Notes on the Front

David McWilliams excellent article on early education hit the nail on the head, stating that early intervention at pre-school and early primary level was the most effective way to combat educational disadvantage and close the performance gap between students.  However, he did considerable injustice in the uninformed comment that political parties aren’t interested in the issue:

‘Long-term gains don’t interest political parties . . . there are few votes in a strong vision for the longer-term.’

Well, that’s news to the Labour Party and anyone else who reads newspapers.

In the last month they have released nine statements on the priority that must be accorded free, universal pre-school education.  It featured prominently in Labour spokesperson’s replies to the budget (as in, there was no government investment).

The urgency of early education was again highlighted in the widely reported Putting Children First policy document, which itself was developed from the Tackling Educational Disadvantage policy document.  Not surprisingly, the evidence that Mr. McWilliams cites in his article also featured prominently in these two documents.

In case anyone was any doubt, Pat Rabbitte, TD made free and universal pre-school education the first of the party’s five Commitments to Change – a series of commitments that are tantamount to non-negotiable demands for entry into any government after the next election.  That it was first shows how seriously Labour takes the issue.

Maybe we shouldn’t expect commentators to trawl through party websites to get a sense of how important they take this issue.  But in this instance all one had to do was read the paper – specifically the Irish Times in which Mr. McWilliams was writing in.  The paper quotes Pat Rabbitte

"I will make it a personal priority of mine to ensure that this (free pre-school education) . .  will happen. I am giving my personal guarantee to voters that they will happen."

Another article prominently featured this pledge with the headline:  ‘Labour Pledges to Give One Year’s Free Pre-school.’

Noel Whelan devoted an entire column on Labour’s pledge, asking valid questions regarding its cost and implementation.

Jan O’Sullivan, the party’s spokesperson on Education, filled nearly an entire page on educational issues, highlighting the very issues Mr. McWilliams raises and re-iterating Labour’s non-negotiable demand.  In fact, pre-school education was the very first item she mentioned in writing about what she would do if she were Minister.

And all the above references don’t include the coverage of Labour’s pledge and free pre-school policy in other newspapers and RTE.

Maybe its understandable that some commentators get cynical about the, at times, desultory state of political debate (though occasionally they should ask themselves whether they have in any way contributed to that state).  Nonetheless, it is incumbent upon commentators not to give in to superficiality when analysing parties’ positions on key issues.  It doesn’t take much work. 

And, in this instance, all Mr. McWilliams had to do was read the papers.