Clippings from Facebook: So apparently I'm a right winger

10 Steps to be a left winger... apparently...

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=18717071808&topic=8771


1. I don't think I've ever read an outdated history book- I tend to read much more interesting things, and watch history documentaries... Produced by respected broadcasters. 

2. I never bring up Israel- partly because the whole issue gives me a bloody headache and also I wouldn't bring it up in inappropriate places like whoever wrote that assumes I would.

3. I don't think I've ever disagreed with the notion that we shouldn't allow illegal immigration- it's illegal, isn't it? Though if people have a genuine life-threatening reason to flee their country, then they should be able to stay somewhere safer. Not crying and screaming and accusing people of rape, frigging hell!

4. Left wingers can be realistic as well you know, hey we have to be in the UK as it's the only way we can make any of our political values possible. We also know that some ideas that seemed good at the time ended up not working because of the power crazy nutters that twisted them to their own ends. 

5. Nah, don't take drugs- partly because my Dad was a drugs advice worker and regularly gave me the horrifying stories of people who went way too far with them. Though I'm partial to a beer as much as most people are!

6. Nutters come in many flavours, everyone knows that, and Muslim fundamentalists who treat women like crap and advocate the death penalty for things like being gay piss me off as much as Christian ones who essentially advocate the same things. If you put both in a room they would probably find a lot to agree on!

7. I hate that song and hate that that horribly sad cover of it was Christmas number 1. I prefer arguing about nasty atrocities, and trying to make politicians act on them, not wasting my time on Youtube trying to stir up emotion.

8. I really don't think MI6 have any interest in a run-of-the-mill leftie with an interest in community activism. Methinks they're more interested in those looking up how to make homemade bombs and stuff like that.

9. You don't want to kill all Jews and non-whites so why should I have any reason to call you a Nazi? Britain's always been diverse, right back to the Romans and the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons and the Normans, and long may it continue.

10. Some of the candidates in parties are and some of them aren't, we just have to make sure we vote for the principled ones.

So according to some random person on an internet forum's standards I'm a right winger! Off to join the Conservatives then... NOT.

BBC News Have Your Say post of the week...

In what may or may not turn out to be a regular series, here's my pick of one of the most insane ranting postings from the public on the BBC News website.

This week's comes from a thread on the merits to the UK on the London Olympics:

London yes, the rest of Britain no -not in any way.

ZanuLabour have been "London-centric" since 1997 - what major project have they "gifted" to the rest of Great Britain?

Zanulabour have abandoned their traditional areas & voters now they are in power - they prefer to lig with big business & foreign dignatories in metropolitan London.

Why they can't just declare London's independence from the rest of Britain I do not know - it certainly is not a capital city representative of us Brits.

MissBritish Insurgent, Middle England

1. Is this country being run by a senile old despot who will probably quit in the next few days? Do we have inflation levels in excess of 100,000%? No, we don't do we? Then don't compare the party in the UK government to Zanu-PF in Zimbabwe, you twat.

2. The last I heard an "insurgent" was someone who comes into the country from somewhere else to muck things up, you idiot. Unless "Middle England" is now a fully recognised nation state, in which case I will be writing to "Zanulabour" to recommend that we close the borders and refuse visas to everyone from there so we don't have to have anything to do with your nonsense. And take your Daily Mail and Express with you, cheers.

Homophobia in schools

An article from the Evening Post came to my attention today about how the Council has been forced to shelve a programme of lessons about homophobic bullying in two Easton primary schools.

Leaving aside the ridiculous way that this article has been written (part of it seems to suggest that they were teaching people about homosexuality full stop when they weren't) it seems to have been sparked by a row between the schools and parents, of which a number of them are Muslims. Now there doesn't appear to be any indication of what was going to be taught exactly or whether the parents actually saw it. But regardless of religious or cultural belief, is it not a good idea to teach kids about all kinds of bullying? Homophobic bullying can certainly be some of the nastiest in schools, and I would have thought that a sensitive discussion on the subject would be very beneficial to personal and social education. There may of course be religious beliefs against homosexuality in general, but schools should be in the habit of teaching all points of view, and in a subject of which there is still a woeful divide in opinion about, it is a good idea to teach the facts and not the ill-informed prejudices. For then children can leave school more informed than they were, and (hopefully) more tolerant of modern society.