O'Keefe snubs Protestant churches, but kow-tows to Orange Order bigots!

[JCSkinner]

Education car-crash Batt O'Keefe has apparently snubbed two of the Protestant churches who run schools in the Republic over his unilateral decision to reverse the policy, dating to the foundation of the state, of providing support to these schools to ensure the availability of education in a Protestant ethos.
But even though he wouldn't meet with the Methodists or the Presbyterians, he DID agree to meet with those hatemongering troglodytes the Orange Order, who, of course, have never run any educational establishment anywhere ever (unless you count flute and bigotry classes on a Thursday night in Ballymena.)
What drugs is O'Keefe actually on? Or has he stopped taking his medication?
Is he so afraid of the Orange bigots that he agreed to meet them, rather than the nice tea-drinking clerics who actually DO run schools in Ireland?
(In Sunday Mirror today - can't find internet link for it.)

[Yahoo]

Support? is the protestant church bankrupt? can they not fund themselves? when did they run out of money?

[JCSkinner]

Churches do run themselves. They also subsidise (as do the parents of children attending) the education that the state is obliged to provide.
O'Keefe has unilaterally reversed the policy dating to the foundation of the state of ensuring support to minority religious education.
Whatever you think of the demerits of that, the point is that he has refused to meet those who run those schools, but instead acquiesced to a guldering from an organisation of thundering bigots.

[Yahoo]

They subsidise it? really? in my school they provided ******************** all money, it was the state giving them the money to run the school.

[JCSkinner]

Yes, they subsidise the schools they manage. Dept of Education can provide you with further details. If you have no comment to make on O'Keefe sucking up to the bigots, feel free to take your spam elsewhere.

[Yahoo]

My comment is they should not be subsidizing the schools at all, if the churches want to control schools they should fully fund them, and save your *********************************** comments for someone who will tolerate them.

[JCSkinner]

That's a charter for privatising all education in the country.
No doubt the government would be delighted, but since most kids' parents wouldn't be able to afford fees, we'd be Zimbabwe by October in terms of school attendance.
Well done in highlighting your incredible stupidity for the umpteenth time, Yahoo.

[Yahoo]

No, it's not, it would mean the state taking it's job seriously.
Churches do sweet fa to help schools, they just sit on the boards and own the property, the fact that a group of people don't believe in the immaculate conception is not reason for them to get a special subsidy.

[JCSkinner]

We. Can't. Afford. It.
It. Would. Cost. Billions.
That clear enough for you?

[Yahoo]

We. Can't. Afford. It.
It. Would. Cost. Billions.
That clear enough for you?

Your a moron