How can we account for Jeremy Corbyn’s success in the general election? It’s education – stupid!
The Jesuits used to say, “Give me a child until he’s seven and I will show you the man.” With socialism it takes a little longer: “Give me fifty years of comprehensive education and I will show you a nation of idiots.”
The Department of Education itself admits that, after eleven years of compulsory state education, 43% of pupils leave school unable to read, write and count efficiently. Worse, two generations of teachers – who come out with such expressions as “I was sat” and “I was stood” – have gone through this system, so the result is dumber still and dumber.
Perhaps I’m not being fair. They have a curriculum, don’t they? They learn stuff? But the curriculum is devised by left wing educational commissars who boast of “increasing pupils’ literacy and numeracy.” Yes, their literacy and numeracy are excellent: it’s just that they can’t read, they can’t write and they can’t add up.
History? This is the slave trade – but carefully omitting to mention that this trade was abolished in British dominions by British toffs and policed by the Royal Navy. They teach the evils of empire and imperialism, without reference to the cruellest and most prolonged imperialism of them all, and that’s Islamic imperialism. Bits about Hitler. Nothing about Nelson, but loads about Nelson Mandela. Loads more about Martin Luther King, universal rights – especially for terrorists – and the pagan fantasy of global warming.
Literature? You don’t mean dead white males do you, and honorary dead white males such as Jane Austen and George Eliot? Try Margaret Atwood instead.
Music? Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and the repertoire of the classical tradition? Don’t be so elitist. We’ve got rock music and steel bands. Ethnic music. Peruvian nose-flute music. The teachers are all at Glastonbury anyhow.
Natural history? Windmills and cutting down trees in the US and shipping them over here to provide biomass to reduce the “carbon footprint”. Definitely no fracking.
Moral instruction? Wear a condom. How to become homosexual. And – brand new this one – how little boys can become little girls if they like and little girls become little boys. And you don’t have to be either if you don’t want to. Equality. Diversity. Multiculturalism. Political-correctness. Unilateral nuclear disarmament.
Religious education? Islam is the religion of peace and love. Christianity is mostly old bunk. The main thing is not to be “Islamophobic”.
When pupils have mastered this agitprop schedule of ignorance, they can move on to what is misleadingly called “university” where they will learn about safe spaces, “no platform” for anyone who disagrees with this rubbish, and how to abolish free speech
Provide a curriculum like this and you will produce – as we have – a generation that will idolise a Marxist, a unilateral disarmer who doubles as a friend of the IRA, Hamas and Hezbollah.
The most disturbing aspect of all this is that, whereas in 1983, when the loony leftie Michael Foot produced a manifesto similar to Corbyn’s, the people threw him out on his ear.
But today such dangerous idiocy is applauded
That is the extent of our infantilisation over a mere 34 years.
Quite right, but you might want to add Prohibition to the list of compulsory history subjects. The reason for including this hstorically insignificant episode is to indoctrinate the kids against opposing the impending legalisation of drugs.
It is particularly sickening to read drivel like this. The audacity of the Tories who publicly complain about their own incompetence. Who has been in charge for the last 67 years? I will tell you; 42 years Tory, 25 years Labour including a long stretch of Blair who could have been a Tory and probably secretly was.
If the education system is wrecked then the Tories were mainly responsible, but who would be surprised at that, having principles is not a noted Tory characteristic.
The US education system is essentially a “comprehensive” system with almost all children attending state schools. The results are excellent, for those who wish to succeed the US education system offers every opportunity.
The rot in England is a lot deeper than the education system.
The US school system is in the same boat as the UK with children being taught to revile the principles the nation was founded upon, with history distorted to reinforce a Progressive narrative.
Do you think children reading Zinn & Coates in the classroom are going to end up becoming the generation which saves the Civil Society? Are the events at Evergreen State, Middlebury, Berkeley et al comforting to you?
The parallels between the ascendancy of Corbyn and Sanders and the betrayals of conservatives by the milquetoast incompetents running the Tory party and GOP should worry anyone in the States.
Raspail:
Do you live in the US?
Do you have children who are in or who have passed through the US Education system?
Do you have grandchildren who are in the US education system?
Have you worked closely for years with graduates of US universities?
I live in the US and work at one of the few universities in the country to decry the “Safe Space” ideology.
The Leftist radicalization of youth here is on par with the UK, and is clearly even worse among university students.
The election of Trump has done nothing to alter the course the country was on prior to the election, other than inject even further vitriol into the political arena. His governance, policy-wise, is no different than would have been expected from Jeb or Christie.
After the failure to repeal Obamacare or do anything about immigration, it will be Sanders, Harris, Warren, or someone of that ilk, who’ll be elected President come 2020.
The President has been viciously and vigorously opposed by entrenched democratic party interests, but he has achieved a lot already; deportations are up, illegal entry is way down. Please remember he has only been in office for 6 months, given the depth of opposition he faces in the govt. bureaucracy he has done well.
