Last week was ‘Shared Education Week’. “Ironically”,  says Gemma Weir,”its theme was ‘Sharing the Present – Shaping the Future’. 

The Good Friday Agreement placed a statutory obligation on the Executive and the Assembly to facilitate the development of integrated education. They have not only singularly failed to honour that requirement, they have collectively connived to avoid it.

I accept than many pupils, teachers and parents see some merit in shared education, but shared education is not integrated education. That is no accident.

Divided and segregated society                                                                         The political power bases which have been secured and developed since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement depend absolutely on a divided and segregated society. That is the basis of both the DUP’s and Sinn Fein’s joint electoral and political strategy.

Gemma Weir

The deliberate and scurrilous replacement of integrated education with the myth of shared education is a social, political and educational scandal. It goes way beyond the collective and premeditated decision of the DUP and Sinn Fein to ignore their legislative requirement to promote integrated education. It demonstrates, if further proof were needed, that both these parties have taken a decision between themselves to carve up Northern Ireland into two sectarian camps and feed off the fear, mistrust and ignorance that it generates.

Reinforces division                                                           The truth is that it’s not even shared education: it is temporary and limited contact more often than not an add-on rather than an integral part of learning and teaching. All the while it serves to reinforce the divisive concept of ‘separate but equal’

Given the efforts of Sinn Fein and the DUP over twenty years it is not surprising that integrated education remains undeveloped. While the number of pupils attending integrated schools inches up year on year, the increases amount to less than half of one per cent of the total school population. Based on that level of progress it could take up to five hundred years to achieve a fully integrated system.

Meanwhile the foundations of the self-serving sectarian politics of Sinn Fein and the DUP remain secure.

The idea of ‘shared’ education shaping the future looks anything but hopeful.

Hillary Clinton has a long history of supporting US aggression across the globe 

“Serious questions must be asked about the decision by Queens University to award an honorary degree to Hillary Clinton”, the Workers Party has said

“Students, lecturers  and university staff have every right to call  University President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Greer and the Senate to account for this deeply offensive and sycophantic gesture”

The citation quotes  “exceptional public service in the USA and globally”, as justification for her honorary degree. It is hard to believe that the  people of Afghanistan, Syria, Palestine, Cuba, Venezuela, Libya and Serbia share that assessment”, the statement said

“It is shameful that an educational institution like Queen’s University seeks to associate itself with a US politician like Hilary Clinton: a hawkish reactionary and free-marketeer”,

“At a time of great poverty and inequality Clinton unflinchingly champions market economics and has a long history of support for aggressive interventions across the globe and for the expansion of NATO and its war machine,“ the Party statement concluded.

Newsletter coverage

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/education/queen-s-university-honorary-degree-for-hillary-clinton-shameful-and-deeply-offensive-1-8662763

More than 3,600 people were killed during ‘The Troubles’ and many thousands more were injured, many still suffer today

The Workers Party has submitted its views on addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past.  Its submission opened with an acknowledgement of  “...the hurt, distress and on-going suffering of many victims’ families, friends and loved ones“.

“We are also acutely aware of the significant and on-going mental pressures and disadvantage endured by many Trouble’s survivors”, the Party said

“We therefore endorse approaches which place the needs of victims and survivors at the core of this process and are balanced, proportionate, transparent, fair and equitable.

It is against this backdrop that we welcome the Secretary of State’s ‘Addressing the Legacy of Northern Ireland’s Past’ consultation paper and the opportunity to comment on it.

Read the Party’s submission in full: Legacy Response_ Workers Party

Photo credit: Abbas/Magnum Photos

“We all need to work together on solutions rather than scapegoating those who are trying to make a difference”, Workers Party representative Joanne Lowry said in response to recent criticisms of the Welcome Centre at Townsend Street

“I understand perfectly the genuine concerns that local people have about drug addiction and the risks it can pose, but we also need to be concerned about homelessness, mental health issues, domestic violence and vulnerability”, said Joanne

Damaged society                                                                                                         “We live in a very damaged society which is often all too ready to write people off and throw them on the scrap heap. West Belfast ranks amongst the areas of highest social deprivation. That has been the case for decades and it is being made worse by the refusal of the main political parties to form a government.

