EDUCATION Secretary Charles Clarke is intent on crushing anyone who opposes this New Labour government, and also shows that when it comes to education, Clarke & Co are completely out of touch with the reality.

We hear typical comments from Clarke accusing un-named Local Education Authorities, of not passing unsubstantiated quantities of funding to unknown schools.

And when it comes to the lack of funding for our schools do we believe Charles Clarke or the headmasters?

Challenge

Now, Clarke has turned his attention on the National Union of Teachers who dared to challenge the professional reasoning behind the classroom assistants being promoted by a government which previously claimed that only higher standards of teachers were acceptable for our children.

With Charles Clarke this has nothing to do with schools reform, but simply taking on Doug McAvoy and union-bashing the NUT.

BRIAN HUNT,

Worcester.