Where it comes from

We have a great need for certainty, only surpassed by our need to win no matter what. So we end up doing the no-matter-what by picking our own sword and shield:

“Frankly, I don’t know where all this comes from. If I say, schools in the South don’t do as well as those in the North, which is true. But if I say, schools in the South do less well than those in the North because schools in the South are less unionized than in the North, I don’t think that’s going to fly at all at the university.

“Look, there is a research literature. People pick whatever they want or need to support their position. The research literature is big […] but the literature in this area is mixed. But in the two world top-level journals, [the result is] negative.”

(Debate about teacher unionisation in schools, 27 March 2010)