Latest news with #RussellFindlay
Times
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Times
Findlay gives first minister the Victor Meldrew treatment
People often find it hard to believe that Richard Wilson was just 53 when he took on the role of Victor Meldrew in One Foot in the Grave. Indeed, he was at first reluctant to take on the part because he did not consider himself remotely old enough to do it justice. Coincidentally, Russell Findlay is the same age as Wilson was when he first played Britain's favourite permanently-exasperated pensioner. Like Victor, the leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party brings a heavy 'I don't believe it' vibe to the Holyrood chamber. It is one of his most endearing qualities. Each week, one wonders what will set him off next. It could be anything, frankly. For — and there is no point in fannying about here — this is a target-rich environment. This week, it was new guidance issued to teachers on how they might henceforth deal with monstrously disruptive pupils. This, Findlay said, was 'exactly what you might expect from this ineffective government: 49 pages of tedious, hand-wringing nonsense'. We were asked to believe that he deplores this but we all know that secretly Findlay loves it. The Tory leader is an Eeyore, never happier than when things are falling apart. What, he wanted to know, is the first minister going to do about Scotland's burgeoning population of scrotes and nyaffs? Shouldn't he recognise that 'a tougher approach' to school discipline was required — the pillory, perhaps — rather than 'laminated cards and inclusive chats'? Do teachers need endless checklists and decision-making flowcharts and all the rest of the all-nonsense approach favoured by this hopelessly woke government? Isn't it time to get back to basics? Well, the first minister said, 'it's always my priority to listen to the teaching profession.' And this, you may think, could explain many of the problems long so evident in Scottish education. The politicians are listening to all the wrong people. Moreover, Swinney added, 'if young people are unable to participate in their education they are unlikely to go on to good outcomes' and although exclusions must be part of the process, 'exclusions can have negative consequences for young people'. Doubtless this is true, though unfortunately this did not address the salient point made by Findlay. Namely that 'a small minority of pupils prevent the majority from learning'. Perhaps this explains why there were nearly 12,000 exclusions in 2022-23. Admittedly, the first minister said, this was fewer than had been the case in 2018-19. No one could quite agree if this was an impressively high number or a deplorably low one and consequently whether the falling number of exclusions was a good or a bad thing. Still, the consequence of excluding children from school would be to let them loose on Scotland's streets, Swinney said — where they would doubtless run amok and provide Findlay with something else about which to complain. Heads the government loses and tails the opposition wins. Quite so; those, after all, are the rules and this is one rare area in which we may expect the rules to be followed.
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Tory leader accused of demonising young people with push for school exclusions
Scotland's First Minister has accused the leader of the Tories of a 'demonisation of young people' after he pushed for more exclusions to tackle disruption in schools. The Government this week released long-awaited guidance which attempts to deal with the issue, which has been worsening since the pandemic, telling teachers excluding pupils should be a 'last resort'. Speaking at First Minister's Questions, Conservative leader Russell Findlay branded the 49-page document 'nonsense' as he urged John Swinney to 'end the barrage of guidance and please empower teachers to take a stricter approach'. But Mr Swinney pointed to a summit he recently hosted in an attempt to limit school violence, where he said none of the attendees pushed for greater exclusions. 'A whole variety of different people involved, in violence reduction… all those organisations who are doing really good work to avoid violence in our society and to de-escalate, exactly what I'm talking about,' he said. 'Not one of them said to me that I should increase the level of exclusion from schools. 'So what we are getting from Russell Findlay today is a demonisation of young people and a failure to address the mechanisms and the interventions required to solve a difficult issue in our society. 'It is simplistic nonsense, and Parliament should ignore it.' Earlier in the session, Mr Findlay attacked the guidance, saying: 'Really, it's exactly what you might expect from this ineffective Government. 'Forty-nine pages of tedious, hand-wringing nonsense, complicated and confusing. When John Swinney was education secretary, teachers said he issued too much guidance, which made their jobs even harder.' Mr Findlay mocked some of the suggested measures in the guidance, including giving 'violent pupils laminated bullet points, telling them to think about their behaviour', and tackling dangerous behaviour by having 'a conversation to jointly problem solve with the child'. Responding, the First Minister said: 'I don't think for a moment that Mr Findlay's presentation of the guidance is in any way, shape or form representative of what is actually there. 'What the guidance is designed to do is to de-escalate situations in our schools to ensure that young people can participate in their education. 'Because if young people are unable to participate in their education, they are unlikely to go into good outcomes in our society, and we will simply repeat the difficulties that we have seen for many years of young people who do not go on to positive destinations.' The First Minister also told MSPs that, if excluded, pupils are no longer in the 'safe environment of school', adding: 'They are therefore likely to be out on the streets and therefore potentially able to become involved in some of the criminal activity that Mr Findlay himself has put to me with the last fortnight at First Minister's Questions as being a risk to which young people are exposed.' Mr Findlay – a former crime journalist – has repeatedly raised the issue of organised crime, particularly around the ongoing feud which has sparked violence across Scotland's central belt.
