Right against right

Graham Badman's 'Review of Elective Home Education in England' is out and its causing a bit of a storm amongst some quarters of the internet, and this is a good thing, cos we need an honestdebate and a seriousdebate about the nature of Rights.

In a nutshell, in general Home Education provides better level of education than the state system, but it isn't regulated by state so 'they' are claiming it could hide child abuse so 'they' have to stop that sort of thing.

There are fundamental rights that have been enshrined somewhere in our rules and regulations, god knows where, but they're broadly understood and accepted by most.

It is my contention is that human rights are broadly a bad thing to enshrine.

They're good to have as guidelines at the back of your mind, but once you enshrine them, you have to prioritise them, and then apply and enforce them in some sort of order which will inevitable be contradictory.

The two Rights in question in the Home Education issue is the right to an education and the right to privacy.

Education costs money, in order to enforce the right to an education the state takes our earnings by force in taxes and sprays it around Local Education Authorities and rules that children must go to school.

However, some humans, being quite adaptable as a species are able to educate their own kids without needing to send them to school, at home, behind closed doors, this is Home Education, and its broadly successful.

So, in your opinion, dear blog reader, can the state kick down front doors to check on the kids?

Does the right to an education trump the right to privacy?

There's no statistical evidence that shows home educated kids are abused more than school educated kids. No one is denying that there is a possibility that kids outside the state education system, and invisible to the childrenish authorities could be abused, there's just no evidence of it.

Does the right to an education trump the right to privacy?

You gotta chose which right takes priority before you kick down the doors.

I don't know about you, but I'd prefer the right to be left alone.