Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Setting a Catriona Amongst the Hawks

It does make a good headline- Sinn Fein Education Minister closing down rural state schools left, right and centre, whilst working at all costs to keep "Catholic" and those teaching in "the medium of the Irish language" open.

Catriona Ruane, the guardian angel of all S. American eco-warriors, but also a debased sectarian Shinner? In this particular case, I suspect not, just an incompetent minister, landed with a post well above that which her talents merit.

Any roads, as soon she publishes (as requested by the SDLP's Dominic Bradley) "her sustainable schools policy", we’ll know for sure that’s she been completely objective in choosing which schools to close, won’t we?

More interesting (following the recent “grannying” controversy in Londonderry) is the revelation that she sends her own children to a a school in Newry, even though she lives across the border in Louth.

Her defence:

"They should be able to go to their nearest school and that EU law supports this for people who work and pay taxes in Northern Ireland."

If it’s not their nearest school, then expect fireworks, as it is strongly suspected that the school her children attend is over-subscribed.

And if it is, whether EU law supports her right to do so, is neither here nor there; UK law supports the right of Socialist MPs to send their children to private schools...doesn’t make it morally or ethically right.

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