this dude was my headteacher ("principal")

[ed miliband]

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/schools-inspiration-spurred-on-by-revolutionary-zeal-6761571.html

amazing times.

the rumour goes that the person to grass him up for the leninist propaganda in his office (which existed, no tabloid exaggeration) was the local labour mp.

was proper weird, he disappeared for a few months then a message went across the intercom system during my gcse music exam calling all teachers to an emergency meeting. when i left the exam i had to clamber through a thick crowd of television cameras and photographers. no joke.

dude set up a company to buy computers for cuban schools by spending money allocated for my school. after he was done, all his close staff scarpered, and the school hasn't recovered since.

anyway, thought it was an interesting story.

[ed miliband]

also, he was a close friend of the castro's apparently, and had his own mansion in cuba.

ALSO, he used to do these "motivational" assemblies. in one he brought in a vintage gun and fired blanks, pretending he had gone mental. his reason? to see who was brave. again, no joke.

amazing guy.

[L.A.P.]

also, he was a close friend of the castro's apparently, and had his own mansion in cuba.

ALSO, he used to do these "motivational" assemblies. in one he brought in a vintage gun and fired blanks, pretending he had gone mental. his reason? to see who was brave. again, no joke.

amazing guy.

Not that this make my world fall apart or anything, but do you mean a mansion as in those huge houses that wealthy people get to live in.

[The Douche]

also, he was a close friend of the castro's apparently, and had his own mansion in cuba.

ALSO, he used to do these "motivational" assemblies. in one he brought in a vintage gun and fired blanks, pretending he had gone mental. his reason? to see who was brave. again, no joke.

amazing guy.

Good dude, backed hard.

[ed miliband]

yeah yeah, i mean, this is all hearsay 'cos nobody knows anything about him since the story broke and everyone associated with him disappeared (i wish i was making this up -- i lost some good teachers).

seriously, we had cuban government ministers watching our geography lessons during his time at the school. we had to do assemblies in front of cuban and venezuelan dignitaries where we pledged against greed... in the form of catholic mass. mad times.

[The Douche]

yeah yeah, i mean, this is all hearsay 'cos nobody knows anything about him since the story broke and everyone associated with him disappeared (i wish i was making this up -- i lost some good teachers).

seriously, we had cuban government ministers watching our geography lessons during his time at the school. we had to do assemblies in front of cuban and venezuelan dignitaries where we pledged against greed... in the form of catholic mass. mad times.

Is this at a private institution or a state funded school?

[ed miliband]

another thing... he used to take these trips out to cuba, like every year group was meant to have a cuba trip.

but apparently a young girl (dunno how young, but lets assume 18+) said to some of the lads on one trip that he offered her money... a lot of money.

[ed miliband]

Is this at a private institution or a state funded school?


completely state funded.

not even "good" state funded; there were two stabbings whilst i was there, and a number of lethal stabbings shortly before.

sorta offended you'd imagine i went to a private school; this was a proper shithole, until this stalinist made it sorta okay.

[The Douche]

completely state funded.

not even "good" state funded; there were two stabbings whilst i was there, and a number of lethal stabbings shortly before.

sorta offended you'd imagine i went to a private school; this was a proper shithole, until this stalinist made it sorta okay.

I only asked if it was private because shit like that would never fly at a public school here. If a teacher had any sort of socialist propaganda in their classroom they'd get in some shit, my trotskyist English teacher got in trouble for telling us we should listen to NPR, that's National Public Radio, because some parents didn't want their children exposed to liberal brainwashing.

[ed miliband]

I only asked if it was private because shit like that would never fly at a public school here. If a teacher had any sort of socialist propaganda in their classroom they'd get in some shit, my trotskyist English teacher got in trouble for telling us we should listen to NPR, that's National Public Radio, because some parents didn't want their children exposed to liberal brainwashing.

gotcha.

i think catholic schools have a degree of autonomy, i'm not sure. but to be clear, i'd honestly say i was taught "left-wing propaganda" in most classes. religious education was based around 'liberation theology' (which obviously ain't big with the catholic church), most other classes were built around that sort of thing.

obviously it changed when he left.

