It seems that on the first day of electioneering, the tories have been a bit fast and loose with their claims, at least according to the IFS
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/david-camerons-claim-that-labour-would-raise-taxes-by-3000-is-not-sensible-says-the-ifs-10144367.html

But then, when has telling the truth ever been a priority for Mr. Shapps. Apparently when challenged on the figure of £3000 he admitted it was a guess “because Labour hadn’t been specific about their plans'”!

This latter point was also picked up by the IFS report which said they, and to a lesser extent the Tories, are not clear in explaining how they would achieve their stated aims.

http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/7678

i agree entirely Moggy.
This was an episode of bullying, plain and simple.

There is an argument that one should fight back against a bully, indeed as a 14 year old I did exactly that when being bullied at school after putting up with a whole series of ‘Scuffles’ for a year or so. In my case it stopped the physical attacks but exacerbated verbal ones which carried on until I grew to 6’2″
However realsitically this is not going to happen in many cases for quite a number of reasons,and this snippet from an american CNN site puts it quite well I think.

“This type of “superior force” advice shows a lack of appreciation for the complexities of the bully-victim dynamics of today’s world, where bullying often takes place in new arenas, such as on the Internet. Sure, if a victim fights back and flattens his bully, the bully tends to back off. But what if the bullies are hiding behind computer screens? What if the target is physically incapable of taking down the bully, which is more often the case?
The truth is that there are many bullying situations in which the victim cannot simply beat up the bully and end the problem. The very nature of bullying renders victims fearful, frozen and incapable of defending themselves. According to bullying researcher Dan Olweus, bullying is characterized by three factors:
1) It is repetitive 2) It is unwanted (not two-way teasing where both parties are having fun, but instead a situationwhere someone is on the receiving end of taunts and aggression). 3) It takes place in the context of a power imbalance (a bigger kid against a smaller kid, or multiple kids against a single kid, or a kid with more social capital against a kid with less social capital).”
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/31/living/bullying-fight-back/
The third case is appears to have been the case in North Yorkshire, the big kid had much more social capital.
I would add that some bullys will back off if hit because they never want to be hurt and hope intimidation is enough. Other types actually want you to fight back because they enjoy then battering the other guy into a pulp.

For invention
http://youtu.be/_ve4M4UsJQo
For humour
http://youtu.be/h6vZ7vPdeiQ

To be pedantic (again, sorry) you should really have said ‘as with everything else in my opinion you have it completely wrong’.
If I were to counter ‘but I know I am right’ would be to fall into the position of Gove, IDS et al. who insist something it true ‘ because I believe it to be so’ even in the face of considered scientific or factual evidence presented to them. How one interprets evidence is a very personal thing of course, that is why we are all different, but to ignore it because it is inconvenient is not intellectually sound ( although we all do it to a certain extent- mea culpa)

Pob may have ‘made every effort to separate State Education from left wing political control’ but he, like you, assumed most of those in the education establishment are left wing. My local education Authority has been run by Tories for decades, they were proud to advertise that their spend per pupil was below the national average for those decades, but I would think that they would be most aggrieved to be called left wing. I know that they did not like the destruction of local democratic control over schools in their county because of the enforced acadamisation of secondaries and primaries.

Personally I believe that Gove was pushed by Dave because he could see that he was becoming an election liability.

Yes, I do take your point, the rabble are still in place and predictably still, our young people leave State education largely innumerate and illiterate.

I should know.

Oh really, why is it that more young people are attending university and completing apprenticeships than ever before. This would not occur if they were “largely innumerate and illiterate” as this suggests that the majority are effectively innumerate and illiterate which is not true.

I would agree that the current system does not encourage independent thought and good study skills as it is so target led which discourages deviation from rigid pathways which means that teaching away from the specifications set by the exam boards in state secondary schools is a luxury that rarely happens. The Gove ‘reforms’ actually make this situation worse.

The failure in the system is that failure is not an option.

Gove ? Quite probably the best Education Minister we’ve had in recent years. He certainly took the battle to the heavily politicised, left wing union rabble that presently control our State education system.

But he did not win those battles, the ‘rabble’ are still in place, he is not, thank goodness. The Blob prevailed.

No, his policies will be shown to be taking the education system up a dead end in most cases. His shake up of the post 16 exams system is not supported by the universities. This government has wasted many millions on ideologically based Free Schools that have been shown to be no better than existing schools in the main, and worse in a number of cases. A ‘light touch’ approach to their governance has allowed corruption and bigotry to flourish. He was a disaster waiting to happen, hence is removal by his friend Cameron as a liability. To have an idealogue who would not recognise when he was wrong even in the light of overwhelming evidence was not the right person to be education minister. He has shown similar ability as a whip. Undoubtedly a cultured and personable man, but not a good minister and poorly advised by his Spads.

Poor Mr.Gove, Downing Street have said that Cameron has “full confidence” in him as Chief Whip. Watch this space…