One reason it is such a good slogan is that it is not an ideological appeal – it is a practical one.
What does it means for the politics of personal responsibility if a substantial share of the population simply refuse to take it?
The Education Secretary responds to allegations by headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh that she was a Marxist “trying to intimidate”.
We can’t have on-the-spot or rigorous school inspections, because bad teachers can’t cope. We can’t have payment by performance, because bad teachers will earn less. We can’t dismiss teachers that don’t teach students well, because the unions protect the roadblocks to excellence.
Private schools are not the enemy. They provide opportunities, alleviate pressure on state schools, and contribute to society. The Government’s policy risks eroding these benefits.
The Education Secretary has made it very plain that unless the fundamental structures of education are reformed completely, the mediocre regime favoured by councils and trades unions will just reassert itself.
Our task must be to establish a bridgehead: a potentially small but resilient collection of schools that can hold out, and continue to make the case for rigorous education, until such a time as the state sector may be restored once more.
The successes that teachers have realised in recent years have transformed lives. They cannot be squandered. There is too much at stake.
I’ve been heartened by people who have contacted me to say they want challenge this lie. Labour loves the “blame the Tories” mantra – but this one won’t stick. And we can’t let it.
With a general election looming, it is time to press on with the reforms we started and allow Catholic free schools to open.
A remarkable amount has been achieved. Often against the odds and in the face of adversity. And certainly in circumstances far less benign than those faced by New Labour.
The Department for Education and Government Equalities Office must have a contingency plan available to deploy immediately, updating the necessary guidance to ensure that schools can remain true to their ethos.
While the free school programme did much to inject fresh ideas and investment into the school system, it is a source of great sadness that the Catholic Church in England has not been able to take part in this flagship policy.
Instead of a Conservative housing policy that emphasises home ownership and architectural beauty, it will now be done the Labour way. When tower blocks start rising over the Home Counties, I hope that our remaining MPs realise their mistake.
The alarming trend of undermining freedom of speech, stripping independence from academies, and imposing a 20 per cent VAT on independent school fees pose significant threats to educational choice and accessibility.