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When I was a teacher I would sometimes, not often but sometimes, convince a yob* to do some work. When this happened I would do my best to welcome him back to favour but also tried to avoid giving said yob an easier ride than those who had always been working. I felt that giving him an easier ride would send the wrong messages to both yob and good kids. Correction, stuff the "wrong messages" bit, it would be radically unfair to both yob and good kids.

If I could work this out within weeks of first facing a class, why can't Tony Blair? I say all this to illustrate why I heartily support David Carr's recent post "A warning to George W. Bush" while opposing, in gnomic fashion, his post a little further down where he appears to lament the partial reform of terrorists.

* Editor's translation for our American cousins: yob = English slang for a disorderly young man