From the International Criminal Court, to which the UK has been signed up since 2002, two days ago:
With respect to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant, the judges of the International Criminal Court have found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that each has committed the war crime of using starvation as a method of warfare and crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts, as a direct perpetrator, acting jointly with others. The Chamber also found reasonable grounds to believe that they are each responsible for the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against civilians as a superior.
A total of 124 countries are signatories to the ICC, including the UK, but not the US, Russia, China, nor Israel itself. So this means that technically, if either Netanyahu or Gallant sets foot in any of the signatory countries they must be arrested and handed over to the court. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgr4n0720eo#:~:text=A%20total%20of%20124%20countries,handed%20over%20to%20the%20court.
Earlier, in July 2024, the United Nations, where the UK is in the elite Security Council, ruled:
Israel and other UN Member States must immediately comply with the authoritative determination by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, independent human rights experts* said today.
The landmark ruling of 19 July 2024 declared that Israel’s occupation of the Gaza strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is unlawful, along with the associated settlement regime, annexation and use of natural resources. The Court added that Israel’s legislation and measures violate the international prohibition on racial segregation and apartheid. The ICJ mandated Israel to end its occupation, dismantle its settlements, provide full reparations to Palestinian victims and facilitate the return of displaced people. https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/07/experts-hail-icj-declaration-illegality-israels-presence-occupied#:~:text=The%20landmark%20ruling%20of%2019,and%20use%20of%20natural%20resources.
You could really make your teaching come alive with these tragic events in Gaza, on the pupils’ screens every day, if you were a Modern Studies teacher in Scotland. I’m guessing the pupils might expect teacher to side with the UN and ICJ which the UK is long-signed up to and has supported firmly in past.
Candidates develop a range of research, analytical and evaluating skills, and an understanding of:
the democratic process and complex political issues
complex social and economic issues at local, Scottish, national and international levels, and ways of addressing needs and inequalities
different views about the extent of state involvement in society
the nature and processes of conflict resolution
the importance of human and legal rights and responsibilities, and their application in different societies
S5 Modern Studies pupil, Tommy, in September 2030, asks newly returned and miserable Mr Shanks, after losing his Rutherglen seat in the Westminster General Election, ‘can I do:’
Describe, in detail, two successes or failures of an international organisation in tackling the international conflict or issue you have studied. In your answer you must state the world conflict or issue you have studied. He’d have to commit to this:
Question 19
International organisations have had both success and failure in tackling international conflicts and issues.
on how the UN and the International Court of Justice failed to stop the genocide in Gaza?
Shanks – nobody’s really interested in that Tommy.
Tommy – Genocide, not interesting? You spent a lot of time talking to us about the genocides in Bosnia and Rwanda. Didn’t Sir Keir Starmer say, at the time, it was genocide in Bosnia? You used to work for him didn’t you?
Shanks – Gaza wasn’t genocide. I’ve got friends in Israel who know people whose second cousins had their house damaged by a Hamas rocket. The IDF only killed Hamas terrorists.
Tommy – Is that why you didn’t join 100 other MPs in signing that open letter asking the UK Government to respect the IJC?
Shanks – How do you know that?
Tommy – It’s still online Mr Shanks.
Shanks – Do those Russians in Hungary 1956, if you want to pass.
Tommy – But, Mr Shanks, that was 68 years ago! This is Modern Studies!
Shanks – You’ve been told!
Tommy – muttering to pal, my big sister, says she failed Modern Studies in 2023 thanks to him.
Tommy’s pal – aye right, prove it.
Tommy:
Right then. I will.
If we ignore the different (exam-free) assessment methods which operated in the pandemic years 2020-2022 and compare the exam-based assessment in 2019 with the return of the same in those results just announced for 2023 (as I believe we should), the Labour candidate’s department has significantly failed to even maintain its pass rates across all levels other than Advanced Higher where only a very small number were submitted.
If we compare the 2022 and 2023 pass rates, as the other media have done in an effort to undermine the credibility of the Scottish Government and the SQA (as I believe we should not), then the candidate’s department has had a disastrous collapse betraying the life chances of many pupils.
Moving on to look at the national figures, how does the candidate’s department compare?
For National 4, the national pass rate in 2023 was 90.2% up from 87.6% in 2022. For reasons I may not understand, the candidate’s department only submitted on student who failed.
For National 5 Grade A-C, the national pass rate, was 74.5% in 2023, up slightly from 74.1% in 2022. The candidate’s department managed only 68.1%.
For Higher Grade A-C, the national pass rate, was 77.9% in 2023, down from 79.4% in 2022. The candidate’s department managed only 71.9%.
For Advanced Higher Grade A-C, the national pass rate, was 76% in 2023, down slightly from 77.7% in 2022. The candidate’s department managed only 66.7%.
The School is not in a deprived area:
Sources:
https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105123
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Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Any current Scottish Labour MP ( formerly teacher of Mod Sts ) knows that if one supports the Party line ( right or wrong ) then one’s chances of promotion in the current Labour Administration are greatly enhanced – and I don’t give a f*ck for past exam results as I am earning a lot more than any teacher ! So there !
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This reminds me of a time when out canvassing during the Indy Referendum when myself and a young recently graduated pupil visited a house where lived another Modern Studies teacher at the local High School in Fife. Asked if she was prepared to divulge which way she would vote in the Referendum replied she would be voting ‘No’ as she was (wait for it) an ‘International Socialist’. When asked what that had to do with voting for Independence she slammed the door in our faces. Rejectedly walking away we had pity on the pupils she teached if that was the current level of her intelligence. Clearly she was afraid the Red flag would not be flying high when we joined all the other Independent Socialist nations of the world. I despair.
Robbo
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Robbo reminds when I worked in a power station full of ex RN guys with right wing views, they started to call me Red Robbo when I defended trade unions.
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The original question should have been why HMS James Cook platformed “Former Modern Studies teacher, now Labour MP, Michael Shanks” as an expert on anything, let alone the Israel genocide of palestinians, or the merits of an ICC judgement against the principle perpetrators of that genocide…
There are literally hundreds of specialists in the field of International Law and Experts on what has been perpetuated in the West Bank and Gaza over the last 80+ years, and not one of them was a retrained teacher at Park Mains High School in Erskine, Renfrewshire.
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