Heffer spikes Michael Howard's grammar schools article

Rumours around the Westminster village yesterday suggested that today would see an article appear in The Telegraph in which Michael Howard would question the new Tory policy on grammar schools.  I was told that The Telegraph was "excited" by the piece. 

A member of Michael Howard's office confirmed the existence of the article yesterday morning.  When David Cameron's office heard the same rumours they rushed to persuade Mr Howard to dilute the article.  The operation was so successful that Simon Heffer has declined to publish it.  The episode is only the latest example of the difficult Telegraph-Cameron relationship - brought into focus again yesterday by WebCameron's attack on the "near hysterical" Telegraph.

A YouGov poll in this morning's Telegraph found that 49% of voters support a mixture of grammar schools and secondary moderns.  Support increases to 71% amongst Tory voters - a figure nearly identical to ConservativeHome's January 2006 finding that 73% of members oppose David Cameron's 'no more grammars' pledge.

The Times notes that David Willetts sought to defuse MPs' anger by offering to "repeal laws that allow parents to vote to scrap existing grammar schools".

Comments

[ChrisC]

I'm not a Tory member, but have do ask: why does this debate have to be conducted via articles in the press?

Is everyone concerned so vain?

[simon]

Oh dear, if Cambo's managed to persuade Howard to 'dilute' his planned Telegraph piece it shows he's worried. Very worried. If he wants a 'full and frank' debate about policy why try and shy away from Howard's point of view? Tactically, it was a very stupid thing to do. For both of them. First , for 'team-Cambo' to interfere with the proposed column. Second, Howard for allowing 'team-Cambo' to interfere. So much for a change from the odious merchants of spin currently entrenched in the bunker...Downing Street!

[Man in a Shed]

If Michael Howard wants somewhere else to publish his article - I'll be happy to oblige.

There's no pretending this hasn't happened. Labour party supporters are already seeing this as the green light to abolish all Grammar schools and selection.

This needs sorting.

[HF]

How much longer is the Telegraph going to employ the UKIP supporting Heffer?

Of course the other issue is why our PR staff continue to cock things up?

[Frank McGarry]

It is shocking that Cameron is bullying Howard and censoring his writings. It is also shocking that Howard allows him to.

Stifling the views of those who disagree with you is not the way a leader should lead. He should be able to engage in debate and persuade us of the virtues of his views.

But when he finds that 71% of Torys don't agree with him he should change his policy - or change his job.

[TomTom]

Funny headline...it is clearly not Howard's article but one penned for his name by Conservative Central Office......no reason for any newspaper to accept such pieces, it is at their discretion.

If the Conservatives are so enthused about this piece publish it on their own Website.

How much longer is the Telegraph going to employ the UKIP supporting Heffer?

Interesting question but not one for political parties. It was tiresome to hear of Mandelson threatening journalists with him whispering to their proprietors in bed..... it gets to the point where I think politicians should stop interfering in the media

[James Hellyer]

The Times notes that David Willetts sought to defuse MPs' anger by offering to "repeal laws that allow parents to vote to scrap existing grammar schools".

Hang on! If the grammar school system is supposedly failing bright but poor children, surely we should want to keep mechanisms in place that would allow parents and local organisations to replace them with schools that don't have the same failings.

Or is the message here getting hopelessly mixed?

[Richard]

49% in favour and the opposition split between pure comprehensive and partially comprehensive. Will Cameron follow public opinion on this one?

[Thomas Bridge]

How much longer is the Telegraph going to employ the UKIP supporting Heffer?

As long as they want?

I'm not Simon Heffer's hugest fan, and I'm saddened he sees fit so support UKIP over the Tories, but the Daily Telegraph is not the Tory Pravda, nor is it desirable that it should be.

[malcolm]

A couple of questions. Simon Heffer is not the editor of the DT. Why does he therefore have a veto of what appears or doesn't appear within its pages?
James Hellyer 14.04 Exactly!

[Oberon Houston]

James & Malcolm: Does seem a strange thing to say. Did he actually say that?

[Oberon Houston]

Thomas: You a right. But with Murdoch & the BBC against us, to have the right wing press working against us too is fustrating. Heffer is in danger of turning what could be good constructive challenge of party policy into a vindictive crusade. Just why the Telegraph are determined to undermine the Conservatives beats me, the whole thing could prove destructive for everyone in the end.

[sbjme19]

It would be nice to have at least one national daily supporting the Tory leadership.

[Matt Davis]

Perhaps Oberon it is not so much a case of the Telegraph undermining the Conservatives but rather more a case of the Telegraph objecting to what it see as the Cameron clique undermining the Conservatives and conservatism.

[Scotty]

"Heffer is in danger of turning what could be good constructive challenge of party policy into a vindictive crusade. Just why the Telegraph are determined to undermine the Conservatives beats me, the whole thing could prove destructive for everyone in the end."

