As ever Graham makes some interesting observations, but I would like to add my views as a School Governor.

Cyberspace has allowed for relatively anonymous and safe location for the posting of any malicious views whether about children or teachers. Much harder to detect than graffiti in the toilets or opinions scratched into desks.

Last year I challenged Facebook over some reprehensible comments I found there about a teacher whose only failing was to be too successful. Posted by a sullen student who had been held to account they were quickly removed and Facebook threatened to boot off the user for any repeated behaviour.

So while Ed Balls 'must try harder' he does identify a problem that is not limited to lampooning bad teachers.

Keep up the good work Graham!

Equally good teachers can fall foul of a bad system. One that makes it harder to allow teachers to perform to their best ability. Thus making life difficult not only for them but, perhaps most importantly, the children also.
The problem relating this to business is that for teachers it's harder to stop the education authorities 'doing bad things'.

In my day teachers were themselves taught in disciplined environments and consequently the standard continued up to the point when the politically correct do gooding socially aware spanner was thrown into the machine. The ability to responsibly discipline our children was removed and made a dirty word. This rot began over a generation ago thus when parents have little respect for teachers what hope do teachers have of support from them at home - where discipline and values should begin.

Most who received an education in the 50's and early 60's will recognise the difference in standards between then and now. The social trend of glorifying stupidity and headlining heroes with almost no discernable talent or skill whatsoever combines with TV broadcasters current fixation with chewing gum programming for the mentally dead to create an environment that can only continue to undermine personal and social responsibility.

My teachers were on the whole capable and responsible despite possessing the invariable personal foibles of our species. All were a pretty good shot with a stick of chalk and never treated their right to discipline us as currency. If we must trust in anything let us trust teachers to have at least a little more positive effect on our children’s future than the marketing team at McDonalds.

What a load of tosh. It's not political correctness (attacks of which are the last refuge for soft racism). I think the 'rot' began when communities were taken apart in the Thatcher era and given over to those only interested in profit and not people. This is surely illustrated in your comment re McDonalds, these are the very corporations that are looking to take over schools in the 'academy' rip off.

I am inclined to think that the rot began before the Thatcher era, perhaps with the tampering of the grammar school system by an altogether different sort of government. I would maintain that corporations and communities can coexist and in fact have absolutely no choice anyway thanks to another all together not so different government. My observations regarding discipline are based on the logical premise that all societies need discipline, stability, law and structure to succeed. As a soft racist (we all are, even the righteous ones) and a childless second rate citizen (taxpayer), I confine my contribution to the next generation to correcting poor speech and clipping the 'yoof' lightly around the ears when necessary; sure in the knowledge that by the time my case comes up for sentencing I shall be feeding worms - now they do have a future!