So are our 9,000 11-plus failures sheep or goats...ask the Tories!

According to the Daily Torygraph, the Conservatives made clear yesterday that there would be no return to grammar schools.

Michael Gove, shadow spokesman for the children, schools and families signalled that there would be no revival of the two-tier education system that split pupils into the "fortunate and the forgotten".

He told the party conference: "Instead of two nations, instead of the educationally rich and the knowledge poor, sheep and goats, the fortunate and the forgotten, we should have an education system which overcomes disadvantage, unlocks talent and unites our country. That is my vision and it should remain our mission."

Well that's clear then.

Of course, Mr Gove was anxious not to re-kindle the self-inflicted Grammar Wars within the Tory Party. So he didn't mention that following Cameron's priceless u-turn in the summer, official Tory policy is for MORE Grammar Schools to be built in places that already have them.

Like here in Lincolnshire, for example, where more than 9,000 children attend 19 Secondary Modern schools because they failed their 11-plus.

Are these the sheep or goats, Mr Gove?

Grammar Wars: Roger Helmer's helpful words of advice for David Cameron...

More welcome words of advice for Conservative Leader David Cameron who has been under intense pressure since Gordon Brown became Prime Minister.

Today's call for a new direction is from Roger Helmer, East Midlands Conservative Euro-MP, who helpfully re-opens Tory Grammar Wars which exposed David Cameron's poor judgement and hopeless leadership.

Roger's views are published at Conservative Home .

Right-winger Roger is also chairman of something called The Freedom Association.

He suggests putting Graham Brady in charge of schools...remember Graham Brady?

He's the Tory MP who lost his job on Cameron's front-bench for standing up for Grammar Schools after Cameron said it was wrong to separate children into 'sheep and goats' at the age of 11.

Ironically Mr Brady lost his job for promoting a way forward which became official Tory policy a few days and a u-turn later.

I'm sure Dave is all ears...

Cameron fails to reach key Midlands and North voters, says senior Tory...

David Cameron fails to impress voters in key areas of the Midlands and the North where the next general election will be decided...Who says so? Er, the Tory MP who quit Cameron's front bench over the self-inflicted Grammar Wars saga.

In an interview with the BBC's World this Weekend Graham Brady MP adds to the Tory Leader's current crisis by saying David Cameron's appeal is limited to urban liberal circles around London.

I presume Mr Brady is not including urban liberal circles in the London Borough of Ealing where Cameron was humiliated last week when his hand-picked candidate managed only third place in the Ealing Southall by-election after standing for David Cameron's Conservative Party.

UPDATE: Meanwhile, today's Sunday Telegraph reports that David Davis, Cameron's rival for the Conservative Party leadership - has made what it calls an impassioned plea to Tories to rally behind David Cameron.

The Telegraph says Davis's intervention came:

after Mr Cameron's most difficult week as Tory Leader and amid barely disguised panic over a nine-point Labour lead.

The Torygraph says the Tories have been in disarray since coming third in the Ealing Southall by election and a badly timed trip to Rwanda while flood ravaged parts of Britain - including his own constituency.

Torygraph admits 'massive boost' for Gordon Brown

Even the Daily Torygraph admits that the defection of Quentin Davies to the Labour Party is a massive boost to Gordon Brown on the eve of him becoming Prime Minister.

The Torygraph also prints Quentin's full - and lengthy - resignation attack on David Cameron in all its detail.

Well worth reading.

UPDATE: Gordon Brown has welcomed Quentin to Labour saying he's highly respected by all sides in Parliament.

Gordon Brown said:

Quentin Davies is a senior parliamentarian and he commands respect on all sides for his expertise and his dedication to public service, and I welcome him to the New Labour party.

On Sunday, I said I was determined to reach out to those who share our values and who would like to be part of building a more just society.

I said we had to reach out to people who want to change from the old politics, who yearn for a public life founded on principles, who are inspired by what we as a nation can achieve together - and asked them to join us. I am delighted that Quentin Davies has done so today.

What a tremendous start to a new era for our country.

UPDATE 2: FT says it's a 'massive blow' to Cameron.

More farce in Tory Grammar School wars...

Lincs MP John Hayes has joined the chorus of Tories backing more Grammar Schools - with words that would probably have earned him the sack from David Cameron's front bench just a couple of weeks ago.

In an article in the Spalding Guardian, headlined MP passionate in support of grammar school system MP for South Holland and the Deepings, John Hayes says he supports what he calls his party's new policy on the creation of grammar schools.

Mr Hayes' former colleague on the Tory front benches Graham Brady lost his job for much less passionate support for building new grammar schools after Tory 'Leader' Cameron condemned the 11-plus as wrongly splitting children into 'sheep and goats'.

But Mr Brady made his remarks before Cameron's complete cave-in and collapse, as the rebellion at every level of his party threatened his leadership.

Mr Hayes, a Shadow Education Minister is now able to say that he backs his party's latest position, which supports creating new grammar schools in areas like Lincolnshire which still has selection at secondary level - and which Mr Cameron condemned as not the right way forward just days before his u-turn.

