Is this the mother of all calling out - Katherine Birbalsingh

[DramaFatigue]

Katherine Birbalsingh has done the mother of all calling out and I can't help but sit here with my jaw on the kitchen table in awe.

She has written a 4-page open letter to Sir Kerr Starmer calling out Jess Phillip's behaviour online. Whilst I don't always agree with KB's methods of the school she runs, I do think that Jess Phillips behaviour towards her is shocking and unbefitting of someone who could be running the country. JP should resign TBH.

https://news.sky.com/story/headteacher-katharine-birbalsingh-brands-labour-mp-jess-phillips-social-media-posts-racist-and-bullying-12913139

I am also surprised that KB used the "Aslan" tweet and misread it.

If JP had tweeted "You aren't no Asian" and if it was referring to Sunak, I am pretty sure that would have been in the news. Or on Twitter.

It would certainly seemed more than a little bit odd! While Aslan and Asian look pretty similar, especially on a phone, you’d think the lack of it making sense would make someone so a double take.

Absolutely.

The question is:

How do you prove unconscious sexism / racism/ homophobia?

And what evidence do you need to prove that someone has unconscious bias?

And if you are going to write an open letter accusing someone of hating them because:

""My view is that Ms Phillips' extreme and unprompted hostility towards me is motivated by my race. By this I do not mean that she hates all people of colour.

"Her behaviour is a clear example of 'unconscious bias'. I mean that she hates me, despite not knowing me, because she subscribes to the idea that Black and Asian individuals in public life owe a duty to voice opinions that match with a left-wing view of the world, or they are worthy of her contempt.""

, you would surely need to have a lot of evidence that could be believed and was true.

I would also say that KB has unconscious bias towards people on the left - given her comments generalising about people on the Left.

And she has accused JP of unconscious bias because JP is on the Left wing and KB has unconscious bias towards people on the Left.

And has, over the last few days, dug in, done lots of interviews, tweets, and has herself contributed to a pile on on JP.

Yes. I'd be amazed if she hadn't at a lot of points in her life.

The only vaguely related ones I can think of would be

Toby Young - obviously not a head, but he was one of the founders of another free school and absolutely adored the controversy/attention.

The guy who was head of a private schools' association of some kind who fetched up in the papers regularly (about a decade ago) pontificating about things like children drinking wine so that they learned to be as middleclass as their parents and suchlike.

This headteacher seems to be angling for the void left by TY moving on from Education to twatter about Covid instead.

Agreed. I thought about Toby Young, but dismissed him as a crank and a highly unserious person. He wasn't a Head Teacher with any professional credentials. It didn't seem equivalent.

I'd also bet that JP has no time for him either!

You mentioned below you thought JP was offering help

cakeorwine
I thought she offered to write some lesson plans and policies on Domestic Abuse

Comes across as a criticism (even a threat) - not an offer;

‘I'm courageous enough to tweet under my own name. Seems that far from holding any kind of line that headteacher woman seems not to be able to take criticism of her actions. I'd be keen to hear of domestic abuse policies she has in her school or teaching plans, perhaps I'll write’

On reading that do you really think it’s an offer of help?

How does ‘that headteacher woman’ fit in with that and the rest which sounds critical

Do you get the "Holding the line " bit?

.At the Nat C conference, Katherine used that phrase as an example of people being courageous, standing up for their values and should "Hold the line".
I can see why Jess used the "Hold the line " comment - I am sure you can too.

Katherine tweets under Miss Snuffy - although her name is in her bio.

It's clear that Katherine can't take criticism - that is very clear from her tweeting history over the years.

"That headteacher women" - I am not sure why she used that. Better to have tagged her.

"I'd be keen to hear of domestic abuse policies she has in her school or teaching plans, perhaps I'll write"

Jess is passionate about teaching about, educating people on and preventing DV.

Where is the threat?

And - as you bought up "unconscious bias" - where is the unconscious bias?

"That headteacher women" - I am not sure why she used that.

I know I wouldn’t like to receive any of that tweet, it’s not an offer to help, but this is belittling.

That’s why she used it

Yes.

Lots of minority groups receive unwanted bias. It also happens to my disabled ds.

But in their case I don't believe that's the issue.

KB has said lots of things in the public domain and posted something inappropriate. She has publicly repeated she doesn't think people should 'place the race card'.

However she's now decided that where is being pulled up for her mistakes and pulled up again for her mistakes whilst trying to cover her mistakes - that it must be due to unconscious bias. She's backed down from accusing racism.

