We're not alone.

[Lucy Thomas]

Does this story show that Britain is not the only country slowly dying from the cancer of so-called political correctness. Can you believe that parliamentary time is being wasted on this.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/747975 8.stm

[raysparx1]

Lucy the whole world is going barking mad, the PC brigade can stick it up there chuffers, I was told a little while back that the correct way to address the tenants in the council houses where I was working is, Sir or Madam, oh, and they aren't tenants anymore they are customers, we had to phone them to make arrangements that suited them, Never knock on the door before phoning as all work had to be done by appointment, now the rest of the world is catching on to this crap, so that little kiddie would have to invite another kiddie, even if he was being bullied by them. it is pathetic.

[Lucy Thomas]

no. It shows that Sweden's ruling classes have as much grasp on reality as our own.

[squarebear]

I assume you are kidding Newsdesk?

[Lucy Thomas]

I do hope so. Otherwise it's people with that sad brand of politics who are killing this country.

[lajohn]

Lucy Thomas, this site is dying from the same thing. Where have you been hiding, my lovely one? I've missed you.

Ray, I want back the old days. This generation stinks.

[sp1214]

The Human Rights Act works against all those who want to remain in a reasonable lawful society.

[littleoldme]

I was told a little while back that the correct way to address the tenants in the council houses where I was working is, Sir or Madam, oh, and they aren't tenants anymore they are customers, we had to phone them to make arrangements that suited them, Never knock on the door before phoning as all work had to be done by appointment

Not sure what you're getting at here, Raymondo. This sounds more like common courtesy and politeness than political correctness.

Agree about the comments about the boy in Sweden though. Why on Earth should he have to invite kids he doesn't like to HIS birthday?

[raysparx1]

litteloldme, if the tenants where we worked were addressed as Sir or Madam, they would think I had gone crackers,, these are people whose houses I had worked in for 24 years, I shoul have also said, that the councils own men had to gho on a two day course to learn this . as for the phoning part, prey tell me how you phone somebody when (A) they do not have phone, (B) the line has often been cut off for non payment, (C) not many of them would answer the phone before 10am in the morning if they did have one. and even in emergencies we have to phone, how can this work? maybe you have never done contract work for councils, it is getting very silly, not politeness at all, it is madness.

[ruby27]

Given the results of the poll it would appear that they take social inclusion every bit as seriously as individual rights

Swedes are divided on the matter: 56 per cent believed that a child should be free to choose who attends his party and 44 per cent backed the teachers

There attitudes to children can not be all wrong

Save the Children, a U.S.-based independent global humanitarian organization, eighth annual Mothers� Index that ranks the best � and worst � places to be a mother and a child 140 countries, ranks Sweden No 1.

Britain isn't even in the top ten. So bring on this kind of PC'ness if it does children and mothers so much good!

[New Judge]

It is simply another example (though thankfully not in the UK this time) of the insidious way that governments seem to think they must interfere in people�s lives.

There is no justification whatsoever to believe that to choose some children and not others as guests to a birthday party is discriminatory. It is personal choice. To justify intervention on the grounds that the invitations were handed out on school property and therefore the school is responsible for any alleged discrimination is specious to say the least.

It could (and probably will) happen here. It is symptomatic of the ridiculous mess that we�ve allowed various governments to drag us in to. People who think that the Swedish government is striving towards �social inclusion� by acting in this way are even more deluded than the ridiculous government officials.

[Whickerman]

I didn't get invited to that either - and i'm fupping furious. Who can i make my letter of complaint out to?

[naomi24]

Ruby, What about the children involved in all this nonsense? In your eagerness to jump aboard the politically correct bandwagon, you're overlooking their feelings completely. You drag a child along to a party knowing full well that he's not wanted there, so what is that going to do for his self-esteem? How's he going to feel when he's ignored? Socially excluded I suspect. Would you go somewhere you weren't welcome? I wouldn't, and I doubt many of us would - so why put a child through such a miserable experience? Kids aren't stupid. Like adults, they know who their friends are, and they don't need politicians or the politically correct who can't see past the end of their own wonky agendas to tell them who to like.

And there's little point in quoting statistics. We all know what happens to statistics. The fact is human beings get on with some people, and not others - and it's something we all have to learn to deal with. In short, that's life!

Sorry Lucy, to answer your question, yes I can believe that parliamentary time is being wasted on this - unfortunately! What utter garbage!

[raysparx1]

LOl, thanks Clever you got that bit right, in some cases, they are so off thier heads anyway, that they would probably be warming by it as it went up, most are decent people, hard working people that do not want this themselves, we know where they leave the front door keys and have been told "if I am not in love, just go in and do the job, make yourself a cuppa and feed the cat please" thats how it was, thats how most want it to stay, but prats in offices say thats not right. so really some of the tenants "human rights" are not being listened to, when it suits offiicaldom that is.

[Oneeyedvic]

Naomi - The child would not be wanted there by the host not necessarily the other children.

Have you ever gone to a party where you didn't like a few of people, but did like the majority?

Its amazing that the people who criticise this country and the 'youth of today' are the same ones who criticise other countries' practices without bothering to check if they have any thing that works (other than of course their own prejudice).

My first reaction is the same as everyone elses - this is ridiculous. But if it works, then why mock. Has anyone actually bothered to see what the facts are regarding Sweden.

I am aware that they have the lowest child poverty despite having the largest proportion of immigrants and asylum seekers (10%)

And why bother using things like statistics, when you can go on pure and simple 'gut reaction'.

[cardiacbleed]

in answer to the question, I would like to know more about the case before passing judgement, initially i must admit it seems a bit odd, but then i have no idea if this is a school rule concerning what can and can't be done during school time or if it is a cultural thing that we would find difficult to understand, such expecting the Swedish to understand some of the odd customs that have become accepted here in Britain during school time, you know swearing at teachers, carrying knives, lack of respect and general bad attitude...

i do find it amazing that those who complain about a nanny state and PC gone mad are the ones that generally subscribe to "build more prisons, lock em up and throw away the key", "bring back national service" "bring back hanging" (generalisation ofc not all)...this is pretty ironic as those things are pretty intrusive imo, the state can't help but govern people, that's their job, to create and shape society with just and fair laws and in addition create an attitude and a set of values in that society, are the values in this story correct?, well i have no idea at this stage but i would say we are far from perfect here so perhaps we should stop with the stones, until we move out of the conservatory...

rofl @ ray, sorry to say you are the embodiment of a contractor, "Sir or Madam, oh, and they aren't tenants anymore they are customers" you won't get why that is soo funny i'm sure, but trust me you made me laugh...

[Lucy Thomas]

Oneeyedvic. You're missing the point. I could throw a party and invite thirty people who are all good friends of yours but if I didn't like you then you wouldn't be invited. This is all about who the host wants at the party and not the other guests.

[jake-the-peg]

Do you honestly believe there's no more to this than meets the eye.

Legal action like this costs money.

Why do I get the feeling that this is actually a vehicle for a family feud?

Wake up and start to spot when journalists are yanking your chain

[Supernick]

This isn't in the papers because it's a serious debate about future policy in this country, it's in the papers so that people spit out their cornflakes at the breakfast table. And if you have, congratulations your the ones who keep PC alive

The only people that keep the myth of PC going, are those that rage against it. When have you ever met someone who believed in finicky and pedantic political correctness??? My guess is NEVER. Sometimes with all the billions of people going around offending each other every day, somebody in a position of authority makes the wrong decision and it hits the papers. Then everyone gets up in arms about the 'PC brigade' taking over, but you're fighting shadows, it doesn't exist.