:32:08. > :32:13.Welcome to the Baltic shore in the South West.
:32:13. > :32:19.Few issues in education divide people as sharply as drum --
:32:19. > :32:25.grammar schools. -- welcome to the Politics Show. Some people say they
:32:25. > :32:32.brutally brand most children as failures by the age of 11. The
:32:32. > :32:37.Conservative's party's previous pledge to build more grammar
:32:37. > :32:43.schools has been replaced by a ban on building any at all. Mr Cameron
:32:43. > :32:49.said it was an outdated mantra that poor no reality to real life. One
:32:49. > :32:53.Conservative MP was calling for more of them.
:32:53. > :32:57.Some politicians cannot resist boasting about him.
:32:57. > :33:02.This grammar-school boy is not going to take any lessons from that
:33:02. > :33:05.public school boy... Others loathe them.
:33:05. > :33:08.The they are effectively private schools without the fees.
:33:08. > :33:12.They still have fans in high places...
:33:12. > :33:17.These are excellent schools. Though others would much rather
:33:17. > :33:19.move on. It to a pointless debate, and I am not in politics to waste
:33:19. > :33:28.time and. Was debates.
:33:28. > :33:36.But it -- if there is one -- I am not in politics to waste time on
:33:36. > :33:39.pointless debate. In the 1960s, the comprehensive
:33:39. > :33:45.system arrived, and over the next few years there was great pressure
:33:45. > :33:49.to scrap grammar schools. And they went in Cornwall, Somerset and West
:33:49. > :33:54.Dorset, but there were pockets of resistance in parts of Devon that
:33:54. > :34:02.succeeded. There are grammar-school sin
:34:02. > :34:08.Plymouth, Torbay and East Devon. Seven in the county, 164 and the
:34:08. > :34:12.country. -- there are grammar- school staff in Plymouth.
:34:12. > :34:17.Education secretaries like David Banque -- David Blunkett had
:34:17. > :34:20.aspirations to abolish them which came to nothing. David Cameron said
:34:20. > :34:28.this. The policy idea that has been
:34:28. > :34:32.knocking around for a long time is completely delusional. It is not
:34:32. > :34:37.something the Conservatives did for 18 years in power. It is not
:34:37. > :34:41.something we would do if elected. Yet, only this week there was a
:34:41. > :34:45.debate on grammar schools in Parliament. Conservative MPs lined
:34:45. > :34:49.up to sing their praises. provide a social mobility and
:34:49. > :34:55.opportunity for thousands of children each year and are a hugely
:34:55. > :35:01.popular with pupils and parents alike.
:35:01. > :35:05.I hope the department can consider allowing academies that it did not
:35:05. > :35:08.previously select on academic ability to do so.
:35:08. > :35:13.There are no plans for more grammar schools, but the Government has
:35:13. > :35:18.said existing grammar schools can expand because it has changed
:35:18. > :35:23.admission chords to boost numbers are good schools. But what does
:35:23. > :35:27.that mean in practice? Paul Evans is the head teacher at the scrum a
:35:27. > :35:34.school in east Devon. It is one of the most successful schools in the
:35:35. > :35:39.country, with 800 pupils drawn from the surrounding region Mike. --
:35:39. > :35:43.head teacher at this grammar school in east Devon.
:35:43. > :35:48.The intake is unlikely to rise despite changes to the admissions
:35:48. > :35:56.policy. We would inevitably compromised
:35:56. > :36:00.what we were doing. Occasionally we may ask independent panels to take
:36:00. > :36:04.individual pupils on, but the consequences are that they are
:36:04. > :36:08.sitting two to a desk or sharing a computer, that does not want in the
:36:08. > :36:12.long term. The principle remains - grammar
:36:12. > :36:17.schools could expand, and that is something that upholds those who
:36:17. > :36:22.think they distort and disrupt the education system. -- that horrifies
:36:22. > :36:26.those. This former teacher is strongly opposed to the idea and
:36:26. > :36:30.dead set against anything that would allow grammar schools to get
:36:30. > :36:34.bigger. I want to see children go to their
:36:34. > :36:39.local school and mix with local strata so they learn to get on with
:36:39. > :36:42.everybody, not just an elite from wealthy backgrounds who are highly
:36:42. > :36:47.intelligent. But it is those academic success
:36:47. > :36:53.levels which, for some, makes the idea of expanding grammars schools
:36:53. > :36:59.an appealing prospect. A around 1050 grammar school pupils
:37:00. > :37:04.were studying at Cambridge and Oxford in 2009. 98 % of pupils
:37:04. > :37:10.achieved five or more GCSEs, including cheap -- English and
:37:10. > :37:14.maths, compared to 57 % nationally. Most grammar schools are
:37:14. > :37:20.oversubscribed, with the 11-plus exam used to select pupils,
:37:20. > :37:24.something that can be too much for those who don't make it.
