[Youngian]

The philosophical implications of a department store ad sounds like something Slavoj Zizek or Jonathan Meades would make witty and interesting. But they’re clever.

[Dalem Lake]

For someone who hasn't got a telly, can anyone give a brief explanation on what M&S have done to deserve such a ridiculous letter?

[davidjay]

I know the answer to this one, but how does she keep getting away with doing everything so publicly? At any other school the governors would be having a word and telling her to keep it buttoned.

[Tubby Isaacs]

For as long as the Progress 8 score keeps rolling in, she's completely safe.

[satnav]

Wasn't Suella Braverman once her chair of governors? I think any governors at the school will be fully supportive of her showboating.

That said I think she is probably getting hitchy feet and would ideally like to either move into politics or the media. She seems to have spent most of the last few days on twitter which would suggest that she is not totally focussed on her day job.
In the past she talked about starting up new schools in other areas but all that talk has now gone quiet.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

For someone who hasn't got a telly, can anyone give a brief explanation on what M&S have done to deserve such a ridiculous letter?

I haven't seen it, but it seems it offends in two ways.

1 - the general premise is 'don't knock yourself doing an elaborate Christmas if you don't want to, you just be you'. This has mortally offended Burblesingh because - I'm not sure, but it goes against the spirit of being overwrought and miserable at Christmas, which is TRADITIONAL don'cha know.

2 - In pursuit of the above some Christmas hats are thrown into a fire and burned. They are apparently the colours of the Palestinian flag, so M&S are casting shade on Palestine and Palestinian victims and promoting Zionism and Netanyahu*.

*The advert was filmed in August.

Now, you may think "Armsteen's pissed again and he's making it up"; but I'm not...

[Tubby Isaacs]

She had a good chance of a bigger stage as Social Mobility Commissioner, but she resigned from that. Probably media and wingnut welfare beckon.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

I think in the upcoming Twilight Of The Knobs she may find her views make her unemployable.

[Rosvanian]

And just like that, we're back to you're not allowed to say 'Merry Christmas' anymore.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

More that you're not allowed to not say 'Merry Christmas'.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

She's up before the beak.
A Muslim pupil has taken her to court because she has banned Islamic prayers at her school... apparently they threaten 'cohesion'.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/c ... 80188.html

As seen in that article she has just put up her usual blizzard of un-evidenced allegations...

For more balance see this piece:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... ulturalism

The woman is a disgrace. That she is fêted by our government is a scandal. I hope she is destroyed by this, but I doubt it.

[I have experience of this: in about 1990 I was approached by some Moslem pupils who wanted to arrange a quiet room for prayers at lunchtimes. My attitude was 'no problem' as was the school management's. They prayed, no-one suffered, there were no riots. Other pupils treated them respectfully. Prayer rooms in schools are in no way controversial.]

[Youngian]

I have experience of this: in about 1990 I was approached by some Moslem pupils who wanted to arrange a quiet room for prayers at lunchtimes. My attitude was 'no problem' as was the school management's. They prayed, no-one suffered, there were no riots.

A former head said the exact same on LBC, the story quickly became a rare damp squib for James OB’s show. He described Birbalsingh as eccentric but seemed unaware quite what a malicious shit stirrer she is.
Stopping children praying in defence of liberal secularism is not a very convincing story.

[Tubby Isaacs]

This is what the French do. It’s that bad.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

In general I'm against any form of religious practice in schools, but we also have to be respectful of people's beliefs. This isn't insisting on Halal chicken or banning books.

I once had a very pleasant Muslim boy come to see me in my office. He was very polite, but he had noticed that my copy of the Koran was on the lower shelf of my bookcase, next to a Bible. This upset him, would I mind putting it on the top shelf, as is the practice in Islam?
I often had Muslim kids in the office, so I agreed and moved both books to the top shelf. The gesture meant nothing to me, but a lot to him, and probably others.
Why be nasty when you can just be nice?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Of all the schools this could have happened at. What are the chances?

[Andy McDandy]

Messing with kids' dietary requirements? She's on thin fucking ice there.

[davidjay]

In general I'm against any form of religious practice in schools, but we also have to be respectful of people's beliefs. This isn't insisting on Halal chicken or banning books.

I once had a very pleasant Muslim boy come to see me in my office. He was very polite, but he had noticed that my copy of the Koran was on the lower shelf of my bookcase, next to a Bible. This upset him, would I mind putting it on the top shelf, as is the practice in Islam?
I often had Muslim kids in the office, so I agreed and moved both books to the top shelf. The gesture meant nothing to me, but a lot to him, and probably others.
Why be nasty when you can just be nice?

Indeed. If everyone thought the same the world would be a far better place.

[satnav]

I've been thinking for a while that Birbalsingh is desperate to become a martyr so that she can launch a career in politics or in the media. She has gone as far as she can go with her current school and currently there are few signs that she is planning to set up any new schools so she really has nowhere to go in education.

The other week Toby Young was was championing a headteacher called Mike Fairclough who spent two years speaking out against vaccines clearly hoping that the school or local authority would sack him. The school failed to take the bait so he resigned and he is now claiming constructive dismissal on the grounds that the school would let him say what he wanted when he wanted on social media without the threat of any consequences. His position is totally ridiculous because no school would ever allow a member of staff permission to go rogue on social media with no comeback.

Birbalsingh will probably end up going down a similar route pushing the rules to the limit until she ends up being suspended or sparking a revolt amongst parents. All the usual right wing media outlets have predicably come out supporting Birbalsingh but surprisingly the Secretary of State for Education has taken to social media to back her which is probably not a wise move if there is an ongoing court case.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

SoS Ed is not a bright woman.

[Andy McDandy]

I think Satnav is right about the martyr complex. How I tried but was defeated by the rigged system is almost as good a story as how they beat it - easier in a way as you don't need to work for it.

I'd add that like Toby Young and many on the right, they want to be seen as something, rather than to actually be the thing. To paraphrase Neil Gaiman, to have been a great teacher, rather than one who has to go into the classroom and inspire the little blighters.

I remember she said something about when she'd published her "novel", that she hated the business of actually promoting it. Fits in - much easier to have written the bestseller and watch the royalties pour in than do the hard work. In a similar vein there's JRM with his big book of handy Latin quotations, Shapps with his get rich quick schemes, all of them. As I've sometimes said about pick up artists and the like - this belief that life's a game and somewhere there are the cheat codes.