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Original poster

Is this the mother of all calling out - Katherine Birbalsingh

767 replies

DramaFatigue · 02/07/2023 08:06

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

Headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh brands Labour MP Jess Phillips' social media posts 'racist and bullying'

Katharine Birbalsingh addressed the open letter to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. Labour has not commented on the matter and Sky News has contacted Ms Phillips for her response.

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

OP posts:
Thread gallery
48
AgathaSpencerGregson · 02/07/2023 11:23

Gwenhwyfar · 02/07/2023 11:11

I think it's disgusting to accuse someone of racism for no good reason (at least no good reason was given in the Sky article quotes).

If you read the letter (I know, reading something before slagging off the person who wrote it, how quaint of me) what she’s saying is that JP’s attack on her professionally is part of the wider left wing problem of being unable to cope with POC who depart from left-wing beliefs. See also attacks on Tory politicians from ethnic minorities.
it has been widely discussed how hard it can be to pinpoint and tackle institutionalised prejudice. I can’t help but think that if a POC who people found more to their taste raised such arguments, anyone who attempted to contradict them would be howled at.

LittleBearPad · 02/07/2023 11:24

HermioneWeasley · 02/07/2023 11:08

I’m struggling to put into words how angry some of the comments are making me. Just because this school isn’t a perfect fit for all kids doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t exist to benefit the many many capable children who need boundaries, discipline and high expectations. These exist in the form of grammar schools in white affluent suburbs, but apparently all poor kids and black and brown kids must be sacrificed for the greater good.

Your perception of the ethnic makeup of suburban London grammars is way off.

AgathaSpencerGregson · 02/07/2023 11:25

Which part of the same problem of course. For some people, black people are only ok if they have the right opinions. If they depart from those then meltdown happens.

Onegroupcard · 02/07/2023 11:26

HermioneWeasley · 02/07/2023 11:08

I’m struggling to put into words how angry some of the comments are making me. Just because this school isn’t a perfect fit for all kids doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t exist to benefit the many many capable children who need boundaries, discipline and high expectations. These exist in the form of grammar schools in white affluent suburbs, but apparently all poor kids and black and brown kids must be sacrificed for the greater good.

What on earth are you on about?

Swrigh1234 · 02/07/2023 11:27

Jess Phillips is an example of why feminism has suffered in recent years.

Her low intellect and shouty demeanor plays right into the ‘shrieking, hysterical woman’ stereotype. Screaming, shouting, weighing into non-issues rather than being a serious parliamentarian. People like her really lower the bar for women in public life.

Birbalsingh is right to call her out.

WhiteFire · 02/07/2023 11:27

HermioneWeasley · 02/07/2023 11:08

I’m struggling to put into words how angry some of the comments are making me. Just because this school isn’t a perfect fit for all kids doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t exist to benefit the many many capable children who need boundaries, discipline and high expectations. These exist in the form of grammar schools in white affluent suburbs, but apparently all poor kids and black and brown kids must be sacrificed for the greater good.

I swerved a school which I considered a "Michaela Lite" I did not think achieving good behaviour through fear was suitable for my children.

The school my children go to has a very similar demographic but none of the heavy-handed discipline and yet out performs the other school.

Oh and I am far from a "white affluent suburb".

LittleBearPad · 02/07/2023 11:27

AgathaSpencerGregson · 02/07/2023 11:23

If you read the letter (I know, reading something before slagging off the person who wrote it, how quaint of me) what she’s saying is that JP’s attack on her professionally is part of the wider left wing problem of being unable to cope with POC who depart from left-wing beliefs. See also attacks on Tory politicians from ethnic minorities.
it has been widely discussed how hard it can be to pinpoint and tackle institutionalised prejudice. I can’t help but think that if a POC who people found more to their taste raised such arguments, anyone who attempted to contradict them would be howled at.

Show quote history

I read it.

It’s terribly written.

Quiverer · 02/07/2023 11:28

RedDoughnut · 02/07/2023 08:21

Jess Phillips has too much time on her hands if she can worry about something like this.

It was valid to call Birbalsingh out for the Ike Turner photo which was extremely crass, and it's not as if Jess Phillips is likely to have spent much time over it. What is puzzling, however, is how a secondary school headteacher has time during termtime to compose a four page letter whinging because she was called out, and that she takes five weeks to do it.

LittleBearPad · 02/07/2023 11:28

Swrigh1234 · 02/07/2023 11:27

Jess Phillips is an example of why feminism has suffered in recent years.

Her low intellect and shouty demeanor plays right into the ‘shrieking, hysterical woman’ stereotype. Screaming, shouting, weighing into non-issues rather than being a serious parliamentarian. People like her really lower the bar for women in public life.

Birbalsingh is right to call her out.

You mean non-issues like domestic violence? Those non-issues?

Really…

AgathaSpencerGregson · 02/07/2023 11:29

Swrigh1234 · 02/07/2023 11:27

Jess Phillips is an example of why feminism has suffered in recent years.

Her low intellect and shouty demeanor plays right into the ‘shrieking, hysterical woman’ stereotype. Screaming, shouting, weighing into non-issues rather than being a serious parliamentarian. People like her really lower the bar for women in public life.

Birbalsingh is right to call her out.

No, it isn’t why KB is right. KB is right because it’s completely fucking outrageous for a sitting MP to start an online pile on and impugn her school’s safeguarding on the basis of an error posting a picture and the number of people seemingly unable to grasp that makes me think the world has gone mad.

Exasperatednow · 02/07/2023 11:29

Please read the f ing letter. The offensive tweets she quotes are not actually from Jess Phillips, they are from a parody account.

