Martin Reed made a rather telling point at the WSTA meeting . His father was a miner and always used to say "don't go into a fight you can't win". This is the kind of argument the right wing always use when the union is faced with an attack like the one over pensions and actually we have no choice but to fight.
What Martin Reed's quote probably means is "if you don't go into a fight you can't win". You can certainly lose by not fighting the erosion of the public sector.
The WSTA meeting overwhelmingly supported Kevin Courtney.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Unity against Academy at Weston Favell School
Members at Weston Favell School in Northants are striking against the proposed academy. In this NASUWT and NUT are working together.
Messages of support would be very welcome.
The NUT rep is Paul Cutts
pcutts@weston.rmplc.co.uk
You can also copy to the NAS rep, Amanda Brett
abrett@weston.rmplc.co.uk
If you want to support them there is a model letter:
I am writing in regard to the teacher’s strike at Weston Favell School. As a parent/member of staff/local resident/member of the public/local councillor I feel that the school is a brilliant and improving asset to young people in the local area.
I disagree with plans for Northamptonshire County Council to allow United Learning Trust to take over the school, and as a result take the funding, curriculum and working conditions into their control. Those changes lead to high staff turnover at the Academies.
I am proud that we have a community school here which focuses on the needs of all its students. Academies are at best an unproven system, which have not yielded the high results that have been suggested.
Indeed ULT has recently been told it can not open any more Academies anywhere else because its standards are not high enough. However it appears the Government thinks they are still good enough for Weston Favell.
I am concerned that Academies are not holistic or cooperative, and that they attempt to ‘cherry-pick’ students and leave disadvantaged children behind – despite selective entry being against the rules. I wholeheartedly support the strike of the NUT and NASUWT unions, and am pleased that UNISON has instructed its members not to cover the work of striking workers. While Roger Webb, the chair of governors, is correct that a strike is disruptive to the students, I believe that it is Northamptonshire County Council who is responsible for the much greater disruption in stretching this consultation and uncertainty over a year. The changes any transfer would bring would also disrupt our children’s education.
The teachers unions have made it clear that if these part-privatisation plans are withdrawn they will not strike. The teachers, after all, are striking to save fully accountable local education provision, and they should be supported by all in the community.
Yours Sincerely/Faithfully
Messages of support would be very welcome.
The NUT rep is Paul Cutts
pcutts@weston.rmplc.co.uk
You can also copy to the NAS rep, Amanda Brett
abrett@weston.rmplc.co.uk
If you want to support them there is a model letter:
I am writing in regard to the teacher’s strike at Weston Favell School. As a parent/member of staff/local resident/member of the public/local councillor I feel that the school is a brilliant and improving asset to young people in the local area.
I disagree with plans for Northamptonshire County Council to allow United Learning Trust to take over the school, and as a result take the funding, curriculum and working conditions into their control. Those changes lead to high staff turnover at the Academies.
I am proud that we have a community school here which focuses on the needs of all its students. Academies are at best an unproven system, which have not yielded the high results that have been suggested.
Indeed ULT has recently been told it can not open any more Academies anywhere else because its standards are not high enough. However it appears the Government thinks they are still good enough for Weston Favell.
I am concerned that Academies are not holistic or cooperative, and that they attempt to ‘cherry-pick’ students and leave disadvantaged children behind – despite selective entry being against the rules. I wholeheartedly support the strike of the NUT and NASUWT unions, and am pleased that UNISON has instructed its members not to cover the work of striking workers. While Roger Webb, the chair of governors, is correct that a strike is disruptive to the students, I believe that it is Northamptonshire County Council who is responsible for the much greater disruption in stretching this consultation and uncertainty over a year. The changes any transfer would bring would also disrupt our children’s education.
The teachers unions have made it clear that if these part-privatisation plans are withdrawn they will not strike. The teachers, after all, are striking to save fully accountable local education provision, and they should be supported by all in the community.
Yours Sincerely/Faithfully
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Spooks
Spooks is described by the BBC as a “tense drama series about the different challenges faced by the British Security Service as they work against the clock to safeguard the nation.” It began life as a rather transparent attempt to rehabilitate the “spooks” after their role in compiling a pack of lies to justify the Iraq War.