:37:24. > :37:26.And think it is devastating. Imagine telling a child of 11 they
:37:26. > :37:31.are a complete failure. It is socially divisive.
:37:31. > :37:37.If but for those who get in, rewards can be extraordinary. Last
:37:37. > :37:43.year, 20 of the school's student made it to Oxford or Cambridge.
:37:43. > :37:49.Easy to see why some want more grammar schools.
:37:49. > :37:52.I enjoyed by the Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton.
:37:52. > :37:54.You have grammar schools in your constituency and you're supportive,
:37:54. > :38:00.and you would like to see more of them.
:38:00. > :38:05.Yes, that is an excellent school, I supported 100%. I want to see
:38:05. > :38:10.choice, and we have academy status now, and if some of those academies
:38:10. > :38:14.would like to have a selective programme -- selective process I
:38:14. > :38:18.think we should. Grammar schools can be complementary. I don't
:38:18. > :38:23.believe they are divisive and I think they bring people up socially.
:38:23. > :38:29.Many grammar-school boys have come from very poor backgrounds to go on
:38:29. > :38:32.and do extremely well. It is a case of giving schools choice and making
:38:32. > :38:36.sure we have technical schools that can link in with apprenticeship
:38:36. > :38:40.schemes. The problem with the grammar school system was we did
:38:40. > :38:44.not spend enough money on those he did not get to grammar school. I
:38:44. > :38:49.did not get to grammar school, I went to an agricultural technical
:38:49. > :38:52.school, but I do not consider myself a failure. I do not want to
:38:52. > :38:57.force anyone, I would local academies to be able to make those
:38:57. > :39:00.decisions. We talk about grammar schools, but
:39:00. > :39:06.selection is the distinguishing factor, and you would like to see
:39:06. > :39:10.the option of schools selecting. I think so, because if you can
:39:10. > :39:15.concentrate those who are extremely academic together, it is not about
:39:15. > :39:20.privilege, it is about intelligence and lifting people up. Then you can
:39:20. > :39:25.also look at schools where people are more technically aware going
:39:25. > :39:29.into practical type subjects, let's have some help for them, as well.
:39:29. > :39:32.Let's not only considered one grammar schools, but I think where
:39:32. > :39:36.there are academies who think they can be complementary to the
:39:36. > :39:40.education system, let's give them the choice to be able to go and
:39:40. > :39:42.select if they want to. Have you any idea how many
:39:42. > :39:48.selective academies you would like to see?
:39:49. > :39:52.No, I do not put down numbers, because what I don't want is to
:39:52. > :39:57.force schools into grammar school status. But I do not want them to
:39:57. > :40:01.not be able to go down that route if they choose to. For generations,
:40:01. > :40:08.governments have been far too prescriptive about education, and I
:40:08. > :40:12.thought the whole idea of a our education policy was to give local
:40:12. > :40:18.governors more freedom in education. The reality at the moment, under
:40:18. > :40:23.the law, parents can decide to close down a grammar school through
:40:23. > :40:27.a ballot, but they cannot decide to create one. How do you feel about
:40:27. > :40:32.the shift in Conservative policy since David Cameron took over?
:40:32. > :40:34.that is what I believe is wrong. You cannot have a one way thought.
:40:34. > :40:40.You cannot have a one way thought. I think you should be allowed,
:40:40. > :40:44.parents and governors, they should be allowed to vote on whether they
:40:44. > :40:49.would like to create a selective grammar school, as well. Then there
:40:49. > :40:53.is equal status. Altogether, it is about local people having the
:40:53. > :40:58.choice and looking at how a grammar school may fit into a given area.
:40:58. > :41:02.The last thing I would want to do is forsworn on anyone, but why
:41:02. > :41:05.should you only be able to force grammar schools to close down, but
:41:05. > :41:13.in the areas where they would like to see another grammar school you
:41:13. > :41:18.are not allowed that thought. David Cameron had some pretty
:41:18. > :41:22.damning things to say about people, like you, who want grammar schools.
:41:22. > :41:24.What do you think about that? What do you think about that?
:41:24. > :41:25.What do you think about that? Myself, as a self-made man who led
:41:25. > :41:29.Myself, as a self-made man who led to a secondary school to finish my
:41:29. > :41:35.education, I think I am well placed to be able to say, if we want war
:41:35. > :41:41.grammars schools, it is not a good privilege, it is about giving local
:41:41. > :41:45.people a choice. -- if we want more grammar schools. Let's not be
:41:45. > :41:49.dogmatic about it and make it for perhaps politically correct reasons.
