HIGH TIME THE UK DECLARED IT HAD NO FAITH IN FAITH SCHOOLS

Britain’s education system will become increasingly fragmented if faith schools (a symbol above) use new powers to discriminate on religious grounds when hiring headteachers and support staff, campaigners warned yesterday. The Government says the change in the law, which comes into force on Monday, is intended to help schools choose staff who will offer “pastoral support” to pupils. The amendment to the Education and Inspections Act 2006 also allows voluntary-controlled and foundation schools to demand that a headteacher adheres to a specific faith. A campaign group called Accord, to be launched at the start of the new term on Monday, wants Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, to prevent state-funded faith schools from discriminating by selecting students and pupils according to their beliefs. A spokesman for Accord said : “By segregating young children and teenagers by their beliefs, we are fragmenting Britain at a time when we need cohesion more than ever.” Damn right. The growth in these faith schools was fostered by hypocrite convert Tony Blair, doubtless after he had his arm twisted by the Roman Catholic church. And the Roman Catholic church is a prime example of the misuse of faith schools, which like all other religions it fosters for the single reason of being able to maintain bases for indoctrinating the next generation. Now of course Islamic schools, breeding grounds for who knows what, are everywhere in the UK. Doubtless we’ll soon have Hindus, Jews, Methodists, Jehovah’s Witnesses and all the rest breaking away to add to the chaos. And now they seek to cement the religious apartheid by imposing restrictions on entrance and staffing. It may well be illegal - it’s certainly undesirable. The sooner we force a situation where ALL kids learn under the same school regime, to the same syllabus, to the same set of values, the better. And in any event, why should atheist taxpayers be obliged to pay for ANY of this variety of puerile, nonsensical, hate-filled, socially divisive, medieval religious indoctrination disguised as education ?

Yes, the above picture is blank - and here’s why - it represents information (or lack of it) on a rapist on the run which has been made available to the public. Two photo e-fits of a man suspected of raping a UK journalism student at a camp for illegal immigrants in Calais have been distributed across France, to Interpol and the British authorities. But unbelievably, they haven’t been issued to the public, in case the suspect’s human rights are infringed ! French police have launched an international manhunt for the attacker amid fears he has already fled the country. They compiled the images from descriptions given by the victim, who is being comforted by the Pas-de-Calais Victim Support Association, and a witness. The 31-year-old Canadian-born student based in London was attacked on Tuesday night as she worked on a report on the makeshift camps outside the French port, where immigrants attempting to cross the Channel gather. Investigators have traces of the attacker’s DNA and his fingerprints, but they think he may have already slipped through border controls and may even more unbelievably, now be in England ! Questions : (1) Why are the human rights of criminals more importtant than the human rights of their victims ? (2) Why are the French STILL organising camps for illegals directly opposite us across the Channel when they said they would close them down ? (3) HOW THE HELL can an illegal get in to the UK and thereby use it as a haven to escape a charge of rape ? . If the politically correct authorities on both sides of the Channel were a bit less concerned about human rights for illegals and more concerned about proper immigration and border controls this kind of thing couldn’t happen . And sooner or later we’re going to have to cease the crazy practice of labeling anyone who highlights this farce as a racist.

She was Miss Wasilla 1984, then runner-up in the Miss Alaska beauty contest. She also hunts, fishes, eats moose-burgers, and is a life member of the US National Rifle Association. Now Sarah Palin is potentially the first woman in the White House. In an attempt to woo disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters,  Republican Presidential candidate John McCain named the 44-year-old Alaska Governor as his running mate - to hit the Democrats where it hurts. But he might have done more than that if he wins the election - because he’s 72 and time marches on. His actions could lead to the US being run not just by a former Alaskan beauty queen, but by an inexperienced hunting, shooting, fishing, homophobic creationist who would for good measure probably try and ban abortion and not fear nuclear Armageddon because she’s a fervent believer. Just what the world needs in the 21st century as a counterweight to Islamic fundamentalist nutcases - I don’t think.

But of course it’s important to maintain political balance - as a UK blog the last thing Caledonian Comment would wish to do is alienate American readers of either political persuasion - so let’s slag off Obama too ! His speech of acceptance in Denver (above) was of the usual high polish we’ve come to expect. And it’s clear he stirs deep empathy  from his audience. But it has to be said that he was preaching to the converted and the acid test will come at the polls. However I can’t help feeling that the triumphalist atmosphere of Obama “events”, like Denver and the recent “Ich bin ein US politician trying to get foreign policy credence” in Berlin, are disturbingly similar in tone and presentation to a famous 1992 rally held in Sheffield, UK by the then leader of the Labour Party, Neil Kinnock, on the eve of the UK general election. There were fireworks - ethic minority steel bands - unlimited political correctness - hysterical scenes of triumph and devotion - smug reassurances of an easy poll victory - chickens being counted before hatching - it all seemed a breeze . And less than a week later Kinnock lost to a nonentity called John Major.  

The Kremlin moved swiftly to tighten its grip on Georgia’s breakaway regions over the weekend as South Ossetia (occupying Russian soldier pictured above) announced that it would soon become part of Russia, which will open military bases in the province under an agreement to be signed on Tuesday. Tarzan (TARZAN !)  Kokoity, the province’s Deputy Speaker of parliament, announced that South Ossetia would be absorbed into Russia soon so that its people could live in “one united Russian state” with their ethnic kin in North Ossetia. What a surprise !

In the UK local Councils are recruiting ‘citizen snoopers’ (will they look like the photo above?) to report litter louts, dog foulers and even people who fail to sort out their garbage properly. The ‘environment volunteers’ will also be responsible for encouraging neighbours to cut down on waste. The move comes as local authorities are starting to levy £100 fines on householders who leave out too much rubbish or fail to follow recycling rules. And it is reinforcing fears that Britain is lurching towards a Big Brother society. Critics say this latest scheme could easily be abused and will encourage a culture of bin spies and curtain twitchers. The UK Taxpayers’ Alliance said yesterday:  ‘Snooping on your neighbours to report recycling infringements sounds like something straight out of the East German Stasi’s copybook. ‘With council tax so high, the last thing people want to pay for is an army of busybodies peering through their net curtains at their neighbours as they put out their garbage.’ Recruitment adverts appealing for the unpaid environmental volunteers have appeared across the country in recent months. Of course it might just be a ploy to ensure that Gordon Brown and his colleagues have gainful employment after the next election !