To think that banning teachers from being members of the BNP is outrageous!

[londonone]

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8112747.stm

Now I abhor the BNP and their policies however they are a LEGAL political party and as a teacher I would find it appalling that my freedom to join legal political parties was being curtailed.

If the establishment believe the BNP to be that abhorrent then they should make them illegal. If a teacher acts in a racist, sexist, homophobic way AT WORK, then discipline them on that basis.

If BNP membership is to be banned then what about the SWP, some would say they are as extreme.

actually I agree.

Either we're living in a democracy, or we're not.

I agree that it should be banned. But then why isn't the BNP banned? If whoever is doing the banning sees it as bad enough Police and teachers cannot join, then it should not exist.

Thing is, plenty of professions have rules about not doing things that are legal for everyone else. You choose, when you are a member of that profession, to accept those rules or go elsewhere.

And they aren't stopping teachers voting for the BNP if that is their choice.

I don't see how it can possibly be legal to ban teachers from belonging to a legal political party

FioFio - Well some BNP voters would not want their child taught by a black teacher, should we accomodate them to?

(Civil servants certainly used to be banned from political activity, not sure it is still true but was the case when my mother worked for Whitehall.)

Edam - With the exception of the Police, what other professions limit your freediom to join legal political parties?

I don't care. Anything anti BNP is good in my book.

Maybe if we stop treating them as a legal party then people will stop seeing them as a legitimate choice.

Of course we live in a democracy, but so was Germany in the 30's and look what was allowed to happen.

FioFio - I am not saying your opinion is the same but that it is the equivalent in terms of wanting to impose your views on a whole profession.

yanbu

I like the idea of being grown up enough to respect everyone's views etc. but there is no way that I would leave my 5yo in a room with a known racist for 6 hours a day.

Not sure, london, about party membership, but certainly political activity i.e. canvassing is or has been limited for some jobs - have given an example below and have come across others but can't remember now. Think there was a big row about staff at GCHQ not being allowed to join a union or something?

No-one is banning teachers from voting BNP if they must. But membership is a declaration of an allegiance that could justifiably be seen as incompatible with educating children, or being a prison officer, or a nurse or doctor, for instance.

You can't be a member of the BNP without raising very serious questions about your ability to treat Black and ethnic minority pupils/patients/prisoners etc. etc. fairly and with respect.

meemar - They are LEGAL party though! By all means campaign to get them banned if that is what you want.

The police are not allowed to be members. The precedent is set.

i vote for giving the BNP enough rope to hang themselves with TBH.

like here where Nick Griffin, for example, has shown himself to be a twat.

Edam - Are doctors banned then?

oodles - Providing it didn't affect how they did their job, how would you even know?

I know londonone. My head agrees with all the legal and democratic side of what you're saying.

But my heart and gut feeling say "I don't give a toss because they are scum, and people teaching our kids should not be allowed to join them"

clemette - I believe that precedent to be wrong, just because it has been set doesn't make it right!

I just couldn't ever bring myself to be outraged on behalf of the BNP.

edam civil servants cannot be affiliated to any party, as we have (in theory at least) an apolitical cs.

I find the idea of the governing party being able to ban public servants from joining other political parties extremely worrying.