Stop Lying to Children!

STOP LYING TO CHILDREN!

By Stephen Wilson

           

           

An Open Letter calling for an end to state intimidation, imprisonment and beating up of youth recently received the signatures of over 2,000 Russian school teachers.

           

It all began with school teachers arguing about the school play. How old does a school student have to be to fully understand Shakespeare's Hamlet? How many school students can grasp the complex meaning conveyed by the play? As the discussion grew more deeper it seemed patently evident that parallels could be made between the situation Hamlet finds himself in and the terrible predicament which young people find themselves in modern day Russia. Like Hamlet, many people feel alienated, and angry about the blatant injustice which pervades their lives. For example, quotes such as  'The time is out of joint' and 'Denmark is a prison' could be applied to Russia. But the teacher Irina Lukyanova, a teacher of literature is hardly the first person in Russia to be inspired by Shakespeare! Boris Pasternak translated Hamlet and a Russian philosopher, Leon Shestov, described Shakespeare as his 'first master in philosophy'. He attempted to develop a philosophy from his own creative interpretation which he titled 'Shakespeare and his Critic Brandes.' Russians regard literature not as a light or academic subject, but as a way of life. You don't just read literature but should live it by practicing the virtues and values it embodies. A poet is not just a poet, but can be a philosopher and guide to action. Many teachers believe that Russian literature should be taught to inspire people to be honest, helpful and law-abiding citizens. People should not tell lies. But if the school students see that the government itself is not practicing those values, then why should they?

           

Adults who are preaching those values to children will be viewed by their own children as hypocrites. Lukyanova stated that the main message of the letter was an appeal to "Stop telling children lies". She stated that "it was high time teachers woke up and adapted their civic position. Stop being afraid! Children won't forgive us for being silent and not telling the truth".

            

Irina Lukyanova 's Open Letter, in a way, starkly expresses the unwanted predicament Russian school teachers find themselves in. For instance, a school subject such as 'Social Knowledge ' teaches children to learn all the main articles of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. They learn that Article 31 allows them the right to peacefully gather and demonstrate, yet when they actually try to gather they can face mass arrests, be beaten up and falsely imprisoned on bogus charges of inciting mass disorder. When they hear that though freedom of speech is guaranteed by the constitution, but bloggers are being thrown into prison for exercising this, they can't help noticing a huge discrepancy between the law and the reality.

            

The letter states : 'Most of the arrested are young people. By their age they are our students of yesterday. It is impossible to talk to school children honestly about the Decembrists, about penal imprisonment, the Gulag, Blok, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and many other classics of Russian literature to teach them about freedom of choice, morality, a person's responsibility for the society which he lives in and at the same time pretend nothing happened beyond the classroom. This is hypocrisy and we don't want to teach children hypocrisy.'

           

In Soviet times a person from a school or institute who wrote such an open letter could be fired. And her school or institute could all be collectively punished for not controlling her. Teachers were expected to police each other and prevent such letters. But within a few hours of writing this open letter, Irina Lukyanova was surprised to discover that over 2,000 teachers, including some headmasters and mistresses, had signed the letter in support. The letter evoked a strong resonance among teachers. Those teachers were from all over Russia. Russian school teachers are losing their fear. They have woken up to the unacceptable. A teacher Sergei Volkov stated, "This letter was written for everyone. For all people! Teaching is such a profession where for us everyone is a person ... Now it seems that it is time to explain the moral law ... You must not lie, kill, rob, and bear false witness!"

Few people would disagree.

 

Teacher Preps Ruse

Teacher Preps a Ploy to Get Us Nothing?
By Jim Vail


Several teachers have been wondering if the city´s demand that principals direct two of the four teacher-directed prep periods - to plan lessons, grade papers and do paperwork - was just a ploy.

A ploy is described as an action designed to turn a situation into one´s advantage.

In this case, what would make teachers more upset than to threaten during negotiations to take away two teacher preps. The principals already have one prep that they direct so that teachers cannot grade papers, deal with parents or students, and attend to the ever mounting paperwork.

