State Catholic education under threat in Scotland

[lizardley]

The Scottish Legal Action Group is urging the Scottish Government elected this week to create a clear division between church and state by ‘ending religious instruction and denominational schools’ paid by the taxpayer.
Scotland has a long history of universal provision of public education, and the Scottish education system is distinctly different from other parts of the United Kingdom.
Through the Education Act 1918, separate denominational state schools were established. The vast majority of denominational state schools in Scotland are Catholic.
Prior to Thursday’s election the Scottish National Party, which subsequently won an overwhelming and historical overall majority in the Scottish Parliament, pledged to support Catholic education.

To read more on current threat visit:
scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/scotland/Legal-group-seeks-to-close.6764459.jp

 

[Dale_M]

:coffeeread:

Perhaps some of our members who are more versed on Scottish affairs can dispel some of my confusion.

The news article seems to be in response to an editorial in the journal of the Scottish Legal Action Group… But how closely do editorials in the journal reflect the position of the leadership of SCOLAG? Can we expect that the organization will lobby for the changes advocated by the editor(s)? How influential is SCOLAG in shaping public opinion or government policy?

And, on a minor note, what exactly is “Old Firm-related sectarianism”? I understand it involves parcel bombs, but what is meant by “Old Firm”?

 

[Theophorus]

This Andrew Wilson is really something else.

end of separate Catholic education as the only way of “confronting and counteracting sectarianism” in Scotland.

An editorial in the journal of the Scottish Legal Action Group urges the Scottish Government to create a clear division between church and state by “ending religious instruction and denominational schools” paid by the taxpayer.

Catholic education is not the problem, sectarianism is the problem!

Most of the Old-firm Celtic types who cause trouble are the ones who have vestigial Catholicism at best. They are the types who claim to be catholic and worship at the first church of Celtic!

Not a problem that will be solved by destroying catholic schools!

AHHHHHH!!!

And the last time I checked I pay taxes in this country and I’m quite happy for my taxpayers money to pay for catholic schools

rant over

The old-firm is a footballing rivalry based down in the central belt of Scotland between Glasgow Celtic FC and Glasgow Rangers FC.

Historically Celtic was founded by Irish immigrants and had a strong catholic following while Rangers was the protestant team. The divide between the teams is reverberates throughout Scotland and can get very heated at times. Some -]*&^%$£"! /-] really stupid person recently sent parcel bombs to prominent Celtic supporters including the Celtic manager Neil Lennon.

I never heard of SCOLAG before this article which hopefully means they are as influential as a loud clanging symbol.

 

[lizardley]

The ‘Old Firm’ refers to the football (soccer) rivalry between the Scottish football teams Celtic and Rangers, who have been pulled into the wider sectarian problems in Scotland as football is used as an arena for acting them out by a minority of supporters.

In light of the recent letter bomb targeting of high profile Catholics linked to Celtic, a bullet sent to Cardinal O’Brien, and a failure to specifically target anti-Catholic bigotry by all agencies concerned (and coming so soon after the Scottish Election), the reach and intent of the Scottish Legal Action Group isn’t as important as the fact it believes abolishing state Catholic schools is a legitimate solution to sectarianism in the first place. The two are NOT linked.

Another source that might be useful on this Catholic education story is a deacon on the Protect the Pope website:

"Scottish Legal Action Group launch sectarian attack against Catholic schools

“In response to the bombs and bullets sent to Catholics in Scotland the Scottish Legal Action Group proposes that Catholics schools must be closed and Catholic religious instruction should be stopped because they are the cause of sectarian divisions.”

To read more visit protectthepope.com/?p=3059

 

[Theophorus]

“In response to the bombs and bullets sent to Catholics in Scotland the Scottish Legal Action Group proposes that Catholics schools must be closed and Catholic religious instruction should be stopped because they are the cause of sectarian divisions.”

They must reckon we are asking for it or something being Catholic and all that.

The Cardinal reported the bullet sent to him to the cops when it arrived but he didn’t make a public fuss at the time cause of the trouble it would have caused (it was around the time of the papal visit). Scolag are something else though suggesting something like this