In 1971 the Politics Association was formed. It held its first conference in Didsbury and I was elected to its Executive Committee. All of its members were teachers of government and politics. In those days there were a lot of us.
A grant was obtained to research Political Education and Political Literacy. Not only were people writing books and articles on it but in 1978 Longmans published our major Report.
As the only Secondary Modern teacher on the group compiling the Report I felt a degree of class distance from its more ‘academic’ members, but, nevertheless, we were, I thought, making progress.
Even today I see little point in academics keeping their jobs by publishing peer reviewed articles in journals that are only read when someone is looking for a reference in order to write yet another such article.
Social impact? Next to zero, but academics keep their jobs.
The voices of professional educators who work every day at the ‘Chalk Face’ are not heard. And everyone has to watch out for the Ofsted traffic wardens.
1978 was followed the next year by the election of Thatcher. Farewell Political Education and Political Literacy.
Eventually we got Citizenship and so-called British Values, a set of school rules that discouraged discussion of issues and brushed to one side mention of race, class or gender.
Skipping across the Atlantic for the moment I see Political Ignorance and Political Illiteracy. Trump labels Starmer as an extreme left winger, thereby showing how unable Republicans like him are to engage in European political discourse.
And Harris? She carelessly uses the word ‘Fascist’ when describing Trump
Has she read any history? Fascists were and are both disciplined and organised. Is Trump?
For me Politics is the inclusive discussion of and consensual arrival at social values.
The US Presidential election campaign is nothing better than competing sales pitches. It is as though candidates have hired different advertising agencies who care nothing about social values unless they can be made into advertising slogans.
The jokingly called ‘Revolutionary War’ was nothing better than a coup by slave owners who wanted to avoid paying their debts. Any chance they will pay for the Seven Years War?
The slave owners borrowed from the likes of Tom Paine words such as Freedom and Liberty and in order to make sure that only the elite had power devised the Electoral College to overide the popular vote if necessary. The Corporations must always win.
If there is one significant contribution that the USA has made to the English language it is the word BULLSHIT.
Listen to the candidates and read the words of their advertising agencies and ask yourself what one word sums it all up.
Yes, you got it.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu declares war on humanity and neither candidate will stop him.
Worse than political ignorance and illiteracy, we are actually in a war against humanity.
Inhumanity is winning.
By the way, someone stole my hardback copy of the Report on Political Education and Political Literacy.
I wonder what that signifies.
Related posts:
Israel – Some people actually believed that it was a democracy
My review of Miko’s book written in 2014 The slight optimism that I felt then has evaporated
Much discussion going on recently about the relationship between war and capitalism. Blood brings profits, though not for everybody. Losing a war or being a friend of a loser is not good for business.
Israel’s aims
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