More religionist hypocrisy

With the current 'controversy' about the blessing after the civil partnership in London (of which there have been many, many before), it appears that once again, there is a little bit of dishonesty creeping into the proceedings.

It appears that these cowardly, spineless Bishops who supposedly support change but hide behind the lies of the collective voice might just have different views in private than in public

And that some of them may just have been involved in such blessings before.

And by all accounts, this includes the King of the Spineless Slugs itself, Rowan Williams.

If this is true, doesn't this make hin utterly beyond contempt. we already know he is pious, out of touch, a useless communicator, a worse administrator, and betrays and abandons his friends.

Now it seems that he is a hypocrite and a liar as well.

I can't think of anyone I despise more. How I would love the opportunity to tell him so, but he likes to hide behind the safety of never facing those who have worked him out a long while back.

Anyway, the latest little spat should show only too well why the Church as an institution is no place for gay people, and why the so-called 'ministries' which try to encourage gay people to suppress their sexuality for the cause of a failed and erroneous superstition are getting precisely nowhere.

Grow up, Shami

I've made it clear enough that I am not in favour of 42 days.

However, if Shami Chakrabati is really so naive as to believe that Davis isn't both an opportunist and a right-winger who just happens to have got it right on this issue, then she is naive and perhaps a closet Tory?

And as for suing Andy Burnham - don't be so utterly pathetic. Perhaps a little less eulogising of Davis might help, eh, Shami?? Or are we after a Tory seat?

Bush, Iraq and Afghanistan

How depressing to see our PM schmoozing up to Bush like a good little puppy-dog yesterday.

But quite how the current level of support for both Iraq and Afghanistan can realistically be sustained is something I think has not been faced.

Still, both situations were the outcome of past policy mistakes.

We should withdraw from Iraq and reduce involvement in Afghanistan.

Church and industrial tribunals

Once again, the Church has lost an industrial tribunal, and once again it is trying to brush away the findings. This one was so cut and dried that an immediate decision was made in the appellant's favour.

The findings included the following gems about the Bishop of Liverpool:
1. He doesn't like the city
2. He is more interested in national fame and his public image that what happens here. It is a standing joke here that if you want the Bishop to attend all you have to fo is let him knw that the BBC will be there - he is to microphones what dogs are to .....
3. He is known to be economical with the truth
4. He cares more about his personal 'credibility' than anything else and will sacrifice anyone else to maintain it
5. He desperately wanted to be Archbishop of York

All of those things emerged during the tribunal; there is no reason to believe they are not the case given the outcome. Of course, some will disagree.

My own impression is that the Bishop really ought to consider his position. He is not popular and not respected in Liverpool.

My own experience is that he, in my view, doctored a report which I was involved in producing and ensured that it made little impact. I used to meet him and liaise with him regarding gay issues when I was involved with the church. When I started to draw away, I know that he was aware of why - yet I heard nothing at all from him. This is his problem. As the appellant in this case noted: "There was no grace or mercy: no humanity". Wouldn't a pastorally concerned church leader have wanted to talk to me and find out why i felt so disillusioned?

The Bishop should accept that he is unpopular , not up to doing the job, and resign. On the other hand, maybe he shouldn't - because the Bishop, and the result of this, and the tribunal lost by the bishop of Hereford, epitomises what I have realised the Church is really all about. Which is why I left.

GO SUPERLAMBANANAS!

For those of you not accustomed, these are SUPERLAMBANANAS of which we have 119 appearing in the city to celebrate the Capital of Culture 2008, for the next 10 weeks. They will be auctioned off for charity at the end of the run.

Gay blessings, the CofE and the inevitable split

So, we have a public same sex blessing of a civil partnership in a church. The first, according to some news reports. Who are they trying to kid? Just goes to show that the level of sheer hypocrisy and lies within the Church knows no bounds.

Naturally, our dear homophobic friends at Anglican Extreme and StandFirminBigotry are having a frothing-at-the-mouth day. I do find it amusing how they play good cop/bad cop - so you have the angry, straightforward gay-haters, such as a character called 'Rooney' who hails from this fair city - probably attends one of the nuttier fringe churches. But then you have people like 'vicar' - every bit as prejudiced, but he does it 'nicely', no doubt as a way to get unsuspecting gays to enter his temple of bigotry. Fortunately we have more sense - warm words don't wash.

As for the blessing, I wish the happy couple all the best, and high time that clergy and parishes with courage started to speak out. I recall being offered blessings when we had our civil partnership, but didn't take up the offer - I wasn't really into being blessed by a homophobic institution and was outside the church to all intents and purposes by then in any case. But it is good to see the bigots being challenged and the homophobic nonsense that is 'traditional' Christianity being shown up for what it is.

Gay relationships are here to stay. the Church will have to get used to it - and I think this is one more welcome step towards the split which needs to happen, and soon.

more thoughts on civil liberties...

