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

inteesting this about Brons' professionalism. I just find it very hard to believe. Eg did he have any pastoral responsibility?
I just find it hard to imagine anyone with those kinds of beliefs could impartially and compassionately discharge their duties to a child or young person ....I can just about imagine them not voicing their politial views, but not, say, caring for a student who was gay/jewish/had disabilities...

still reeling at the leader of the national front thing and how any college could see that on the cv of a prospective teacher and think 'yup must have them to teach our students politics'...

checking namechanger

thought it wasnt allowed to e GTC registetrd teacher and hold BNP membership.like the police cant be BNP members

i have longterm friends who would be burning up this page telling us how ignorant we all are about bnp,before you burn me at the stake they are fully aware of my differance of opinions,they are total racist believe that hitler was right say that they wont push their views onto their 3 kids but i have witnessed the oldest doing the white power sign whilst dancing to screwdriver playing on his ipod,you would not meet two nicer people on the face of it and they are good honest people,but have this sick belief that they are totall right. i think what i am trying to say is teachers,doctors,social workers you will never know unless like me have grown up with them,because from snippits of overheard conversations these extremists are everywhere

He may well have behaved in an exemplary manner in his professional teaching life, but he isn't a teacher any more, he is a professional politician. He is a bigot for all to see. And he is proud of being a bigot.

And 1 in 10 people of Yorkshire support him so what has gone so terribly wrong that he is seen as a valid choice, that's the question.

"I can just about imagine them not voicing their politial views, but not, say, caring for a student who was gay/jewish/had disabilities... "

would you have the same concern about a teacher who was a member of a black pride organisation with regards white students? what about if thestudent was an open member of the bnp or a white pride group?
in fact how about any lecturer who was either gay,jewish,female,disabled or an ethnic minority (or in fact simply a liberal) who had a student who believed in white pride or white power?
would you trust them to care about a student who opposed everything they stand for?

as i've said throughout i despise the bnp and am most unfond of most people who i've met who are involved in racial pride groups regardless of which race.
but we have to extend the beefit of the doubt , especially when there is no evidence to he contrary as seems he case here, that they will conduct themselves professionaly.

heres something to get us thinking,i was working in the midlands during local elections and i was offered a bnp leaflet,this was shocking enough but the more shocking was the fact that the bloke offering the leaflet was asian,he saw my disbelief and said" i was born in this country and am sick of this government letting all these foreigners into my country"

Madlentileater: "inteesting this about Brons' professionalism. I just find it very hard to believe. Eg did he have any pastoral responsibility?
I just find it hard to imagine anyone with those kinds of beliefs could impartially and compassionately discharge their duties to a child or young person ....I can just about imagine them not voicing their politial views, but not, say, caring for a student who was gay/jewish/had disabilities..."

I can see someone being professional in their pastoral care. I've just had an 18yr-old student who I knew was a complete scumbag, but I still gave him all the pastoral care I would have given to any other student.

I've heard the Rev Ian Paisley was/is an exemplary MP to his Catholic constituents. Don't know if that's true, but it's possible.

Whilst I understand the worry about professionalism, I am also concerned about an attitude that would allow anyone to step back and allow fascism to foourish. The Catholic Church took the line of "it's not our place to comment" in the 1930s and sometimes people just have have to make a stand.
There is a reason why BNP members are specifically banned from teaching: because their ideology promotes racial hatred. They are dangerous and wherever else you stand on the political spectrum I am actually astounded that more people don't think their views should be challenged at every possible opportunity.

I agree clemette, their views are so extreme, unintelligent and irrational that all the main parties have expressed sadness that they have won seats. This would not happen with any other party.

It's not the same as having different views about how the economy should be run, which is what politics really boils down to, but about believing that a race is superior to all others. I think it is naive to believe in freedom of speech/live and let live when it comes to these sorts of views.

Being non white, non Christian British, it really does worry me that a teacher teaching my kids may be holding such racist and discrimating views.Incidentally I happened to notice on their leaked list that several "active memebers" were nursery teachers!!! How frighetening is that! It is almost like having a paedophile in the same class as your kids( although many would probably disagree with the comparison)

It is amazing that we have just had the D-Day commerations and chances are that some of the descendents of those who died to fight fascism, tyranny and racism actually voted for the BNP.

That is why the history of WW2, the history of slavery, the history of serfdom & feudlism etc must be taught in schools to remind future generations of what happens when the majority sit back and allow the minority to dictate.

I would actually campaign for the "Rights of Man" by Thomas Paine to be compulsory study text on the National Curriculum. Even Barack Obama quoted him in his inaugural address.

