Hey ake!
Onr of the most popular teachers at my 2ry school was a card carrying member of the CP and had fought in the war against Franco as a very young man.

Another teacher was a local labour party councillor - neither brought their politics into school with them but then they were there to teach not to 'recruit'

What does disturb me is a facebook pro BNP / racist and anti immigrant group I stumbled across on Facebook recently whose members all appeared to come from one school in the NE - it made me think.......

Although The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is fiction it demonstrates that as a teacher she abuses her authority in attempting to manipulate her pupils to be like her.

As it IS fiction, they all reject her and she is betrayed.

However, I'm still against making any martyrs for an unworthy and despicable cause - let the normal disciplinary safeguards deal with any attempts to bring racist attitudes in the school setting wherever possible; but maybe, if someone is a member of ANY political party there should be a 'disclosure' rule?