To be absolutely gutted that the first BNP MEP is a teacher

[clemette]

It is so bad that he has been elected, and even worse that he is a teacher. londonone told me that it was wrong for me to openly oppose the BNP in the classroom. Perhaps I should be teaching acorss the border in Yorkshire

[RedCharityBonney]

YANBU.

No harm in telling anyone anywhere that a party who won't let coloured people join has a clear racist bias. Hadly a matter of opinion is it?

(btw, tis me, MH!).

[itchyandscratchy]

is he a teacher in a state school? Have just been skimming this month's yawnfest scintillating issue of NASUWT lagazine. Big article in there against the BNP

[clemette]

I'm not sure - just heard him state he was a government and politics teacher. And a former member of the National Front. But not a Nazi of course. Grrrr.

[ruddynorah]

college lecturer

[epithet]

He's retired, apparently. Which wouldn't appease me if my child had been under his influence .

[clemette]

Blimey, Wikipedia is fast!!

[madlentileater]

god, wikipedia is prompt!
so, not actually a teacher now then
what is Harrogate college?
a proper school or some private establishment?
I would certainly be gutted if he was teaching my dcs or working in any school near me....but I can't imagine anyhone like that actually being employed as a proper teacher. All schools have to have anti racist policies, how would he manange??

[clemette]

Am going to bed now sick to my stomach after seeing the bastard Nick Griffin spout his hate-filled crap on the BBC.

[GypsyMoth]

It's a posters ex lecturer..... On another thread!

[madlentileater]

link?

[chipmunk1]

fuck me, how depressing. glad i made a point of voting though.

[ruddynorah]

i've just linked again

[Ninkynork]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/in_the_news/768270-Euro-elections-results

[GypsyMoth]

It's on the euro thread. Can't link on iPod sorry!!

[ruddynorah]

the college looks a bit..

[katiestar]

Harrogate college is a FE college .I am a pool lecturer there !!
(ie in a pool of lecturers, not one who lectures about pools!)
Kind of blows the image of BNP being inbred thickos out of the water.

[epithet]

So you think they speak sense, katiestar?

I don't think anyone here has said BNP people are inbred thickos, have they?

On the contrary, they are starting to get the plot. Not in a good way .

[madlentileater]

he's described elsewhere (on BBC I think) as ex university lecturer. In his acceptance speech he refers to himself as government and politics lecturer (ex)
on guardian, they have tweets from journalists covering the counts- one has received an email from colleague who remembers demonstrating against him as an NF member.

[londonone]

Interesting that you think it is ok for you to spout politics in the classroom but you are horrified that he might. Rather hypocritical in my book. Teachers should ALL keep their personal political views out of the classroom, that has always been my point though you seem to have misunderstood that on the other thread.

[flamingobingo]

londonone Surely when you teach politics, you teach history of politics and the facts about the various parties and beliefs. I should imagine that most posters (myself included) would be fearful that a BNP party member (in fact any party member who is a teacher) might not be that professional and would push their agenda too much.

[saadia]

clemette, I would be more than happy if my children were taught by somone openly opposing fascism like you. And I would withdraw them if they were taught by racists. I cannot see any hypocrisy in this, just common sense and humanity.

This is horribly depressing news.

[Goblinchild]

Teaching the subject is different to indoctrination in a specific opinion. As far as I'm aware, teachers are not allowed to express strong opinions in the classroom of a political nature, and can be subject to disciplinary proceedings if they do.
As a veggie, Greenpeace-loving, save the amazonian gay whale from racists party member, I'm not allowed to wear any buttons or sway my class towards my political beliefs.
Presenting and discussing evidence and philosophies, yes.

[katiestar]

I didn't say he speaks sense.I absolutely do not support the racism of the BNP.I just want to point out that he doesn't fit the stereotype.

[ruddynorah]

well he does fit the sterotype in my mind. look at his national front past. he's hardly standing for the bnp cos he believes in the watered down manifesto they have today is he? he stands for the full, hardcore, nasty manifesto of years gone by. he also has that utterly arrogant look they all have. so yes, for me he ticks every box.

[KingRolo]

"A dapper, besuited figure who adopts the low-key approach encouraged by Griffin, Brons retired last year as a politics and government teacher at Harrogate College. He then re-entered active politics for the first time since standing five times for the National Front in the 1970s after a brief spell as its leader, which ended in internal quarrels. He joined the British National Socialist party as a teenager."

From The Guardian.