Education is, as Rupert Murdoch described it in a speech to the G8 in May 2011, “the last frontier” - a vast market waiting to be invaded, conquered and financially exploited by News of the World and other companies. He cited approvingly what he called Sweden’s “IKEA schools”, the owner of which has said: “If we're religious about anything, it's standardisation. We tell our teachers it is more important to do things the same way than to do them well.”

What attracted Murdoch, sniffing for dollars like a dog at its neighbour’s bum, was this: “Like IKEA, a giant Swedish furniture-maker, Kunskapsskolan gets its customers to do much of the work themselves. The vital tool, though, is not an Allen key but the Kunskapsporten (“Knowledge Portal”), a website containing the entire syllabus.”

Note, students are “customers”. The chain of schools to which Murdoch referred has 700 employees and teaches nearly 10,000 pupils, with an operating profit of SKr62m last year on a turnover of SKr655m. ($A1 = SKr6.7).

Murdoch wants to take this approach internationally.

I don't want to say anything in support of Darth Murdoch, but perhaps a synthesis of both might be the ideal? Standardised and measured online curriculum, with all those other important things face to face with a human?

In her well researched and much foot-noted book This Little Kiddy went To Market: The Corporate Capture of Childhood, Sharon Beder tells us all we need to know about this topic.

She also names the usual right-wing corporate suspects, their inter-relations, and their front groups (which help to promulgate the "gospel" according to corporations).

Dear Phil Cullen

Temporary confusion of the names Gareth and Garrets was gratefully clarified by Google.

Out came the photo of Professor the Hon Gareth Evans AO QC- ANU Chancellor, in his splendid wrinkles uniform.

Earlier, at a tram stop, I had seen a group of boys in a school uniform. Before the tram arrival another group of boys approached, their uniform was not the same.

Once all in the tram they did not start a war.

I still do not know why they didn’t as I do not know how Professor the Hon Gareth Evans AO QC- ANU Chancellor, managed to keep his uniform intact for so many years.