BY SAM WHITE

If you were uncertain about whether your kids were being imparted with a balanced, impartial view of the world by their school teachers, then you can stop doubting and be sure: they definitely are not.

Over at the TES (formerly the Times Educational Supplement) a little while ago, Oliver Beach (pictured below), a former economics teacher and part of the BBC’s Tough Young Teachers series, laid out his educational call to arms. Casting aside old-fashioned notions of neutrality and open-minded inquiry, he makes clear that it is the mission of schools to indoctrinate your children into the faux-liberal, broken leftism that is currently being put firmly back in its box around the Western world.

Early on, he lets us know that he is scared.

“The past year has been frightening.”

I thought maybe he was going to tell an anecdote about being mugged at knife point or wrestling with alligators, but no, it turns out that this trembling millennial is all of a fluster because, you guessed it… Brexit. And..? Yep, the incoming new POTUS.

Despite the fear, and with a heavy heart, he courageously breaks the news that we have been deceived:

“An unquestionable sum would go to the NHS each week,” remarked Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage, or a “tumultuous wall will be built by Mexico” boomed Trump. To the naive voter, these promises were catalytic to ballot-box decision-making. Decisions based on lies.”

Yes, while Beach and the other intellectual giants of our school system could perceive beyond the smoke and mirrors, us naive dimwits who plumped for Leave are now kicking ourselves at having been duped by evil pied piper Nigel Farage and his malevolent cronies.

Never mind that a lot of Leave voters had made up their minds about European integration long before the referendum campaign had even started, some as early as 1972. Never mind that a good number of Leave voters thoroughly disliked the Leave campaigns. Never mind that in polls to ascertain why people voted Leave, nobody ever says, “duh, the red bus.” Never mind that Remainers appear to be the ones who didn’t do their research, and instead spent their time shitting bricks at the government approved Project Fear, which was carelessly disseminated by a partisan media.

And as for Trump, really? You still don’t know why people voted for him? You missed the discussions on the utter failure of bankrupt, widely despised identity politics? You didn’t pick up on many voters’ justifiable contempt for the know-it-all illiberal-liberals sanctimoniously dominating the cultural discourse? You didn’t notice what an unequivocally awful candidate the Democrats fielded?

No, you’re just going to put it all down to the wall. Sure, let’s go with that. After all, if it’s all about the wall, then saintly Hillary backers needn’t introspect, or change course, or take a solitary moment to consider their own faults.

Beach’s oblivious lack of self knowledge hints that Trump has 2020 in the bag already. However, I can agree with him on the next part:

“The importance of young people being empowered and encouraged to challenge and question cannot be understated.”

Very true, but what he doesn’t grasp is that in 2016, that’s exactly what voters did. The aloof suits in the EU are the over-reaching, unpopular authority being challenged and questioned. In fact, in a minor way, Oliver Beach and others like him are the authority being challenged and rejected, and not before time.

And in the US? A non-politician just took on an entrenched Washington insider who belongs to the party that’s been in power for the last eight years. And he won. So what do we think, who is challenging and asking questions in that equation? Here’s a hint: it’s not the dodgy career politician whose sole plan was to insult a large section of the electorate, stick with the program, and change nothing.

That’s the beauty of being “empowered and encouraged to challenge and question”, it means you can challenge anyone. Including—and this is the fun part—the up-themselves, holier-than-though new left.

Beach tells us, referring to the “Right” (all those not agreeing with his point of view):

“The success of the Right in gaining the highest political power with a narrative of pro-guns, anti-gays, limiting women’s reproductive rights and building physical national borders will give new momentum to those with similar views here and across Western democracies. “If he can do it, why can’t we?,” they’ll cheer as they grab their pitchforks.”

Got that? We’re dangerously close to staggering out of our ditches, grabbing our pitchforks, and engaging in some crude mob savagery. You may have thought that all that occurred last year was enacted fairly through the very same robust democratic institutions that have previously delivered victories for the left. But no, 2016 was actually just rambunctious, farm tool wielding yokels barging around and messing things up. Oh, and if you voted differently to Oliver Beach, you’re quite likely to be a trigger happy homophobe, so sort yourselves out, peasants.

We’re then informed:

“In recent years, it need hardly be said, we’ve seen vast strides of progress in achieving social and civic liberties for under-represented groups.”

He neglects to mention that any such advances are currently being undermined by a strain of ferocious, illiberal identity politics which has turned pathological. Far-left radicals are corrupting their own movement by lashing out at all who disagree with their garbage post-modern theories. The very notion of social justice is being subverted from within, while potentially sympathetic allies are pushed away.

In a hypocritical closing flourish totally lacking in any modicum of self-awareness, Beach tells us:

“We must reject echo chambers, post-truth proselytes or sycophants. We don’t need more Donald Trumps, Nigel Farages or Marine Le Pens; we need Martin Luther Kings, Harvey Milks and Rosa Parks. And we need them now.”

Well, it’s up to each individual to make their own decisions on Trump, Farage, Le Pen, or any other politician. But when I think of progressive giants such as Martin Luther King, Harvey Milk, or Rosa Parks, I can’t imagine how such profoundly inspiring figures could possibly emerge from the modern, groupthink left, with its stifling intolerance and lack of common decency.

If the ‘liberal’ bubble isn’t the very essence of “echo chambers, post-truth proselytes or sycophants” then nothing is.

Through its double standards, lack of respect for individual freedoms, and shameful attacks on those who have differing opinions, the left is regressing. Increasingly cult-like, lashing out under scrutiny, and incapable of self-reflection, this wayward group cannot seriously call itself liberal, or lay claim to any kind of moral high ground.

Beach says this:

“Educators must be curating minds that question their realities, not just accept them.”

And he’s right. Enable young people to think freely, without indoctrination, and we can make certain that future generations won’t be gulled and manipulated by shamelessly irresponsible classroom ideologues like Oliver Beach.

Sam White is a writer for Country Squire Magazine and has written for The Spectator & Metropolis. Other Sam White articles can be found by using the search box below (just type in Sam White) and also by looking here.