Although I have been taking a few days off over Easter, and have paid much less attention to news coverage than usual, the annual spectacle that is the NUT Easter Conference has inevitably managed to permeate my consciousness - this year it's been the Army that has provoked their wrath. Martin, I am pretty sure it's faith schools at least every other year, and open season on Academies all year round. By their enemies ye shall know them.
As Iain Dale says:
"The vast majority of NUT members are normal people doing an important and difficult job. What a shame they allow this sort of insulting, leftist, unpatriotic nonsense to be discussed in their name. Isn't it about time NUT members said 'enough is enough' and took their union back from the extremists who appear to control it nowadays?"
Is the timing of their conference - the Easter weekend every year - part of the problem?
It is rather less than inclusive of the NUT to hold its annual conference to coincide with the most important festival in the Christian year. As a major public holiday as well it presumably also deters teachers who would prefer to spend the time with their families. And is it any wonder, with such an unfriendly signal being sent out to Christians and people with family commitments, that extremists are available and attracted instead?
I have no idea why the NUT chooses the Easter weekend every year - can anyone shed any light on this? It would rigorously avoid holding any major conference, let alone its annual one, to coincide with the feasts or festivals of any other religion. This doesn't just affect the sort of people likely to go as delegates, and hence the decisions that are made; it tells us all something pretty fundamental about the NUT.