There does seem to be an issue which I think the by-election has to be used for. The problem with people like Akehurst is that they can turn around and bleat about popular opinion being on their side - and indeed, poll evidence suggests so, although it does depend what question is asked. I think libertarian-minded people on both left and right are already convinced.

I have my doubts as to whether the authoritarian wing of the Tory party actually believe what Davis says at all - they just wanted to have a pop at Labour, and that is their job as an opposition

What is clear is that there is still a large wedge of the population who are swallowing the autoritarian 'safety' lone on this one and that we need to explain exactly why it is nonsense - from both left and right wing libertarian perspectives.

Shami Chakravarti is doing a sterling job . She manages to relain above ideological fray whilst expressing clearly and succinctly what the problem is.

This is certainly making me think again about some issues which have bothered me less in the past. For example, I have been relaxed about ID cards, as I see them working in Europe witout problem. But can we trust a government which such authoritarian instincts not to misuse them?

Bizarre indeed...

We have the obnoxious Kelvin McKenzie, former Sun editor, offering himself as an anti-civil liberties candidate to challenge Davis. And this receiving support from some of the more fringe right-wing New Labour enthusiasts.

A progressive party just doesn't support locking people up without charge.

42 days, David Davis, and the death of the Labour party

The 42 days incarceration without trial got through with the backing of the DUP, for which some sort of dodgy deal was undoubtedly done. For me, this represents the death of the Labour party as a progressive force.

It is strange to see David Davis be the standard bearer of civil liberties. I have never thought of him as being the obvious trailblazer, but at least this will keep the issue in the news and will ensure that the arguments against this illiberal and undemocratic legislation do not go away.

It is simply unacceptable to lock people up without charge, and if the Government feel that there is any mileage in trying to win those over who will provide the necessary intelligence, they are going about it in the wrong way.

I do not think that a supposed obsession with safety excuses blatant ignoring of civil liberties.

Sent to me by the Terrence Higgins Trust

Urgent Action - Don't Deport Amdani Juma


Amdani Juma, a torture survivor, pro-democracy activist and Terrence Higgins Trust volunteer, was taken into detention by the Home Office seven days ago. Faced with imminent deportation to Burundi, a country where his activism has resulted in his appearing on wanted posters, Amdani needs your support to keep him in the UK.

Since his arrival in the UK, Amdani has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of people with HIV in Nottingham. As well as providing face to face support and mentoring to THT service users, he also started the first African women's support group in the city. His considerable abilities and rapport with the local community have made his health promotion work with Africans in Nottingham invaluable. In the words of his MP, Alan Simpson, "He is an outstanding asset. Removing him from the UK would leave Nottingham (and beyond) much the poorer. There is no one, particularly within the HIV field who could replace the work he does."

We are asking all our supporters to contact the Home Secretary to ask her to recognise Amdani as a political refugee and intervene to prevent his deportation. Please take a moment to send a quick message voicing your support to public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk. There is a sample letter below. Please quote his Home Office case reference number, A1179608, in your email.

You can also sign the associated petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/amdani/petition.html. Please also pass this message to your friends to help gather momentum for the campaign. We only have a matter of days to show our support and reverse the decision.



Sample letter:


Dear Mrs Smith,


I am writing on behalf of Amdani Juma, currently in detention and due to be deported, to ask that you intervene on his behalf. His Home Office case reference number is A1179608.

Mr. Juma is an asset to the UK and to health and social care in the city of Nottingham. As a volunteer case worker for Terrence Higgins Trust, he has given freely of his time, skills and energy to help people living with HIV. Amdani's hard work has led to the setting up of Nottingham's first support group for women living with HIV, and his considerable abilities and rapport with the local community have made his health promotion work with Africans in Nottingham invaluable. Mr. Juma is a key link for healthcare to a community acknowledged to be hard to reach but in great need of help.

We believe that Mr. Juma should be allowed to remain in the UK. He has more than proved his commitment to being a part of Nottingham's community, and that community would keenly feel his loss should he be deported. We ask that you intervene to allow him to stay and continue his important work.


Yours sincerely,


(Your name)

Anonymous comments

I don't publish them, so don't waste your time bothering.

If you have the honesty to say who you are and provide a link, fair play. But if you want to post the equivalent of a poison-pen letter on the web - well, you know what most people think of those who do that sort of thing!

And the amusing thing is that so far, all the anonymous comments have come from self-proclaimed Christians!

UPDATE

Since I posted this, I have received an anonynous comment, which asks me to reconsider. No, I won't be doing so. I am quite happy to print comments in opposition to my own (unlike some!), But they should be identified - I am simply not going to give space here for people to abuse the facility. With free speech comes responsibility, and whilst I am not asking for names or locations, I think that snide anonymous posts do no one any good.

Latest in terms of politics....