It is a very well-written series of thrillers with a cast of interesting characters with rather more depth than you would expect in the oddly named “intelligence community.” Like its distant predecessor “The Professionals” it portrays them as human beings with a social conscience about the jobs they are asked to perform for the safety of the nation. And there you were thinking they were all old Etonians with a conscience bypass!
In a recent episode (Episode 3 of Series 8) the whole issue of hostage taking and negotiating with terrorists is explored in an exciting narrative in which a group of high-powered capitalists (a thinly disguised fictional version of the Bilderberg group) are kidnapped by terrorists who have no intention of getting a ransom but instead put the capitalists on trial for mass murder in the third world and video the evidence, while uploading incriminating documents on the internet. . The Spooks are powerless as tens of thousands vote “guilty” on the internet and the terrorists carry out the death penalty online.
This feeds the common fantasy that anti-capitalists are all potential terrorists and of course justifies the 'spooks' real life policy of monitoring everyone to the left of Peter Mandelson – about half the population,
The plot also showed that the anti-capitalists were actually naïve tools of a russian gangster-capitalist (definitely not called Abramovich , there are libel laws after all!) who wanted to eliminate his rivals.
The program definitely does not whitewash the dirty tricks the Spooks get up to but seeks to justify them. One scandal of the last decade has been the use of torture by the British secret service “by proxy”. They have been accused of using evidence provided by third parties such as the Americans at Guantanamo. In the show Lucas North (played by Richard Armitage) is shown torturing the Russian Mafioso in his own swimming pool in order to save the lives of the hostages. This is a far cry from the real life “Spooks” torturing Omar Deghayes for five years at various camps with no realistic prospect of getting any information or saving any lives. Nevertheless it is the justification of torture.
Spooks is an excellent program which maintains the tension and excitement all through. It does deal with the real life issues in the secret service. You might want to take its representation of the real life “Spooks” with a pinch of salt though!
It is a very well-written series of thrillers with a cast of interesting characters with rather more depth than you would expect in the oddly named “intelligence community.” Like its distant predecessor “The Professionals” it portrays them as human beings with a social conscience about the jobs they are asked to perform for the safety of the nation. And there you were thinking they were all old Etonians with a conscience bypass!
In a recent episode (Episode 3 of Series 8) the whole issue of hostage taking and negotiating with terrorists is explored in an exciting narrative in which a group of high-powered capitalists (a thinly disguised fictional version of the Bilderberg group) are kidnapped by terrorists who have no intention of getting a ransom but instead put the capitalists on trial for mass murder in the third world and video the evidence, while uploading incriminating documents on the internet. . The Spooks are powerless as tens of thousands vote “guilty” on the internet and the terrorists carry out the death penalty online.
This feeds the common fantasy that anti-capitalists are all potential terrorists and of course justifies the 'spooks' real life policy of monitoring everyone to the left of Peter Mandelson – about half the population,
The plot also showed that the anti-capitalists were actually naïve tools of a russian gangster-capitalist (definitely not called Abramovich , there are libel laws after all!) who wanted to eliminate his rivals.
The program definitely does not whitewash the dirty tricks the Spooks get up to but seeks to justify them. One scandal of the last decade has been the use of torture by the British secret service “by proxy”. They have been accused of using evidence provided by third parties such as the Americans at Guantanamo. In the show Lucas North (played by Richard Armitage) is shown torturing the Russian Mafioso in his own swimming pool in order to save the lives of the hostages. This is a far cry from the real life “Spooks” torturing Omar Deghayes for five years at various camps with no realistic prospect of getting any information or saving any lives. Nevertheless it is the justification of torture.
Spooks is an excellent program which maintains the tension and excitement all through. It does deal with the real life issues in the secret service. You might want to take its representation of the real life “Spooks” with a pinch of salt though!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Holocaust Education Development Programme
The Holocaust Education Development Programme (HEDP) seeks to transform teaching and learning about the Holocaust. It is leading world-class research on Holocaust education, delivering targeted and effective teacher education across England and building an interactive community of enquiry and exchange.