South Wales Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
Tory leader accused of demonising young people with push for school exclusions
The Government this week released long-awaited guidance which attempts to deal with the issue, which has been worsening since the pandemic, telling teachers excluding pupils should be a 'last resort'. Speaking at First Minister's Questions, Conservative leader Russell Findlay branded the 49-page document 'nonsense' as he urged John Swinney to 'end the barrage of guidance and please empower teachers to take a stricter approach'. But Mr Swinney pointed to a summit he recently hosted in an attempt to limit school violence, where he said none of the attendees pushed for greater exclusions. 'A whole variety of different people involved, in violence reduction… all those organisations who are doing really good work to avoid violence in our society and to de-escalate, exactly what I'm talking about,' he said. 'Not one of them said to me that I should increase the level of exclusion from schools. 'So what we are getting from Russell Findlay today is a demonisation of young people and a failure to address the mechanisms and the interventions required to solve a difficult issue in our society. 'It is simplistic nonsense, and Parliament should ignore it.' Earlier in the session, Mr Findlay attacked the guidance, saying: 'Really, it's exactly what you might expect from this ineffective Government. 'Forty-nine pages of tedious, hand-wringing nonsense, complicated and confusing. When John Swinney was education secretary, teachers said he issued too much guidance, which made their jobs even harder.' Mr Findlay mocked some of the suggested measures in the guidance, including giving 'violent pupils laminated bullet points, telling them to think about their behaviour', and tackling dangerous behaviour by having 'a conversation to jointly problem solve with the child'. Responding, the First Minister said: 'I don't think for a moment that Mr Findlay's presentation of the guidance is in any way, shape or form representative of what is actually there. 'What the guidance is designed to do is to de-escalate situations in our schools to ensure that young people can participate in their education. 'Because if young people are unable to participate in their education, they are unlikely to go into good outcomes in our society, and we will simply repeat the difficulties that we have seen for many years of young people who do not go on to positive destinations.' The First Minister also told MSPs that, if excluded, pupils are no longer in the 'safe environment of school', adding: 'They are therefore likely to be out on the streets and therefore potentially able to become involved in some of the criminal activity that Mr Findlay himself has put to me with the last fortnight at First Minister's Questions as being a risk to which young people are exposed.' Mr Findlay – a former crime journalist – has repeatedly raised the issue of organised crime, particularly around the ongoing feud which has sparked violence across Scotland's central belt.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tory leader accused of demonising young people with push for school exclusions
Scotland's First Minister has accused the leader of the Tories of a 'demonisation of young people' after he pushed for more exclusions to tackle disruption in schools. The Government this week released long-awaited guidance which attempts to deal with the issue, which has been worsening since the pandemic, telling teachers excluding pupils should be a 'last resort'. Speaking at First Minister's Questions, Conservative leader Russell Findlay branded the 49-page document 'nonsense' as he urged John Swinney to 'end the barrage of guidance and please empower teachers to take a stricter approach'. But Mr Swinney pointed to a summit he recently hosted in an attempt to limit school violence, where he said none of the attendees pushed for greater exclusions. 'A whole variety of different people involved, in violence reduction… all those organisations who are doing really good work to avoid violence in our society and to de-escalate, exactly what I'm talking about,' he said. 'Not one of them said to me that I should increase the level of exclusion from schools. 'So what we are getting from Russell Findlay today is a demonisation of young people and a failure to address the mechanisms and the interventions required to solve a difficult issue in our society. 'It is simplistic nonsense, and Parliament should ignore it.' Earlier in the session, Mr Findlay attacked the guidance, saying: 'Really, it's exactly what you might expect from this ineffective Government. 