The government appear to stagger on from one day to the next. Yet I think much of what is going on has very little to do with them either positively or negatively - and is there anything in the ory programme that offers anything greatly different let alone a solution? With regard to fuel taxation, they have been all but silent - yet any reduction would certainly make a mockery of all that 'vote blue, go green' stuff we kept hearing so much of last year.

And on that topic, I find it impossible to feel an ounce of sympathy for the hauliers. Selfishness could be their middle name. More should be transported by rail in any case, but the arrogance of this band of petty-minded bullies knows no bounds. Any attempts at blockades - arrest them and confiscate their lorries, selling them at a cut price rate to Eastern European competitors if necessary. That should annoy them! They should have no special deal - although the time for road pricing really is well overdue.

The latest appears to be a report saying that recidivism with regard to youth crime is still as high as ever. Given that the strategy appears to be to use institutional punishment as the basis for dealing with the issues - universities of crime producing fitter criminals who learn lots of tricks whilst inside - who is in the least surprised? About time the Government abandoned populism and looked towards countries whose policies actually work - and prison isn't the centrepiece.

What I find hard to understand are those who think that we are still in 1996: who fail to realise that the new voters opting for labour in 97 never voted for them again. 2001 and 2005 were characterised by abstention, and many of those who didn't bother to vote were Tories who have now returned to the fold after a flutter with Labour in 97. Yet there are still those who think that all the government have to do is make lots more right wing noises and the voters will return.

I have my doubts as to whether the next election is retrievable - but as someone who did genuinely welcome New Labour in the late 90's, it appears obvious to me that new times need a different approach.
The biggest two groups of voters who Labour are pissing off at the moment are the core voters who feel utterly abandoned by a party which doesn't appear to be Labour any more. The second are middle-class professionals who are ideologically committed to the left-of-centre but are exasperated by a combination of target-driven lunacy in the public sector, and the government's insistence in progressing issues such as the 42 day limit for interviewing suspects. Those issues win no added votes - but lose many to the LD's and the Greens.
The Labour party should be ensuring that its policies are aimed at those two groups as a priority, not spending its time chasing after voters in the south-east who are certainly not coming back in time for the next election.

Eurovision - one week later....

Been neglecting the blog again - wish there were more resposes to what I write. I know people do read it, but few ever respond....

Anyway, Eurovision was last Saturday. I won't write a full song by song review, but some of my thoughts.

First, that the winner was deserved. It was a good song, well sung, and clearly Russia were going to win at some time. Why not this year?
However, the victory has brought forth the most unacceptable selection of anti-Eastern European bile I have seen for a while on some of the ESC fan websites. Hardly appropriate.

Second, the UK did badly, as usual. I thought it was a good song this year - but it wasn't particularly memorable and in a field of 25 and a televote it needs to be.

Third, none of the novelty entries did particularly well, and that can only be a good thing....

My faves: Russia, Portugal, Israel (excellent performance) and Poland. Norway, Bosnia and Georgia also very good.
Worst: didn't like Ukraine , Greece or Sweden, but performance wise, Germany was simply embarrassing. What is it about girl groups and the ESC? Why are they so inevitably unable to sing in harmony? Indeed, sing in unison!

Eurovision - two days to go

Its been quite a Eurovision week - with two semis, and a performance of Eurobeat to see in Manchester!

Most of my faves made it through to the final - Belgium didn't, which was always touch and go, nor Moldova, which was no surprise. The Swiss singer was very nervous tonight, and the only real surprise for me was Hungary not making it

Portugal were fantastic tonight and is my current fave, and I also rate Russia. Other good ones are Poland, Bosnia, Georgia, Norway, Israel, Romania, Serbia and the UK!

HF&E Bill

I was pleased to see that all the clauses in the Human fertilisation & Embryology Bill were passed, and that no change was made to the abortion regulations.

I find it bizarre that anyone would want to prevent research which may be able to take us further in combating appalling diseases, and to try and prevent parents from helping their existing children. The Tories proved that homophobia still runs all too deep in their party. There are some honourable exceptions, but on the whole, they are still the same old Tories.

As for abortion, again, the right decision was made, and the usual gore-fest tactics of Vatican plc and the anti-abortion movement failed to work. I really feel that the Church must understand that it has no right to force through its will and stop others from making their choices - for inevitably, that is what Christianity does and is - simply a method of controlling the lives of others. How I didn't see through this before I don't know - perhaps I heard what I wanted to hear.

Malcolm Bailey RIP

Had some sad news at the weekend - an old friend of mine from university days, Malcolm Bailey, died from a second brain tumour. He had battled against and defeated the first, but the arrival of the second seemed to be just too much.

We hadn't seen that much of each other in recent years with the geographical distance between us - always something one regrets afterwards. There's never much one can say under these circumstances. I hope that his widow Debbie and their children are coping.

Life certainly isn't very fair.

