Archive for category Political Correctness
Licensed to Hug
Posted by Claire Daley in Political Correctness on 10/02/2010
On Monday, the BBC’s Panorama programme asked “are you a danger to kids?” to highlight the dramatic escalation of child protection measures, and the absurdity of Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks. This crucial issue is detailed in Civitas’ publication Licensed to Hug by Frank Furedi and Jennie Bristow.
Imposing Secularism in State Schools Isn’t Religious Neutrality, but Religious Persecution
Posted by David Conway in Education, European Union, Political Correctness, Religion on 10/11/2009
‘Now there’s spiritual warfare and flesh and blood breaking down. Ya either got faith or ya got unbelief and there ain’t no neutral ground.’ So sang Bob Dylan.
I was put in mind of those lyrics by a recent decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Why the European Equal Treatment Directive is Creating an Offensive Environment
Posted by David Conway in Civil Liberty, European Union, Political Correctness on 27/10/2009
In last week’s positively surreal broadcast of BBC tv’s Question Time, deputy prime minister Jack Straw blathered on about how Parliament had boldly preserved freedom of expression in Britain by deliberately refraining from making Holocaust denial a crime. In yesterday’s Times, Straw was joined by his cabinet colleague, Foreign Secretary David Miliband, blathering on about how wonderful for Britain is its membership of the EU and how Euro-sceptics should stop whinging and learn to love the wonderful new international power bloc that it will finally become after ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.
Meanwhile, the fundamental right of freedom of expression in this country is about to be severely curbed by a brand new directive from Brussels which has crept up on us all with all the customary stealth its edicts typically do.
It’s time to shelve the Equality Bill
Posted by James Gubb in Civil Liberty, Human Rights, Immigration, Multiculturalism, Political Correctness, Race and Equality on 30/10/2008
Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), an organisation armed to the teeth with legal powers to protect groups that claim to be victims of oppression, recently expressed fears that the recession will not only harm ethnic minorities but also some white people.
“It is clear,” he said, “that what defines disadvantage won’t be black or brown, it will be white. And we will have to take positive action to help some white groups”.
Was he saying that we should help people when they need assistance, regardless of their colour? If so, he was spot on.
Continue at the Daily Telegraph Blog.
If you have nothing to hide…
Posted by Nick Cowen in Political Correctness on 09/07/2008
… you still have plenty to fear, especially if your name is a popular one in Britain. The state has rewarded one Amanda Hodgson’s willingness to volunteer to help at a local school by branding her an alcoholic thug and heroin addict. Rather than receiving an apology for the obvious errors, she has been told to supply even more information, including her fingerprints, in order to prove she is innocent of the crimes that her name and date of birth have convicted her. If she doesn’t, Lancashire Education Authority will revoke her license to hug.
Related today: Esther Rantzen acknowledges some of the more pernicious aspects of the new culture of child (over)protection.
Toddlers Are Now to be Told Not to Mind Their Peas and Cucumbers
Posted by David Conway in Political Correctness on 08/07/2008
Newly published guidance for play leaders and nursery teachers instructs them to be on the look-out for and to reprimand racist attitudes evinced by toddlers.
“No racist incident should be ignored. When there is a clear racist incident, it is necessary to be specific in condemning the action”, they are reportedly instructed.
Among potentially racist behaviour of toddlers for which nursery teachers are instructed to be on guard and ready to take them to task is their saying “yuk” when presented with unfamiliar foreign food. The guidance warns: ‘Children [might] react negatively to a culinary tradition other than their own by saying “yuk”.’