08 April 2005
Mass voter apoply?
I was in the staffroom about a month ago, we were doing quite a bit on the pensions campaign and I hadn’t decided to stand yet. A very hard working head of department, who I have a lot of time for, approached me a little sheepishly.
“Here Tom, this pensions thing, I don’t want to sound selfish but does it effect me”
We had a laugh because for the first time he was glad to be that little bit older as it means his pension would be honored. However, being a good sort, he stopped laughing pretty quick when I told him that if I lived to an average age I stood loose nearly £60,000 and that Blair’s pension was going to be £175,000 a year. We had now been joined by several other hard working colleagues and a ripple of abuse moved down the staff room.
“What’s the point in voting for any of them, that’s it, I’m not f****g voting”
was the response from the committed and politically aware head of department who has already spent more than 25 years teaching. He certainly does not agree with Blair when he says education is one of the governments successes.
A recent poll said that 68% of teachers voted Labour in 1997, 42% in 2001 and it is predicted that only 29% will this year. What is most interesting is that only 1% more teachers are predicted to vote Tory and 2% Liberal Democrat. Staff rooms up and down the country must be full disenfranchised people. Teachers, like so many others, are not apathetic they are just apoplectic.
I decided then that it was only right to stand. Support for Respect, already strong amoungst colleagues, is rapidly growing amoungst the staffroom cynics.
“Here Tom, this pensions thing, I don’t want to sound selfish but does it effect me”
We had a laugh because for the first time he was glad to be that little bit older as it means his pension would be honored. However, being a good sort, he stopped laughing pretty quick when I told him that if I lived to an average age I stood loose nearly £60,000 and that Blair’s pension was going to be £175,000 a year. We had now been joined by several other hard working colleagues and a ripple of abuse moved down the staff room.
“What’s the point in voting for any of them, that’s it, I’m not f****g voting”
was the response from the committed and politically aware head of department who has already spent more than 25 years teaching. He certainly does not agree with Blair when he says education is one of the governments successes.
A recent poll said that 68% of teachers voted Labour in 1997, 42% in 2001 and it is predicted that only 29% will this year. What is most interesting is that only 1% more teachers are predicted to vote Tory and 2% Liberal Democrat. Staff rooms up and down the country must be full disenfranchised people. Teachers, like so many others, are not apathetic they are just apoplectic.
I decided then that it was only right to stand. Support for Respect, already strong amoungst colleagues, is rapidly growing amoungst the staffroom cynics.
