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

that's what i thought as well but seeing as i don't live in britain i wasn't sure. i don't think it's right that the police have a ban on it.

I think as this thread is long, it should be reiterated that he is now retired.

He was still a teacher whilst a member of fascist organisations.

I agree that teachers should leave their personal beliefs and agendas outside the classroom.

Funnily enough when I object to teachers bringing their religion into the classroom people generally say the teachers beliefs are not my concern.

For those of you who believe opinions should be kept out of the classroom, could you forsee an occasion where it would ever be OK for them to speak out?

I think that some beliefs should be taught:

To believe in Peace as opposed to war
To believe in Freedom as opposed to oppression
To believe in community opposed to selfishness
To believe in civility opposed to violence
TO believe in unity as opposed to divison.

This are things that all children should be taught at home and at school.

That is very different from the type of beliefs held by a member of an extreme politcal group such as the BNP.

Don't really know what the problem is.

Is it any different to the SNP or the IRA (Sinn Fein) being elected? No

Remember guys, we, the general public, voted for them. They have more right to be MEP's than Gordon, the unelected, Brown does to be PM.....

Perhaps it does say a lot about the state of the nation....

Food for thought.....

ALSO, did any see the broadcast of the anti BNP protesters kicking and throwing eggs, now, flip that over, what if a group of BNP protesters had done that........

Isn't every teacher biased though, I've never met one that doesn't offer an opinion on their chosen topic, career options, one even discussed childless and single life as a lifestyle choice with us in 5th year (year 10 now). Ideally you want teachers to offer different opposing views to that at home, I for one would be voting BNP if I took my fathers word as gospel luckily others were available to debate the ideas with.

They wouldn't throw eggs Yorkshire11 they would put petrolbombs through the letterbox.

You are at best naive, at worst utterly deluded if you think the racist, mysogynistic and fascist views of the BNP have any parallel with the SNP.

Of course teachers can speak out. When they are not at work.

Noonki, I almost agree with you except that sometimes war is necessary to prevent worse things happening. So I guess we can't even quite agree on the main ones. That's why I think it should be parents and only parents teaching right from wrong.

What if the parents are wrong? I mentioned on another thread that I taught the daughter of a proud neo-Nazi. Should I avoid teaching about the Nazis in case it could be seen as undermining his parental role...?

absolutely clemette

Yorkshire11, I think what you have written about the BNP being no different to the SNP is beyond idiotic. go google the groups you have just likened to the BNP. Sinn fein also has no affiliation to the IRA anymore.

The real problem is if we have a situation where a teacher is an active BNP member hence meaning he or she not only believes in all the racially discrimanating , white supremacist, women disparaging ideology but actually engages in party activities which practice the ideolgy then can we really trust this teacher to put that aside when teaching immigrant pupils for example? If a teacher thinks someone should not be here or is threatening to his or her 'kind' then just how can a an immigrant , Asian , Muslim or Jewish parent rest assured about their kids!!! Would a Jewish family entrust their child to someone who held anti semitic views?? This to me is the issue here.. ok i am not stupid to say the teacher would physically endanger the child but what of neglect. psychological abuse? emotional torture? a teacher's role is so life forming to a young child and many a teacher has scarred people for life by putting them down or being abusive to them, etc..think about it!

I thought it might be interesting to provide you with a little information regarding the new BNP MEP Mr Brons and his teaching career, as he taught at a Further Education College then the youngest age he taught will have been 16.

I was a student of his but am not a political supporter.

During the late 70s and the 80s there were many attempts to oust him from his job by left wing groups and indignant students. However the decision was taken by the college to keep him on as the majority of his students and colleagues were in favour of his staying because he was considered an excellent teacher. The college considered that he taught objectively and never attempted to bend the minds of any of his students towards his own political beliefs, or indeed even revealed them. There are many students who were never even aware of his beliefs. There was also no evidence at all that he treated students of other races or ethnic background any differently from white students.

To have continued a near 35 year career at the college I think shows there was truth in their conclusions or are we to assume that the entire staff of said college over the years have been holders of the same beliefs and that it has be some sort of secret hotbed for the extreme right for thirty years?

People have a right to their opinions and a right to a job and a life also. Removing BNP members from their jobs is considered acceptable in the UK. Despite the general loathing of the BNP because of its discriminatory politics, surely to discriminate against members of said political party by preventing them earning a living is rather unreasonable?

In many countries over the world people are imprisoned for their political beliefs.
The UK is a democratic country; an unpopular party is elected through a legal voting system and suddenly people say they should not be allowed to represent the people that have voted for them. To continue down that line is almost as dangerous as is the potential of the BNPs coalition with other far right parties in Europe. The only way to 'defeat' what you do not believe in is by exercising your right to vote, not by hysterical attempts at preventing them taking up their legally won seats to which they have been elected. It is very much a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted!

I'm not sure that anyone said they shouldn't be allowed to stand. My own argument is that voters and potential voters need to know exactly what they are voting for. If they then choose to vote fascist it is up to them.

Should I avoid teaching about the Nazis in case it could be seen as undermining his parental role...?>>

If the lesson is history or current affairs then the facts are there and speak for themselves. What we don't want is a cookery lesson used to premote private beliefs whether they be BNP, Tory or Catholic.

Even in a history lesson there's no real need for beliefs to intrude. It's possible to describe the holocaust without saying either of these:

"of course it never happened"
or
"those people who deny it shouldn't be allowed to run for office"

How about "there are some people that deny the holocaust happened. Some of those people are in the BNP." Factual.

factual but misleading as you are implying a link where there isn't necessarily one.unless you are in favour of all factual statements and would be happy for a teacher to follow up your statement "there are some people who commit knife crim, some of these people are black" factual.

As it is anduril has enlightened us as to the history of this particular BNP member and for all we know he may have even given the BNP more credibility because of his "attributes" but there lies behind this extremist ideolgy a very frightening element..one astute member does not make Britain any safer ..although i am as i said in another thread all for tackling the hpt issues they so deviously use to persuade midel class whites..yes let us tackle face on the endless wave of immigartion and its negative effects. and yes let them voice their opinions as loudly as they care in that case as we would not be worried about what they say or concerned for political correctness..what society fears most is used by those who cause the most fear of all...ask history

I do teach knife crime (GCSE Crime and Punishment History Development Study). We do teach knife crime and we do teach about why many knife crimes are committed by young black people. It is also a fact. (bewildered emoticon)

facts should not scare anyone ..it is distorting them or manipulating them to suit an agenda or worse still hiding and avoiding them which ruins lives..

Just out of interest clemette, what % of knife crime is carried out by young black people?

"We do teach knife crime and we do teach about why many knife crimes are committed by young black people. It is also a fact. (bewildered emoticon)"

yes but that is different to just giving a factual statement such as the one i provided about black knife crime and the example you gave above regarding holocaust denial. if you were to explore holocaust denial fully and study why certain people deny the holocaust fair enough.
but you were proposing the statement "there are some people that deny the holocaust happened. Some of those people are in the BNP." whic implies a causal link without proving one, in the same way my statement about knife crime and race implies one without proving one.

My local NASUWT sent around a flier to all its members in my area informing teachers that the BNP's manifesto contains idea that would lead to discrimination based on disability. That all teachers have a responsibility to ensure that no child is discriminated against.

Anyone has a link to the BNP manifesto?