[The Douche]

gotcha.

i think catholic schools have a degree of autonomy, i'm not sure. but to be clear, i'd honestly say i was taught "left-wing propaganda" in most classes. religious education was based around 'liberation theology' (which obviously ain't big with the catholic church), most other classes were built around that sort of thing.

obviously it changed when he left.

...the state funds religious education?!

[ed miliband]

even then tho, my last year at the school (second year sixth form), i got an award for "political radical of the year" for being at all of the student protests.

that shit is so embarrassing i wouldn't lie about it / make it up.

basically... mental school.

[ed miliband]

...the state funds religious education?!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Schools_(UK)

[The Douche]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Schools_(UK)

The UK sounds like a weird place.

[Raúl Duke]

sounds pretty cool

[Comrade Samuel]

Not that this make my world fall apart or anything, but do you mean a mansion as in those huge houses that wealthy people get to live in.

I would be quite interested to hear somebody address this in more detail as well.

Regardless of this minor detail I gotta say props to this guy. It's not everyday you hear a story on here that doesn't depress the hell out of you.

[Blake's Baby]

...the state funds religious education?!

What, are you some kind of 'seperation-of-church-and-state' liberal? Of course the UK govt funds religious education:

1 - it's a manditory course in school;
2 - we have an official state religion - the Queen is the Head of the Church of England, you have to opt out not opt in;
3 - any religious group can apply to open a state-funded school (traditionally, mostly Catholic as the de facto baseline is wishy-washy Protestant, but there are plenty of full on Church of England schools; increasingly now creationist Evangelicals, and also Muslims, are opening 'faith schools' too).

What we don't have is the mention of 'in God we trust' and 'so help me God' and all that nonsense, nor saluting the flag or the pledge of allegiance or anything. Which we think is weird, creepy and kinda fascist.

[Devrim]

The UK sounds like a weird place.

Actually, I think if you look across the world it might even be possible to come to the conclusion that perhaps it is the US that is a weird place.

Devrim

[Jimmie Higgins]

Actually, I think if you look across the world it might even be possible to come to the conclusion that perhaps it is the US that is a weird place.

Devrim

Most people in the US take that for granted - either in the jingoistic "positive" ("we're not like all THOSE countries" i.e. so called American Exceptionalism) or in the negative: "Oh well, I guess we just arn't like those other countries".

Really while there are always differences, in the sceme of things - not really that much difference. God save the Queen = In God we Trust.



What we don't have is the mention of 'in God we trust' and 'so help me God' and all that nonsense, nor saluting the flag or the pledge of allegiance or anything. Which we think is weird, creepy and kinda fascist.
Ya think...
http://forgottenhistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/untitled-21.jpg
:laugh:

I hated doing that as a kid. Er, not that^, but the modern de-nazified version.

[Rocky Rococo]

Should we ignore the part where the Pledge of Allegiance was written by a socialist? He was also a preacher, but he didn't include that "under God" part, that got tacked in 60 years later during the McCarthy era.

[Jimmie Higgins]

^No, we should criticize those kinds of early US socialist ideas. I wouldn't pledge my alliegence to a red flag (just to worker's power :p) let alone pledgew this one "for which it stands".... i.e. standing for war, racism, and the rich.

And speaking of dubious socialists, Ed, your headteacher may have had some good ideals and may be a fun an interesting person, but the article doesn't make his administering sound all that great:


In an interview with the Tablet, the Catholic magazine, he said that on taking over the school in 1997 - he was previously a head at two other schools - he went about establishing its reputation by clearing the school of "burnt out" teachers and excluding 12 boys identified as key troublemakers.

I don't know what the education system is like in the UK, but in the US this one of the ways the state is attacking public education and unions.