'Forty-nine pages of tedious, hand-wringing nonsense, complicated and confusing. When John Swinney was education secretary, teachers said he issued too much guidance, which made their jobs even harder.' Mr Findlay mocked some of the suggested measures in the guidance, including giving 'violent pupils laminated bullet points, telling them to think about their behaviour', and tackling dangerous behaviour by having 'a conversation to jointly problem solve with the child'. Responding, the First Minister said: 'I don't think for a moment that Mr Findlay's presentation of the guidance is in any way, shape or form representative of what is actually there. 'What the guidance is designed to do is to de-escalate situations in our schools to ensure that young people can participate in their education. 'Because if young people are unable to participate in their education, they are unlikely to go into good outcomes in our society, and we will simply repeat the difficulties that we have seen for many years of young people who do not go on to positive destinations.' The First Minister also told MSPs that, if excluded, pupils are no longer in the 'safe environment of school', adding: 'They are therefore likely to be out on the streets and therefore potentially able to become involved in some of the criminal activity that Mr Findlay himself has put to me with the last fortnight at First Minister's Questions as being a risk to which young people are exposed.' Mr Findlay – a former crime journalist – has repeatedly raised the issue of organised crime, particularly around the ongoing feud which has sparked violence across Scotland's central belt.
Rhyl Journal
a day ago
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
Tory leader accused of demonising young people with push for school exclusions
The Government this week released long-awaited guidance which attempts to deal with the issue, which has been worsening since the pandemic, telling teachers excluding pupils should be a 'last resort'. Speaking at First Minister's Questions, Conservative leader Russell Findlay branded the 49-page document 'nonsense' as he urged John Swinney to 'end the barrage of guidance and please empower teachers to take a stricter approach'. But Mr Swinney pointed to a summit he recently hosted in an attempt to limit school violence, where he said none of the attendees pushed for greater exclusions. 'A whole variety of different people involved, in violence reduction… all those organisations who are doing really good work to avoid violence in our society and to de-escalate, exactly what I'm talking about,' he said. 'Not one of them said to me that I should increase the level of exclusion from schools. 'So what we are getting from Russell Findlay today is a demonisation of young people and a failure to address the mechanisms and the interventions required to solve a difficult issue in our society. 'It is simplistic nonsense, and Parliament should ignore it.' Earlier in the session, Mr Findlay attacked the guidance, saying: 'Really, it's exactly what you might expect from this ineffective Government. 'Forty-nine pages of tedious, hand-wringing nonsense, complicated and confusing. When John Swinney was education secretary, teachers said he issued too much guidance, which made their jobs even harder.' Mr Findlay mocked some of the suggested measures in the guidance, including giving 'violent pupils laminated bullet points, telling them to think about their behaviour', and tackling dangerous behaviour by having 'a conversation to jointly problem solve with the child'. Responding, the First Minister said: 'I don't think for a moment that Mr Findlay's presentation of the guidance is in any way, shape or form representative of what is actually there. 'What the guidance is designed to do is to de-escalate situations in our schools to ensure that young people can participate in their education. 'Because if young people are unable to participate in their education, they are unlikely to go into good outcomes in our society, and we will simply repeat the difficulties that we have seen for many years of young people who do not go on to positive destinations.' The First Minister also told MSPs that, if excluded, pupils are no longer in the 'safe environment of school', adding: 'They are therefore likely to be out on the streets and therefore potentially able to become involved in some of the criminal activity that Mr Findlay himself has put to me with the last fortnight at First Minister's Questions as being a risk to which young people are exposed.' Mr Findlay – a former crime journalist – has repeatedly raised the issue of organised crime, particularly around the ongoing feud which has sparked violence across Scotland's central belt.
