Mick Hartley

The idea that history goes in cycles receives an unwelcome boost: 

Chinese schools have been ordered to appoint political commissars to ensure that all children receive instruction on President Xi’s ideology and definition of the “rule of law”.

A mandate issued by the education ministry states that all middle and secondary schools — covering 200 million children — must accept up to five “assistant principals” chosen from the Communist party-run local judiciary, who will from May “push for the study and propaganda of Xi Jinping’s thoughts on rule of law”. Nurseries are also encouraged to set up similar positions, although they are not mandatory.

The move cements Xi’s stated aim of boosting the indoctrination of Chinese children, and passing “red genes” through the generations. Last year, the president’s collection of “new-era thoughts” were turned into textbooks for pupils as young as six to sow the “seeds to love the party, to love the nation and to love socialism”.

Critics say Xi’s definition of “rule of law” has little to do with the philosophy that all are held to the same standards and is more geared towards protecting the country’s Communist leadership. Xi has stated that the continued rule of his party is the “fundamental guarantee” to stability in China.

“The party leadership is the soul of our country’s socialist rule of law, and the socialist rule of law must adhere to the party leadership,” said the People’s Daily, the party’s flagship mouthpiece newspaper.

There was a time when the liberalisation of China after Chairman Mao seemed a done deal. Well, Chairman Xi has clearly chosen another path…