Abortion

With largely religionist MP's attempting to force vulnerable women to be banned from having very necessary terminations, this article from Zoe Williams in the Guardian is well worth reading. Remember that the aim of the anti-abortion movement is to ban all abortion - nearly all of them are conservative religionists and have an (im) moral attachment to banning abortion. The nonsense about reduction of weeks is a smokescreen as they then go on to talk about their definition of life, which includes a clump of cells in a petrie dish.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/may/07/gender.health

Cannabis

The Government have, unsurprisingly, jumped on the ludicrous 'classification' bandwagon in order to reclassify cannabis.

They appear quite unable to see that this entire approach has dome absolutely nothing to reduce the use of drugs. Will anyone currently using cannabis stop doing so because of reclassification - of course not.

I don't use cannabis or any other illegal drugs. However, what always appears to be absent from any government discourse on the topic is that people use them because they like them and because they regard them as fun.

We already have a dour, boring PM who comes over like some sort of semi-retired church minister. Now we have yet another piece of repressive legislation.

Expecting imagination from any government on this topic is far too optimistic - but until they realise that people who use drugs do not care about the scare stories and the 'danger' message will not work, we won't make any progress and the same old tired arguments will continue.

Celine Dion

... saw her in Manchester last night. Fantastic - what a show!

Local elections

I'm not currently a member of any political party, though I suppose associate myself still with Labour. But Thursday's results were not only predictable, but deserved. Not only has the government run out of steam, but they are doing some things which are just plain wrong.

It seems to me that the Tories will have to start actually talking in greater detail as to what they actually intend to do, though. The detail is threadbare at best at present.

As for Labour: well, these will naturally be ignored, but as they claim to be listening....

• Get rid of Brown, preferably via his humble resignation. Could anyone have disappointed more? I think he needs to face up to the fact that he is damaged goods. There is something....odd about him. On the Nicky Campbell show the other day, he was asked what he thinks about first thing in the morning. he launched into a complicated response about house prices. That's weird. Its not what people think about first thing in the morning.
• Reverse the 10p tax rate decision. Forget about the so-called measures to compensate. It needs to go.
• Accept the fact that 1997 was a fluke and 2001 was won because the Tories were a shower and utterly inept. This means that some seats won in those years were flukes and should not be aimed for again.
• Linked to this, what is needed is to motivate the basic Labour vote. Those voters who lent their votes to Labour only did so because the Tories were so awful. Now they are credible they have gone home. They will remain there at least for the next election. Forget about them. Instead, think about measures to re-invigorate two core voting blocs - the core labour vote feeling the pinch, and the middle class intellectual vote.
• For the former - do something about housing. That, above all, is the cause of distress in many areas, and causes most of the angst with regard to immigration. That means COUNCIL housing, and these should be public sector not open for the RTB. Secondly, reorganise the tax system - tax credits are a disaster. Instead, simplify by removing the low paid from tax altogether. And lets have a higher tax rate , please, for the best off.
• For the latter, get out of Iraq, and start distancing from the US expansionist nightmare. neo-con nonsense needs to go, forever. It has no place in a left-of-centre party. Secondly, abandon some of the authoritarian measures which are unnecessary. Third, stop trying to compete with the Tories to win White Van Man. This group is far more loyal to Labour, and they all vote religiously - and its those very policies that alienate this group, but fail to win over any converts.
• Finally, any party which has become so right wing that people like 'Business' Secretary John Hutton can be a member has problems. I have heard countless interviews and not once has he said anything which wouldn't be more appropriately said by a Tory.
  

More confusion on 'family values'

The Austrian case of multiple incest and domestic violence in a supposedly average family should offer warnings to anyone who tries to pretend that there is somehow something untouchable about 'the family'. Families, like most other institutions can be good and bad. Most murders and rapes happen within families. The obvious support given to the murderer of the young Goth woman in Bacup displays how families can be just as much part of the problem. It is the quality of living arrangements which matters -not the structure.

And remember the Catholic adoption agencies screeching about having to close all their adoption agencies because they would no longer be allowed to discriminate against gay people? In reality, none will close., What is happening instead is that the agencies - supported largely by the State, not Vatican plc despite its vast riches - are establishing themselves as independent agencies and they are signing up to the new regulations. because many of the well-trained social workers in their employ never wanted to discriminate in the first place, and will be able to provide a much better service outside the UK branch of Vatican plc. One really should question, given their record, whether the RC's are a suitable organisation to be involved in child care in any case. Thankfully, it appears their prejudices will help to make this branch of their 'work' history.

Inheritance laws and couple status

The ECHR ruled against a pair of sisters sharing a home who wanted the inheritance rules to apply to them in the same way as civil partnership or marriage today.

This was an entirely sensible decision. Essentially marriage and civil partnership contain the same rights and responsibilities. One can divorce one's partner in these circumstances. The same cannot be said for siblings.