I don't believe in this instance it is. Because it's KBs own words and actions being quoted as she misquotes others!

Yes, I believe that KB has been on the receiving end of unconscious bias and racism in her life. Just not on this particular occasion.

Yes. 'The Head Teacher Woman' is belittling. It's pretty clear that JP doesn't like her.

Still no evidence it's about race, though. It seems more likely to me that JP doesn't like KB on a political level and doesn't like her education philosophy, because those that the things that JP has a passion for. I honestly don't think her race has the slightest thing to do with anything.

As I said before, it is unpleasant seeing them take lumps out of each other and it's not professional from either of them. I think bringing race into it is a reach, though - and that is isn't really ok to throw that around in public about an MP in an incredibly multi-cultural constituency unless you have evidence or more than 'it's unconscious bias because it always is with lefties'

It's clear that Katherine can't take criticism - that is very clear from her tweeting history over the years.

Twitter doesn’t need to be the place where a school’s process is criticised

If there are issues there are established channels to address that. The public dressing down of someone by an MP isn’t the way to go.

And Twitter should not be used to write an open letter accusing someone of racism, especially one that is full of mistakes and lies, followed up by friendly chats with friendly media outlets and a doubling down when caught out by lies.

There is a point in pile ons when people should just stop. The point has been made.

Unfortunately, it's too easy to reply and retweet - and forget the consequences.

What KB should have done is do what Dorries does - and only allow selected people to comment - that means she can say all sorts of controversial things and not have to see anyone actually reply and challenge her on her comments.

But if you do say controversial things on Twitter - and especially if you are a prominent person, you will get responses. From prominent people, including MPs.

JP tweeted before the letter though so by then she really had got KB’s up

If an MP said ‘that woman’ about me and said they might write to my place of employment to see what’s going on I’d feel pretty pissed too

..back up

If you are very public about your schools processes etc then you can't complain when the disagreements about those processes are also public.

Also - have you seen the schools complaints policy. It's very clear they won't deal with any complaints effectively anyway!

I am sure she had got KB's back up.

The letter came out 6 weeks later.
Full of mistakes.
And when called out on her mistakes, she called the people who said they were mistakes "liars"

"These people just lie and lie"

Except "these people " weren't lying.

I would suggest that KB needs to reflect about her response.

What do you think of her response to the people who pointed out her mistakes?

Yes. I very much believe she has.

A lot of people have experienced unconscious bias during thier life.
I know I have, based on my sex, age, disability, religious beliefs etc.

Have you experienced it?

Interestingly, in that interview with GB news, KB admits she has her own unconscious bias towards men when she conducts interviews.
"I myself have unconscious bias when I'm appointing teachers. I'm looking for presence. Men can come across as having.. you know...if thier tall, or they have a deeper voice, I have to check myself and think is this me being biased or am I picking the right person"

I don't understand her rationale on this one. She explains it really well - everyone can have unconscious biases, including herself.
But in this instances, KB has sort of jumped from JP has unconscious bias towards her , to concluding this means JP "hates her" because JP thinks all Black and Asian people, who hold right wing views, are betraying the left. (or words to that effect)

Yes she can. She doesn’t need to be belittled by MPs on Twitter because they hate her for whatever reason

And maybe stop hate following in general. Why do it, it sounds like people get to caught up in hating whomever for a hobby

I often hear programmes bemoaning the state of society and divisions and SM makes it worse. Nobody seems grown up enough to do anything about that. Much more fun calling a HT that woman etc

Just nasty. Be professional if it’s your professional account

On whether I have. Yes for sure. Absolutely as someone who moved countries, not due to race though but I can imagine that’s even harder

I found it a good argument. I kind of didn’t get into the Harry stuff when he went on about it but I get it now. I also get do the work

To me that means listening and when someone says this is my experience you hear that rather than dismiss it

There is a difference between dismissing it out of hand and thinking about it, reasoning it through and deciding it's not applicable here.

We know KB has unconscious bias, because she thinks people on the left have a problem with black people on the right.

There may be an experience she has had that has formed that generalisation, but she has taken that generalised bias of hers and projected it onto one person. I think that's pretty bad.

I think we get to tell our own stories and have our own voices

That’s the only way to overcome unconscious bias

KB doesn’t need to be relegated to the’ that woman’ corner by anyone really, least of all an MP she hasn’t met, she’s got her own life experience, which is true to her

"We know KB has unconscious bias, because she thinks people on the left have a problem with black people on the right.
She also has conscious bias-she thinks girls are not as good at "hard maths" as boys!