Ed Balls may be the most unpopular man in UK politics (arguable, but that's what blogger Guido Fawkes thinks) but that could change if he follows through on his implied threat to abolish SATS tests. UK kids take SATS (Standard Assessment Tests) tests at seven, 11 and 14 and this, along with the numerous exams they take at secondary school, means they all spend their time mugging up for these rather than being, er, educated. It's amazing what being in an unpopular government and having a cock-up on your doorstep can do for democracy. Ed was the minister in charge when ETS Europe, the American company in charge of marking SATs, made a complete cock-up of it this summer and the results were late, wrong or both. The Government has hitherto vowed its unfailing commitment to SATS, despite nearly all teachers and many parents thinking they're a complete waste of time. The children don't much like them either, but who cares what they think? Teachers say they could do the job better themselves, the Government thinks they're a bunch of lazy lefties who would revert to old habits and teach only The Hobbit and how to grow your own dope. But Ed can now see the chance to win some votes and make himself highly popular should there be a Labour leadership election. So it just might be goodbye to SATS.