Mr Hayes told his local paper:

I am passionate in my support for the local grammar schools and the system they are a part of.

I am proud of them and I am delighted the party will continue to support them as pledged.

They are doing an excellent job and if Lincolnshire should need to build additional schools in the future due to a growing population, that would be granted.

So now Cameron is stuck with a policy that was precisely the opposite of the one he set out to achieve.

When Cameron opened up the grammar school debate last month (when he was trying to shut it down!), he claimed it was all about leadership...

Now everyone can see exactly what he means!

Day 24 and the Tory Grammar mutiny gets deeper as Lincs MP wades in ...

Day 24 in the Tory Grammar School debacle and the self-inflicted war inside Cameron's Conservatives goes on at every level.

A leading Lincolnshire Tory MP has waded into the row that his Leader David Cameron desperately tried to shut down weeks ago. And for good measure, Cameron's rival in his leadership contest has 'stuck the knife in'.

Today's Mirror reports that the Tory mutiny has deepened as David Cameron was knifed by David Davis:

Davis, the shadow Home Secretary, set himself at odds with Eton-educated Cameron by insisting grammar schools helped boost the chances of children from less welloff backgrounds.

Davis, a former grammar schoolboy, pointedly reminded viewers during the interview on the BBC's Sunday AM show that he had backed selective schooling during the 2005 Tory leadership contest - which he lost to Cameron.

Davis's intervention will be a bitter blow to Cameron, who is desperately hoping the education row will die down.

Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph reports that Cameron's hopes of drawing a line under the split have been dealt fresh blow as a leading Conservative MP has joined Chris Woodhead, the former Chief Inspector of Schools, to back selective education.

Lincolnshire MP Edward Leigh, the Tory chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, and Mr Woodhead argued that it was "irrational" to oppose calls for the creation of schools to cater for the most academically able.

Edward Leigh's determined intervention comes weeks after David Cameron attempted to shut down debate on grammar schools and the humiliating u-turn he was forced into in the face of a massive Tory rebellion against his attempts to end selection.

Cameron caused the crisis when he attacked the 11-plus for 'dividing children into sheep and goats'. He promised to end selection, but then climbed down, leaving his policy tatters and Cameron facing questions over his leadership ability.

Plan for more Grammar Schools unworkable - Times analysis

The Great Tory debacle over Grammar Schools - which David Cameron desperately tried to shut down over a week ago - lives on for at least another day.

An analysis of Cameron's chaotic policy to build new Grammar Schools in tomorrow's Times is headlined Why their argument does not work.

I'm sure you get the picture...

Saturday's Guardian says Cameron returns from his holiday this weekend to face charges from senior Conservatives that he is making his Party appear elitist and choatic...

Tania Brannigan writes:

Even Mr Cameron's staunchest supporters are baffled by the way an apparently uncontroversial speech on a long-standing Tory policy could spark a 17-day row, infighting and a frontbench resignation.

The Guardian has also printed a helpful guide to where the current 198 Tory MPs were educated. The vast majority - 112 - attended private school (independent or public) with 46 going to Grammar Schools, 27 to Comprehensives.

Two Tory MPs attended secondary moderns.

Didn't they do well for failures...or not!

Bercow has his Grammar School cake and eats it...

Tory blogger Iain Dale highlights the hypocrisy of Conservative MP John Bercow in the Tory Grammar Wars.

He contrasts two statements by John Bercow:

1. On GMTV on Sunday declaring it would be 'electoral suicide' for the Tories to go on about grammar schools and that David Cameron's policy of 'no more grammars' was absolutely right.

2. In his local paper in Buckinghamshire this week, welcoming confirmation that new Grammar Schools would be built under a Tory Government.

Yeah but, nah but, yeah but...

As Iain fairly says: You couldn't make this up.

Grammar Wars: Is Vicky Pollard to blame...?

Midst the chaos of Dave 'call me cave-in' Cameron's collapse on Grammar Schools, Labour blogger Mike Ion poses the question:
Is Vicky Pollard responsible for Tory policy on Grammar Schools?

He concludes: no but yeah but yeah but yeah no but yeah no but yeah!

So more decisive than the current Tory Leader then!

Ironically, Mike posted his question - and answer - BEFORE Cameron's latest, and most astonishing u-turn...

Dogs bark, cats miaow, Tories make us laugh...

Fair Deal Phil's Nomination for Belly-Laugh of the Week goes to the unnamed 'senior aide to Mr Cameron' who told today's Independent

'This is not a U-turn. There is no row. The policy has not changed.'

Topsy-turvey world of Tory policy-making...

The longer the Tory Grammar School wars goes on, the more bizarre it gets...

Think on this conundrum...

At the start of the week, Graham Brady lost his job after being hauled over the coals by Tory whips for publicly expressing his apparently outrageous views on Grammar Schools.

At the end of the same week, hey presto, the very words he lost his job over have become er, Conservative Party policy.

Cave-in Cameron: chaos or what...?