I don't know if this is true or not, but you'd have thought if this was happening it would be more well known by now. I don't ever recall hearing a normal person complain about this either in real life or on social media. So this political stunt, complete with its well funded campaign (see the slickly designed t-shirt she's wearing), is the first I've heard about it.
(Jess Phillips outside No. 10)
A few months ago we had politicians and media figures encouraging children to skip school on a Friday to protest climate change.
Now we have a campaign complaining that children aren't getting access to education on a Friday. Again using children as political props.
Go figure.
As with the Greta Thunberg campaign no one ever seems to ask how these things are funded and organised. Nor how they manage to get mainstream media coverage so readily. The obvious question with Greta Thunberg is how a young girl with Asperger's manages to travel the world of her own accord. Organising protest events and meetings with major politicians along the way.
People just seem to accept it on face value and then proceed to argue about how great/bad she is depending on what side of the argument they find themselves on. Never once questioning the adults that are putting her in that spotlight to begin with.
Similarly with this latest Jess Phillips stunt. People will debate the school funding issue, or the actions of Jess Phillips in general, but will never ask where the impetus for all this is coming from.
Who designed the campaign slogans?
Who printed the t-shirts?
Who runs the various dedicated Twitter accounts?
Why are we only finding out about this now via the mainstream media and not via standard word of mouth?
If Jess Phillips has only just discovered her child's school will be cutting Friday lessons how come she has a very slick campaign ready to roll straight away?
Alternately, if she found out about these cuts much earlier then why hasn't she mentioned them before? She has such a high media profile it's not like she hasn't had the opportunity to raise the issue.
Is it not a little bit odd that one of the 250 schools cutting hours just happens to be one that Jess Phillips has a child going to?
It was only back in May that Jess Phillips was arguing with school protesters who were complaining about sex education being taught to their children. It's odd how there always seems to be funding for things like that. Regardless how much parents do or don't agree with it.
(Jess Phillips arguing with Muslim protesters back in May
- check out the guy in the prototype Brexit hat.)
On a side note education is an interesting topic for me, as it's my belief that parents should have much more control over their children's education. Aside from choosing whether or not children take part in sex education classes and the like I also believe that parents should actually be able to choose their child's school hours. The school days and weeks are far too long in my opinion and I believe parents should have the option to lessen the amount of time their child spends at school.
Children would be much happier if they had more time to just be children. Plus parents would be able to opt for a combination of school and home schooling. Rather than the situation we have at the moment where it's either all or nothing. Either you completely remove your child from school and home school them - if you even have that option. Which most people for practical reasons don't. Or you just surrender your child to the full force of the state and to state education.
I say give parents options.
#GiveMe5
When Jess Phillips was interviewed regarding the school cuts she actually said; "the government has a responsibility to be looking after our children for at least five days a week". At least five. Perhaps this was just a slip of the tongue. Either way though it sounds pretty bad, and suggests a desire to have even more state control over children.
The campaign slogan for all this is #GiveMe5 - again quite a slickly contrived piece of promotion, and it appears children, adults and celebrities have all been mobilised to promote this demand at protests and in online videos. The use of children as a political tool is once again highly reminiscent of the climate protests. These people seem to have no concern whatsoever about putting small children front and centre of political campaigns. In fact, the use of the "high five" as a marketing campaign suggests a very deliberate attempt to engage children.
Basic common sense and experience tells us that children generally don't like going to school. Everyone loves a day off. It's a joyous feeling to have that freedom. Even for just an afternoon. So putting these words in the mouths of children is dishonest to say the least in my opinion.
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