Northern Ireland is mostly ignored now that people are rarely blown up there. Wales is mostly ignored anyway. But last night’s Newsnight, entirely about education, demonstrated the wrong-headedness of that approach.
In Wales, they are trying abolish school Sixth Forms. Though not for those whose parents can afford the fees, of course. Real Labour has seen what is happening. And Real Labour has been on the march in Wales for quite a while. Ex-Labour Independents and small parties have lately captured many council seats, captured and retained the erstwhile Commons seat of Aneurin Bevan and Michael Foot, and captured and retained the corresponding seat at Cardiff, all on programmes as far from the economic sectarian Leftism that New Labour used to profess as from the social and cultural sectarian Leftism that New Labour now professes.
But in Northern Ireland, sending fifty per cent of people to university is nothing new. They already do it. They have grammar schools. Which that fifty per cent cannot all have attended. Grammar schools increase standards across the board. It is a fact.
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Real Labour and New Labour are exactly the same. They're all Socialists. Drop the Blairite pretence that there's any difference.
ReplyDeleteDon't go saying that in Wales.
ReplyDeleteLabour used to be the party of the grammar schools. The Tories abolished them.
ReplyDeleteQuite so.
ReplyDeleteMinisterial defence of the grammar schools was by “Red Ellen” Wilkinson of the Jarrow Crusade, and by George Tomlinson. Academic defence was by Sidney Webb and R H Tawney. Vigorous practical defence was by Labour councillors and activists around the country, not least while Thatcher, as Education Secretary, was closing so many that there were not enough left at the end for her record ever to be equalled. They were long protected in Kent by a campaign long spearheaded by Eric Hammond.
They were restored by popular demand, as soon as the Berlin Wall came down, in what is still the very left-wing former East Germany. They were successfully defended by the populace at large in the Social Democratic heartland of North Rhine-Westphalia.
And in Northen Ireland today, the campaign to save them features Robert McCartney, now in charge of campaigning for them nationally, and previously the Labour-minded last integrationist elected to the Commons.
It was also Labour MPs who defended Catholic schools, and thus all church-based state schools, over several successive decades. The Protestant clergy have already been excluded from their traditional role in schools in Northern Ireland. That is the Sinn Fein Minister's dry run for her party's exclusion of the Catholic Church from education throughout Ireland. That same Minister is the one attacking the grammar schools. Well, of course.
At last a useful purpose for Bob McCartney. Whatever organisation he is now in I confidently predict he will cause a split within six months.
ReplyDeleteAs one of the 50% who went to Uni (three times!) I have to say that these figures disguise the problem of Uni drop out rates higher in QUB than most places. Those who note that 99% (according to Wikipedia....no I dont like quoting them either) of "NI" students who go to QUB are from the "state sector" think it is because the working class are incapable of using UNi properly.
While 50% (actually I think 44% is more usually quoted) "NI" students end up at Uni, a disproportionate number of them (largely unionists on the brain drain or "chicken run" (a term I abhor) ) will not return.
Routinely the QUB elite at the School of Education (largely English lefties) dont get that American civil rights and "NI" civil rights are different in terms of education.
In 1950s Alabama black education was second class.
Catholic education in County Tyrone was never second class.
Just wait until Ruane has de-Catholicised it.
ReplyDeleteShe wont.
ReplyDeleteDe Catholic-ising it would mean it would be less Republican and Nationalist.
It is NOT in the Nationalist/Republican interest to have "integrated education".
But it is the Sinn Fein objective to have secularised education. And secularised everything else, for that matter.
ReplyDeleteWell say what you like about Sinn Féin (and you probably have) their objective is the break up of the United Kingdom and a "united" Ireland.
ReplyDeleteThis involves ensuring that the Catholics (who are overwhelmingly Republican and Nationalist) do not integrate into Britishness.
The Nationalist/Republican political parties (SDLP and SF), their still existing paramilitary wing, the Catholic Church, Irish language and sports organisations (GAA etc) have a vested interest in catholic education.
While the Alliance Party contains that mythical sect (pro Union Catholics) they are very much in favour of integrated education.
To sum up a pro union (or officially neutral) Alliance is pro integration as is the trendy lefties in QUB School of Education.
The bean counters in Dept of Education are against it. A small town such as Saintfield already jas a State and Catholic school and now some parents (AP voters no doubt) think they are "entitled" to an integrated school.
Of course the AP has its own battles. Leader David Ford widely tipped as Minister for Justice has incurred the wrath of UUP and DUP for declaring that he personally is "agnostic" on the issue of "the Union".
Oh, I never said that they were in favour of integration. Of course they don't. But they want the Catholic Church out of the schools for their future voters. They are busily setting up their own alternative network, in fact, using the pretext of the Irish language.
ReplyDeleteYes my grandson attends an Irish language school. His local Catholic priest is a very enthusiastic supporter.
ReplyDeleteTo my certain knowledge all of the teachers are practising Catholics and the proportion of parents attending Mass is probably higher than the proportion attending the "Anglo" alternative.
As to the political leanings of the teachers, at least one is on the local SDLP Executive although its fairly typical of a Party once described by Paddy Devlin as the political wing of the Irish National Teachers Organisation.
In other words the staff and parents reflect the broad local "Catholic/Nationalist/Republican" demographic.