The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme in Holocaust Education, launched in the autumn term of 2009, is delivered by internationally recognized experts through innovative workshops in every region across the country. It will be supported by the highest quality teaching and learning materials through multiple channels of ongoing support.
Underpinned by the latest developments in learning theory, leading edge research and scholarship in Holocaust education, the CPD programme addresses students’ key questions about the Holocaust and the challenges and opportunities faced by teachers exploring this subject in the classroom. The programme takes a historical, disciplinary approach but can also help teachers address issues of diversity, social cohesion, and social and emotional aspects of learning.
Click here for more information
The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme in Holocaust Education, launched in the autumn term of 2009, is delivered by internationally recognized experts through innovative workshops in every region across the country. It will be supported by the highest quality teaching and learning materials through multiple channels of ongoing support.
Underpinned by the latest developments in learning theory, leading edge research and scholarship in Holocaust education, the CPD programme addresses students’ key questions about the Holocaust and the challenges and opportunities faced by teachers exploring this subject in the classroom. The programme takes a historical, disciplinary approach but can also help teachers address issues of diversity, social cohesion, and social and emotional aspects of learning.
Click here for more information
Friday, October 23, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Primary review: a 'damning indictment' of Government policy
Ever since New Labour was elected, they have sought to dictate to schools what to teach and even how to teach it. Policed by the threatening machinery of OFSTED inspections and league tables of SATS and GCSE results, schools have been bullied into following each new instruction imposed by Ministers and Whitehall officials.
To see more visit
http://electmartin1.blogspot.com/2009/10/primary-review-damning-indictment-of.html
To see more visit
http://electmartin1.blogspot.com/2009/10/primary-review-damning-indictment-of.html
Friday, October 09, 2009
General Dannatt
General Dannatt
General Pinochet
General Franco
The history of generals in politics is not a happy one!
Dannatt's only solution to the unwinnable war in Afghanistan
is to send in more troops. At the time when George Osborne
wants to cut teachers, nurses and firemen we need more
soldiers like a hole in the head.
It cannot be denied that Dannatt has guts but it is a pity
that 18-20 year old soldiers will have to spill theirs in
the sand of Helmand province to prove it.
And "politicising the army" at a time when the corruption of
politicians has reached an all time high is a clear message
that the rich and powerful are toying with the idea of
ditching democracy altogether.
They expect the working class to roll over and let them.
They have another think coming.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Monday, September 07, 2009
Chess in Concert
Chess in Concert was on in Horsham yesterday.
Although it is a concert rather than a musical it presents the plot in a non-realistic way and has some great performances in it.
The plot is based on the goings on in the chess world in the 1960s and early 1970s. At the height of the cold war, chess became a non-violent battlefield mined with dirty tricks and brinkmanship.
Josh Groban plays the lead role of Anatoly Sergievsky - who defects to the West but is persuaded to return to the USSR to get the father of his girlfriend (Idina Menzel (Florence Vassy)) and there is a plot twist which will take you by surprise.
Adam Pascal is so good as the obnoxious American Frederick Trumper it makes you wonder what he is like in real life!
David Bedella (Anatoly Molokov) plays a sinister Stalinist to perfection
The music (Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson) and lyrics (Tim Rice) are excellent.
Although it is a concert rather than a musical it presents the plot in a non-realistic way and has some great performances in it.
The plot is based on the goings on in the chess world in the 1960s and early 1970s. At the height of the cold war, chess became a non-violent battlefield mined with dirty tricks and brinkmanship.
Josh Groban plays the lead role of Anatoly Sergievsky - who defects to the West but is persuaded to return to the USSR to get the father of his girlfriend (Idina Menzel (Florence Vassy)) and there is a plot twist which will take you by surprise.
Adam Pascal is so good as the obnoxious American Frederick Trumper it makes you wonder what he is like in real life!
