What's in a word?

I thought the whole point about "free" schools was that they were free - free of local authority control, free to set their own curriculum and free to choose their own teachers - qualified or not.  Nick Clegg it seems is in favour of free schools, but just doesn't want them to be - well....free.  His argument seems to be that without regulation, there is no guarantee that children at such schools will get a good education.  Leaving aside for the moment the fact that being under local authority control is no guarantee of a good education either, parents who send their children to a free school presumably do so in full knowledge of what the school stands for and how it works, and if they are happy with it, why should Clegg or anyone else interfere? Much has been made of this Muslim free school which has been closed down, but what few parents I saw being interviewed seemed quite happy with it, and the argument seemed to have more to do with the strict Islamic dress and behavioural code it imposed rather then the education it was providing.  There are arguments for and against free schools but I don't think you can have it both ways.