Agree with your comments Oberon regarding Simon Heffer, be interested to know what the Telegraph sales figures are like these days?

With regard to grammar schools, I am more interested in finding a solution to our very damaged curriculum and exam system which is in danger of not being worth the paper it is written on. Now that is harming all children of various abilities or social background.

[Mark Wadsworth]

Thomas Bridge and others, I don't think that Simon Heffer has changed his tune greatly over the years, if anything he has got more moderate.

Simon Heffer supports UKIP's policies by default, they are saying what he has always been saying.

[Simon Chapman]

Apparently DC has tried to compensate for our disappointment at not seeing Michael Howard's article by putting one of his own in today's Evening Standard.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6669291.stm

Any chance of a full version anyone?

[malcolm]

The Telegraph is now selling barely 900,000 copies a day which is the lowest it has been in my 20 years in the industry. Having said that it is still by a wide margin the market leader and the sales of all the other broadsheets are declining too.
I didn't see much support for Cameron/Willetts in the Times either and the other two are unlikely to have many Conservative voters. Whilst Cameron is right not to announce policy to curry favour with powerful media owners as Labour does it might be helpful to have some support for the ideas from somewhere!

[Occasional Visitor]

"It would be nice to have at least one national daily supporting the Tory leadership.
Posted by: sbjme19 | May 18, 2007 at 14:38"

Just as it would be nice to have at least one major political party leadership reflecting the feelings of many Daily Telegraph readers.

[Editor]

Simon Heffer is Comment Editor of The Telegraph, Malcolm.

[jorgen]

Excellent said, Occasional Visitor.

So, Michael Howard has gone wet too. A shame.

[James Hellyer]

So, Michael Howard has gone wet too.

He went the way of the modernisers long ago, he just thought he wasn't the right man to sell that line at a general election.

[Sean Fear]

"It would be nice to have at least one national daily supporting the Tory leadership"

Well, the Guardian's quite supportive.

[Oberon Houston]

The 900,000 figure includes bulk low cost sales. For full rate sales, i.e. what you & I pay in the shop, the Telegraph is currently on (18th May) 408,226 versus The Times which is on 426,698.

The data is held at "www.abc.org.uk", you need a subscription to access the trend data, but current is free.

[Oberon Houston]

James, you are rght, but interestingly he initially thought Cameron was too young and inexperienced. Ironically it was Cameron who 'converted' to the moderniser camp very late on, for a long time he was sceptical about the need to change.

[Jennifer Wells]

Fascinating Oberon. I hadn't realised things were that bad for The Telegraph.

[ToMTom]

Who buys newspapers.....people without internet connection ?

[Thatcherite]

"So, Michael Howard has gone wet too. A shame." Howard confirmed his wetness when, contrary to normal practice, he secretly became a Patron of the Tory Reform Group whilst he was Leader.

Liam Fox, on Howard's instructions, threated the 2004 European candidates with deselection if they did provide written support for Howard's deal with the EPP.

Howard may have been a social authoritarian but he was also a Europhile wet - not "one of us" as the Iron Lady used to say.

[michael mcgough]

So censorship is now as rife as positive discrimination in the Conservative party.

[welberry]

I don't think this is as straightforward as is being made out.

What is clear is that htis has been a huge PR cock up for the Tory press office and bodes ill for the Brown era if the same amateurs who have let this get out of control remain in place.

[Denis Cooper]

James Hellyer @ 14:04 -

"If the grammar school system is supposedly failing bright but poor children, surely we should want to keep mechanisms in place that would allow parents
and local organisations to replace them with schools that don't have the same failings."

Good and logical point, but surely it should go beyond that to a promise that all these failing grammar schools will be shut down and replaced by a better type
of school. To do any less would be to allow this harm to the children to continue indefinitely. How could that be right?

[Andy Cooke]

James at 14:04"Hang on! If the grammar school system is supposedly failing bright but poor children, surely we should want to keep mechanisms in place that would allow parents and local organisations to replace them with schools that don't have the same failings. ".

Probably because they don't cause any harm to anyone and, although not enough of the poor-but-bright kids get in, "For those children from modest backgrounds who do get to grammar schools the benefits are enormous".

That's why. Although they aren't THE solution (freeing up schools and then moving to education vouchers is the solution), they do no harm and do some good (although not enough to justify a programme of mass-openings - which would in any case distract from the core solution of freeing schools from state control.

Did any of the members who are railing against the lack of a massive programme of grammar-school openings belong to the Party in the days of the Thatcher and Major Governments? And if so, why didn't you tear up your cards then in protest?

[Scotty]

"Did any of the members who are railing against the lack of a massive programme of grammar-school openings belong to the Party in the days of the Thatcher and Major Governments? And if so, why didn't you tear up your cards then in protest?"

