Quote of the day

"When it comes to extending opportunity - there is a right track and a wrong track. The right track is to recognise the causes of stalled social mobility and a lack of economic opportunity. Family breakdown. Debt. Addiction. Poor schools. Lack of skills. Unemployment. People capable of work, written off to a lifetime on benefits. Recognise those causes, and the solutions follow. Strong families that give children the best start in life. A great education system that helps everyone get on. A welfare system that encourages work - well paid work."

It's baffling and depressing that David Cameron somehow thinks he's on the "right track". If he genuinely wants to address "the causes of stalled social mobility and a lack of economic opportunity" and to promote "strong families that give children the best start in life", then he could begin by ringfencing funding given to local councils to run childrens' centres. It's all fine and well to talk about the importance of schooling, but kids are already five years old by the time they get to that stage, and the damage may well already have been done.