SINCE expressing my perplexity last week at the government's priorities in seeking to repeal the Section 28 law that forbids the promotion of homosexuality in schools, the issue has snowballed immensely - even to the extent that the country's entire religious establishment, Christian, Muslim and Jewish, has condemned it.

They are clearly much more in tune with the vast majority of people who, far from being bigots or homophobic, simply don't want children exposed to gay propaganda. Among them are plenty of Tony Blair's own constituents, according to reports this week.

And now even the very reason put up by the Cabinet for dumping this law - that it makes sex education difficult for teachers and hinders them from dealing with homophobic bullying - has been ripped to shreds.

The Chief Inspector of Schools, Chris Woodhead, reveals that not one head teacher has ever told him this is the case.

So we have had some panicky reassurances put out by the government.

Education minister David Blunkett says there will be strict rules against "proselytising" on behalf of homosexuality and Mr Blair adds that parents will be able to take their children out of, say, lessons about gays.

He need not worry about his own children, for we are told that the Catholic Church will not allow homosexual behaviour to be promoted in the schools they attend.

But what about the schools other people's children attend?

Will the new conditions rushed out by the Prime Minister and Mr Blunkett be sufficient to keep gay propaganda off the timetable? I don't think parents can be certain that they will when, even with the Section 28 law still firmly in place, we hear of a health authority video, which is being offered to ordinary schools, encouraging children as young as 14 to experiment with homosexuality and, in it, pupils being told that to obtain sexual satisfaction they should experiment with both boys and girls.

People understand why this law was introduced in the first place.

It was to prevent politically-correct councils from acting as the stooges of the militant gays and issuing offensive material to schools, such as the infamous "Jenny Lives With Eric and Martin" pamphlet which showed two naked men in bed while the five-year-old child stood by.

Given the scope that Mr Blair and Labour would allow them, would not gays of the aggressive and assertive Tatchell tendency again exploit homosexual education in this way as much as they could?

But, mark, Mr Blair seems not to be concerned about the worries of churchmen and parents on this front.

In his book, they are wrong.

"I guess that repealing Section 28 is not popular, but we are doing it because it is the right thing to do," he says.

In other words, the People's Prime Minister tells the country's majority where to shove its priorities.

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