David Bedella (Anatoly Molokov) plays a sinister Stalinist to perfection
The music (Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson) and lyrics (Tim Rice) are excellent.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Banksy at Bristol Museum
Banksy who has gone from being a graffiti artist to the quasi-respectability of having an exhibition at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. His picture of a spiky-haired anarchist having his mask adjusted by his mum probably suggests what his attitude towards this is.
When you first approach the Museum you can see a figure of Ronald McDonald on the facade. If you think another public service has succumbed to corporate sponsorship - the clown cries tears of blood and has a bottle by his side and a clear intention to commit suicide.
Some of the pictures are lighthearted such as the Wizard of Oz picture of Dorothy saying "I don't think we're on Canvas any more."
Others are less so with a KKK member hanging from a tree to comment on the fine old Southern Tradition of lynching.
The exhibition is thought-provoking and interesting and well worth a visit. It is also free.
Edinburgh Fringe and all that Jazz
On Saturday we went for lunch at a jazz venue to listed to Ian Millar (tenor sax) and Dominic Spencer (piano) for a relaxing time with the best pop video ever - evidently Dominic Spencer is a keen photographer and the video was videos of the highlands and islands.
The big Cambridge University Jazz band were completely different - very fast paced and engaging. The MC said they were not music students, "many of us are scientists....and one is a biochemist!"
And the Oxford Gargoyles were an a capella jazz group - a highly original performance including a take on Austin Powers.
"Four Poofs and Piano" might sound like a show about furniture but in fact it is the much underused band on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. Their repertoire is extensive and varied and at times absolutely outrageous. They have a song about the question you need to ask on a third date ("Do you take it up the ****?") and then said they wanted some audience participation. In the event they only wanted us to sing along.
Shappi Khorsandi's show was well worth seeing. She adapeted it to the audience and toned it down a bit because of the 12 year olds in the front row.
The street performers were a mixed bunch - the most spectacular act was Frankie G who also does a different act under the name Derek Derek - his act included escaping from bondage while balancing a lighted torch on his nose.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Brighton Pride
Members of WSTA attended Brighton Pride. This is the first time WSTA has attended this event and we have learnt some useful lessons for next year.
The morning started sunny and we set up the stall (which was fortunately covered) before the rain set in in the afternoon.
When we had exhausted our supply of whistles and pens we got a good response from the public to the anti-SATS petition. There were a lot of good discussions about SATS and the response was overwhelmingly positive.
They sited us next to the Conservative Party who were handing out sweets to children (shades of the gingerbread house!)
Other groups in our area included HM prison service, the inland revenue, the NASUWT and Unite the Union.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Tolpuddle 2009
The Tolpuddle Museum is an educational resource supported by the NUT. As you can see many teachers' organisations take part in the annual Tolpuddle Festival. Crawley Trades Council organised a coach this year.
Friday, July 17, 2009
118800 Keep your mobile phone private
118800 is a proposed directory of every mobile phone number. If you don't want every pupil in your class to get in touch; if you don't want every paedophile in Sussex getting in touch with your child then you want to stop 118800.
Following pressure from the public 118800 have - very late in the day - made some assurances.
For example they claim they will not publish the mobile phone numbers of minors. This is very odd because they have no way of knowing whether people are minors or not.
Their website says "If someone wants to get in touch, and we have your number, we contact your mobile and tell you who they are. If you reject the call, they don't get through - and they don't have your number." So an unlimited number of unsolicited texts could be coming your way and they have conveniently disabled their website to prevent you from making your number ex directory. Incidentally they still take £1 from everyone who uses their service whether they actually get through or not.
You can still email their address which is contact@118800.co.uk and I suggest you go on emailing them until they respond. Do not phone their number because they will charge you a fortune for doing so.
If you have a blocking facility on your phone you can block them.
Following pressure from the public 118800 have - very late in the day - made some assurances.
For example they claim they will not publish the mobile phone numbers of minors. This is very odd because they have no way of knowing whether people are minors or not.
Their website says "If someone wants to get in touch, and we have your number, we contact your mobile and tell you who they are. If you reject the call, they don't get through - and they don't have your number." So an unlimited number of unsolicited texts could be coming your way and they have conveniently disabled their website to prevent you from making your number ex directory. Incidentally they still take £1 from everyone who uses their service whether they actually get through or not.
