Lots of schools have adopted a policy of allowing girls to not wear skirts. They can’t run round in their knickers but can wear trousers instead, should they wish. In the interest of ‘equality for all’. But now a school in Lewes (which Londoners would loosely call ‘up north’ even though its on the south coast) has banned girls from wearing skirts altogether. Because it might upset the transgender or gender uncertain kids to be forced into some form of sartorial commitment they’re not happy to make. And yet by catering to the tiny minority they are quite oblivious to upsetting those in far greater numbers who are more gender-contented. Girls like wearing skirts, apparently. And in one school that allowed girls to wear trousers, the boys reacted by turning up to school in skirts. The official ‘girls’ uniform skirts, but skirts nonetheless. And I love that. Firstly to show the ridiculousness of the situation and secondly because it would be prejudicial of the school to stop them. But forcing a gender neutrality on 11 year-old kids is really inappropriate. Confusing for them. So 99% of kids have to suffer confusion and mixed messages because of the possible 1% who might feel odd and who’ll doubtless feel odd whatever they’re wearing. Its like the next generations sanity is being sacrificed on the alter of political correctness.

Whereas wannabe Conservative party leader, Jacob Rees-Mogg has just lost the race that hasn’t really even started yet. Everyone’s favourite caricature of an upper-class twit, albeit quite a clever twit, has shot himself in both feet in the not-yet-contest to replace Theresa May. By confessing to being religious. Not just religious but Catholic. And not even just that but… devout!!!! Which itself is fine in multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-faceted Britain, but not the rather large baggage that accompanied such a confession. He don’t do abortion and he don’t do gay marriage. He’s of the ‘every sperm is sacred’ brigade, which is probably why he has 6 kids. But if the Pope don’t approve it, Jacob don’t do it. So he holds not merely views but absolute values that separate him from ‘normal people’. Views and values that we hadn’t seen in this nation since 1857. Until the Ulster Unionists came into the spotlight earlier this year that is. Because ‘radical’ Christians, be they of the Protestant or Catholic flavour, share these antiquated views, quite inappropriate in modern society.

Jacob has learned what I’ve always believed: politics and religion just don’t mix. Nor should they.

Happy Thursday

A xxxx