Something sounded fishy here so I asked one principal if they really wanted to direct two more prep periods. How about the Reach evaluating new teachers four times a year? No thank you, very much!

Principals do not have a union, and therefore appear to have little if any say about the whims of the Chicago Public Schools.

Troy LaRaviere, the director of the Chicago Principals Assoc., looked into the CPS prep demand back on September 10th.  

Troy said that he had not heard this demand from principals so he decided to survey admins to get data.

The data showed that a majority of principals or about 70 percent are against the idea of directing two more preps. 

His survey showed:

- A supermajority (68%) of principals and assistant principals are opposed to the district’s proposal to reduce teacher-directed preparation time and increase principal-directed preparation time.

- 92% of school leaders want 30-minute morning teacher preparation time restored (97% either support or are unopposed to the restoration of morning preps).

- 93% want full-day professional development opportunities for their teachers and 74% want four to eight full teacher PD days per year.

So in terms of less preps for teachers, it was a ruse - or action intended to deceive us. Watch Mayor Lori Lightfoot say, ¨Ok, you got me. We won´t take more preps away from the teachers. You won.¨

Which is B.S.

¨This was a fake fight,¨ one union member wrote. ¨CPS principals never wanted our preps. Good distraction though. Got people riled up. Then CPS can give in on this (in exchange for something that costs them money) and CTU can say, “When we fight, we win.”

¨At the end of the day, the teachers are no better off...but have been tricked into thinking this was a win.¨

Let us hope our union does not fall for this trick!

We are all Illegal

Red Rover Series

{readings that play with reading] 

Experiment #120:

We Are All Illegals

On September 28, 2019, poets around the world will raise their voices collectively to declare the changes they'd like to see in the U.S. and throughout the international community as part of worldwide events for 100 Thousand Poets for Change, now in its 8th year. 

FEATURING:

Carole Bernstein, Kira Calliouet, Lizett Carm, Melissa Castro, Noa/h Fields, Stefania Gomez, Maya Marshall, Faisal Mohyuddin, blake nemec, Maya Nguen, Joseph Padilla, Pegah Pasalar, Sav Robinson, Lew Rosenbaum, Lily Someson, Emma Waldo & more special guests!

**please note special location** 

at the Read/Write Library

914 N. California Avenue

in the Humboldt Park neighborhood

Suggested donation $4

**proceeds to be donated to Immigrant Families Together***

This night of poetry activism in Chicago will be based on the theme "We Are All Illegals" inspired by Outernational's anthem of immigrant solidarity.  Local writers will address ideas of citizenship, nationalism, borders, and the rights of indigenous peoples.  To say somos todos ilegales is a necessary irony, bigger than the internet or a wall or a law or a language.  What we mean is that no one is illegal, what we mean by ill is that we ate our fill.  How was it legal to force us to hablar en lenguas europeas, move gentes all over the divided States, y seguir encerrándonos en la frontera?

A special event curated by the 100 Thousand Poets for Change, Chicago Community Council 2019:  

Andrea Change, Laaura Goldstein, Marcy Rae Henry, Jennifer Karmin & Toni Asante Lightfoot.

Co-sponsored by the Guild Literary Complex & the Read/Write Library

https://guildcomplex.org

https://readwritelibrary.org/

Immigrant Families Together was founded in June 2018 in response to the inhumane immigration policy separating families at the U.S./Mexico border. They pay bonds for parents in detention and work to reunite them with their children. Additionally, they support over 100 reunited families as they recover from their detention trauma and adjust to life in the U.S. while their asylum cases are adjudicated. 

Upcoming Red Rover events at Outer Space Studio

*October 12: Holly Amos & Rebecca Lehmann + more
*November 18: David Buuck & Anne-Adele Wight + more

Email ideas for reading experiments

to us at redroverseries@yahoogroups.com

WOW WOW WOW
Red Rover Series

on facebook?  or, prefer not?

Over-reaction!

RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES ESCALATE ACTION AGAINST SCHOOL STUDENT UNION

By Stephen Wilson

    

The Russian actor Pavel Ustinov is unlucky! The stars are certainly not on his side. For on the 3rd August he had arranged to meet a friend to discuss his work. Instead, he inadvertently walked out of a building to be immediately assaulted by four national guardsmen. They wrestled him to the ground, detained and arrested him. Those men were 'policing' an unsanctioned protest demonstration against unfair council elections which were to be held on the 8th September. Poor Pavel found himself subject to an unfair trial on the falsely brought charges of assaulting a law enforcement officer. The authorities claimed that he had been shouting political slogans and physically assaulted a policeman. But two video recordings and witnesses which suggest otherwise were not accepted as evidence in court! And Pavel Ustinov is not interested in politics. He doesn't like to discuss it. He is apolitical. But Pavel Ustinov just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Within the vicinity of Pushkin Square where a massive demonstration was going on. He was sentenced to three and half years in prison. The case has provoked the anger and outrage among his fellow actors as well as the wider public.

             

More and more Russians are growing incensed at arbitrary arrests and absurd accusations against protesters. For instance, under article 280 of the law of the Russian Federation the student Yegor Zhukov, has been charged with not only a call for mass disorder but put on a list of 'extremists' and terrorists'. Yet it is the opposition who is being constantly threatened, assaulted and abused, and not vice versa. Navalny has received countless death threats, yet nobody has been charged for this. Only recently, the authorities have threatened to charge a 17-year-old school boy, Leonard Shaidurov, from school number 622, of Saint Petersburg, under article 280, of ' publically calling for  extremist activity. ' But all Leonard did was to found a school student union which would openly discuss how to address serious problems in schools. The headmistress stated he was organizing unsanctioned demonstrations! That would mean any school children could be arrested just for meeting up for a game of football or a birthday party.

             

Second City Teachers wrote an article last year about the foundation of the School Union. According to the information of acquaintances, Leonid Shaidurov hardly comes across as an extremist. He doesn't drink, smoke, swear or even raise his voice. He speaks softly and articulately. It would be highly misleading to dismiss his activity as part of 'an adolescent rebellion' or 'as naive'. Many of the points he is raising are shared by the union, 'Teacher', as well as 'Solidarity', the Union representing teachers at universities. He states: "We don't like the sham of commercialization and bureaucratization of education. There is mass religious discipline and pseudo-patriotic lessons. There are lessons on the 'Uniarmy' . There is constant message of the government party United Russia from teachers." Joining the Uniarmy is supposed to be voluntary, but in practice school students complain of being pressurized to join up.

             

The Union advocates a minimum and maximum program. The minimum program consists of the following demands:

             

- School students must not be subject to more than three tests a day.

             

- Don't exceed the number of lessons for a particular subject a day.

             

- Don't violate the right of school students to self expression such as forbidding them from wearing some clothes or dyeing their hair.

             

- Allow the school students the right to legitimately organize their activities in a school union.  

             

The maximum program calls for the end of the Unitary state exam system. None of those demands are of an extreme nature. Even calling for a strike as a means to obtain your ends does not entail extremism. Only recently a government official called Gref, made a speech suggesting Russian schools might be better to abandon exams all together. Has he been threatened with charges of being an extremist?

             

On a more controversial note, the Union calls for the ending of propaganda encouraging the militarization of youth through the Uniarmy, free school meals for children and forbidding the persecution of school students for their political beliefs and activity. All the demands being made by the school union are to be found enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation as well as the law on Russian Education. The latter especially emphasizes that the rights of students should not be threatened or abused in anyway.

             

In fact, the demand for free school meals was accepted by some local councils in Scotland because children were so hungry they could not concentrate on their lessons in school. Free meals actually helps children study better.

             

It could be argued that far from the school union threatening civil disorder, it is simply sincerely upholding the law. This is something Russian politicians and adults are refusing to do. In this case, children appear to be more mature than adults!  They are only guilty of telling the crowd that the emperor has no clothes.