Mrs T, had the same problem when she became a tory leader in opposition. Don't tell anyone but she really really wanted to win a GE and knew that she only had one chance to do it. She also knew that she needed to attract a few more than the party faithful or core vote and that meant occasionally having to think about how she was going to sell a policy to them which might attract those votes.
David Cameron might be better sitting down with her or Major to have chat about how you convince some in the party that it is not unprincipled to want to appeal to the majority of voters when trying to win GE's.
It is not unprincipled to want to gain power when you are elected leader of the main opposition party, it is in your job description!!!

[Traditional Tory]

If Simon spiked the Howard article it clearly wasn't worth reading. It's always refreshing to turn from the latest PC witterings of the Bluelabour Mafia to read Heffer's sound Tory commonsense.

And wasn't that article by Alice Thomson a turnup for the book? Cameroon support is haemorrhaging fast.

[tired and emotional]

Alice Thomson's support is nothing to boast about - anyone remember her hagiography of Muhammad Bari? Sickeningly supine.

[Traditional Tory]

Mrs T, had the same problem when she became a tory leader in opposition. Don't tell anyone but she really really wanted to win a GE and knew that she only had one chance to do it

Oh right, Scotty. So you mean that in order to win that election Mrs Thatcher told the electorate she didn't believe in Grammar Schools.

Whatever she may have done, or not done, subsequently she actually gave people the impression that she and her government would favour grammar schools, but then you wouldn't know would you Scotty because you were either in short pants or wherever it is babies come from.

Some of us were out there rooting for her. WE do know what we're talking about.

[TomTom]

Alice Thomson's support is nothing to boast about

Is her husband called Edward Heathcoat-Amery ?

[Sean Fear]

Actually, Thatcher was accused of pandering to the core vote "retreating behind the privet hedge", by those who believed the job of the Conservative Party was to conserve socialism.

Her approach was to win over non-Conservatives (many Southern and Midlands working class voters) to core Conservative policies.

That's not really the approach that's being pursued today.

[tired and emotional]

I don't know...

[William Norton]

Traditional Tory:Cameroon support is haemorrhaging fast.

Control Tower to Porky Pig, you are cleared for take off...

[Scotty]

Mrs Thatcher wanted to win a GE and she knew she had one chance to do it, now some people might prefer to gloss over the problems she faced from the minute she chose to take on Ted Heath right up to the 79' GE or they can try being a bit more honest about the hurdles she had to overcome to take the party with her.

[Traditional Tory]

Traditional Tory:Cameroon support is haemorrhaging fast.

Control Tower to Porky Pig, you are cleared for take off...

Oh really William. Well I would say that what I've been reading here from former slavish Cameroons added to that surprisingly good article from the hitherto sycophantic Ms Thomson could be indicative of trouble to come.

Not to mention d'Ancona - but of course his wife works for Brown, so perhaps we should not be surprised.

In may not be the beginning of the end for Cameron but it is most assuredly the end of the beginning.

[Traditional Tory]

All right Scotty. We'll buy it from Scotty the Scot from that highly-successful wildly Cameroon association sited at some unspecified location in Bonnie Scotland.

What exactly was Mrs Thatcher's message about grammar schools which you keep telling us was a crucial election-winner back in the 70's?

Beam us up!

I was only a YC Chairman at the time so I obviously wouldn't remember...

[Scotty]

"All right Scotty. We'll buy it from Scotty the Scot from that highly-successful wildly Cameroon association sited at some unspecified location in Bonnie Scotland."

Your back, and sadly as unpleasant and creepy as ever!!!

[Traditional Tory]

Your back, and sadly as unpleasant and creepy as ever!!!

So true Scotty, but do we get an answer?

[Editor]

Let's not make this personal pleeeease!

[TomTom]

In may not be the beginning of the end for Cameron but it is most assuredly the end of the beginning.

It seems that a modern Conservative Party can only be led by a Grammar School boy rather than Old Fogeys from Eton in frock coats and membership in gentleman's clubs in London

[RodS]

Why this obsession with 'schools for poor kids' why are they poor ? Inadequate parents most likely - - that is the issue and you will never solve it. Aspiration is the quality to be encouraged - read John Kampfer in the Telegraph today.

[jorgen]

Scotty: ... how you convince some in the party that it is not unprincipled to want to appeal to the majority of voters when trying to win GE's.

All very good, Scotty, but noone ever doubted that Lady Thatcher was a real Conservative with capital 'C', whereas with Cameron, it's the other way round.

[RodS]

Why this obsession with 'schools for poor kids' why are they poor ? Inadequate parents most likely - - that is the issue and you will never solve it. Aspiration is the quality to be encouraged - read John Kampfer in the Telegraph today.