Labour in turmoil, a childcare crisis and TV on demand
GORDON BROWN’S premiership was in crisis during this week of 2009, after Labour suffered a drubbing in both European and county council polls.
The party’s vote crumbled and the PM had to face down moves against him at a meeting of the Parliamentary Party. He admitted his own flaws, but called on cabinet loyalists to stand firm.
Chancellor Alistair Darling acknowledged that Labour was to blame for the success of the British National party at both sets of elections through its failure to spell out a clear vision.
In an interview he gave a damning commentary on his party’s failures, saying: “People felt disillusioned with us and didn’t vote for us. That’s our fault. We should be able to inspire confidence.”
He said he expected to work “as closely as ever” with Gordon Brown, despite the failed attempt by the prime minister to install Ed Balls, the schools secretary, as chancellor in the previous week’s reshuffle.
There were fears of a summer holiday childcare crisis for British families, with the news that there were almost 10,000 fewer childminders in the UK than six years previously.
The most dramatic drop in numbers had come in the previous year, and was blamed on the Labour government’s so-called ‘‘Toddlers’ Curriculum’’.
The figures, released in parliament to the Liberal Democrats, showed a six-year fall in the number of carers looking after under-eights, with the level dropping from 70,000 in 2003 to 60,900 in March 2009.
In the previous 12 months there had been a more dramatic loss of 4,000 childminders.
Liberal Democrat education spokesman Annette Brooke warned of a crisis in the summer holidays, a time when parents often need extra childcare.
She blamed the introduction of the Early Year’s Foundation Stage (EYFS), which has been dubbed a curriculum for toddlers.
“The government’s overly prescriptive and bureaucratic approach to pre-school care is causing childminders to turn away from the profession,” she said.
The controversial EYFS was introduced the previous autumn, setting out 69 “early learning goals” for five-year-olds.
President Obama rounded off a trip to the Middle East and Europe with a visit to the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy.
He gave a stirring address, emphasising D-Day’s ‘‘lesson’’ – that human beings determine the course of history.
“Our history has always been the sum total of choices made by each individual man and woman,” he told more than 7,000 guests, including hundreds of war veterans. Looking out over the rows of gravestones of 9,387 American soldiers, the President spoke of the “unimaginable hell” faced by the US troops who landed “just a few short steps away” from where he stood.
Channel 4 was to become the first UK broadcaster to put its back catalogue online completely free of charge – giving viewers the chance to watch every episode of homegrown shows such as Brass Eye, The Camomile Lawn and Father Ted without having to buy a DVD box set.
Within weeks, more than 4,000 hours of the channel’s archived content – about 10,000 programme titles – would be added to the 4oD catch-up service.
Communications minister Lord Carter predicted that within a decade there would be a “completely ondemand TV world”.
– Sheena Hastings
Alistair Darling acknowledged that Labour was to blame for the success of the British National party.