             

Education in Britain

DON"T DARE  DO WELL AT UNIVERSITY

BRITISH PRIME-MINISTER ATTACKS "SWATS'

By Stephen Wilson

 

            

In 2013, Boris Johnson attacked the then British Prime Minister, David Cameron, as 'a girlish swat'. The grounds for what appears to be such an eccentric and erratic comment is that the Prime Minister attained a first class degree at university while he  obtained a 2.1. The word provoked an outburst of indignation because 'girlish swat' is slang for a school girl who studies hard and does well academically at school. The remarks were not only blatantly sexist, but seem to send a crude populist message to school students and university students saying, "Do well, but don't do very well". The British media were reminded of this cheap jibe because only recently Boris Johnson, the current Prime Minister, called the leader of the opposition 'a girlish blouse ' {slang for lacking manhood } for chickening out of agreeing to holding a general election. The comment comes at a time when the British Prime Minister is attempting to force Britain out of the European Union without a deal, regardless of the consent of parliament, or in deed , any legal decisions. However, Parliament is already on the verge of passing a bill which would make such a pull out on October the 31st, without the consent of parliament, illegal. The current Prime Minister lacks a majority in parliament to withdraw from the European Union. When The P.M. declared that, "We will leave the European Union by the 31st October without a deal regardless of what parliament says or any legal decision," legal judges warned him that such action would be 'in contempt of court' and even threatened to imprison him. In other words, the PM is not above the law. The problem is perhaps compounded by the fact that unlike Russia, or America, Britain has no written constitution and procedure is decided by unwritten conventions, agreements and old legal decisions based on precedent. The British system baffles outsiders and even British teachers find it archaic and bewilderingly complex.

 

           NOT VERY DEMOCRATIC

 

            

But it is not the contempt of parliament by the prime minister which should astonish people and especially historians. A conservative leader, Ian Gilmour once wrote that when democracy is leading to an end that is inconsistent with itself there is a case for ending it. Former Prime Minister Asquith ignored the will of parliament on votes for women, Thatcher managed to push through extreme counter reforms despite having less than 40% of the vote and this Prime Minister is once again attempting to suppress discussion and debate in parliament on Brexit by closing it down. What should surprise teachers from all over the world is the cheap insult 'girlish swat'. You might be forgiven for thinking that a pupil at school or a student at university who attained the highest awards and marks would be generously applauded. You might believe if a student got first class degree or Red diploma , people would say "Well done".

            

For instance, in Russia, when the daughter of Oksana Chebortareva got 100% in the Russia exam, the chief of Moscow Education presented her with a medal. But In Britain, the Prime Minister will condemn you as 'a girlish swat'. Such a comment is hardly going to inspire school students to study harder. On the contrary, it is like giving children a green light to study less and mock those students who are doing well. It is often the case that talented students are taunted and tormented by the less talented pupils for doing too well. The Prime Minister sounds like a bully. In fact, he is one. Perhaps the P.M. is seeking to draw support from crude populist elements in Britain who resent a more cultured or educated culture. Sound familiar?

 

           DISCRIMINATION ON THE JOB MARKET

 

            

The fact remains that students who do well at university by attaining a first class degree face hostility from their peers and the public. I recall after I had helped prepare a college student, Mary Wilkinson, for a psychology exam how she got a first, but when she took up employment at the college she complained of resentment. Time and time again students complain that when they inadvertently speak of their exact exam marks they might not get a job or they are typecast as 'an academic'. I remember when I showed my exam results to an American employer it provoked fury. I never got the job. As a result, students carefully conceal their exam results. Otherwise they render themselves unemployable. Part of the problem is rooted in the existence of a non intellectual and non philosophical culture in Britain. The Philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre  identified the aspects of this culture where people no longer freely discuss, debate or listen to each other. Instead, they self righteously assert opinions on to another. They aggressively attempt to score points or win the argument by raving, ranting and cheap insults.

