As The Australiancontinues its campaign for right-wing political correctness in education, a reminder comes from Britain that two can play at this game. The Guardianreports
that the British teachers union has written to the education secretary
“calling for a change in teachers’ working conditions to ban membership
of the BNP [British National Party].”

Now, no sympathy here for the BNP. It’s an explicitly racist party (membership is limited
to “indigenous caucasians”) occupying the extreme right-wing fringe of
British politics. But to make membership of a legal political party a
disqualification for employment in schools is a serious step down the
road to totalitarianism.

Clive Jones, the BNP member who sparked
the call, is a teacher at a “pupil referral unit” in Derby. Apparently
there is no allegation that he has discharged his duties in an
inappropriate manner; all that’s at stake is his political beliefs, and
that he has avowed them publicly by standing as a BNP candidate in
local elections. As the union’s secretary put it, “Those who subscribe
to a racist and fascist agenda have no place in the teaching
profession.”

No doubt there are some government jobs that are
incompatible with political activity, but it’s hard to see why school
teaching should be one of them, and if it is then the ban should apply
to all parties equally – not just those that the union (albeit for good
reasons) disagrees with. So it’s comforting that the education
authority has rebuffed the union’s objections: “It is the view of the
General Teaching Council that standing as a candidate for this party
does not, in itself, breach the code of conduct for teachers.”

It’s
not so long ago that members of the Communist Party and other dangerous
radicals were carefully weeded out of schools and universities by
right-wing governments. But the fact that one side does it doesn’t make
it right for the other side as well. If teachers are indoctrinating
children with poisonous ideologies, by all means take action against
them. But if private opinions stay private, there should be no cause
for complaint. Even fascists are entitled to earn a living.