It was a historic day. Yesterday evening, the record for the number of petitions presented to the House was well and truly smashed. Home educators really do MEAN it.
What's more, Graham Stuart nailed it in his introductory speech, when he said:
"If enacted, the Government's proposals will for the first time in our history tear away from parents and give to the state the responsibility for a child's education."
It is hard to overstress how important this is and thank goodness this key principle for which many statist proponents appear not to care a jot, is finally getting the publicity it deserves.
The state will never be able to tailor an educational programme to fit the child the way a parent can. To deliver the right to determine the nature of a suitable education for every family in the land into the hands of the state is to destroy any opportunity of parental responsibility in this area. The state must recognise the limits of its efficacy and must only intervene, as now, in cases of clear parental failure.
Fulsome thanks are due to Graham Stuart, and all those who support us. Thank you so much.
The presentation of the petition can be viewed here or from 7 hours, 52 mins into this recording.
From the MSM:
BBC
Channel 4 News
Yahoo/Sky News
North East Journal
The West Country
Western Telegraph
The Southern Daily Echo
London
Liverpool Echo
Birmingham Mail
East Devon
South Devon
North East Chronicle
St Albans' Review
Croydon
The Christian Institute
Politics.Co.UK
Politics.Co.UK
Politics.Co.UK
Update:
So far, it has been confirmed that 321 MPs have been contacted by home educators and have received petitions. MPs have been presenting these to the House and will continue to so into the New Year. So far, home educators have confirmed that 163 petitions have been delivered to the House.
I'm glad that home educators are speaking out, and that you're getting support. I hope the point gets across that if home ed'ers are constrained, then all parents are constrained.
ReplyDeleteIt was wonderful to watch and I am grateful and relieved that my MP handed the petition in. I only found out after I had handed it to her that as a Lab MP she might choose not to. But there she was. I will write and thank her when things have settled here. (although right now that feels like it will be a long way off)
ReplyDeleteIt was fascinating to watch and the written record just doesn't do it justice. The strength of feeling exhibited by some MP's (even a couple on the Labour side) was quite heartening. I had a good laugh at how one MP tapped Graham Stuart on the head with his petition on his way to put it in the bag.
ReplyDeleteHow come Graham Stuart supported the report issued by the Select Committee of which he is a member? Whilst it delinks HE from safeguarding (i.e. does not follow the DCSF in assuming all HE parents are abusers), it backs the DCSF in supporting registration 'in order to find out how many HE families there are', and on more than one occasion calls for info from the Revenue to be used to track us down. Then it says that if voluntary registration isn't 'successful' within 2 years, then registration should be made compulsory. If Stuart had any backbone, he would have dissented. His main role appears to have got hold of a long list of HEers with a lot of fight in them but insufficient suspicion towards people like him and the authorities in general.
ReplyDeleteOh and no word from Lord Lucas either...
...And yet the government seem to be serious in getting this disgraceful bill enacted before they all lose their jobs in the spring. The second reading is scheduled for 12 Jan.
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