Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Whose agenda?
Browsing the internet over lunch I inadvertently strayed onto the Daily Mail's website to find that not surprisingly they have taken a critical line on Harriet Harman's equalities agenda. Now I am not a great fan of the Labour Deputy Leader and some of her ideas but let's get a sense of perspective.
According to the newspaper teaching pupils that it is wrong to assault women and about the need to form healthy relationships is part of some evil feminist agenda. They go further. A drive to reduce violence against women and young girls is apparently 'controversial'. How exactly? In actual fact the programme aims to educate 'children and young people about healthy, nonviolent relationships', which is slightly different to the way it is being portrayed by the paper.
The initiative is opposed by Cameron's new cuddly Tories and also by a family lobby group called ParentsOutloud. Their spokesperson thinks that PSHE classes are in danger of being 'hijacked by pressure groups'.
She added: 'I do not really want my youngster to be indoctrinated with these things. There will always be those who want to cram our school curriculum with social issues that need to be taught by parents and society.'
Never has so much hot air been generated by so many reactionaries about such an important initiative. Do any of these people live in the real world?
According to the newspaper teaching pupils that it is wrong to assault women and about the need to form healthy relationships is part of some evil feminist agenda. They go further. A drive to reduce violence against women and young girls is apparently 'controversial'. How exactly? In actual fact the programme aims to educate 'children and young people about healthy, nonviolent relationships', which is slightly different to the way it is being portrayed by the paper.
The initiative is opposed by Cameron's new cuddly Tories and also by a family lobby group called ParentsOutloud. Their spokesperson thinks that PSHE classes are in danger of being 'hijacked by pressure groups'.
She added: 'I do not really want my youngster to be indoctrinated with these things. There will always be those who want to cram our school curriculum with social issues that need to be taught by parents and society.'
Never has so much hot air been generated by so many reactionaries about such an important initiative. Do any of these people live in the real world?