:41:49. > :41:58.Let's bring people up through a system which will pull them up
:41:59. > :42:05.through their bootstraps from all You wear a Euro-rebel couple of
:42:05. > :42:08.weeks ago, that is an issue for the Conservatives. How much is this
:42:08. > :42:13.issue of grammar schools are running sore in the at Conservative
:42:13. > :42:18.Party? It is not a running sore, I think
:42:18. > :42:22.it is right we should have discussion, like a referendum on
:42:22. > :42:26.Europe. The Conservative Party is quite an independent bunch, and I
:42:26. > :42:35.think that is what our Prime Minister needs to realise.
:42:35. > :42:41.Earlier this year, a Somerset was dubbed a philistine County Council
:42:41. > :42:44.when the authority became the first to cut its programme for arts. It
:42:44. > :42:50.says it is having to implement the cuts as the Government is reducing
:42:50. > :42:54.funding. Six months after the cuts, have the curtains closed on the
:42:54. > :42:58.Somerset arts? He hello, Mr council leader, give
:42:58. > :43:05.me my money! I have not got any money, goalie!
:43:05. > :43:09.For people involved in the arts, it is no punch and Judy joke. This
:43:09. > :43:14.time last year they were fighting for funding.
:43:14. > :43:17.Armed with a cake showing the money for arts as a slice of the
:43:17. > :43:22.council's budget, dozens of protesters marched on a council
:43:22. > :43:26.meeting to decide their fate. Famous faces were concerned for
:43:26. > :43:30.their country's future. Somerset County Council is the
:43:30. > :43:36.first council in the UK to do this. It is lunacy.
:43:36. > :43:42.This is not a boat as as preposterous account -- actors
:43:42. > :43:47.making pleas, it is about art for everyone.
:43:47. > :43:52.Somerset's cuts meant all 10 arts organisations lost their grants
:43:52. > :43:55.from April. Six months on, have they won their fight to survive?
:43:55. > :44:04.At this theatre, they were worried about having all Grant taking no
:44:04. > :44:08.way -- taken away? You is that funding and you have to
:44:08. > :44:13.try and find a different future, and if they can't they want, and
:44:13. > :44:16.you will see places closing next year, I am sure of it. If they can
:44:16. > :44:20.adapt and find different uses for their buildings, then they will
:44:20. > :44:25.survive. Adapting is the key for these
:44:25. > :44:28.artists meeting in Taunton. They are all having to work for less
:44:28. > :44:34.money -- with less money, but none have folded.
:44:34. > :44:39.At some stage we need to arrive at the position of clarity on what the
:44:40. > :44:46.direction for the future will be, and we will have to make decisions
:44:46. > :44:49.on whether the programme develops in a more commercial sense. He for
:44:50. > :44:54.some theatres, technology is the future.
:44:54. > :44:58.This theatre has fewer actors on its stage and is beaming in
:44:58. > :45:03.productions, instead. As we reduce the number of
:45:03. > :45:10.companies to perform live on our stage, we may well increase the
:45:10. > :45:13.number of companies we see on our cinema screen.
:45:13. > :45:17.People in Somerset have been fantastic, the way they have
:45:17. > :45:26.responded. I have heard of stories of fund-raising events, there is a
:45:26. > :45:30.real spirit. There is a concern that spurred me flag at some point.
:45:30. > :45:36.What does the poster boy of the anti- cuts campaign made of things
:45:36. > :45:40.six months on? I am seeing-to month -- two things,
:45:40. > :45:50.firstly a remarkable trench spirit is developing. Companies are
:45:50. > :45:52.determined not to bore down and are exploring ways to save a leaky ship.
:45:52. > :45:59.Artists will continue to produce great work, however much they
:45:59. > :46:03.suffer, and perhaps it is a good idea to suffer, they will perhaps
:46:03. > :46:08.produce greater work - again not buy that. There is a determination
:46:08. > :46:13.to survive, come what may, but it cannot be on these terms, when all
:46:13. > :46:17.people are doing is surviving. Gathering friends is the key to
:46:17. > :46:23.survival for many of these groups. As long as that lasts, the curtains
:46:23. > :46:27.will not come down on them for good. In a statement, Somerset County
:46:27. > :46:36.Council told us it was committed to supporting organisations within the
:46:36. > :46:40.creative industries sector. They have set up the Creative Industry
:46:40. > :46:43.Development Fund which helped set up new opportunities in the arts
:46:43. > :46:47.sector. The eyes of the world are focused
:46:47. > :46:52.on the euro, with many questioning the wisdom of the currency in the
:46:52. > :46:57.first place. In Cornwall, there are moves to create a much smaller
:46:57. > :47:01.currency that we are accustomed to. Advocates say it would help keep
:47:01. > :47:07.spending in Cornwall and help the local economy.