            

But what if losing an argument is a good thing?  What should matter is for a person to spiritually or personally to advance on the path to enlightenment. Should anyone be expected to know all the answers to the world's problems? A low level of rhetoric has largely replaced a more sophisticated tradition where rhetoric was not reduced to the art of persuasion, public relations or marketing, but the art of speaking politely and eloquently. In the public schools of Shakespeare's time rhetoric was a subject where children were encouraged to use the language clearly , carefully and articulately, to respect opponent's arguments, write verse, sing well and perform plays. This is a far cry from today. Then people learnt Latin, Greek and foreign languages and adored the theater. Now in Britain, the government discourages pupils from learning foreign languages and going to the theater is often frowned upon 'as something for the rich'. And if a school student studies too hard he is greeted by a chorus of mockery.  And a person who entered university can be labelled "Girly swats who wasted their time at university.'' It seems that the bully in the back of the classroom is taking full precedence. He is not just a naughty school boy, but a prime minister. It is not simply the negation of the hard-working student.

            

You are also witnessing the growing negation of the authority of the teacher. So this low level of rhetoric is reflected in the childish comments of the current British Prime Minister. And it has an entirely negative impact on culture, never mind education.

Writers Migrant Justice

Writers for Migrant Justice was launched in order to support the groundwork being done by Immigrant Families Together.  We are raising money in order to support detained and formerly detained migrants.  

Please donate https://www.gofundme.com/f/writers-for-migrant-justice  

Donations made on this gofundmepage are tax-deductible.

HOW DONATIONS WILL BE USED:

- Pay bonds to release detained migrants.

- Legal and relocation costs for related detained migrants.

- Supporting our partners on the border with their critical needs.

- Operating costs to cover emerging needs and infrastructure.

- Acute needs such as medical, food and transportation costs, clothing, blankets, car seats and diapers for families who have been released, and temporary housing stipends for refugees who have just been released from detention and have no family in the U.S.

Immigrant Families Together (IFT) was founded in June 2018 in response to the inhumane immigration policy separating families at the U.S./Mexico border. They pay bonds for parents in detention and work to reunite them with their children. Additionally, they support over 100 reunited families as they recover from their detention trauma and adjust to life in the U.S. while their asylum cases are adjudicated. All of the IFT volunteers are working pro-bono. Thus, ALL of your funds will go directly to rapid response needs. This New York Times article "How Regular Americans Can Help Reunite Migrant Families " says more about the impact of IFT and why we love them.

HOD Meeting

Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates Meeting Sept., 2019
By Jim Vail


The Chicago Teachers Union delegates met to authorize a unanimous strike authorization vote at the House of Delegates meeting last Wed, Sept. 4.

The media reported on the action that will lead to a strike vote in the schools Sept. 24, 25 and 26. CTU President Jesse Sharkey said the strike authorization vote will give the union leverage to bargain for a good contract.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is no different than Rahm Emanuel when it comes to playing hardball with the union. She is now demanding that the teachers have three principal directed preparation periods so they have less time to finish all the work that needs to be done, including grading papers, filling out forms, organizing and preparing for lessons, attending IEP meetings, etc. She is also saying trust me, we will hire more social workers and nurses and teachers, rather than be serious and put it in the contract that would hold her administration accountable.

Lightfoot is a politician who was elected with corporate money to enact the wishes of our business elite who want to continue to take away from the workers. But unlike her hardline predecessor Rahm Emanuel - who openly went to war against the union after working for President Barack Obama - Lightfoot said many progressive things during her campaign to earn a lot of votes from teachers and others, such as investing in the neighborhood schools, no need for charter schools, stop privatization, etc.

This news blog will say it again and say it loud - there is no real difference between our two party system when it comes to screwing over the working people. The democrats and republicans are both funded by rich people and corporations and do little to nothing to help the people here!

In the Q&A period in the beginning of the meeting, one delegate said that their newly hired social worker complained that she was getting bombarded by emails (sound familiar?) because she is a mentor to three teachers, why not just one? Typical CPS tactic, give in to the union demands to hire more social workers, then make them pay for it! 

