News from the New Party

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Press release: High Court set to judge Al Gore Film

The New Party is backing a legal challenge by one of its members against a government decision to circulate Al Gore's film, An Inconvenient Truth, to all 3,850 English secondary schools. The application for a Judicial Review will be considered at an oral hearing this Thursday at the Royal Courts of Justice. It has been lodged by a father of two from Kent, Stewart Dimmock, who is a school governor and a member of the New Party.

Mr Dimmock comments:
"I wish my children to have the best education possible, free from bias and political spin and Mr Gore's film falls far short of the standard required. Climate change is important but it should be taught to children in a neutral and measured manner. Indoctrinating school children in this manner is unprecedented and unacceptable."

The case has generated a vast amount of expert evidence. Mr Dimmock is being supported by an internationally acclaimed climatologist and a former adviser to 10 Downing Street. The Government has had to enlist the services of the Met office's Hadley Centre and senior civil servants in an attempt to justify its decision to distribute the film.

Education Secretary Alan Johnson said on 2 February 2007: "Influencing the opinions of children is crucial to developing a long term view on the environment among the public." However under Sections 406 and 407 of the 1996 Education Act it is expressly forbidden to introduce biased or partisan material into the school curriculum.

A campaign website http://www.straightteaching.com/ is helping to raise funding support for the case.

NOTES

Previous reporting on the case:

Useful links:

UPDATE: BBC News is covering the case.

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Press release: High Court set to judge Al Gore Film