Today PM Sunak, in a bid to look like a man who stands for something, is suggesting maths should be compulsory in the last two years of school.
You could be forgiven for feeling outraged.
While the NHS crumbles before our eyes, and, according to the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, between 300 and 500 Brits are dying every week as a result of delays to emergency care alone – wow – our Prime Minister wants to talk about maths for 17 year olds. It’s not exactly bold politics. The politics of the absurd, maybe.
Or is it? Maybe it’s a great idea.
Maybe we’d be better off if we were more maths literate.
Maybe more of us would understand that, with the Tories’ terrible record on growth, our country is poorer.
With greater maths literacy, maybe more of us would know that Tory austerity mentality actually costs us dear – their terrible public services go hand in glove with sky-rocketing debt. The British people end up getting much less, for much more.
With greater maths literacy, perhaps more of us would know that, with the Tories, wages consistently fall, and after 12 years they haven’t even reached 2009 levels.
More maths awareness might make us a wiser population. A population with higher earnings, a growing economy to pay for public services, and a population carrying less public debt.
More maths might not solve our current NHS crisis, and it wouldn’t save the 300-500 Britons dying this week and next.
But it might make us aware of what we choose when we vote at the ballot box. And those choices do save lives.
More maths awareness is Tory turkeys voting for Christmas. Bring it on.