You can still email their address which is contact@118800.co.uk and I suggest you go on emailing them until they respond. Do not phone their number because they will charge you a fortune for doing so.
If you have a blocking facility on your phone you can block them.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Most Sun readers think The Sun prints lies
“You cannot hope to bribe or twist,
Thank God, the British journalist,
But seeing what the man will do,
Unbribed there's no occasion to.“
(Humbert Wolfe, poet 1885-1940)
Journalists unleash periodic attacks on teachers and
teaching. “Falling standards” every time the exam
results are better than last year, “failing schools” if
the results are not as good and of course “no progress”
if the results are the same. “Failing teachers” become
“greedy teachers” when we put in for a pay rise.
However the public trust in journalists has been low for 25
years at least, according to the nation-wide face to face
surveys carried out by MORI (now Ipsos MORI) since 1983. In
1983 19% of the British public said they trusted journalists
to tell the truth. Now it is 19% again.
At the top of the scale 92% said they trust doctors
Teachers (87%), professors (79%),
judges (78%) and clergy (74%) completed the top five of
those the public rated as the most trustworthy.
In every one of the last six years overall trust in
journalists has been at 18%, plus or minus the usual margin
of error of 3%.
It is worth remembering that government ministers (24%) and
politicians in general (21%) just come ahead of journalists
at the bottom of the table of sixteen occupations measured.
Interestingly only 30 percent of News of the World and Sun
readers say they trust their newspaper to tell the truth
even "somewhat". Rupert Murdoch sells the newspaper on the
slogan “Lots of fun in the Sun” but it is not seen as a
reliable source of information, even by Sun readers.
Thank God, the British journalist,
But seeing what the man will do,
Unbribed there's no occasion to.“
(Humbert Wolfe, poet 1885-1940)
Journalists unleash periodic attacks on teachers and
teaching. “Falling standards” every time the exam
results are better than last year, “failing schools” if
the results are not as good and of course “no progress”
if the results are the same. “Failing teachers” become
“greedy teachers” when we put in for a pay rise.
However the public trust in journalists has been low for 25
years at least, according to the nation-wide face to face
surveys carried out by MORI (now Ipsos MORI) since 1983. In
1983 19% of the British public said they trusted journalists
to tell the truth. Now it is 19% again.
At the top of the scale 92% said they trust doctors
Teachers (87%), professors (79%),
judges (78%) and clergy (74%) completed the top five of
those the public rated as the most trustworthy.
In every one of the last six years overall trust in
journalists has been at 18%, plus or minus the usual margin
of error of 3%.
It is worth remembering that government ministers (24%) and
politicians in general (21%) just come ahead of journalists
at the bottom of the table of sixteen occupations measured.
Interestingly only 30 percent of News of the World and Sun
readers say they trust their newspaper to tell the truth
even "somewhat". Rupert Murdoch sells the newspaper on the
slogan “Lots of fun in the Sun” but it is not seen as a
reliable source of information, even by Sun readers.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Socialist Alternative in America
Socialist Alternative and "Justice" Newspaper Needs Your Help
Help us raise $10,000 to make "Justice" newspaper a monthly!
In the United States great opportunities for socialists are opening up because of the manifest failure of the capitalist class in their stewardship of society. Our assistance will help make the Socialist Alternative in America more powerful.
You can donate by clicking here. Every penny or every cent counts.
Help us raise $10,000 to make "Justice" newspaper a monthly!
In the United States great opportunities for socialists are opening up because of the manifest failure of the capitalist class in their stewardship of society. Our assistance will help make the Socialist Alternative in America more powerful.
You can donate by clicking here. Every penny or every cent counts.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
LA Teachers End 24-Day Hunger Strike
In Los Angeles, a group of teachers have ended their twenty-four-day hunger strike to protest budget cuts. The teachers said they will now organize a campaign to recall some members of the Los Angeles Unified School Board. Thousands of Los Angeles teachers may soon be fired as the district faces a $700 million budget gap.
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