Another teacher suggested, and Sharkey agreed, that CPS should change the school year so that the schools finish two weeks earlier like in the suburbs, and begin one week earlier. Delegates voiced approval in the room. The delegate from Smyth Elementary School said they finally got rid of their abusive principal who cheated on attendance, did not work with LSC, did not make up missed preps, which forced many teachers to leave. Sharkey said, ¨If you take a swing at the king´s head and miss, he´ll chop off your head.¨ In other words, you better be careful when you challenge the boss, because he can easily fire you or make your job hell!

Another delegate complained that they had 34 students in their kindergarten but nobody from the union came out to help with the class size grievance. That is one of the key demands in the new contract - capping class size!

During the moment of silence for teachers who passed away, it was announced a 29-year-old teacher at Whitney Young High School died from a brain aneurysm.

The CTU announced that they completed their annual audit - usually the report is given in June, and that the union was able to rescind all layoffs after trimming $1.4 million from the budget. The CTU also said despite the Janus decision that forces the union to sign up its members to pay dues, rather than automatically, only 23 members, of about 25,000, refused to sign a union card (one happened to be in my school last year, but she left!).

¨Our maximum strength is the strike,¨ said CTU financial secretary officer Maria Moreno.

CTU VP Stacy Gates pumped up the delegates to vote in favor of the strike authorization vote.

¨After the strike authorization vote we shift the power at the negotiating table,¨ she said.

President Sharkey also pumped up the delegates to vote yes to the strike. He noticed that Lightfoot bargaining in the public is a new tactic from the city which was used to closed-door sessions. Of course, the CTU changed that once the big bargaining team was introduced.

¨We electrified the country with our strike in 2012," Sharkey said in a strong voice. ¨We need a contract guarantee on class size. We need to hold the mayor to her promise.¨

¨The mayor texted me and said she wanted to talk,¨ he added. ¨I´m gonna tell her she´s got to get serious or there´s gonna be a strike.¨

The officers made it clear that any gains for special ed teachers or class size, is a victory for all the teachers. A loud cheer that signified CTU unity followed.

The spat over whether or not it was right for the CTU to support a delegation to Venezuela was lightly addressed by Sharkey. The CTU passed a resolution condemning US interference in Venezuela, but teachers on Facebook were upset that the CTU members who went to visit Venezuela showed support for President Maduro.

Sharkey said teachers should be careful about getting into fights over social media because the corporate media like the Chicago Tribune and Wall Street Journal - who hate unions, working class people, socialism and any other form of people solidarity - will use our spats to criticize the union.

¨By the way I think Maduro is a despot,¨ Sharkey said, with a slight smirk. ¨Keep using social media, but don´t do the bosses work. The Tribune is not our friend and they are now firing their education reporters.¨

TIFs

TIF Illumination Project Co-Founder Analyzes Tribune TIF Story
By Jim Vail


The Chicago Tribune is not a paper for the working people. It is run by big business interests who do not want unions, an increase in the minimum wage or the public commons - meaning they are against public schools, public housing, public regulatory agencies, etc.

One of the biggest stories they have chosen to ignore is the Tax Increment Financing or TIF program - where tax dollars are frozen and instead of going to the schools and other city budget items, instead go to developers who are mostly building luxury housing for the rich. 

It is an incredible scam where our taxes are going up as our city budgets get worse. The TIF program was supposed to help poor areas in the city, but instead we are funding wealthy areas on the North Side.

Ben Joravsky from The Chicago Reader has detailed the TIF scam to educate people here how much we are getting ripped off. Tom Tresser who helped start the TIF Illumination Project to inform people about this rich tax scam has educated people in public meetings across the city.

But the Chicago Tribune has mostly stayed silent. Until recently when it reported on the latest TIF scam - the $1.3 billion Lincoln Yards TIF. Mayor Lori Lightfoot is about to again ask Chicago taxpayers to come up with more money to support the city budget.  

