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

No. You’re clearly incapable of reading what I wrote.

You said JP weighed into non-issues.

The issue JP weighs in on most, what she’s best known for, is domestic abuse.

JP was one of the people making the same point.

It’s not necessary for a politician to add to a SM pile on and start a spat

What does that have to with Birbalsingh. A pile on is a pile on.

Not very clever to leave the tweet up, though, was it? She must surely have seen the picture of Ike when she posted it.

The twitter pile-on was happening before Jess Phillips got involved, and would have continued to happen irrespective of what she did. Birbalsingh uses social media a lot and she likes posting provocative things that stir up controversy. It really is pretty pathetic to moan just because she went too far and it bit her on the bum, and it's disgraceful to describe it as racism on Phillips' part. That is a real insult to genuine victims of racism.

Are you accusing Birbalsingh of being a domestic abuser now?

I've not seen anyone do that.

But I have the view and have posted that her tactics of teaching pupils to bow down to authority and not question it and to thank teachers for punishments is dangerous with regards producing students at risk of being coercively controlled and victims of domestic abuse.

She tells everyone who reads her posts that if a pupil accuses a teacher of being racist - believe the teacher.

I think there is a very fine line nowadays on what pupils think they can away with by shouting "phobic or ist" at anything but we cannot encourage our young people to be fearful for reporting concerns for investigation.

She is the one playing the race card here though. She uses it all the time. I've heard her mantra about how she's right wing, and a teacher and black and how unusual she is so many times. She makes it about her politics and race.

Maybe she should just make it about her school and pupils like most good quality hard working HTs.

Very well put, LadyBird

It's true that the professional slur was deeply unpleasant, but the only thing I'd add is that it's perhaps a shame KB lowered herself to reply. Her methods can be divisive, but overall we have here a woman of real achievement against just another passing political loudmouth

I wonder if other politicians are held to the same account if they reply to someone and a pile on ensures.

I can think of many politicians on all sides of the political spectrum who reply to people and may initiate a pile on.

Should politicians reply to people on Twitter if that person says something that could be seen as controversial?

”playing the race card” wow. What a blast from the bad old days that is. Thought that one had died a well deserved death.

You know the 'left' also includes people of all classes and races right ? Those who call out and experience racism are hold a variety of political views .

I was responding to something you wrote.

Glad to see you acknowledge your post was irrelevant in the first place.

”playing the race card” wow. What a blast from the bad old days that is. Thought that one had died a well deserved death

From the Guardian

Katharine Birbalsingh – undaunted by free school setback | Katharine Birbalsingh | The Guardian

She thinks black children misbehave because they know that any teacher who disciplines them is accused of racism. "Black kids," writes Miss Snuffy, "all have that winning ace up their sleeve – the race card ... The kid can literally smell the fear. So the teacher starts to back off."

KB accuses the children at her school of playing it.

I don't use Twitter myself but in all honesty anything that highlights the issue is OK with me.

A headteacher who can't tell the difference between asian and Aslan the lion is a bit more of a problem. Just to confess as I don't do Twitter I haven't read it myself so relying on reports on here. If it isn't true apologies.

I think I'm with the headteacher here. Fine to criticise the inclusion of IT in the photograph, but ifJP then used it to imply the headteacher was a safeguarding concern, then the headteacher is absolutely right to challenge this publicly. She couldn't allow a professional slur to just slide.

So why not do so at the time, and through the same medium? Why sit on it for five weeks? It looks very much as if she couldn't think of a sensible defence and had to wait and call for help. It's hardly the most convincing defence even after that length of time.

Should politicians reply to people on Twitter if that person says something that could be seen as controversial?

Personally I believe they'd do better to stay off that particular sewer, and I include KB's use of it in that

With a few rare exceptions it's not really a source of sensible comment, and the real damage only seems to occur when the sillinesss leaks in to the mainstream

JP can’t seem to stop herself at times. She gets an audience and she is off riding on others validating her comments

it wasn’t that long ago she was never off the radio and tv now it’s writing books and book tours

she has down some good work but sadly she is too caught up in her own self promotion as far too many mps are

JP posted hold the line!", adding: "Stay with me! Domestic abuse is never ok and we will defeat those who prop up the status quo…"

So she was suggesting that the headteacher somehow supported or condoned domestic violence with the posting of the Ike picture next to Tina.

Yes I can see why she had to defend herself in this instance, it could damage her career irreparably. But where I start disagreeing with her is when she brings her race/colour into it. That’s a step too far; it’s jumping on a bandwagon with no actual substance to her claims. It’s ridiculous of her to play the whole race card because there was zero reference to her race and/or colour and it actually devalues her response

Regularly? How do you make that out? This year was only the second year they've had a cohort taking A levels.

Irrelevant to what?

I wonder what it is about left wing working class northern outspoken woman MP Jess Phillips that people dislike so much?

The entire topic dear

She did do it at the time

I live in a deprived town, lots of unemployed, homeless and mainly low paid jobs. My kids are mixed race and all went to the local grammar school.

How so?

And was criticised for it. That doesn’t legitimise the use of the expression here.