What's wrong with selection?

Am just listening to a programme on the education proposals and yet again I wonder where this country is going to. Well, that country, since I am not there at the moment.

Ma main gripe is that political correctness has gone mad, and when it affects how well children are educated, this really, really bothers me.

Only yesterday someone told me that in AS level economics text books they are promoting the euro and in exam papers, they ask for one sided opinions on why the euro is good. This is not acceptable.

But why are schools not allowed to select their pupils? I went to a school where I had to pass an exam to get into and we had streaming in certain subjects. And guess what, the results were excellent. Higher with the internal streaming than without because the school was open in admitting that some children are more clever than others, and some children were good at things that other children weren't.

Why can't schools be allowed to select pupils? Why should really bright children be held back by children who need a different teaching method? Why should parents who encourage their children do their homework, and read and learn more have their efforts thwarted by people who don't care how their children behave and feel that someone else should do it for them?

I am simply not intelligent enough to be a brain surgeon, and I hate the sight of blood too. I accept that, it's fair enough - and those who are clever enough and dedicated enough: I applaud them. If you refuse to allow children to be taught in ability groups and in different methods then you will increase the illiteracy rates to higher than they are now (and now, they are higher than in Victorian times) and you will polar the system as parents who can and care enough to, send their children to private school.