Snow blocks Tory New Cross Invasion

Snow and ice came to the aid of New Cross yesterday, as it prevented a visit by Tory leader David Cameron and his new pal Carol Vorderman. They were apparently due to visit Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham college (sites in Pepys and Jerningham Roads) to launch a new inititative on teaching maths.

Brockley Central has already noted that 'Vorderman is uniquely qualified to lead such a project, having capitalised on her adding-up skills to trouser a fortune plugging loan companies to the innumerate' (see Recess Monkey for more details of her dubious doings). In any event, even if Vorderman can add up that hardly makes her suited to reviewing the complex task of teaching numeracy. Still who needs educationalists when you can get washed up celebrities to determine education policy?

Wonder why Cameron chose Aske's? Politicians of all colours normally want to use schools within a short hop of Westminster (i.e. in inner London boroughs) for their publicity visits, and it is very hard for a school to say no to a visit. So maybe we shouldn't read too much into it. On the other hand, Telegraph Hill is the kind of demographic - often leftish middle class with memories of the days when the word 'Tory' was inevitably followed with the word 'scum' in everyday conversation - that Cameron hopes to swing with his faux 'I am a nice caring Liberal' routine. Whether the senior management of Aske's are cosying up to to Tories is another matter- even if the school does seem to go for a pseudo-Etonian ethos of private school trappings (ludicrous gowns for instance) and Victorian homilies ('serve and obey' is the school motto - hardly likely to encourage independent learning).

Anyway, snowballs at the ready in case there's an attempt to restage this visit.