What's happened to mumsnet these days? It's all reactive with no actual critical thinking.

LittleBearPad · 02/07/2023 11:29

Quiverer · 02/07/2023 11:28

It was valid to call Birbalsingh out for the Ike Turner photo which was extremely crass, and it's not as if Jess Phillips is likely to have spent much time over it. What is puzzling, however, is how a secondary school headteacher has time during termtime to compose a four page letter whinging because she was called out, and that she takes five weeks to do it.

Show quote history

Particularly during exam time

Swrigh1234 · 02/07/2023 11:30

The left thrives on racism. The kind of racism where people with darker shades of skin must be made into victims. The left likes nothing better than keep brown people down. Because it helps them get closer to power on the backs of these ‘victims’. Nothing like a bit of white saviour syndrome to help with virtue signalling.

Yea2023 · 02/07/2023 11:30

AgathaSpencerGregson · 02/07/2023 11:25

Which part of the same problem of course. For some people, black people are only ok if they have the right opinions. If they depart from those then meltdown happens.

I’m not sure ppl question her views because they divert from what they think black ppl should think.

I’m black, I have major concerns over her views and quite frankly her posting ‘good times’ with a pic of Tina Turner and her abuser seemed really, seriously off to me.

Who did she think the man in the poster was? Of all of the pics of TT why chose that relatively obscure on? Why ‘good times’?

KB knew what she was doing.

Quiverer · 02/07/2023 11:30

AgathaSpencerGregson · 02/07/2023 08:23

it was a mistake which KB apologised for. Phillips used it as a basis for mad suggestions about how she runs her school. I think she’s entitled to take unevidenced slurs on her professional conduct seriously. I know I would.

Show quote history

I'm not sure they are unevidenced, though. There was that nasty little pronouncement Birbalsingh produced about always believing the teacher over the pupil if, for instance, a teacher was accused of doing or saying something racist. Plus her school's methods with children with SEN and disability really don't stand up to close scrutiny.

LittleBearPad · 02/07/2023 11:30

AgathaSpencerGregson · 02/07/2023 11:29

No, it isn’t why KB is right. KB is right because it’s completely fucking outrageous for a sitting MP to start an online pile on and impugn her school’s safeguarding on the basis of an error posting a picture and the number of people seemingly unable to grasp that makes me think the world has gone mad.

Show quote history

JP didn’t start a pile on.

There was already a pile on because the tweet was so crass.

JP was one of the people making the same point.

cakeorwine · 02/07/2023 11:31

Swrigh1234 · 02/07/2023 11:30

The left thrives on racism. The kind of racism where people with darker shades of skin must be made into victims. The left likes nothing better than keep brown people down. Because it helps them get closer to power on the backs of these ‘victims’. Nothing like a bit of white saviour syndrome to help with virtue signalling.

Isn't that "leftist"?

Attributing behaviour to a group of people?

Swrigh1234 · 02/07/2023 11:31

LittleBearPad · 02/07/2023 11:28

You mean non-issues like domestic violence? Those non-issues?

Really…

Show quote history

Are you accusing Birbalsingh of being a domestic abuser now? That’s a new low.

AgathaSpencerGregson · 02/07/2023 11:31

LittleBearPad · 02/07/2023 11:27

I read it.

It’s terribly written.

Show quote history

So what? Does that excuse JP’s behaviour? Why do we hand a free pass to people to behave badly because we approve of them politically?
People in the UK slag off trump supporters but we don’t realise how much like them we now are.

ElsieMc · 02/07/2023 11:31

I could understand what KB was saying up to page 3 of her letter, albeit expressing her personal hurt in a somewhat unprofessional manner ie not written in complaint format. It then becomes the type of rant KB is accusing JP of. I personally find JP to be someone whose eye you would not want to catch for fear you would say or do something non PC and she could set about you with self righteous fury. So for me, her outrage is a bit much. I don't think KB sent that pic purposely, I understand it was simply a share. But in her position she should check what she passes on and she has apologised and taken it down.

I think we have two egos at play here. Both have unconscious bias demonstrated in their judgements of one another. But I don't want to vote for someone who scares me and I am a voter Labour need to reach.

cakeorwine · 02/07/2023 11:32

Ironically, KB is now doing a pile on on JP.

AgathaSpencerGregson · 02/07/2023 11:33

LittleBearPad · 02/07/2023 11:30

JP didn’t start a pile on.

There was already a pile on because the tweet was so crass.

JP was one of the people making the same point.

Show quote history

She shouldn’t have done that, should she? Especially given her profile. Of course that adds fuel to the fire.

AndIKnewYouMeantIt · 02/07/2023 11:33

I wish someone would smash the twitter servers up and we could all pretend it never existed.

FoundNeverland · 02/07/2023 11:34

This is a very interesting thread and provides context and more importantly a timeline.

https://twitter.com/sturdyalex/status/1675448863958913025?s=46&t=TZZeCdCCn-4uPn9pbZJtqQ

https://twitter.com/sturdyalex/status/1675448863958913025?s=46&t=TZZeCdCCn-4uPn9pbZJtqQ

Yea2023 · 02/07/2023 11:34

Swrigh1234 · 02/07/2023 11:30

The left thrives on racism. The kind of racism where people with darker shades of skin must be made into victims. The left likes nothing better than keep brown people down. Because it helps them get closer to power on the backs of these ‘victims’. Nothing like a bit of white saviour syndrome to help with virtue signalling.

Out of interest, what are your thoughts on the right + racism?

Do you think the right reduces racism? And if so, how?