SIR DOT Bob is now heavily involved in the campaign to save grammar schools, so he may be able to cast some light on last week’s report in the Daily Telegraph that ministers had said Ripon would face the first ballot.
This came as “something of a surprise” to local abolitionists, according to the Say No to Selection campaign.
No one had bothered to tell them - they believe they’re still waiting for confirmation that the signatures they’ve collected to trigger a vote are valid - a process which seems to be taking
anage.
More surprising was the DFEE’s comment that none of the other campaigns around the country was “anywhere near reaching the 20 per cent target”.
There is a reason for this. Most of them, Kent in particular, are still waiting to hear how many signatures they need, despite lodging applications with the Electoral Reform Ballot Services as far back as September.
A Say No spokesperson says ruefully: “There seems little concern on the Government’s part about this.”
Well, democracy is a slow business.