There may well be questions about the fairness of the inheritance tax system - but they need to be dealt with and looked at entirely separately because they are simply not the same issue. The real aim of the Christian religionists who encouraged this case was to try and downgrade civil partnership and make it less like gay marriage. Unfortunately for them, it is gay marriage. Its just called something different. The template is the same. And that is the way it will stay, whether angry and reactionary peddlers of harmful religionism like it or not.

Richard Dawkins

We went to hear Richard Dawkins speak at the University this evening. Its amusing that such a convinced atheist has become such a High Priest of his own non-religious beliefs - but not surprising as he is articulate and funny.

And, on the whole, convincing.

Its been a long journey but I find myself having less and less in common with, and little attraction left to Christianity.

Government climbs down under backbench and public pressure

The Government appear to have climbed down with regard to measures to alleviate the effect of the 10p tax band abolition.

The devil will no doubt be in the detail, but wouldn't it have been refreshing for the Government to simply admit that they got it wrong?

And what of the bulk of Labour MP's who wouldn't sign Frank Field's amendment? Why, other than loathing of the Tory alternative, should we bother to vote for any of you? Cowards, the lot of them. Have they suddenly changed their mind or do they still agree that the abolition was a good idea?

Labour need to look very carefully at themselves and what they are doing.

Liverpool and family values....

Its interesting to see the conservative religionists such as Anglican Extreme jump on the bandwagon with regard to the Liverpool murder. The name of the perpetrator has been common knowledge for a while up here. I used to live about 2 minutes walk away from where Rhys Jones was killed. Its a pleasant estate, not run down or poor. That has at least been acknowledged.

However, the gang warfare on the neighbouring estates has been blamed on family breakdown. I think that some of these people ought to come up to Liverpool. Far from breaking down, these families are close knit, extended, even, as is always acknowledged by the death notices when one of them dies. There are fathers on the scene - much of the criminal knowledge is learned that way. Its all too easy to come out with the usual clichés about broken families - but family values are strong enough in Liverpool's estates. Its just that there are different types of families - and different types of values. The conservative religionists, in their eulogising of 'The Family' , fail to see that structure does not necessarily mean the sort of 'values' they promote.

In the news.,...

Sad to hear about the death of Gwyneth Dunwoody. I didn't agree with all she said, but she was one of the few politicians left who had a genuinely profound specialist knowledge - she would have made a fantastic Transport Secretary. Again, its easy to forget that she was always firmly on the Right of the party - yet New Labour has drifted so much over to the Right that she appeared to be a bit of a lefty.....sadly, we won't be seeing her like again, given that so few mavericks are likely to make their way through the selection procedures.

Mugabe has climbed on his British Paranoia platform again. A pity for all that Zimbabwe isn't sitting on some bubbling oil wells. However, it does underline the reality - that there is little that the UK can do in this situation when it is regarded as the old colonial oppressor. Anything that is said simply provides ammunition for Mugabe to rabble rouse.
The person most responsible for his survival is Thabo Mbeki. What a disaster he has proved to be. Could Zuma be worse?

Unpublished letter.....

Looks as if my local rag didn't have the courage to print this....

Dear Sir,

The progress made with regard to medical research has radically transformed the lives of many people, for example , beneficiaries of transplant surgery or IVF treatment.

Stem cell research offers the possibility of relief from debilitating conditions such as cystic fibrosis and Alzheimer's disease. It is early days, but at one time, the aforementioned technology was also in its infancy.

Imagine,then, if those possibilities had been snuffed out by the attempts of a minority religious group to impose their view upon others. Not only expecting those of the same religion not to partake in these benefits, but preventing others from doing the same.

This is exactly what is happening now. As ever, we hear threats from Catholic bishops, obscure backbench MP's passed over for promotion, and others whose aim appears to be to create some sort of theocracy.

It is vital that this important research goes ahead and that those who would believe that to prevent it is any sort of 'moral' stance be firmly defeated. And given that these people are either outside politics, in the case of Bishops, or elected to represent their party, not their church, can I suggest that they exercise their 'conscience' by starting their own Vaticanist party? That way, those of us who have strong disagreement with Catholic beliefs in these areas will know exactly who not to vote for at the next election.

Giving blood

There is a shortage of blood donors. Yet, still, gay men are arbitrarily stopped from giving blood. There doesn't seem to be any logical reason for this. All blood is sensitively screened, and it is clear that 'behaviour' is not actually the criteria as questions about sexual activity are not asked of heterosexuals - or gay men, for that matter.

The ban is being challenged in Scotland. I hope it is removed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7347108.stm

Missing children

No doubt the Shannon Matthews incident will be soon forgotten. But its all quite sad. I wonder how they thought they could get away with it in the first place - unfortunately, it may mean that there is automatic suspicion the next time a kid from a poor background goes missing.

The McCann saga still drags on. This will no doubt upset some people, so please don't read if you think they can do no wrong. Personally, I think its high time they left the public arena. Whatever way one looks at it, and whatever happened to the child, no-one knows other than whoever did it, there is no excuse for leaving three small children alone. A baby-minding service was available, and anyone who visits Spain and Portugal knows that kids go out with their families - there wouldn't have been any problem at all in taking them along.

