This, of course, is stock Tory stuff: he claims that such progressive ideas as child-centred learning had "reactionary" outcomes, and that "if you come from a poorer household where you don't have your own bedroom, where the only printed material is the Daily Star, then school is the only place you learn and progressive methods let you down".
Experts fear a disastrous effect on the social housing stock, but the Tories insist they would ensure "one-for-one replacement".
The Tories are now a laughing stock at the European parliament as their most senior MEP, Edward Mcmillan-Scott, has been expelled from the Tory MEP group as he refused to make way for a Polish MEP from the homophobic PiS party.
His role in defeating AV, and campaigning successfully for Tory councillors, has also revived his stock among the Conservative right.But he will need all the political capital he has mustered.
A BBC Panorama investigation, broadcast last Monday, suggested that the Tories' former deputy chairman had misled the stock market about his links to the firm.
John Major's "back to basics" campaign, launched at the 1993 Tory party conference, was thus rendered a laughing stock.
But Labour, unlike the Tories, has no hang up about councils owning stock and acting as developers.
The Lib Dems have been told the Tory housing minister Grant Shapps is looking for ways to increase the stock available to the swelling numbers on the waiting list.
Employment: President & Chief Scientific Officer: DementiaGuide, Inc.; Stocks: DementiaGuide, Inc. Legal Proceedings: Expert witness for Tory's LLP, on behalf of Eisai and Pfizer Canada.
