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Now council bans the use of 'political correctness' at work
Last updated at 10:52am on 01.11.06
Cllr Robert Light: Kirklees council leader blamed his political opponents and said the booklet was no longer being used by council staff
A council has warned staff against using the phrase 'political correctness' at work because it might offend people.
A booklet outlining 'equality' policy to council workers claims using the term at work can be damaging and even linked it to the Ku Klux Klan.
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The bizarre publication also orders staff not to use words like 'policeman', 'fireman' and 'chairman', suggesting they are classic examples of 'exclusionary language.'
While the word 'ethnic' is also outlawed for being not 'appropriately descriptive.'
The 44-page training book called 'Equality Essentials' has been used for staff training courses at Kirklees Council in West Yorkshire.
The publication outlines forms of damaging behaviour in the workplace and rates them on a five-level scale.
The authors claim that moving things around on someone else's desk is as serious as punching or kicking them.
And workers are instructed to come up with 10 things they can do every day to make colleagues feel better.
Tory MP for Shipley Phillip Davies, a patron of the Campaign Against Political Correctness, branded the pamphlet 'extreme and patronising.'
'How much is it costing to produce all this garbage?' he said. 'The policy is full of either the blindingly obvious or utterly ridiculous nonsense.'
A section of the 'PC booklet is devoted to denouncing the use of the words 'political correctness'.
It states:'Political correctness is often used to describe what some of us think are unnecessary changes which don't really bother anyone.
'The term political correctness was coined in 1988 by John O'Sullivan III, who was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. He was making an after dinner speech complaining about how Black Americans were being allowed to take the jobs traditionally reserved for the white majority because of a wave of political correctness.
'Since then the phrase political correctness has almost universally been used to decry changes which aim to prevent offensive behaviour.'
It goes on to say because this takes the form of 'blaming the victim, denying peoples experience or expressing the view of a popular majority,' using the phrase can represent a 'physical attack.'
The authority's new Tory leader Robert Light blamed his political opponents and said the booklet was no longer being used by council staff.
'We don't think it is relevant to use this booklet. We are trying to achieve the situation where the council has a more professional, modern approach. Diversity is still an issue for us but we will be taking a common sense approach rather than being part of the PC culture.
'Kirklees Council has had the title of most PC Council in Yorkshire and we are determined to change that view.'
Mr Light added:'References to the Ku Klux Klan and Nazi Germany are really extreme to use in a training guide even as a reference, it's very bizarre.
'I find it more unbelievable that they complain about the use of the word ethnic when it is the term that Government bodies, think-tanks and local leaders all use. It's very off the wall.'
Kirklees Council employs more than 18,000 people and has a budget of more than £470 million.
Reader views (2)
Here's a sample of the latest views published. You can click view all to read all views that readers have sent in.
One of a string of examples that demonstrate how grotesquely over-staffed both local and central government has become. Sack 1m of these pen-pushers - we won't notice the difference in terms of services - and use the proceeds to reduce the budget deficit or for tax cuts for people who actually earn this country's wealth, rather than waste it.
- Gb, London, UK
This has gone far enough. It enrages me to hear these things. I'm with Phillip on this one. How much does it cost to print these booklets? My entire working life is spent in fear of visiting the "wrong" website by accident or heaven help me if I open an email that my friend thought was funny and the muslim behind me gets offended.
It's bloody ridiculous. We're all people. Whether we're pink, blue, green or purple - who cares? We're human. We all have a sense of humour, we all have our own tastes and we all do things other people don't like. What's the problem? If you don't like something don't do it.
I agree there need to be some restrictions put in place regarding racism etc. but when it gets this laughable someone has to do something. People are dying of bugs in hospital but some idiot somewhere feels the need to educate people on the use of the term "political correctnes".
I was walking to work this morning and two Africans walked past and mocked me in their language. Being South African I can understand them to a degree and what they said was utterly inappropriate and unnecessary. But you don't see me crying do you? Oh boohoo that doll in the window offends me. LOOK THE OTHER WAY!
Really people - get a grip. We're raising a nation of pathetic crybabies.
From now on call me an "English Saffer" please! No, really I insist...
- Fed Up With It All, London
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