Given that if the children were all left alone, that immediately suggests some culpability, does this mean that a high-profile public campaign led by the very same parents is appropriate? I don't think so.
It also seems odd that only one of the three children disappeared.

Government woes.....

All Governments run out of steam, but this one does appear to be doing so big style. There doesn't seem to be any sense of direction and whilst on one level, thats no surprise, there do appear to be some echoes of the desperation of the Major years.

The willingness of MP's to raise questions about policies which they accepted just before Brown's election is an example - the abolition of the 10% tax rate is an example. Overall, the change probably makes us better off as a couple. However, taking my earnings into account, that certainly wouldn't be the case. I think there is something seriously wrong with a tax system which is clearly acting as a disincentive for the low paid to work. Should people earning as litle as £12K really be paying tax at all? I don't think so.

Northern Spain

Spent a very pleasant time in the north of Spain. We took the car on the ferry from Plymouth to Santander, and spent time in the Basque Country, Asturias, and Galicia.

Its mountainous territory, green and fertile. Unfortunately, for the two days we were in San Sebastian, it rained torrentially both days, so much so that it was impossible to walk to the aquarium without being blown into the sea! We ended up driving out to the centre of the jesuits at Loyola, which was actually rather good - there was a computer-aided English commentary by an Irishman who did a very good job at suggesting we should all become Catholics in a very gentle way...

Went to two of the star restaurants , Arzak, and Mugaritz. both excellent. What we tended to find, though, is that you get what you pay for in much of the region. pricey food is exemplary, cheap lunches pretty ropey.

And on the last night, both of us ended up vomiting violently and we are still not entirely back to normal. Virus, the tap water, or food could all be possibilities. Still, at least it was the end of the holiday - and there was a comfortable Commodore cabin on the ferry to sleep in for 15 hours solid!

Overall, its worth a visit. Natural beauty in abundance, and great wine. be warned, though, the distances between places are longer than they may appear on the map. And don't miss out Oviedo - its a delightful town but very much off the tourist itenary.

and yet more...

Some other Scottish cardinal ranting on - but I am sure that their approach will be counter productive. people generally aren't too keen on minority religionists telling the rest of us what tio do.

They do a great job, though. Joanne Bogle, former Tory councillor and doyen of various far-right immoral causes over the years did her usual sterling work this evening on 5 live. Shrieking, interrupting, lecturing and hectoring - do these people ever listen to themselves? Anyway, all for the good - the worse their spokespersons, the more reasonable people will recognise the paucity of their flat earth beliefs.

More lunacy from a minion of vatican plc

I'm not sure what they put in the holy water these days, but it looks as if the flapping of white coats is once again to be heard amongst our dear friends at Vatican plc (Scottish branch)

The latest loon is one Joseph Devine, senior frock wearer of Motherwell, who has complained about gay people being represented at Holocaust remembrance services. Well - hel-lo - but actually the gay people were persecuted and killed by the Nazis. Now, what were the catholic church doing - ah yes, collaborating and making secret deals with Hitler, a baptised Catholic. And let us not forget Ratfinger's enthusiastic membership of the Hitler Youth. Leopards don't change their spots, do they?

He doesn't seem to have realised that the world has changed - and he has been left behind fulminating as gay people are treated equally before the law and his institution is rightly prevented from discriminating at the public expense.

The next step really must be to abolish religionists running schools. Seems they have been cooking the books to prevent nasty common children getting in and spoiling their exam figures. We should expect no less from such upstanding, honest people.

No surprise here....

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/europe/padre-pio-faked-his-stigmata-with-acid-397811.html

I wonder why anyone could ever think anything other.

Its obvious to anyone with even half a brain that this sort of thing is fake.

The Labour party

I was thinking the other day how it is all too easy to see things very differently from one place than another. The Labour party is one such thing. I think about rejoining, and then some bloody Government minister will come up with some utter tomfool nonsense about pledging allegiances to the Queen or such like ( this is NOT America and Brits find the reciting of poems to the flag hand on heart, as funny. Gordon, you don't seem to get it!)

It appears to me that an awful lot of decent mainstream Labour people have left the party. Iraq was a step too far for many of us, and as we are still there and direction doesn't appear to have changed, there isn't much to tempt us back to the fold.

What seems to remain are those who still seem to think that the battles of 1997 are being fought. No recognition that the Tories have certainly changed - it may be at surface level but change it is - and are no longer the incompetent unelectable mess of the last three elections. This group of NL evangelists are simply unable to be objective - they cannot or will not see that there are all sorts of areas where people really have had enough and have lost patience with the Government.

