Here
is a perfect example of Ruin's Progress. This headteacher should
just resign and fuck off out of it. In the school of which he was
in charge an internal wall collapsed and killed a 12 year old pupil, of
whom he was also in charge, in loco parentis. There should be
no question here of the Head waiting to learn lessons from
an enquiry, there needs to be an investigation into structural matters
of course but the Head is in charge of the building and of all health
and safety measures therein, that's why he gets the big bucks.
Why is the Head still there, bleating? Why, instead of sacking him is
the council wittering on inanely about counselling for the entire school population and its parents? Because this is the subterfuge of Ruin; it'll wind up that everyone is to blame therefore no-one is to blame. Gobby parents will be homing-in, like pigeons on the nearest microphone or TeeVee camera.
But we'll learn lessons, take things on board and move forward. A kid
has died in a preventable accident, that's all there is to it. But the waters of blame will be muddied by cops, lawyers and a regiment of chief officers of this and that.
Most will take their lead from those they consider their betters, Royalty, for instance, because it doesn't matter how shamefully Charlie Windsor behaves, bullying
and betraying the poor, fucked up Diana, flogging-off gifts sent him by
wellwishers and not paying any tax on the proceeds, employing some poor deranged fairy - at my expense - to squeeze his fucking toothpaste, the worthless piuece of shit and whining at us about the
environment and having his, I mean our Bentley flown out to Europe
because he fancies a spin, man's a reprehensible, sponging, poncing,
hypocritical waster, an utter cunt, yet he is our sovereign in waiting,
him and his smokey old slag. The prime minister has, since he was
leader of the Opposition, surrounded himself with criminals and
degenerates, some are on trial, most have escaped justice and at least
one Downing Street adviser has been arrested for having child pornography
on a government computer at the very centre of the Executive, Cameron
preaches at us still, nonetheless, when any decent man would resign.
Why,
then, should we expect a lowly teacher to resign over something which,
it may be argued, was not directly his fault? Well, the answer to that
is that it may not directly be his fault but it is certainly his
responsibilty to ensure the safety of his pupils, duty of care, y'know, adults being actively responsible for those more vulnerable than they, the Head should walk around the school regularly with the caretaker or whatever maintainance men are now called and check it thoroughly and make absolutely certain that the school is a safe physical envirionment. This head obviously failed to do that and the first person calling for his resignation should be Mr Steven Kelly himself. If he steps down he will have done the right thing and will find other employment in his profession; if he doesn't he will have missed an opportunity to deliver to his pupils the most important lesson they might ever learn.
8 comments:
That's an interesting situation. Is it a private school or a state school?
If it is a private school what does it say in the Head Master's contract and who is responsible for his safety?
If it is a state school what responsibility has the local authority, not only for the safety of the school children but also of the staff?
These days no one is responsible for anything.
Yes, that's my point,mr alphons, the fudge of Ruin. As far as I'm concerned, a previous, more meaningful set of ethics would have compelled the Head's resignation, even if, practically speaking, he was blameless. Aad I do believe that there is already damage limitation being commenced by the council, which probably does bear some responsibilty; as you say, the climate of self-protection is such that things are managed to ensure that no-one is responsible for anything, yet overly rewarded for everything.
Completely agree with you Ishmael. He won’t step down unless his pension is suitably enhanced of course.
One of the few times I find myself disagreeing with you. Are your internal walls sound, or is one about to collapse? Blaming the headmaster, unless he saw or was aware of a compromised structure and then failed to act, doesn't make sense. If he could not have forseen the disaster and is not responsible for it's occurrence, how can he be expected to resign?
I welcome our disagreement but that was my point, mr anonymous. It is a matter not of direct causality but of the person at the top of the cycle of failure holding himself responsible - a la Peter Carrington at the time of the Falklands invasion by Arentina.
I suppose it is as ancient as the actual human sacrifice, the need for propition, for an exchange, for the fact that someone in authority takes the blame, albeit with honour, in order to propitiate those damaged by bureaucratic or corporate failure.
Your analogy is flawed, anyway. My home is not a public place filled daily with vulnerable people yet even so I check it thoroughly to ensure the grounds are safe for visitors, that potholes in the lane are filled; that no barbed wire has crept in from the adjoining farland, that nothing falls from the dizzyingly high roof, decapitating the unwary, which it might; I ensure that my cars are safe and roadworthy, that the lights are visible; I make sure that my dogs, though harmless, are secured and I always check that internal staircases and handrails which might be used by visitors and friends are safe; I have lethally dangerous machinery and I won't let anyone near it if they have taken alcohol, and I would similarly dissuade them from clif-walking; I would expect everybody to do the same, we have a duty of care, each for the other, especially so with children. Walk Don't Run.
The head should have been aware, should he not, of the state of the fabric of his building - if he is not, then no-one is; he should have been aware of that first and foremost, it should have been second nature to him to think: There's hundreds of kids, running and screeching around here, bumping into things, is it safe? It wasnt second nature to him and he should go, I don't suggest that he be jailed or formally punished, just that he should do the decent thing, set a decent example.
It may just be rumour but the filthsters are reporting that concerns had already arisen about this and other so-called modesty walls; if that proves to be the case then more serious sanctions than accepting the Head's resignation should be considered.
Fair enough, but only up to this point... if no-one including the HM could have identified a hazard with this wall then he shouldn't resign. Like a pilot who does a walk-round before a flight, if the engine drops off at altitude after the pilot saw that it was apparently OK beforehand? Maybe I'm wrong but I can't see how.
Noblesse oblige? Is everything now about wriggling out of doing the right thing, are we all now Maria Millaresque?
Not convinced. A no-fault accident, if that is what it was, is not dishonourable, unlike the thieving bitch you mentioned. As I said, I usually agree with you but not this time. Not surprising, given the amount of your works which I have read and admired. Bound to be an occasional rat on the bird table in any literary landscape.
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