Articles and Videos

Scottish Govt Drops 'Stalinist' Law Assigning Every Child A 'Named Person' State Guardian  (20 September 2019)

Readers' comments:  "Praise the Lord" / "Well done Christian Institute and NO2NP"  /  "Thank you to the Christian groups for tirelessly campaigning against this sinister policy"  /  "When did anyone in Government even think this would be ok? And why shackle every parent/child in the country for the miscreant behaviour of a minority?"  /  "It was to be a nice mix of the stasi and the introduction of the junior spies as educed by Orwell"  /  "This was so the government could bring up the children and mould them their way and any 'influence' from the parents ... would have led to the parents being sectioned and the kids taken into care"  /  "Parents cannot be trusted to raise correctly brainwashed children"  /  "It's so much easier to steal and corrupt the children of the poor"  /  "One of the first named persons assigned to a child [was] a paedophile"  /  "...it was a woman who repeatedly visited the girls she was assigned to 'protect'. The parents objected and were told they were being uncooperative and could lose custody"  /  "Let's just call it what it was, a grooming charter"

Scottish Government Drops Named Person Scheme  (20 September 2019)

"The legal fight against the Named Person Scheme, dubbed the 'State Snooper Scheme', was led by the Christian Institute as part of the No 2 Named Person coalition. Their basic argument was that state employees would effectively take the place of parents as those most responsible for bringing up children. The consequences of such a policy would be very grave, as named persons would effectively be enabled to be agents of state surveillance over children. This would have weakened the natural bond between parents and their children ... This victory over the Named Person Scheme is a very important swipe at a totalitarian tendency within government in the UK ... The lesson that Christians need to learn from this victory is that perseverance in favour of God's plan for family life and against state totalitarianism and arrogance pays off..."

Has the Named Person Scheme Really Been Scrapped and Where Do We Go From Here?  (20 September 2019)

"Yesterday Deputy First Minister John Swinney announced in the Scottish Parliament: 'We will now not underpin in law the mandatory named person scheme for every child. We will withdraw the Children and Young People (Information Sharing) (Scotland) Bill and repeal the relevant legislation. Instead, existing voluntary schemes that provide a point of contact for support will continue, under current legal powers, when councils and health boards wish to provide them and parents wish to use them' ... The Scottish Government wanted a statutory scheme which would make it mandatory to appoint a Named Person ... Whether the family wanted one or not it would have been imposed, with or without the family's knowledge ... this was about compulsory state-sanctioned monitoring of every child in Scotland. Parents have spoken out about uncovering detailed dossiers filled with inaccurate information on them, which have been compiled by Named Persons behind their backs and used in damaging ways..."

Leave Families Alone, Mammy Sturgeon  (20 November 2018)

"In Scotland, 14 out of every 1,000 children are looked after [sic] by local authorities, with the majority coming from the most deprived areas. This is more than double the proportion looked after [sic] in England, which stands at 6 in every 1,000 children. Scottish social workers, more than others in the UK, have a massive challenge on their hands. So what is the Scottish Government proposing to alleviate some of the pressure?..."

The Wellbeing Octopus  (24 May 2018)

"What do you do when you have an unpopular piece of intrusive legislation to sell? If you are the Church of Scotland you rush to support the SNP government by going full bizarro. Meet Calamari SHANARRI, the well-being octopus. ... This is in support of the Scottish government's Getting It Right For Each Child (GIRFEC) initiative, which includes the controversial Named Person scheme ... Inside the velvet progressive glove nestles a steel fist..."

No Business of the State  (23 January 2017)

"Amongst the corruption and halfheartedness that characterises much of the modern Anglo-Saxon establishment there remains what Albert Jay Nock called 'the substratum of right thinking and well doing'. This manifests itself in the most unexpected areas; in this case family law. The recent and momentous victory by the No To Named Person campaign (No2NP) at the UK Supreme Court contains several particularly memorable examples..."

Supreme Court Blocks SNP's Controversial 'Named Person' Scheme  (28 July 2016)

"The Scottish Government has suffered a humiliating defeat in the UK's highest court after its controversial 'state guardian' scheme was ruled unlawful ... It is the first time the court has prevented a major piece of legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament from coming into force and the ruling is a serious blow for Nicola Sturgeon. Critics claim the plan is a snooper's charter that would allow the named person - usually a head teacher or health visitor - to interfere in family life..."