Then there is the hard left. naturally they spend most of their time fighting each other. The latest spat is over the choice of a new general Secretary for the Labour party. This is a functional not a policy making job. What is required is someone efficient with organisational ability. The purity of their politics is surely a secondary consideration. Already I have read blogs where such vitriol os expressed about the man simply because he works in the City! If he had been an arms dealer, fair enough - but what's wrong with drawing upon someone's experience?

he is undoubtedly taking a huge pay cut to do the job. he must be dedicated to the Party to want to do it in the first place.

So. Labour party members - a challenge - convince me that I should rejoin....

Catching-up time....

been busy again and have let this blog slip - so, some catching up.

First, Peter Tatchell has been mouthing off again about the age of consent. Sorry, peter, but no. Its fine at 16. of course some young people will have sex below that age but essentially the age does act as some sort of defence from predators - and they do exist, of all sexualities. What has to be remembered is that this is very much a lone voice. There is no campaign to reduce the age to 14. mainstream gay rights campaigners wanted equality, which is what we have, and have no desire to reduce the age further .

Did you hear last week's Moral Maze. There is something quite delicious about listening to that well known liberal (does she still call herself that?) Mel Phillips get angry. In this case, with a witness who was advocating prostitution. I didn't necessarily agree with him but the skill at winding up this quite humourless individual was masterful. Some people always rise to the bait.

Catholic MP's are once again trying to take orders from the Vatican to force the Governments hand. Quite simply, if your religionism is more important to you than supporting the Government, then start your own Vaticanist party. otherwise, belt up and stop trying to scupper urgently needed legislation which will hugely benefit people on the entirely spurious grounds of your make believe god and its disgusting, squalid, corrupt 'church'. There's nothing more immoral than Catholicism and its legions of hypocritical, fearful, brainwashed followers. particularly those skulking in their closets, scared of facing up publicly to their sexuality. there is just no excuse for it - its internalised homophobia through and through. One thing I agree with Peter Tatchell about is outing such hypocrites. They deserve to be shamed for their betrayal. I trust that the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill will resist the threats of the religionists and will ensure that we remain a centre for this vital research, and that children of lesbian parents are recognised as such - as equality law demands.

oh, and that the Pope should die soon of an agonising death - no more than the bastard deserves given the number that his church policies have murdered by its attitude to the use of condoms to prevent HIV.

Doublethink

I've been fascinated to listen to the doublethink of many commentating on religious affairs this week.

First, those who actually agree with the ABC in wanting religious space, but wishing that to be 1) either universally imposed on everyone irrespective of their personal beliefs, or 2) selectively applied meaning that only their religions count. This is the conservative Christians position, and also that espoused by conservative commentators like Mad Mel Phillips. So, we ignore laws we don;t like (such as gay equality) and fulminate against it because it offends our religious sensibilities, but Islam is a wicked and evil religion and so should not be given space within the law, unlike us, because we are nice and British and they are evil and foreign and all terrorists wanting to turn this country into Londonistan writ large.....you know the rest....

Its an utterly illogical argument. It relies on a view that we first accept the essential goodness of conservative religiosity for some religions and not others - even though their social views are all much the same!

The other doublethink is the way that conservative Christians use the 'Christendom' view when it suits them but rejects it when it doesn't.

So, if they wish to convert others to their religion, the vast majority of us are evil sinners outside God's grace, heading to hell in a hand basket. But when they want to argue for theior views to hold sway in civil society, then we are a Christian country and 72% of us said so in the last census, don't cha know....

So, which is it to be - because the two positions are incompatible. Recent research has shown very clearly that very few of that 72% believe much more than Christianity is about being nice to people and synonymous with being English. So, why shopukd they expect their view to dominate in the making of civil law?

More fall out from RW

The positive outcome of all this is that Williams' aim of trying to advocate different laws for the religious has fallen flat on its face. people clearly feel there should be one law for all and that law should not be overly influenced by religion.

We are effectively a secular country. For most people religion means little more than a vague belief in 'something more' and somewhere to get married or buried, though less and less so all the time.

We don't like extreme religion and think it should stay in the private sphere for those who wish to believe it.

And RW has ensured no more religionist opt-outs and the slow death of those that remain - for that we should thank him.

Conservative religionists are livid because it has displayed how very far they are from achieving their Christian conservative theocracy.

I think it is entirely wrong to try and enforce religious or any other values therough the back door - we should be aiming for plurality and choice.

But it has also showed how little people and particularly the Press bother to read what people actually say unless it is in simple soundbites.

Sharia Law?

So, Rowan the Spineless has really put the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons

What I think he seems to be saying is far less radical then the headlines will no doubt say (though this is RW so he might be saying something quite different)

I think he is starting from the position that he wants to preserve some space for religious thinking alongside the secular law, which means that there may be areas where religious attitudes or regulations can run alongside the secular law. The exemptions from the SOR's given to the church would be an example of that.

