Above, Cecil Rhodes.
I left school in the summer of 1972. It was a comprehensive and I was to quote from the song; “sixteen going on seventeen” [that September] and unlike, Liesl von Trapp, did not feel the need for “someone older and wiser, Telling me what to do!”
I was determined to leave school. Being an 11+ failure I was slotted into the secondary modern half of the school (in the 1960s and 1970s comprehensive schools were in effect grammar schools and secondary modern schools in one building an an educational apartheid applied between the two). As a result, I left with a good crop of exam topics: Chemistry, English, Geography, History, Mathematics, Physics and Technical Drawing.
All were “CSEs” Certificate of Secondary Education – the “dumbed down” version of the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level, also called the O-level or O level, a subject-based academic qualification. Introduced in 1951 as a replacement for the 16+ School Certificate (SC), the O-level would act as a pathway to the new, more in-depth and academically rigorous A-level (Advanced Level), in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Later, the complementary and more vocational Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) was added to broaden the subjects available and offer qualifications in non-academic subjects.
Of my seven passes six were in academic subjects with one being vocational. All were at Grade 1 – which according to the educational establishment was equivalent to a pass at GCE level at the minimum pass grade. Many employers did not agree with the educational establishment’s opinion!
The school and my parents were very keen for me to continue my education and to take three A level subjects – English, Geography and History. History was by far my strongest subject and my parents were of the opinion that I should have been allowed to study it at “O” level. History was my strongest subject as I had developed the greatest interest in that subject.
The reason why my parents were so keen to see me study my strongest subject at the higher exam level was that the comprehensive school devoted most of it’s teaching resources to the education of the grammar school streams and they let the secondary modern pupils largely to their own devices. This enabled some of us lads to play truant, go into Leeds and obtain a particular form of human biology education by visiting the Plaza cinema on Upper Briggate – which showed “X films” such as “School for Sex”! Those of us who did not sport facial hair got in via the fire escape the door being opened by the one lad who was able to pass for 18 – just!
I sailed through the CSE History exam due to a combination of luck and study. “Luck” in the form that I was able to answer questions between the 10th and 19th centuries and “study” in the form of a history book “The King’s England” written at the start of the 20th century following the death of Queen Victoria. In other words, I had a very good knowledge of British history up to 1901!
I still have that book. However, it is in two halves and I can’t find the part before 1536! The book is let us say, “politically incorrect” and definitely not woke! The Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities, the Rt. Hon. Bridget Phillipson MP would have an apoplectic fit if she so much as read a single page of it!
I still had a good knowledge of British History post 1901 however. This was provided by my father (1906 – 2003) and a book that I will not even cite as even to do so would likely have Devon & Cornwall Police knocking my door down in order to get hold of it as it would be regarded as “hateful material”! This is an illustrated book (with black and white photographs) giving a history of the British Empire! It was written and published in the mid 1930s. As a result, it would be cruel to subject Ms Phillipson to it!
Suffice it to say, my studies have allowed me a different perspective on Stasi Starmer’s Two Tier police and criminal justice system!
You see, many of the commentators are of the opinion that Stasi’s treatment of the indigenous Britons is something new. However, it is not! Stasi is operating more or less from the same play book as the 19th and 20th century colonial officials did. The difference being that the colonial officials did this in places such as Africa and Stasi is doing it in the UK!
Herewith a hypothetical example based on reality:
There is this African colony Ngundaland. The natives are in two tribes. The majority (75%) are of the Ngunda tribe with the Watunga tribe forming the remaining 25%. The two tribes each have a population centre where they are in the overwhelming majority but most of the colony have a mixture along the lines 75%/25%.
Most of the problems come from the minority Watunga tribe who are very assertive of their tribal customs demanding that they are allowed to have ceremonies in population centres. During these ceremonies many Watungas shout insults at the passing Ngundas. There are often clashes and in nearly every case the Watungas initiate the disturbance and are nearly always more violent.
The colonial authorities operate a “two tier policing and justice system”. Notwithstanding the Watungas committing more and serious criminal offences, the authorities punish the Watungas far more leniently than the Ngundas. It is often the case that a Watunga will receive the same length of prison sentence as a Ngundas but will have committed a far more serious offence.
The authorities know that this is harsh and unjust but they do so to try and keep a “lid on things” for they want to prevent the Watungas from “kicking off” and therefore adopt an “even handed approach” knowing that they can only get away with so much unfairness for if the majority Ngundas “kicked off” they would loose control of the colony and all the produce it creates.
Of course, we British will have taken control of Ngundaland by signing a treaty with the Chief of the Ngundas in which we promised to keep the Watungas from “kicking off” in the first place as they were proving a right Royal pain in the arse for the Chief and his spear and shield equipped army and was glad of the help the carbine equipped British Army could offer!