Victory! Supreme Court Strikes Down Named Person Scheme  (28 July 2016)

"Judges at the UK Supreme Court have declared the Scottish Government's 'state snooper' Named Person scheme to be illegal. The controversial legislation has been condemned for breaching the human rights of families. It is the first time the Supreme Court has prevented a major piece of legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament from coming into force ... [The judges] declared Holyrood had exceeded its powers by making a law which allowed public bodies to share sensitive private information about children and parents without consent ... NO2NP spokesman Simon Calvert, said: ... 'It's wonderful news for mums, dads and children all across Scotland who no longer have to worry about this unjustified invasion of their private lives ... The court has taken sides with ordinary families and put the Scottish Government back in its place...' "

The Supreme Court: Named Person Scheme Judgment  (28 July 2016)

The Christian Institute and others (Appellants) v The Lord Advocate (Respondent) (Scotland).  "This appeal concerns the question whether the provisions of Part 4 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 lie within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament. before considering the issues that arise (summarised in para 26 below), it is helpful to begin with an account of the background to the legislation..."

YOUTUBE:  Scotland's Agenda to Control the Family  (24 April 2016)

"Scotland is turning into the North Korea of Europe."

What Can Happen When a Named Person Reports on Your Children  (02 / 03 April 2016)

"The Named Person scheme is to be rolled out across Scotland in August but one father's experience of the pilot rings alarm bells for its many opponents. The handwritten note on an official form read: 'Mr Smith feels it is impossible to stop his youngest son from sucking his thumb as he needs it for comfort. Did not appear to take advice on board fully.'  The words, written by the two-year-old thumbsucker's Named Person..."

Named Person Scheme: Christian Institute Second Briefing  (March 2016)

"The Scottish Government's Named Person scheme is due to come fully into force by August 2016. State officials will have the job of monitoring children's 'wellbeing', which has been described in guidance as being another word for happiness. Officials can interfere on very broad grounds. Using such a subjective threshold for intervention will lead to authorities getting wrongly involved in family life. The Government is rightly concerned about child protection and, of course, the the authorities have a proper role. But a universal scheme is fatally flawed. The Bible teaches that the family unit is precious in the sight of God and that he grants a natural authority to parents to raise their children. Any law which threatens to undermine this is of great concern and must be strongly resisted if Christian parents are to be able to fulfil their God-given responsibilities. This briefing seeks to set out the biblical principles at stake and consider some of the potential consequences of the scheme going ahead..."

Small Plants and Little Caterpillars  (16 January 2016)

"It has been fashionable for some decades now, particularly amongst those who like to think of themselves as experts in child-rearing and/or politically progressive, to argue for child-centred parenting ... Most social workers, family court personnel, state-school teachers, and others similarly Marxist-trained, are especially vocal in their support for this method of raising children..."

Named Person: Top 12 Gaffes  (2016)

"Since the Named Person scheme was first mooted, it has been dogged by a series of embarrassing revelations and highly publicised gaffes. Despite the adverse publicity, the Scottish Government has ploughed on in the face of growing opposition and media criticism. Here are the Top Twelve Named Person blunders... so far:..."

Police Scotland Criticise SNP Named Persons Plans  (01 / 02 July 2015)

"Critics have said the plan 'gives monitoring power to the state' and would severely damage the level of trust between parents, teachers and health workers. Police Scotland warned that such a 'significant change for all authorities including Police Scotland' could make it harder to identify at risk children..."

Named Person Scheme - 'Stalinist Blueprint For A Happy Childhood'  (02 June 2015)

"This idea of compulsory compliance with a set of government-imposed ideals is, of course, a facet of totalitarian states, which rely on the micromanagement and strict regulation of private and family life ... why should the state have a clearer idea of what hope and happiness mean than parents, or anyone else?..."

Named Person Scheme: Christian Institute Briefing Paper  (April 2014)

"On 19 February, the Scottish Parliament decided that every child in Scotland should have a 'named person' - a state official tasked with looking after their 'wellbeing'. This state guardian will be put in place regardless of whether or not children or parents wish to have one and regardless of whether there is any need for state intervention. A named person will have the power to speak to a child, including about very personal issues, and provide information or advice - all potentially without parental consent. The policy ... will undoubtedly undermine the unique roles of parents and the consequences will be far-reaching, eroding the right to family life and privacy. As such, The Christian Institute believes it has no alternative but to stand against this move. This short briefing sets out our serious concerns about the potential impact of the named person proposals..."

Lawyers Warn Against 'Big Brother' Plans to Give Every Scottish Child a State Guardian  (01 August 2013)

"The individual, who would most likely be a social worker or head teacher, would have the legal right to ensure the child is raised in a government-approved manner and report any issues about their upbringing to the authorities..."

Scotland: Every Child to Have 'State Guardian' From Birth  (27 May 2013)

"Every child in Scotland is to be assigned a 'state minder' from birth under draconian new proposals that would enable the government to spy on families under the justification of preventing 'child abuse'..."

