Academies Bill [Lords]

No, I do not have much time. In June 2010, the Liberal Democrat Education Association said:"““Liberal Democrat Party members call upon their MPs and Peers to vote against the Academies Bill. The present Bill did not form part of the published coalition agreement. The Bill is wasteful of resources at a time when public expenditure is under extreme pressure, and does not meet the coalition's aim for a fairer society.””" We shall see how many Liberal Democrat MPs and Peers follow that advice tonight. It was not so long ago that the hon. Member for Brent Central (Sarah Teather), now a Minister in the Government, described the free schools policy as a ““shambles””. I should like to remind her that she also said:"““Unless you give local authorities that power to plan, it is just a gimmick. Giving schools a fancy title—be it 'free school' or 'academy'—and allowing disparate groups of parents, charities or other organisations to run or 'sponsor' them will not magically transform them.””" I wonder what has transformed her attitude and opinion. The Bill will visit huge injustice upon those children and young people who most need our help, and it will cause confusion, worry and division for children and parents everywhere. By elevating market mores above the core principles of co-operation, accountability, democracy and equality, it will turn our education system into a dismal experiment in educational Darwinism. It will be the survival of the fittest and the demise of the rest. The consequences could be calamitous for tens of thousands of children and take decades to reverse. Education—[Interruption.] Conservative Members should calm down; they will like the next bit even better. Education is a public good, not a private commodity. The common good is served not when parents and children engage with schools as consumers pursuing relative advantage, but when they act as citizens and partners who understand their crucial role as co-creators of learning and educational success. For these reasons, we strongly oppose this Bill and we urge all right-thinking hon. Members to do the same.