Archive for category Social Cohesion

The Delights of Diversity: The Rhetoric and the Reality

‘We believe that diversity is good for society—socially, culturally, economically.’

So runs the vision statement of the Institute of Community Cohesion, which last year received from the Department for Communities and Local Government almost a quarter of a million pounds ‘for a range a work aimed at helping local partners build more cohesive and integrated communities’.

One wishes in vain from this Quango for some account of exactly what the basis is of its guiding philosophy, when the truth so manifestly belies the exact opposite.

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The True Winner of the X-Factor

Irrespective of whether it is utter bilge or compulsive viewing, the massive popularity of ‘the X Factor’ reveals in the country a deep need for which the just concluded weekly TV singing talent contest apparently is able to cater admirably.

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The Writing is Back on the Wall for Christianity, Sort Of

Within the Roman Church, St Francis’ feast day falls on October 4th and is marked by ceremonies to honour and bless animals. When a Catholic church in London’s Kentish Town sought to display in a local public library a poster advertising a forthcoming ‘pet blessing’ there, it was refused permission on the grounds the event was a religious one.

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Making History

At last week’s Tory party conference, shadow education secretary Michael Gove committed his party upon their return to power to restoring the teaching of narrative British history in schools. He reportedly said:
‘Instead of being taught about the Magna Carta the Glorious Revolution and the heroic role of the Royal navy in putting down slavery, our children are [now] either taught to put Britain in the dock or they remain in ignorance of our island story, That is morally wrong, culturally self-defeating – and we would put it right.’

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Accord May Have Come Into Being, But Is Still Lacking in Reality Nonetheless

Yesterday was the first day of the month in which children return to school after the summer holidays. (Cue for cheers or boos depending on age.)
Along with the start of the new school year, yesterday also saw the launch of a new anti-faith school initiative.
Named the Accord Coalition, what distinguishes this new organisation from all other lobby groups campaigning for the same end is that its membership includes several prominent religious figures and groups. It is not just the usual group of virulently anti-religious suspects such as Polly Toynbee, Phillip Pullman and A.C.Grayling, although all of these belong to it.

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The TWADDLE that was WDWTWA has now mercifully become TWTWTW

For those sufficiently fortunate never to have needed to know, WDWTWA stands for ‘Who Do We Think We Are Week?’ For those still none the wiser, according to the proud boast of the Department of Children Schools and Families, ‘WDWTWA is a new, DCSF-funded education project, designed to engage primary and secondary school teachers in the exploration of identity, diversity and citizenship with their pupils.’
TWTWTW stands for ‘That Was the Week That Was’, a sixties satirical tv show that brought the likes of Bernard Levin and David Frost to fame. Since it supposedly took place last week, WDWTWA has now mercifully become TWTWTW. I say “mercifully” because of the awful twaddle it well and truly was.

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