“ It is crazy to pretend that cuts to public services, welfare reform,  a lack of affordable public housing and high levels of social deprivation will not result in the kind of problems we are witnessing on our streets”, Joanne said.

Political decisions                                                                                                       “It is even crazier to point the finger at, and lay the blame on, those organisations and groups that are trying to alleviate the distress and despair that those political decisions have caused.

“Be angry by all means but direct that anger at a system that devalues human beings and at the political parties which play along with that and which fail to represent the most vulnerable and needy in our community”, added Joanne

“I met this week with staff of  the Welcome drop-in centre  to talk about their work and the concerns of local residents”, said Joanne “I have nothing but praise for the difficult and often thankless work that they undertake. They need our support not our condemnation.

Caring and compassionate                                                                                     “West Belfast can be a caring and a compassionate community. We need to demonstrate that now more than ever and appreciate the complexities of the problems being faced. Organisations like the Welcome Organisation are worthy of our backing and our support for the challenging work that they do.

“Our justified anger should be directed at the political parties that have presided over the social decline that results in groups like the Welcome Organisation being needed”, Joanne concluded

Workers Party representative in the South Derry area, Hugh Scullion, has called for all GPs to undertake mandatory training and on-going professional development in mental health and suicide prevention and for an immediate and significant increase in the mental health budget.

“Because GPs are independent contractors they can choose what services they provide. Only around two-thirds of GP practices currently provide any form of in house counselling as part of their GP contract.” Hugh explained

Shortfall                                                                                                                   “The Health and Social Care Board, which commissions services in Northern Ireland, claims the shortfall for people with mild to moderate mental health conditions is covered by a range of community and voluntary organisations but the reality is that mental health services are woefully underfunded.

We currently spend a mere £2.29 per person on Mental Health Counselling services”, he said.

Suicide rates                                                                                                              “An additional £50 million was promised over a year ago to support mental health services, but that has not been delivered. As we stagger on without a government at Stormont the levels of mental health problems increase, and suicide rates continue to rise. This is an intolerable situation”, added Hugh

“I am very happy to support the Participation and Practice of Rights (PPR) group which is campaigning for improved mental health services locally and across Northern Ireland”, he said

Specifically the PPR is calling for

• counselling services in all GP practices
• training for all GPs on mental health and suicide prevention
• a mental health worker in every GP practice

“Counselling has been proven to very often be a lower cost and more effective treatment option than medication yet waiting lists for GP practice-based counselling range from between three to six months, and sometimes longer.

“GP contracts must be amended to include the provision of in-house counselling and the money to develop and support mental health services must be released immediately”, Hugh concluded

A sobering reminder of the levels of sectarianism in our society

Sectarian graffiti at new housing development in Glengormley has been condemned as “a sickening and cowardly attempt to intimidate people in dire housing need from applying for homes in the area”.

Workers Party representatives Gemma Weir and Chris Bailie called on all local political representatives to, “clearly and unequivocally state their opposition to this type of intimidation”.

“It is very important that we all openly affirm that public housing should be available  based solely on people’s needs and not be on their religion, ethnicity or political views” , the pair said

“This gangster style attempt to ‘claim’ areas for people of one religion or another is a sobering reminder of the levels of sectarianism in our society, added Gemma and Chris.

“Sectarianism is institutionalised in our structures of government and is played out repeatedly in our daily lives. Educational segregation enforced from a young age further divides communities, fosters mistrust and compounds division, difference and sectarian tensions in every part of Northern Ireland”.

“Sectarianism and sectarian intimidation are wrong. Anyone with information about this type of incident should immediately report it to the PSNI”, Chris and Gemma concluded.