:47:07. > :47:11.It may seem a long way from home, but global -- the global financial
:47:11. > :47:15.crisis is prompting calls for radical thinking to protect
:47:15. > :47:18.Cornwall's economy. Business seems brisk on a wet
:47:18. > :47:24.November day in Truro, and some believe the money changing hands
:47:24. > :47:29.here should be kept in the county by creating a Cornish currency.
:47:29. > :47:36.We are at the beck and call of the smashed -- financial markets, and
:47:36. > :47:43.we need a debate on how to make our communities more resilient. It is
:47:43. > :47:50.about how to have a currency which can be linked to sterling which can
:47:50. > :47:54.then keep wealth in Cornwall. But how would it work practically?
:47:54. > :47:59.Ian James says the logistics needs some thought, but points to the
:47:59. > :48:03.success of other complementary currency schemes abroad and at home,
:48:03. > :48:07.including one in Devon. The Totnes pound has been in circulation since
:48:07. > :48:11.2007, and concurrently be used in around 70 shops and businesses
:48:11. > :48:17.around the town. This is one of the issuing points
:48:17. > :48:21.when I can exchange sterling for Totnes pounds. Now I have one, I
:48:21. > :48:28.can assure you how it works. I have come across the road for a
:48:28. > :48:35.cup of tea, because my pound cannot believe Totnes. Like having a gift
:48:35. > :48:39.voucher, you literally get like for like. The sterling behind the
:48:39. > :48:47.Totnes pounds is used to offer short-term interest -- low-interest
:48:47. > :48:50.loans to local businesses. Those involved say the �6,500
:48:51. > :48:55.currently in circulation make up a small amount of the town's economy.
:48:55. > :49:02.We wanted it to be the first step on an exploration of the
:49:02. > :49:06.infrastructure we need to support our robust local economy, to try
:49:06. > :49:13.and avoid the leaky bucket syndrome where money leaks out of the time.
:49:13. > :49:18.Saw, could this small scheme like the one in Totnes be a success
:49:18. > :49:23.across the county? I think it would be successful if
:49:23. > :49:27.the local authorities agreed to take it as taxation payment.
:49:27. > :49:33.But there is caution over the river. The man in charge of the economy
:49:33. > :49:37.and regeneration in Cornwall council says the power is already
:49:37. > :49:42.with the local communities. The plumber, electrician and
:49:42. > :49:44.carpenter I employ all love local to me. The money I spend on them
:49:44. > :49:48.they keep in Cornwall spending on services.
:49:48. > :49:53.Is it not the nature of an economy that you have to look Edwards,
:49:53. > :49:57.rather than inwards? Yes, and to do that you have to
:49:57. > :50:01.encourage businesses to Cornwall and for existing businesses to grow
:50:01. > :50:05.and trade outside Cornwall. It is not about a separate currency, it
:50:05. > :50:08.is about bringing work into Cornwall.
:50:08. > :50:12.It is claimed local complementary currencies Fife in times of
:50:12. > :50:16.economic hardship, but when a leading economist thinks, beyond
:50:16. > :50:21.the symbolism of a bank note, it is a non-starter.
:50:21. > :50:26.He is no reason Cornwall could not have its own bank notes, like
:50:26. > :50:31.Scotland has, but it is not viable for it to have its own central bank.
:50:31. > :50:35.It will not have its own monetary policy, just like I presume it will
:50:36. > :50:40.not have its own army. It has been tried before in
:50:40. > :50:44.Cornwall - in the 1970s notes were issued by a pressure group, but
:50:44. > :50:50.that did not work out and people intrude all seem divided on whether
:50:50. > :51:00.it would work now. Cornwall could stand on its own, we
:51:00. > :51:00.
:51:00. > :51:03.have mining, tourism, farming and fisheries. He bit in Cornwall and
:51:03. > :51:07.get some proper border controls in place.
:51:07. > :51:14.It is confusing enough now, it would confuse us even more, I think
:51:14. > :51:18.it might give it at try, why not? E Ian Jones says she is trying to
:51:18. > :51:22.raise the debate about the importance of supporting local
:51:22. > :51:27.economy in the face of huge global challenges. His first challenge may
:51:27. > :51:31.be getting the idea of a Cornish currency of the ground at all.
:51:31. > :51:34.That is almost dead from the South West this week, but there is just
:51:34. > :51:39.time to bring you an update on a story we covered a couple of weeks
:51:39. > :51:45.ago. Cornwall councillors were due to make a decision on a plan to
:51:45. > :51:50.close half the 20's toilets. The county has shelved the plans to
:51:50. > :51:54.spend more time assessing the impact of potential changes.