sure what the original title was].<BR/><BR/>Hoping you're in good fettle<BR/><BR/>Tony TaylorTaylorakishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16449135769780567910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31588679.post-83639288735027106322008-04-17T09:16:00.000+01:002008-04-17T09:16:00.000+01:00Mavis: Unfortunately, I am unable to access your b...Mavis: Unfortunately, I am unable to access your blog. If you click into "Adult Education" shown at 'Labels' at the end of this post, you can trawl down to some other items I posted related to this topic.Harry Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01833380054575757928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31588679.post-77486414481031589222008-04-17T00:11:00.000+01:002008-04-17T00:11:00.000+01:00Harry,Successive goverments fo not want people to ...Harry,<BR/><BR/>Successive goverments fo not want people to be taught how to think, that is too dangerous. They aim for robots.<BR/><BR/>The WEA taught me how to think and stood me in good stead. The Miner's Welfare taught my parents how to think. <BR/><BR/>I sometimes think in these latter years, yet the people in power would repeal the 1944 Education Act if they could.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com