SF will/will not take part in education initiatives sponsored by newspapers – delete as appropriate?

I’m sure by now John O’Dowd is used to digging the Education Minister out of a hole, but I wonder if he would’ve expected her to land him in one?

On Monday’s Nolan show (circa 30mins in) he was very clear that SF doesn’t like, support or take part in campaigns sponsored by newspapers. He dismissed the talks emerging out of the Belfast Telegraph’s ‘Sit Down – Sort it Out’ campaign on the grounds that they are ‘driven by a profit-making private corporation’. O’Dowd went on to laud the Education Committee as the appropriate body for discussion and gave listeners an enthralling lesson on the roots of its constitutional legitimacy all the way back to the Good Friday Agreement.

It would be interesting to know what he thinks of the Belfast Media Group’s new campaign to ‘end the 11 plus’? His colleague Catriona Ruane is certainly fulsome in her praise, “I commend the Belfast Media Group in initiating this campaign”.

And just as an aside, since the Minister takes great delight in tell anyone who is still listening to her the 11 plus has “gone” why is she supporting a campaign to end it?

I’m not sure even a grammar school education would help you figure out that little conundrum?

Oul Micky Hoot