[The Douche]

What, are you some kind of 'seperation-of-church-and-state' liberal? Of course the UK govt funds religious education:

1 - it's a manditory course in school;
2 - we have an official state religion - the Queen is the Head of the Church of England, you have to opt out not opt in;
3 - any religious group can apply to open a state-funded school (traditionally, mostly Catholic as the de facto baseline is wishy-washy Protestant, but there are plenty of full on Church of England schools; increasingly now creationist Evangelicals, and also Muslims, are opening 'faith schools' too).

What we don't have is the mention of 'in God we trust' and 'so help me God' and all that nonsense, nor saluting the flag or the pledge of allegiance or anything. Which we think is weird, creepy and kinda fascist.

Its just not what I know, so its strange and foreign to me, it is, in fact, the opposite of what I know.

[citizen of industry]

Do people in the UK come out for the queen? In Japan the media always forces the royal family's mating habits and kids' school tug-of-war performance down everyone's throats on TV with some academic speculating about their internal lives. But the last time there was a call out for the emperor almost nobody showed up. And they get shit on if they get anywhere near politics. It's like a hollywood tabloid.

[Blake's Baby]

Yeah, most people in the UK I would say are still pro-monarchy.

@ TheDouche: sure, I understand. But public secularism is relatively rare, I'd think; most states I'd guess have some kind of religion (certainly monarchies, how do you have a secular monarchy? Who gets to appoint the King, the academy of science?). As I say, we may have a religious monarchy, but I'd think that public religion and displays of loyalty to the state are more common in the US than in many other places.

[The Douche]

Yeah, most people in the UK I would say are still pro-monarchy.

@ TheDouche: sure, I understand. But public secularism is relatively rare, I'd think; most states I'd guess have some kind of religion (certainly monarchies, how do you have a secular monarchy? Who gets to appoint the King, the academy of science?). As I say, we may have a religious monarchy, but I'd think that public religion and displays of loyalty to the state are more common in the US than in many other places.

Certainly, a bible and portrait of Christ in a US public school classroom wouldn't cause much of a stir, a copy of capital and a portrait of Marx would probably result in a firing.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

No offence Ed, but this guy sounds like a massive prick. Cool for younger schoolkids i'm sure, but he believed in what, firing teachers, excluding children he couldn't be assed to deal with? Makes a school an awful lot easier to become successful!

Also, liberation theology and bringing politics into the classroom/office? Hmm.

[leftistman]

My school principal lived in the Soviet Union during the Stalin-era and described his experiences to us. Needless to say, he had nothing positive to say.

[RedAnarchist]

gotcha.

i think catholic schools have a degree of autonomy, i'm not sure. but to be clear, i'd honestly say i was taught "left-wing propaganda" in most classes. religious education was based around 'liberation theology' (which obviously ain't big with the catholic church), most other classes were built around that sort of thing.

obviously it changed when he left.

I went to a Catholic college (in name only nowadays - most of the students were British Asian Muslims. I myself am not Catholic either, although my dad was brought up Catholic) for a while myself, although only because I needed to re-do my GCSE Maths exam and they were the only one in the area where I could do the exam. They had bright lime green and red walls, and there wasn't a lot of religiosity around, although there were some busts of jesus and things like that, and it also had it's own chapel.

[ed miliband]

No offence Ed, but this guy sounds like a massive prick. Cool for younger schoolkids i'm sure, but he believed in what, firing teachers, excluding children he couldn't be assed to deal with? Makes a school an awful lot easier to become successful!

Also, liberation theology and bringing politics into the classroom/office? Hmm.

oh, none taken, i completely agree, i just think it's hilarious that he was ballin' so hard.

i never liked him whilst i was there for the record.

[Yuppie Grinder]

this dude sounds like a fucking goon

[Rafiq]

My school principal lived in the Soviet Union during the Stalin-era and described his experiences to us. Needless to say, he had nothing positive to say.

How old is he?

[rednordman]

tbh you could slate the guy, but something feels warm inside at the fact that no-one really gave a shit (apart from the authorities). if it was in the midlands - the school would have probably got burned down by the EDL:(