On 10 April, the Financial Times described how the fund managers of many of the largest investment houses “have already started buying companies and sectors that could do well under a third Labour administration”. Apparently bookmakers and fund managers do not see the Tories sneaking into power by the “back door”. Perhaps of more significance is the fact that even if Labour were to lose all 72 seats that it holds with a majority of 5,000 or less (an inconceivable outcome) it would still have an overall majority of 13.But Labour supporters still have a choice to make. What encouragement can this, and a photocopied signature from Tony Blair, possibly give to the children of this country? With Labour policies of “Education, Education, Education” I ask Mr Blair what educational value a response like this can have to a 10-year-old child.GUY PHILLIPSLEDBURY, HEREFORDSHIRE Tactical voting can put a curb on Blair Sir: It is surprising that the Labour leadership’s claim that “a vote for the Liberal Democrats could help the Conservatives win” is still taken seriously.Three days before the election, Ladbrokes was offering odds at 25 to 1 on Labour and 8 to 1 against the Tories.

Together with our G7 colleagues, we are going beyond the requirements of the HIPC Initiative, by writing off 100 per cent of all bilateral debts for HIPC countries.”I am sure you can imagine my pupil’s excitement at receiving a reply, only to be extremely disappointed when she tried to comprehend its content. I recently delivered a lesson to a class of nine- and 10-year-old children on the topical issue of poverty in Africa. It was a very emotional lesson, showing the plight of a young girl of six, who lives on the streets and cares for her two-year-old sister.In response to this lesson a 10-year-old girl in my class, who had clearly been moved by what she had seen, decided to write to Mr Blair to ask him what his government were doing to tackle the problem. I am sure Mr Blair will agree that initiative like this is exactly what we should be encouraging from the next generation.While I praise the Labour administration for their rapid response, I would like to ask who they thought they were addressing. As part of the National Curriculum children are taught to consider the audience for which they are writing. Here is an extract of the letter received: “Already, through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, over $US 70 billion in debt relief has been agreed for countries that have demonstrated their commitment to poverty reduction.

Education, education: a 10-year-old’s introduction to politics

Education, education: a 10-year-old’s introduction to politics
Sir: I am a primary school teacher in rural Herefordshire. The chairgod said yes, it had been, but he had meanwhile received notes from both of them saying there was nothing new to discuss.More from the gods soon..
More from Miles Kington. There were roars of laughter, and cries of “Nice one, Anglican God”.16. The chairgod said he took this to mean that the idea of there being anything interesting to say about a British election was laughable, and proposed a move to the next item on the agenda, which was to fix the date of the annual picnic.17.