Madam, - In his letter of December 1st, Labour party leader Eamon Gilmore seeks to dig his way out of an offensive and unfortunate soundbite that equated baptismal certificates with South African apartheid passbooks. The tone of his remarks to his first party conference appear to offer passé, anything-but-Christian alternative policies to the education of the State's children.
In contrast, after years of disastrous experimentation with the education system, the British Labour Party has lately suffered a Damascene conversion.
In conjunction with various churches, the UK Department of Education has produced a booklet entitled Faith in the System, which offers high praise of church-run schools. There is no objectionable and inflammatory talk of "segregation" and "apartheid". About a third of Britain's state-funded schools are faith-based, managed principally by the Anglican Church. There is no evidence that these have caused social segregation or an apartheid mentality. In fact, parents of all faiths and none join waiting lists to have their children admitted.
Whether it is the Church of Ireland taking admirable action to preserve its schools' ethos, or the Muslim or Jewish communities rightly developing their own schools, or the "non-denoms" pressing for community schools, all aspire to the best for their children and should be offered political and taxpayers' support. These parents who choose to be discriminating in their choice of school are not seeking segregation in the "apartheid" sense; rather, they are making positive choices compatible with their beliefs which are guaranteed by our Constitution.
Politicians who believe these Irish minorities are practising segregation or apartheid should stand up and say so. But before doing so, they should check the dictionary for the true definition of "republicanism".
Ireland needs a great, reinvented, truly liberal Labour party as much as it needs any other parties which not merely recognise and respect the wishes of those who put them into government but which also ensure that those wishes are reflected in policy.
A number of the country's baptised Christians undoubtedly populate the Labour rank-and-file. In this relevant season of Advent, a gracious apology to them and their supporters for his "A-B-C" approach to educating their children would be advisable for Mr Gilmore. (An advertisement in The Irish Times for a new scriptwriter might not be a bad idea, either.)
In contrast to Bertie Ahern's 10 years of leadership in Government, it would be even more embarrassing for Eamon if, in less than 10 weeks of leadership in Opposition, the baptised members of the Labour party were to issue media statements that Mr Gilmore was definitely not a friend of theirs. Nor should any Christian be afraid to turn up at next year's party conference with a teddy bear named Eamon. - Yours, etc,
SEÁN DAVIN,
Dublin 4.
Madam, - Eamon Gilmore's call for a debate on our model of primary school provision is welcome. In urging a "new model of primary school where religion is not a factor in admission", however, he should know that Educate Together has been providing such a model for the past 30 years. Now with 44 schools and rising demand, our ability to respond is limited only by the lack of appropriate Government support.
Mr Gilmore rightly identifies the lack of planning as a crucial issue: where resources are scarce, the potential for division in communities is exacerbated. By current estimates, the equivalent of 250 new schools will have to be provided by 2013; that is more than 40 new schools a year.
The following action is therefore urgently required:
1. The reform of planning legislation to ensure the transfer of sites for new schools as a condition of planning permission for housing estates.
2. An urgent programme of site acquisition and school building.
3. A realistic system of grants to enable school patrons to set up the schools that communities want in a professional and efficient manner.
4. A complete overhaul of the system of funding for the boards of management of new and expanding schools. - Yours, etc,
PAUL ROWE,
Chief Executive,
Educate Together,
Centrepoint Business Park,
Dublin 12.