There is a saying
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing"

Those who did not vote and allowed these stains of human decency to be elected should hang their heads in shame.

may I just add that yes many non BNP citizens proabbly openly or non openly express shades of racism every now and then I agree, but that is NOT the same as having a studied and planned agenda against non Whites etc...and btw I would feel just as threatened if my kids's teacher were anti White or anti Christian ..a teacher should be there for one thing only and anything that overshadows that is detrimental to the whole of society

I have just taught a lesson on the KKK and the treatment of black people in 1950s America. I told the children that the KKK were racist thugs and terrorists. Fact or opinion?

disillusionedmum I am not sure there is a political party that is anti-White so not sure how that fits into this debate. Plenty of teachers are anti-Christian but again, this is not about teachers imposing their views on all subjects - it is about some teachers standing up against an extreme, dangerous and worrying ideology.

clemette

Fact

"Fascists can spread their ideology/filth yes, that's their democractic right of free speech."

Sorry if someone has already challenged this, but actually it is wrong.

There are laws against inciting racial hatred.

Completely agree with Clemette. We need to explain to young people why parties like the BNP are dangerous. Particularly now that they have become so accomplished at making themselves sound moderate.

"disillusionedmum I am not sure there is a political party that is anti-White so not sure how that fits into this debate."

maybe not english political parties but how woud you feel about universities allowing members of the new black panther party in america to give lectures?

and while i'd agree that the KKK were racist thugs are you as quick to describe black power or seperatist groups as the same in your class room? lets say some how muhammad ali came up at some point throughout the year (not sure what you teach so not sure how he ever would) would you be as quick to label him as a vile racist thug?i mean after all he did address a meeting of the KKK and agreed with their principles.

We stress the terrorist links between the Black Panthers and the British suffragettes. And the similarities between Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela.

that's very interesting to know.thanks for answering. (sincere not being sarcastic, as i know sometimes posts can read that way regardless of intent)

I would say it is a weird thing for a BNP member to want to be a teacher at a further education college. However, if he keeps his beliefs to himself he should be allowed to. The thing that would worry me is that I have encountered plenty of teachers / lecturers who don't leave their political beliefs at home and if they are respected in their profession, a child may take on that view.

Regarding the issue of free speech which people on here seem to be concerned about I would like to make reference to dh. He is fully Jewish and when I say that I mean he looks it and he would always defend his position as a Jewish person first and foremost. However, the thing that makes me really respect him (although sometimes I think he takes it too far) is that he fully believes in free speech, even people who are really racist and holocaust deniers. He argues that it is easier to defeat racism through debating a point with someone.

Sometimes I think he is mad, other times I think he is amazingly tolerant.

Spokette - It's romantic but you can't say that the millions of civilians called up to fight in the Second World War were fighting against fascism.

They were drafted. The alternative was to go to military prison and have a very hard time indeed.

Sorry, it's not aimed at you, though it might seem so. Honestly, it's not. It's just that we can't put our modern day interpretation on things that happened in the past.

I'm not saying the men who fought in WW II for the allies were fascists or Nazis or anything like that. Why would I? My own father was one of them.

Sadly he's no longer here for me to ask.

But I would guess he would say: 'I was an ordinary man faced with extraordinary and unavoidable circumstances.'

Britain was a very different place then, but some things have not changed: if you are at the bottom of the heap then parties such as the BNP can exploit your fears for their ends.

The best weapon we have against bigotry is personal experience.

If you know the people the bigots are trying to turn you against, there's a good chance you will hate the bigots for trying to manipulate you.

The second best is for ordinary people to feel they have a stake in society.

If they don't, and even if their concerns are completely unjustified, they will be able to claim they have been driven into the arms of the BNP.

It is the responsibility of mainstream political parties to try to represent all people.

I am disgusted that all politicians, but particularly Labour ones, have attempted to avoid their responsibilities and emotionally blackmail us over the successes of the BNP.

I was sickened to see MP after MP virtually admit: 'Yes, I'm a venal, useless, self-serving shit completely unworthy of your support, but if you don't vote for me, the fascists will get in.'

The BNP is not my responsibility but I will have to deal with the situation mainstream politicians have handed me.

I'm a bit cheered that Griffin has been pelted with eggs by angry people today.

Maybe he'll learn that being on frontline politics rather than giving minorities a kicking and then running away is a bit tough.

Who says you are not allowed to be a BNP member as a teacher? Certainly pushing their propaganda in lessons should be banned, but ones private membership is nobody's business and I'm actually quite disturbed at the idea people shouldn't be allowed to think what they like in private!

I think it is only police officers who are banned from being BNP members. The teaching unions, however, will not represent BNP members.