The Association of College Teachers has announced that 2000,000 adult educations and training places will be lost in September at the start of the next academic term because of a sudden change in government policy. They want to save £55 million by cutting subsidies, which will cause the closure of part-time and evening courses at Colleges of Further Education.

Fees to students, many of them pensioners, who are studying computing, DIY, art and languages could be increased 4 times, which would reduce the take of places, and hence the closure of courses. Adults wanting to study A-levels could suffer badly.

Government has instructed funding bodies to re-direct the savings at 16-19 year olds who have poor skills in maths and English. It has set targets for these to obtain GCSE level qualifications in these subjects.

The continuing crisis in schools, caused not least by all the changes in education policy, the introduction of excessive bureaucracy and the concentration on testing and achieving government set targets rather than giving teachers the time and support to teach, could be the reasons why standards are so low.

This must be an embarrassment to the government after coming into power with the continually trumpeted slogan: education, education, and education. After 9 years in power, it appears they have failed on their promises to children and young adults. The consequences will now fail adults, to whom they have promised life long learning opportunities for the interest and leisure. It will also leave them less able to find jobs.

The manifestation of a New Labour managed financial crisis after their taking up a third term in government is becoming apparent after being elected on their apparent effective management of the economy. The planned reduction in wages for most workers in the public sector by using job re-evaluation as a cloak for cuts has now become more pressing because of the developing economic crisis. The attempt to implement the cuts has started in Coventry by the City Council, and Coventry University is expected to follow soon to carry out drastic cuts.

If this works in Coventry, the model and tactics employed are planned to be used throughout Britain to make massive government savings over the long term. The financial problems of the government seem to be deepening rapidly, with the continued announcement of job loses. Until recently this has been restricted to the manufacturing sector, which has been decimated in recent years. It is now affecting the service sector, with retail businesses announcing daily the shedding of jobs; Matalan, the large retailer announced job losses today.

It could be that the British capitalist economy has entered the spiral of recession. The this Labour government, like all ardently pro-capitalist governments before it, will make: the poor; the precarious; workers, many of whom are already low-paid; students, who will have to pay more fees for courses that wont get them jobs; and pensioners, whose pensions have been stolen from them by financial institutions and big business, will suffer greatly in the future. Why? To keep the profits of businesses that can survive steady, and keep the wealth and privileges of the more powerful increasing, as has been happening in recent decades.

The question is whether the Labour movement can defend the attacks on workers, and people can defend the services and opportunities they deserve and have paid for many times over. New Labour policy defends the rich and powerful. Will they get away with it this time? It might be the time for people to take control of their lives by producing what they need and providing the services and educational opportunities they want and need, because clearly this government and private business can not deliver the goods.

We can teach our children to read and write, and provide services, nut the middle men who take the profits and have the power and control and rewards that go with them, can not. Why don’t the middle-men get cut out so the job can be done efficiently and delivered collectively? There’s no reason , other than we are led to believe that we cant fend for ourselves and need the likes of new Labour and rich and powerful people to decide and tell us what we need. It’s realising that we are being deceived then deciding to by-pass the liars and fraudsters who are leading us to ruin, and suffering again.

Any suggestions how we stop them?