News from the New Party

New Party slams 'perverse' lessons in domestic violence

Government plans to teach primary school children about domestic violence is nothing short of perverse, New Party leader Richard Vass said today.

He was responding to news* that from 2011 the Government plans to subject  children as young as five to education about domestic violence against women and young girls.

Parents' groups have already questioned Government interference in this area, and today the New Party added its voice to those who feel it is a step too far.

"This is appalling and another demonstration of the dark side of the nanny-state. The Government is seeking to turn infants into mini-adults. It is perverse. Leave our kids alone.

"It mirrors the nonsense on knife-crime. Anyone can pull a killer weapon from a kitchen drawer. We are in a bad way when we have to tell kids that stabbing each other is wrong and the same can be said for domestic violence," Vass said today.

The Government's plans also fail to acknowledge that around a quarter of domestic violence victims are men.

Vass: "How will the plans help children in the class who have fathers as victims? They won't. Yet another ill thought-out policy comes from the Government," he said.

The New Party believes children need to learn a general respect for other people and an understanding that violence, whoever it is against, is wrong.

This can only be tackled by improving education rather than the current focus  on spurious academic targets and teachers having to battle with forests of paperwork.

The New Party is also in favour of school vouchers to give parents more control over how funding is allocated to schools in their area. Read more about New Party policy here.

* Read more about hte Government's plans here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8376943.stm