This is what Tresser said about the Trib story:

¨I am in favor of any major local media throwing a critical light on TIFs. But Hal's story goes deep into the weeds and, while it raises some what I would call procedural questions - was the accounting done properly, was the entire process rushed - my main objection is to the entire TIF program. It is racist and irredeemable. So - if the Lincoln Yards TIF was NOT rushed and the Council took more time and STILL approved it - in Hal's view - it would be OK. For me, I don't care how long the process takes or what sets of numbers is used to get through the process - it is corrupt and run by corrupt people (Aldermen Solis, Burke, Hopkins, O'Connor, Cappelman). There is no justification for giving a billionaire (Sterling Bay's Keating Crown) $1.4 billion in public subsidies to build out a bloated and ludicrous development in Lincoln Park that includes $400 million in bloated and immoral finance fees. Period. A total of one thousand people came to two community meetings to say essentially this.¨

Tresser will be hosting a workshop on TIFs in Wicker Park next Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019 from 7 - 10pm at the Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. 

You can read the Trib story here:  http://digitaledition.chicagotribune.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=0d1b1aca-8248-4241-b214-8e462d1b1aa9&fbclid=IwAR10UWQkZsfqtTfA9Q8TTJu72pOqquIqAysG18phaRN6x8gfpuYFHZCl2Sw

Poland Invasion Anniversary

POOR POLAND: THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE GERMAN INVASION

By Stephen Wilson

 

            

School days were not the best days of my life. Constant teasing, torment and exam pressure make the present paradise. I wager that the Scottish Polish pupil Alec Cowsar never relished or fondly sought to rekindle old memories.

            

Alec never harmed or teased anyone. On the contrary, he came across as a helpful, harmless and good humored person. When I visited a local youth club he warmly greeted me and informed me of all the facilities available.

            

Despite his good nature, he was not academically talented. The other pupils teased him for being 'slow' and 'untalented'. Even teachers who should have known better would join in the chorus of mockery. I recall one incident when a music teacher was giving some self righteous lecture on the Second world war that Alec for once struck back correcting the teacher by saying; "The Second World war began 29 years ago not thirty. "The teacher, infuriated, retorted, "I meant about thirty years, so don't try to be a smart Alec". Yet, Alec's father was a Pole who fought the Germans and was forced to remain in Scotland after the war. If any grasped the human legacy of the war it must have been him. The memory had returned because I came across a recently published survey by the University of Strathclyde where they interviewed more than a 1000 students aged between 12 and 18 from Poland, Romania, Lithuania who had lived in Scotland and England for at least 3 years and found 77% had been subjected to racism and bullying. The survey discovered that some teachers had even colluded in this bullying. I thought after 40 years, some things do not change. The Poles living in Britain have been bullied and in the worst cases, murdered for speaking Polish in the streets. But don't the British owe the Poles an enormous debt for the folly of 1st September 1939?

 

            THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER

 

            

Eighty years ago, on 1st September 50 German Divisions invaded Poland. The invasion set off a chain of events called 'The Second World War' being described by other authors as 'Armageddon ' 'the Apocalypse ' and 'the Inferno'. As many as 50 million died and Poland lost one out of five of her population or six and half million.

            

How and why the events unfolded remains deeply contentious. It evokes all kinds of passions. Many myths still surround how the Poles fought in the war. Firstly, it has been suggested that the Poles were wholly unprepared for war. However, in terms of military experience and grasping the importance of tank warfare they were way ahead of the British. They had learnt a lot from the past Soviet Polish war. What let the Poles down was the complete absence of promised British and French help as well as being overwhelmed by two invasions from the Soviets and the Germans. No help from Britain was forthcoming.

 

            

One of the common myths is that the Polish cavalry charged German tanks head on. This lie was invented by Goebbels to bolster his claim of the 'stupid and backwards Slavs' in contrast to the advanced Germans. This lie was even believed for over thirty years by Journalists who kept repeating it in documentaries.

            

In reality, the Poles used their cavalry quite successfully. On the 9th of September the Poles even successfully counterattacked startled Germans and cavalry attacked their rear and flanks. Even earlier, on the 1st September Colonel Mastalerz's 18th Uhlan Regiment surprise attacked German troops in a wood throwing them back. The notion that Hitler's Blitzkrieg was one of uninterrupted success against the Poles fails to acknowledge the small battles the Poles actually won. And what about the heroic stand at the Modlin Fortress? Of course, the Poles were finally outnumbered by superior numbers, tanks and air control, but they were more than a match for the Germans in terms of prowess.

