Do you have some time to hit the barricades with me? They are being set up at the London School of Economics (LSE) to protest a stupid decision by its academics to change the names of their terms.
From October, the year at the LSE begins with the “Autumn Term”. The Christmas holidays become “winter holidays”, Lent becomes “winter semester” and the Easter holidays become “spring holidays”.
The LSE academics say the new names will better reflect the international nature of our community and our broader global engagement.
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Jewish News historian Derek Taylor
What a crap!
This is a Christian country, the king is the head of the church and although every religion is fully tolerated they are all minorities compared to the Church of England.
Granted, the C of E is falling behind in trying to keep his whole flock happy by changing many of his traditions, but at the end of the day, the democracy we enjoy is firmly based on Christian principles.
To be honest, I don’t want to go global with most of the United Nations. Too many of them routinely participate in massacres of vulnerable sections of their people, rig elections, ignore the rule of law and human rights, and regularly let Amnesty rage on their behavior. On the other hand, we make a fuss about the decoration of the Prime Minister’s apartment and the tax returns of the former Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Our nation is not international. It may have been born abroad, but now it eats fish and chips, mourns the cenotaph and sings the color on the king’s birthday.
If the names of the LSE terms have been changed, where does that end? Shall we call Passover the Egyptian defeat? Do the LSE academics want the king to be given a charter instead of a coronation?
I’m sure we’re flattered that so many overseas students are coming to study at the LSE. You will go home after experiencing the British lifestyle. Which does not mean looking down on the beloved Christmas. I don’t think you will get Hindus to call Diwali the Festival of Lights, even if that were an alternative.
The traditional names evoke happy memories of family gatherings, old relatives, fun and laughter. What joy will come from the winter breaks?
If the names of the LSE terms have been changed, where does that end? Shall we call Passover the Egyptian defeat? Do the LSE academics want the king to be given a charter instead of a coronation?
The problem comes when madmen gain power. I don’t believe for a moment that a democratic vote would have resulted in the proposed change to the LSE, but atheists and agnostics know they will always be in the minority and that is not the setting in which democratic voting is popular.
We, of course, have the gold medal for avoiding broader global engagement. We’ve kept Hebrew going for 2,000 years and we’re still around when so many of the world’s ancient rulers have gone. The charms of a secular society didn’t appeal to us. The synagogue is more important than the lecture hall, as much as we admire the study.
Can anything change the minds of LSE academics? There must be a way to fire them. It is high time those who follow religions took a stand. They still outnumber the secularists.