Segregation is integration, slavery is freedom
Terry Sanderson notes that the sums don’t add up.
The enquiry set up by Communities minister Ruth Kelly aimed at finding ways to challenge “barriers to integration and cohesion” has published an interim report, that can only be described as contradictory and counterproductive. The Commission on Integration and Cohesion’s report suggests that “faith schools” play no part in segregation while at the same time admitting that school is probably the best way to break down barriers between communities.
Well see that’s because…’faith schools’ are of course obviously a good and cuddly thing (if they weren’t they wouldn’t have the word ‘faith’ in their name) so they can’t play any part in segregation because that would be a bad uncuddly thing, and at the same time of course obviously school is the best way to break down barriers between communities because all of that is good and cuddly too so it’s good and cuddly to say so. ‘Faith’ schools don’t segregate, schools break down barriers between ‘communities,’ ‘communities’ are harmonious and unified and the source of identity and self-esteem and warmth and strong teeth, all ‘communities’ love each other because they are all so well-equipped with harmony and unity and identity and warmth so there are no problems so they have no reason not to all love each other so everything is good and cohesive. Just keep saying the words ‘faith’ and ‘community’ over and over and over and over and everything will be fine. Really. Promise. That will fix everything.
Some people have told us that they see faith schools as a significant barrier to integration and cohesion. Others, especially from faith communities have said faith schools are vital to helping their young people develop as strong and confident British citizens.
Really?! People from ‘faith communities’ tell you ‘faith schools’ are a good thing – you don’t say! So you listen intently and, being madly in love with ‘faith’ yourselves (apparently), you believe them and ignore the people who tell you the other thing. You also ignore quite a lot of recent history. [whispers] Northern Ireland comes to mind…
It is clear that the authors of this report are listening only to those they want to hear. They say that the “faith communities” have told them that faith schools are a good idea. Of course they have. “Faith schools” are the last hope of survival for “faith communities”. This enquiry will achieve nothing – indeed, will make things worse if it is to continue to be conducted in this blinkered way. If it uncovers evidence and then dismisses it because it doesn’t fit in with the government’s policy of promoting faith schools, then it is downright dangerous.
Ah yes the old ‘ignoring evidence because it doesn’t fit with what you want to do’ trick. I think this is where we came in.
A recent report from Professor Irene Bruegel of the South Bank University was emphatic that the government’s idea of “twinning” faith schools achieved precisely the opposite of what was intended. It simply increases the sense of “us” and “them” that “faith schools” engender. Sending children on occasional visits to other schools simply increased tension and suspicion between them. Crucially, Professor Bruegel’s research showed that children from different ethnic groups and religions must mix on a daily basis in primary schools in order for ethnically diverse friendships to flourish into adult life, and indeed for the parents of school children to become better integrated. This is what the cohesion report should have recommended. Sadly, it has been hijacked by religious protagonists both inside and outside government who are more interested in fostering faith than in solving the very real problems that religiously – and increasingly, ethnically – segregated schools will create.
Well, congratulations; you’re well on the way to balkanization by education. Fasten your seat belts.
I once heard Ruth Kelly on Radio 4 saying that twinned faith schools could cultivate good relations by having football matches against each other.
A great idea, because football has really brought down religious barriers in Glasgow!
She didn’t!
Is the woman deranged? Did she not hear about that Italian cop killed during a football fight the other week? Has she not heard about racial abuse shouted at players?
Dang.
Just to make sure I hadn’t misheard her, I did a quick internet search:
http://www.secularism.org.uk/uploads/3545bf3ad60b013729484709.pdf
“[Ruth Kelly] did suggest faith schools
could be encouraged to play sports matches against each other,” (p. 7)
You are spot on O.B.northen Ireland is the clasic example of this form of segregation,and that gave us 30 years of having the crap blown out of my city!
Ruth Kelly is a member of Opus Dei, isn’t she?
And Tony B (rearrange letters of his name here) is a good little christian creep – what did you expect?
peace, love, brotherhood and truth?
The trouble is, that no other political party, or even sizeable grouping within a party is prepared to speak out on this – because they want the muslim vote.
Two questions that were recently to put to Martin McGuinness
Q. Education is at the root of so many of Northern Ireland’s problems. As a former education minister, don’t you think it’s time to ban religion in schools as a means of bringing children up free from the burden of past divisions?
A. No, I believe that people must have the freedom to have their children educated in the medium of their choice, be that state controlled, Catholic maintained, integrated or Irish medium.
Q.2) Northern Ireland exam results are better than those elsewhere in the UK. So why get rid of the 11+?
A. 2) I believe that it is wrong to have children as young as 10 years old subjected to the rigours of a life-deciding examination. It has been proven that it puts unacceptable psychological pressure on children, which can have long-term negative effects. It effectually brands the majority of children as failures before they are mature enough to make decisions on their long-term future ambitions. Perhaps the better comparison would be with countries with high levels of educational achievement that don’t have academic selection such as Finland, Japan and Canada.
I still cannot get over the fact Jerry Adams and Ian Paisley [Sen] sat together in the one room, let alone come to an amicable agreement. The TROUBLES will undoubtedly [we hope] soon be behind us in both North/South of Ireland. It is indeed historical!
Coincidentally, P.Z.Meyers’s Random Quote today is from H.L.Mencken:
“We must respect the other fellow’s religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.”
[Minority Report, 1956]
That’s the problem isn’t it, if a school is good it will be defended by those families that have a stake in it. Selection by religion shores up the status quo – I am sure that if religious schools were not able to select pupils , their religious basis would just seep away into history as it has in other historically religious institutions like hospitals and universities.
If the government can’t/won’t get rid of religious schools from the state system, for whatever historical and political reasons they should have them select pupils by lottery.
That way everyone would have a fair chance to get in, and those who are religious can of course pray that their child’s name is picked.
It seems very clumsy to have this whole apparatus of vicars writing recommendation letters and checking off how many sundays people have been in church, when if you believe this stuff there is an all powerful god who can intervene directly in the picking.
I wonder if anyone has ever tried calling the ‘faith schools’ lobby’s bluff like this?
Maya