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People and Politics by Patrick Roberts

Children removed from 'right-wing' foster parents in Britain -- Political correctness finally runs amok as kids forced to leave

Posted on Monday, November 26, 2012 at 07:41 AM

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Roger Stone, leader of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

Political correctness has finally gone too far in Britain.

Three children were removed from the care of foster parents in Britain after social workers discovered the couple were members of the right-wing Ukip political party.

The Irish Independent reports that the Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council that removed the children is to hold an investigation into the decision after the Labour-run authority came under condemnation from political leaders including Education Secretary Michael Gove and Labour leader Ed Miliband.

The three children, European migrants, were happy with the couple and there was no question over the care the foster parents were providing.

Roger Stone, the leader of the council, said: "We are going to investigate to make sure everything has been done professionally.

"If the professionals give advice, we take it. We are going to investigate – we always would if somebody complains."

Mr Stone added: "We are looking to make sure all the correct procedures were carried out before the decision was made."

Michael Grove, who heads the government department responsible for children't services, said social workers had made "the wrong decision in the wrong way for the wrong reasons" and accused Rotherham of sending out a "dreadful signal."

"Rotherham's reasons for denying this family the chance to foster are indefensible. The ideology behind their decision is actively harmful to children.

"We should not allow considerations of ethnic or cultural background to prevent children being placed with loving and stable families."

Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "Being a member of Ukip should not be a bar to adopting or fostering children.

"We need an urgent investigation by Rotherham Council into the circumstances of this case.

"I don't know all the facts of this case but I am clear, what matters is children in Rotherham and elsewhere, and being a member of a political party like Ukip should not be a bar to fostering children."

The South Yorkshire foster parents have said that a social worker told them that the Ukip party was "racist" because it campaigns for tougher immigration controls.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage called for resignations and accused the council of bigotry, saying he felt "very upset and very angry, particularly for the couple involved, who have been fostering for many years and are very decent people, and the awful shock to them of having these children removed, not to mention the upset to the children themselves."

Joyce Thacker, the council's strategic director of children and young people's services, said the council decided to remove the children after consulting with lawyers.

When asked by BBC Breakfast what the issue was with the couple belonging to the Ukip party, she said, "We have to think about the clear statements on ending multiculturalism, for example."

Thacker added that there was no problem with the quality of care the foster parents provided and said she would co-operate with any investigation.

I hope so, this needs to be overturned See more: Right-wing Irish

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WoundedKnee | Nov 26, 2012, 02:24 PM EST

I don't know much about UKIP, but I have admired Ngel Farage for a while now. There are some very good clips of him on Youtube, kicking the ass of the EU bureaucrats. How come they don't have a branch of UKIP in Ireland? They sure need it. they're being overrrun by foreign migrants and screwed by the EU.

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pilib04 | Nov 26, 2012, 11:25 AM EST

Placing migrant children with a UKip foster home would be like placing Catholic children in a DUP home. Not very sensitive. Has nothing to do with political correctness.

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rgray222 | Nov 26, 2012, 10:24 AM EST

So much for diversity, diversity is fine as long as you believe as I do. Rediculous!

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rgray222 | Nov 26, 2012, 09:19 AM EST

Pass the parcel. Nothing like breaking children down by moving them from one place to another. So much for "care".

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