It's OK Kevin,

The Howard economic-rationalist government has thoroughly re-engineered Australian society enough, so that anyone with a political left view (compared to Hitler) will be thoroughly impoverished (and therefore stripped of any power), by the new student loans system. Nothing stifles debate like the dearth of prospects, no tertiary education, low wages and a growling stomach

There is a glaring contradiction in this article. Dr Donnelly cites Bourdieu's claim that "education is a powerful tool used by those more privileged in society to consolidate their position". Dr Donnelly then rattles off a roll-call of names and organisations who, we are told, "identify education as a key instrument in overturning the status quo" and "a key instrument to change society".

They can't both be right.

Perhaps neither are right.

The people who Donnelly portrays as activists and radicals are in fact pillars of the establishment, whether academically or politically: in their status as senior members of the education fraternity, we could generalise that most, indeed perhaps all, property-owning, share-owning, tax-paying, car-driving, law-abiding citizens. The only reds under their beds would be comrades cabernet and merlot.

But perhaps Dr Donnelly himself is better evidence for Bourdieu's claim: Dr Donnelly's position in and association with the Liberal Party are well-known and long-established. He was seated recently at the left hand of the Education Minister Julie Bishop at the taping of an SBS show I attended. His recent efforts to influence education policy and curriculum appear to be bearing fruit. Curriculum have been overturned this year in WA and Tasmania, not in response to evidence-based research and formal policy review, as is proper, but by hysteria whipped up in the nation's press, fuelled by Dr Donnelly. And all to the benefit of his consulting business.

Could Bourdieu have been right? Could it be that Dr Donnelly is attempting use education as a powerful tool to consolidate his position? Or perhaps Bourdieu was wrong, and it is Dr Donnelly who is the activist attempting to change society through shaking up the education system?

Meanwhile, in media-land, the idea that education can be disinterested and that teachers should be impartial has given way to the argument that everything in education is leftist, feminist, postmodern, progressive and environmentalist.

Meanwhile, Dr Donnelly denies any agenda.

One of the largest high schools in rural QLD had planned to run a course for grade 12 students on Shakespeare titled “The Literary Cannon - Just Dead White Males”.

One of the teachers responsible for this course was contacted and asked why the course was sub-titled “Just Dead White Males”. They said that the school was being forced to run a course on Shakespeare, but they thought that a course on Shakespeare would not be relevant to girls, so they called the course “Just Dead White Males”.

This teacher was asked if they though that a course titled “Just Dead White Females” would be offensive to girl students, and they said that such a title would be very offensive to girl students. They were then asked if a course titled “Just Dead White Males” would be offensive to boy students, and they said that such a course would not be offensive to boy students.

There are now many teachers within the education system who have been trained by feminists in Universities to devalue the male gender, or to think only negatively of the male gender. These teachers now seem to have no regard for the male gender, and this is of particular concern for any boy students being taught by such teachers.

If the "left" are "taking the long march through institutions" in order to gain a political and idealogical advantage, they may have a long way yet to go, giving the fact that most governments in the country (including Labor state geovernments) are very conservative, and geneeration Y is criticised by both bommers and X'ers alike for being too far to the right.

Yes Mercurius, there is an agenda. It is about regaining knowledge as the basis of curriculum and building the skills and understandings for students to grow academically, starting from a knowledge base. It is about valuing traditional academic progress and the academic disciplines.

It is about recovery from the damage done by Outcomes Based Education. It will take some time to achieve, but the signs are emerging that the community is now starting to realise that such a recovery is in the best interests of the young people who are involved in the school and university sectors.

There will be resistance from the left. From the teacher unions and from those in the university teacher education faculties. But the subject disciplines will regain their proper place in the curriculum, for without this taking place Australia's scientists, mathematicians economists, etc will come from other countries.

Dr Donnelly is playing an important part in this recovery. I wish him and others working to see it happen speedy success.

What Mercurius said. At least Bourdieu had the decency to admit the awkwardness of his own position. Perhaps Big Kev didn't read that far.