"oh god JIm, was it ever?"
Not sure there is any evidence of that being anything more than a lack of imagination Al.
All the right-wing Governments I've been conscious of have been happy to let school leavers hang around street corners and fend for themselves.
The problem with all national politics is that it deals with all these things as separate issues rather than approaching the holistically
I was a product of the Secondary Modern conveyor belt system of education and an remember being envious of my younger sisters who experienced Comprehensive education - not perfect by any means but better than what I got
I don't think our politicians have enough imaginations to conceive conspiracies, such as are being suggested here - they don't care enough anyway
Jim Carroll