One of the panel appointed to judge Adam was a former President of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), Judy Moorhouse. The NUT has recently stated that no member of the British National Party (BNP) should be allowed to teach! Ms Moorhouse herself has strong political opinions which are a matter of record (including statements on ‘Islamaphobia’. Additionally the NUT political fund was set-up specifically with the aim of countering the BNP and the NUT is affiliated to both ‘Trade Union Friends of Searchlight’ and ‘Unite Against Fascism’. Both groups campaign for restrictions on the rights of BNP members. Adam Walker is a member of the BNP.Adam’s Union (Solidarity) raised objections to Ms Moorhouse on grounds of bias. They cited a number of legal precedents including:-
1. Magill v. Porter Magill v. Weeks (2001) and;
2. Regina v. Bow Street Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate, ex parte Pinochet Ugarte (1999)
Put simply the first precedent establishes a test for bias and the second indicates that bias can be caused by strong attachment to campaigns as well as pecuniary interest.
No reasonable person looking at the GTC and the way it has been all but taken over by the NUT would have any confidence in Adam getting a fair hearing. The appointment of Ms Moorhouse to the panel is an outrage.
Solidarity has called for lovers of liberty to contact the GTC and demand that Judy Moorhouse stand down in the interests of a fair and impartial hearing. “If this trial’s not for show, Judy must go” said Pat Harrington.
We call on all those who value freedom of expression (not just members of the BNP or supporters) to email, fax or write to Ms Moorhouse at the GTC and ask her to step down in favour of someone of more independent mind. The Brotherhood has called for action, it wants you not only to contact the GTC but to viral this out as widely as possible to get the message over that the public demand a fair hearing of this case. Our traditional rights and freedoms are under threat - it is time to draw a line in the sand.The contact details are:-
By post:-
Judy Moorhouse, Birmingham office, General Teaching Council for England, Victoria Square House, Victoria Square, Birmingham, B2 4AJ
By email:- info@gtce.org.uk
By fax:- (0121) 345 0100
By Pat Harrington, secretary-general of Solidarity.
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