Bolt Fluffs It

Andrew Bolt is blind when it comes to supporting the ALP. It isn't wrong to support them, and one hopes that one day they might do something worthy. But he hasn't found the issue he wants to find yet.

Bolt is talking up Rudd's education vision. He presaged the announcement with an attempt to direct credit to Gillard for getting a policy right. But that is unfair. This policy is the closest to one that Rudd can produce. And it isn't his. Or Gillards.

The policy belonged to Dr Nelson and the previous conservative government. It had been shelved in 2001, possibly because of the difficulty in overcoming state opposition to a conservative plan. Such opposition was shown at work over the water ways, and education would have been an easier area to abuse.

The announcement and speech by Rudd are fine. But the detail is missing. The thing that makes it a Rudd policy is the truth that Rudd will not accept being criticized, ever. The conservatives will not criticize their own plan. The states recognize Rudd needs a win on something. The unions need to be seen to be bent over to the ALP government. All will rejoice until an actual policy is made, and detail is given. Paying some teachers more will mean paying others less. That means some good teachers will miss out, because they are being abused by the teacher authorities, whose job is to cover up.