 

            WHO IS TO BLAME?

            

Another emotive issue is who was to blame for the war? The most common answer was Hitler alone. This was certainly the explanation of the then bitter British Prime Minister Chamberlain who thundered, "Responsibility for this terrible catastrophe lies on the shoulders of one man, the German chancellor who has not hesitated to plunge the world into misery in order to serve his own senseless ambitions". This is an evasive explanation of the origins of Second World War. The reality is more complex. One reason was the fragility of the post war settlement brought about due to the Versailles treaty. The unfair treaty of reparations not only fueled a revenge psychology among the Germans but led to a 'guilt complex ' among many allied statesmen who strongly felt obliged to appease the Germans. The weak reaction of the appeasers where the allies did nothing to stop the reoccupation of the Rhineland and the handing over of Czechoslovakia without a fight through the Munich agreement convinced Hitler he could obtain what he wanted without any resistance. There is a view that if the Allies had fought Hitler over Czechoslovakia they would have beaten Hitler. Some German generals even claimed that they were ready to launch a coup against Hitler should there be a war. It never happened. Robert Boothby, a Conservative M.P. at the time stated in an interview that, "There is absolutely no doubt that the Germans gained enormously from the years delay in the outbreak of war as a result of Munich and we have it on irrefutable authority from all the German generals and from various historical sources. The Czechs had the strongest fortified line in Europe on their northern frontier and they had thirty well-trained, well armed divisions. Against which Germany could only put 33 or 34. Two of the senior German generals said that the line was impregnable.'

 

            THE  RIBBENTROP MOLOTOV PACT           

            

The feeble attempts by the British to negotiate a military agreement with Russia played a role in the formation of the Ribbentrop -Molotov pact. There is no doubt that this pact was a flawed attempt to bolster the security of Russia's eastern border.

            

The current notion by the Ministry of Culture that this pact represented 'a triumph of Soviet diplomacy' astounds many professional historians not only abroad but in Russia. It represents an abrupt departure from a statement made by Putin ten years ago that it was a grave error. This pact represented a betrayal of of all the socialist principles that the Soviet Union had professed. Apologists claim it was a cunning attempt to buy time by the Soviets to build up their defense. According to a recent Counter Punch article, 150 members of the German Communist party were sent back from Russia to Germany to be persecuted. The Russians even sent the Germans badly needed fuel, food and bases for their German U Boats operating against Britain. According to Laurence Rees: 'The Soviets did all they could to prove to the Germans that they were more valuable as friends than enemies. They continued to deliver huge amounts of raw materials to the Germans [including 232,000 tons of petroleum, and 632,000 tons of grain in the first four months of 1941 alone}, even though the Soviet economy was creaking under the strain'. {See World War 2, Behind Closed Doors, Stalin, Hitler and the Nazis and the West, Laurence Rees , BBC Books, London 2009}.

            

Of course, in hindsight, people are always wiser after the events. Maitland a historian warned, 'It is very hard to remember that events now long in the past were once in the future'. Would we be better diplomats in their shoes? It is worth recalling that attempts to appease Hitler arose from a desire to avoid war at all costs. War weariness afflicted the people of Europe and traumatic memories were still fresh in the people of Europe. The allies also thought they had a great chance of defeating Hitler in a small defensive war. After all, the combined forces of the French and British far outnumbered the Germans. If the allies had not arrogantly rejected the suggestion of a military alliance with Belgium they would have had the assistance of another 800,000 enlisted men. Disunity among the opposing sides to Hitler led to the early victories. The tragedy is that the Second World War was one of the most unwanted wars in history. It was not just caused by the evil intentions of the Nazis, but the blunders of so many statesmen.{ see The origins of the Second World war, penguin, 1961, London, for a provocative revisionist view of the causes of the war}.