Toby Young, for example...

[OhBuggerandArse]

just now on the Today programme, was a complete arse.

As a counterpoint to the author a few days earlier, I thought his view was valid. Libraries, far from being some romantic gateway to learning for the working-classes, are far more used by those who could afford to buy books for themselves. And her accusations of a government of privately educated people determined to deny the poor access to history were also rather silly and deserved challenging. It's a shame if councils decide to close certain underused libraries but I think there's a lot of misplaced sentimentality and nostalgia - especially from wealthy authors for whom libraries are a source of income - clouding the debate.

BTW You should have heard Will Self on the subject on R4 Open Book talking to Mariella Frostrup last week... He was priceless. :)

He was a twat of the highest magnitude, and then some.

Denied that the cuts were major (duh! even Cameron et al glory in the fact that they are major), and claimed thatt govt is,in fact, protecting the NHS, despite the fact that they are abolishing it.

Twat twat twat.

Twat.

Didn't hear the programme, but I have ver little patience for Toby Young. His reasons for starting the WLFS are not about good education for all (this is just a happy byproduct), but an independent standard school which happens to be free for his children.

I am TY's target parent for his school - am in the catchment, am middle class, and belong to the same circles as he does (I see his family at least 3 times a week as we belong to the same expensive, private family club and our kids take some of the same lessons). In this club, if your child does not attend private school, s/he attends either the OFSTED one of the outstanding schools (2) in the area or a faith school until secondary where they switch to private. These parents, if they had the option of a good state secondary, would prefer to send their children there and avoid paying school fees and are delighted by the opening of the WLFS.

I think that a handful of children from poorer households will benefit from the school, but unfortunately the vast majority of children at this school will be those of the razor-elbowed middle class parents which populate this part of London.

Idiot! The libraries in my London borough (where some are earmarked for closure) are stuffed full of the disenfranchised and the self-improvers in the working class. Granted there are some people just there to keep out of the cold and read the papers. But why not? In any case, it is literally hard to get a seat most of the time. And theen there is the loud singing from the children's section at rhyme time. Empty or middle class they are certainly not.

He is a twat. I live in a deprived area and our library is always a busy and welcoming place. Anyone who argues for library closures is a wanker IMO.

I really enjoyed Zadie Smith's piece; not only do I agree with her but I thought it was very passionately written. She has gone up in my estimation!

well said oh bugger one of the libuaries they want to close in our area ia very inder used i think the major problem with it is its loaction really its 20 minutes walk from the high street in a rather lonely part be hind all the houses in a kind of office park.

even though its near than the central libaury i often dont use it because its so out of the way and i dont really like my son going their as in the winter it gets dark very early and its in a office park were not many people are.

my qusestion is why would you keep somthing open thats not being used.

if their not going to relocate the libuary to the high street which the staff resisted as the would not have parking then as they do now then they should shut it down.

i think they need to make better use of the libaurys renting out up stiars rooms for say esol lessons ect the central libuary in my area is miles diffrent to my local one its place right in the middle of the shooping centre, they have a cafe up stairs is used for a play group 3 days a weeks

the have a book club and a children book club all sorts going on.

elevolve or die