Jeb or Christie were indistinguishable from Hilary in their immigration policies, we would have had open borders and amnesty for all, whether “dreamers”, MS-13, criminals and everybody else.
Foolishly President Trump has attempted to replace Obamacare with a republican alternative, he should have just let it collapse on its own, now he owns the issue, not good.
I believe he can win re-election in 2020, or if he steps aside Pence will be elected. A major issue now is “law and order” and Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III is the perfect man to get something done, but he needs time.
Believe me, having experienced both countries; the problems of the US pale to nothing compared to the social and political Disneyland known as Britain.
Trump granted 125,000 DACA cards in just the first quarter of this year. If he truly gave a whit about immigration, why not simply rescind Obama’s unconstitutional action? He has the plenary power to do so.
It was apparent that “The Wall” was never going to be built from the start, but his kowtowing to the judiciary as they’ve created an affirmative right for people to immigrate to the United States (undermining American sovereignty) is nothing short of malfeasance.
Despite all of the wishful projections, Trump is not a savior. It was just the oldest, richest, most liberal candidate winning the GOP nomination as usual.
It looks incredibly bleak for both the UK and US currently.
I agree with M Raspail. The article is polemical, but not drivel. Indeed, I notice you concede there is ‘rot in England’ but why, as the author suggests, its origins may not be found (even in part) in the ‘progressive’ ideology within the British education establishment is unclear from your comments. That British state education is shot through with leftist politics from top to tail is really beyond denial.
The truth is that, until recently, Tory governments have largely been concerned about tax, finance and the economy, not the ideologies within the state education system. Many Tories have gone to private schools themselves anyway. Doubtless also, successive Tory governments have realised that there is unlikely to be any appetite or support for ideological reform within local government bureaucracies, the teaching profession, the academy and the unions, but a very great deal of scope for political fallout. These are powerful enemies who would not blanch at painting proper reform as ‘hurting’ our children.
Furthermore, I believe the impact of a largely unhindered and now, a dominantly orthodox, popular culture exalting as it does, amorality or (depending on your view) immorality, self-absorption and the peculiar ‘authenticity’ behind ignorance and the low brow can hardly be overstated. In this respect, it seems to me that British politicians have largely followed the culture in the same way as everyone else has.
Finally, a thought experiment: Do you think the historical achievements of Britain and its people are likely to be a source of pride to Jeremy Corbyn? For him, would you say its Horatio Nelson or Fidel Castro? Hitler or Stalin/Mao? I think we both know the answer.
By the way, , I recommend Stephen Pollard’s article in the Daily Telegraph (9 June). Hard to fault his reasoning or his concerns. Perhaps the ideological bias of education has a relevance there as well.
Ex Turpi Causa – Merda Taurorum Animas Conturbit
Problems with the English education system go back centuries. The low standard of English education was the major factor in Britain being surpassed economically by the US, Germany and France in the late 1800s.
The culprit is the class system: For the upper class who regard themselves as “born to rule”, well then, why bother studying and practicing? For the lower classes, stuck in their serfdom, what possible good (but plentiful harm) can come of educating such creatures?
Professor Corelli Barnett has written extensively on this and other causes of the rot in English society.
So the Tories have concentrated on the economy? A right balls they have made of that also, with total debt; private, corporate and government approaching 400% of GDP! You lot are staring at an apocalypse, but heh, you will have your “sovereignty” back.
No doubt you are right that, historically, a class system along British lines ultimately results in at least some structural societal weaknesses. I am not inclined to be a cheerleader for the British aristocracy. But that aspect is not mutually exclusive with my point. As I say, there is an undeniable ideological thread through the British educational establishment as matters stand today. Furthermore, I seriously doubt progressivism will have any ultimate virtue or answer to the current crises facing Europe which indeed might prove apocalyptic absent some violent course correction.
Furthermore, I did not defend the Conservative Party’s record on the economy merely observed its intended focus. Some of that has been forced on them as a legacy of the previously incumbent Labour Party. You are of course right that UK national debt remains a potentially crippling problem, though much of the West (with one or two exceptions) is facing the same weaknesses.
Thanks for the additional Latin. I’m not sure whose ‘animus’ is being referred to here. If it was intended to be mine, there was no need for it. I adopt this username on other sites as well without any intended significance here.
Recall last election UKIP won 12% of the popular vote. Without UKIP, Libertarian Party or the BNP to soak up the protest votes the voters ticked the socialist’s boxes.
Grammar and selective religious schools were not an election pledge but they appeal to the aspirational swinging voter (aka JAMs) who want to give their children all the advantages they can.
Erm – Jeremy didn’t win…
However, he came close, probably for many of the reasons you suggest.
It’s beyond me how the situation can be rectified.
Is the best-case scenario to wait until Leftist policies drive the country to absolute ruin, and then hope that someone of Thatcher’s ilk is able to elucidate the masses as to the road to serfdom that brought us there, and hope they can somehow reverse the course?
It’s a grim path to travel from here on out.