Now It's a Social Worker for Every Child - in Scotland  (25 May 2013)

"For anyone familiar with how our 'child protection' system too often works in practice, rather loud alarm bells might be rung by a Bill currently going through the Scottish Parliament that takes the state's intervention in family life to a startling new level. Under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill, every child from birth will be given a 'named person', charged with keeping an eye on the child's interests until it reaches adulthood..."

Care Plan Sees Dystopian Future Arriving Early  (08 May 2013)

"About ten years ago, a bit bored with my attempts to change the world, I decided to write a dystopian science fiction novel. The conceit of this never-to-be-written book was the complete collapse of privacy illustrated by the 'supporters' that everyone was given when they had a child. In this futuristic hell, as soon as a woman gave birth, a support worker would come and live in her house..."

Blogs and Websites

NO2NP

"Say NO to the Named Person Scheme.  The Scottish Government's planned Named Person scheme will undermine parents' responsibility for their own children and allow state officials unprecedented powers to interfere with family life. That's why so many are saying NO2NP...  Undermines parents and permits the state unlimited access to pry into the privacy of families in their homes (GOVERNMENT CLIMBDOWN MARCH 2017)...  Wastes limited resources on a bloated bureaucracy siphoning public money away from the protection of vulnerable children...  Allows the use of intrusive powers to interfere in family life by scrapping the requirement to justify such intervention...  Found by the UK Supreme Court to unlawfully breach European Convention right to respect for private and family life."

The Sad and Cautionary Tale of Pavlik Morozov

"In the old communist countries, the regimes also encourage denunciations by children, who usually had little idea what would follow. In Soviet cities, until 1991, there were statures of a little monster called Pavlik Morozov, who turned his own parents in to the secret police for hoarding grain. Schoolchildren would be marched to these shrines of evil and told to revere his memory ... because he had betrayed his parents to the party. If you knew what it represented, it was a bit like stumbling across a graven image of Moloch" [source and source].

"The secret police of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu recruited thousands of children to spy on parents, schoolfriends and teachers, according to communist-era archives" [source].

"[R]uthless governments, from the Soviets to Chairman Mao, cultivated zealous little police-kids ... In Orwell's 1984 it was 'almost normal for people over 30 to be frightened of their own children'" [source].

"Today ... children are taught (as they were in Communist East Germany for instance) to spy on their parents. This from my friend Edward Spalton: 'And from my next door neighbour, concerning the local primary school. He had his grandson to stay for the weekend and saw that the lad was looking in the dustbins. "Why are you doing that?" he asked. "To see if you're recycling" was the answer. "What if I'm not?" he asked. "Then I have to tell teacher"'" [source].

"Scotland's proposed 'Named Person' Scheme ... would appoint a state guardian to every child ... legislation regarding safeguarding rules in schools encourage children to report abuse directly to social services from the school phones - without the aid or judgment of trained staff" [source].

Social Care: A Poem

by Anne Murray

"It has become apparent that, in this modern day,
our health and social services are rife with compliancy.

"And if you dare to tell them, this system isn't right,
Prepare yourself for battle; you're going to have a fight.

"They twist and turn the subject; to them we're all the same,
They will take away your dignity, and blacken your good name.

"Then you'll be abandoned, to suffer a bureaucratic fate,
Targeted by the social sharks; that use our babies as bait.

"The destruction of the family will be their only goal,
It has become apparent: the social care system has no soul"

Withdraw Thy Foot...

"God gave children to parents, not to the State, to love, nurture, teach, discipline, and train up into adulthood.  It does not take a 'village' or the 'Collective' or State-run 'Care' homes to raise a child; it takes a loving and biological/adoptive/foster family.  Please see the article Communism and the Family for the ideology underlying the 'Collective'.

"The issues are:... [continue reading]

"And he that stealeth [a child], and selleth him..."
(Exodus 21:16)

"The words of a talebearer are as wounds,
and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly"
(Proverbs 18:8)

"Every fool will be meddling ... Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house:
lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee"
(Proverbs 20:3b; 25:17)

"Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? There is more hope of a fool than of him"
(Proverbs 26:12)

"Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees,
and that write grievousness which they have prescribed"
(Isaiah 10:1-3)

"Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds!
when the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand. ...
So they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage"
(Micah 2:1-2)

"It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea,
than that he should offend one of these little ones"
(Luke 17:1-2)

"Let none of you suffer ... as a busybody in other men's matters"
(1 Peter 4:15)

"Never, anywhere in the Holy Bible will you find God giving civil government
any authority to rear or direct the rearing of children ...
God told parents, not the government, to 'train up' their children."
(Laura Rogers, Societal Structures vs. Restructuring, as quoted in Berit Kjos, Brave New Schools, p185)

© Elizabeth McDonald     https://www.bayith.org     bayith@blueyonder.co.uk