Cuckoo Corner

There are many excellent blogsites which diligently record the idiocies of 21^st century political and social life in Britain. Among the best are Nanny Knows Best and Peter Porcupine, which I visit daily. Some of their tit-bits are worth purloining for the arena, which I shall shamelessly do for this new occasional feature CUCKOO CORNER, besides adding items culled from elsewhere. So, for a start, let's take a look at current educational fashions:

1. Teacher sacked over religion row

According to BBC News on 2^nd February, Andrew McCluskey, a supply teacher, was sacked from Bayliss Court Secondary School in Slough after completing only a few days of an eight-week contract because he “upset” predominantly Muslim pupils in a religious education lesson by allegedly saying that most suicide bombers were Muslims. When pupils complained, the deputy head teacher, Ray Hinds, told Mr McCluskey to leave and not come back, saying that pupils’ welfare was the school’s first priority. When asked whether he thought Mr McCluskey might have had a point, Mr Hinds said “I don’t think it's important what I think. It’s what the children think that were in the classroom at the time.”

What a wonderful new doctrine! Pupils Rule OK! Why bother to go to school at all if you know it all, and the teachers’ opinions are irrelevant? Instead of being dismissed, as he deserves to be if he was accurately reported, Mr Hinds may well be awarded a peerage by Tony Blair for his services to “Educashun, Educashun, Educashun”.

Mr McCluskey, on the other hand, who feels he has been treated very unjustly and ejected from his job without any opportunity to defend himself, will doubtless be frowned upon by the Politically Correct NuLab élite as a tactless boat-rocker. In the old days, the teachers’ unions would have been manning the picket lines on his behalf. But not any more, in this brave NuLab world.

2. CHILDHOOD ABOLISHED!!! [pinched from Peter Porcupine]

Children need to play. Lets just run through that startling revelation again shall we. Children need to play. Now we've got that haven't we. Anybody disagree? No, I thought not. Well, Ms Susan Tuck, the head of St John's Primary School in Lincoln does actually. This idiotic fool has banned all playground games which involve bodily contact. She is quoted as saying they are 'rough and inappropriate'. According to one concerned parent this includes 'pat-a-cake' or even putting a hand on a friend's shoulder. Offenders are humiliated, or given playtime detention as punishment. Susan Tuck reckons apparently that playtime games should be organised, peaceful and structured.

A parent reports that the rules were introduced without reference to governors or parents. With fascist tendencies such as this Ms Tuck is an obvious candidate for greater responsibility. John Reid is always on the look-out for suitable Gestapo agents. Go to it Tuck, your black leather overcoat and Walther P-38 await!

3. The fingerprints of fascism [also from PP]

The BBC is carrying a report about the fingerprinting of children in order to automate further computerised registers and library loan records. So far so bad. The government is apparently going to 'encourage' schools to seek parental permission before doing this. Translated this means that the government will be encouraging schools to intensify and promote further the universal grip on citizens' lives our totalitarian minded leaders seek.

One school has already decided that fingerprinting can be used to control what pupils eat. Brumby Engineering College - no it isn't really, it's just a comprehensive under another name - in Scunthorpe is going to use fingerprinting in order to monitor exactly what children are buying to eat in the school canteen. Computer print-outs will then be used to identify who is buying junk food. The head apparently is of the opinion that the system will stop pupils' money being spent on junk food.

So, you were wondering what ID cards could be used for? The slippery slope gets ever steeper.

4. Nanny Bans Mums [from 'Nanny Knows Best']

Nanny knows no bounds when imposing her "zero tolerance" approach on her charges.

Ever conscious that we are not all the same, Nanny seeks to ensure that those who are in her view the most "disadvantaged" have the rules bent in their favour.

Instead of seeking to help people strive to improve themselves, or face reality, Nanny seeks to wrap everyone in cotton wool.

This of course does them immense harm in the long run, as people become dependent on the state and incapable of facing life's shitty realities.

One recent example of this absurd approach to life comes in the form of Nanny's ban on Mother's Day cards.

Helen Starkey, headmistress of Primary School in Carmarthen West Wales, has banned the making of Mother's Day cards because she doesn't want to upset children without a mother.

Quote:

"More than five per cent of children here are separated from their birth mother and have either no contact or no regular contact with their mother.

This decision was not taken because of any philosophical attitude towards the celebration of Mothering Sunday, but to protect a significant number of children in our school.

In all our dealings with these children we have to exercise great sensitivity. I am not against Mother's Day but no time will be devoted to making cards in lessons."

What about the 95% of children who do have mothers?

Why can't the 5% without mothers make a card for the person who is acting as mother?

A ridiculous move, guaranteed to make the 5% feel more self conscious and less able to face life's harsh realities.

Isn't that child abuse of sorts?