People Of Sandwell, You Get What You Vote For…

A "diversity" panel at Sandwell Council in the West Midlands want to introduce a gipsy awareness month, which would be combined with a leaflet drop of "myth busting" facts about traveller communities.

Sandwell, eh..?

Stamping ground of Barmy Bobby Piper and home to cranks like this, and employees who spend public money like water. So we shouldn’t be surprised, really, should we?

From September 2010 all youngsters will have a month of classes to teach them about how gipsy's and travellers are misunderstood.

Great! It’s not like they are lagging behind in things like reading, writing and adding up, is it? Plenty of time to spend on the latest politically correct fad.

And I’m sure the teachers will appreciate the added burden…

Officials have compiled a 40-page report on why gipsies feel stigmatised and how they could combat that problem in a 23-point programme.

It also suggests the introduction of a specialist liaison officer to stay in touch with the nomadic community and for all school children to celebrate the history of the communities.

"Such celebrations can help 'myth bust', make individual communities feel part of the wider community and over all have a very real impact on community cohesion," it said.

"Therefore the panel believes that in 2010 and subsequent years the council through its Communities Unit should run events in each of the six towns on Gipsy and Traveller History Month.

"Furthermore, these should be organised through consultation with members of the gipsy and traveller communities and if a Gipsy and Traveller liaison officer has been appointed, with their assistance."

Wow, sounds complicated. And expensive. Still, taxpayers money, eh?

Plenty of room still left in that pension trough for another council snout…

Fiona McEvoy, from the Taxpayers' Alliance, said that gipsy awareness should not be taught to schoolchildren.

"It's not for local councils to manipulate the school curriculum based on their latest politically correct whims, especially when educational standards are flagging," she said.

"It is more vital than ever that our children receive a solid grounding in key subjects like maths, English, history and science.

Can’t argue with that. If parents agree, they know what to do at the next election, don’t they?

Chairman of the panel, councillor Bawa Singh Dhallu, said:
"Celebrating the event would help pupils and the community as a whole to better understand the gipsies and travellers they are often unknowingly living alongside.

"It would help those gipsy and traveller pupils feel proud of who they are."

Like the oft-mentioned ‘self esteem problem’ with regards to children today, I wasn’t aware that ‘feeling proud’ was a problem for gypsies.

If it suddenly is, might I suggest that not breaking the law would help with that? Just a thought…

He added that if the proposals were accepted by the council it would still be up to schools to decide if they would mark the history month, which is celebrated nationally.

Well, of course. That’s the proverbial ‘offer they daren’t refuse’, though, isn’t it?

Who’s going to be the first head to stand up and say ‘No thanks?’ to the progressive orthodoxy…?