I think RW is suggesting that there may be areas where Sharia law can be respected and seen as acceptable alongside secular law - for example, with regard to some areas of family law within Muslim communities, perhaps on the lines of the acceptability of the Beth Din which has control of some aspects of family law within the orthodox Jewish community ( and is respected by the state)

I think, though, that his agenda is to try and preserve a religious space given the logic of a multi-faith society is increasing secularism as no religion is given preference. i think he is worried that unless this space is given for sharia, then Christians' privileges may be lost.

My own view is that the civil law should be secular, and that means no exemptions for anyone, but I think it likely that churches and mosques alike are likely to practice that which they believe in within their own walls, which is what freedom of religion means. But if some Christians wish to see Christianity receive a privileged place, then there will also be Muslims asking for the same and in a pluralist society there is no logic in refusing. So - one law for all, no exemptions for religion. And no superior place for a church which the vast majority of citizens have no interest in attending.

Busy, busy....but some passing thoughts on Bishop James Jones

Merseymike's world appears to consist largely of marking exam scripts....

But, a couple of thoughts. Bishop James Jones of Liverpool has published an essay in which he offers apology to Jeffrey John for the way in which he opposed his being chosen as Bishop of reading. The essay also looks more widely at the issues surrounding biblical notions of same-sex friendship and the attitude of the Anglican church.
I wasn't surprised to read the article (its at http://www.liverpool.anglican.org/people/bishops/jamesspeeches/0712_Lambeth_essay.htm if you want to read it for yourself).

I think that there has been some hyperbole from both sides of the argument. Conservatives appear to be either keen to portray Bishop James as having abandoned their position, or wish to minimise the step he has taken in revising his perceived position. Liberals and the report in the Guardian are over-egging the pudding in the other direction.

I think that the situation and the views of JJ are more nuanced. I haven't met him for a while since I ceased active involvement with Changing Attitude, and then the Church, but I have met him on a number of occasions, and it is no secret that I served on the Theology of Friendship Group which he refers to in the article. I think the following observations are fair.

First, that his position has certainly softened in terms of what he thought and said when I first had contact with him
Second, that I think he is carefully saying what he can find in the Biblical account without necessarily imputing that which cannot be fairly imputed, given the reality of social construction. David and Jonathan loved one another and they may have had sexual contact - but that doesn't make them 'gay' in a Western sense. No-one in the Bible can have that label simply because it is a term with all sorts of social and cultural meanings.
Third, i think he may still have issues around same-sex sexual expression but that he isn't willing to see this being a matter which brings division
Fourth, that he clearly thinks that the Windsor process os flawed because it suggests that there may be a 'conclusion' reached. This, I think, is his most profound shift. I know that he doesn't regard the issue as first-order, which does separate him from conservative evangelicals. But I think - and I may be wrong - that he is saying that he is now more able to live with difference and diversity and that this is necessary to keep the issue open and allow continued dialogue. Unless he was open to the possibility of embracing change, then he wouldn't be suggesting this as a way forward. That doesn't mean that he necessarily fully embraces it himself, though.
Not yet, anyway. But he has moved.

Hypocrite Watch; Closet gay Bishop #1

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=50017 is a letter to the Church Times written by closet gay Bishop Lindsay Urwin

As a gay man, he is nonetheless using his position to oppress other gay people.

He is a hypocrite and is suffering from internalised homophobia.

He thus deserves to be outed

Organ donation

Organ donation is an area of medicine which has greatly expanded in recent years. Despite the attempt to publicise organ donation cards, still many organs are lost simply because there is no knowledge of whether the person consents to donation or not.

I strongly and passionately support the proposed change which will ensure that organs can be used unless the individual opts out of donation. No doubt the usual religionist cries will be heard (and they are supposed to be 'pro-life'...don't make me laugh) but they have a simple remedy - be selfish and opt out if it offends their delicate little religionist sensibilities.

For those not encumbered by delusion, this is an opportunity to really make a difference and to give people genuine quality of life. I hope it is passed by parliament as soon as possible.

Capital of Culture 2008

Well, it came as something of a surprise to find on the doormat this morning, two free tickets to Liverpool - The Musical, at the new Echo Arena. I applied for them weeks ago and assumed that they weren't to be forthcoming...anyway, we felt that missing a unique event like this would be daft, so we ended up spending the evening there, despite my bad back and David's minor operation yesterday...

It was good fun. The stadium is impressive. the seats are comfortable and large, the views are excellent, and the sound quality good too.

Capital of Culture gets off to a good start.

Repeal SOCPA

Just been drawn attention to the Government consultation on the repeal of SOCPA - The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005

The deadline for responses and some useful information can be found on the website calling for its repeal.

http://www.repeal-socpa.info/

Nuclear Power

When Gordon Brown became leader of the Labour party, I thought about re-joining. I hoped that some of the excesses of the Blair years would be in the past - and, indeed, I am pleased to see that faith school expansion has been placed on the back burner, and that there seems to be a distancing from the US government's foreign policy

But the announcement that nuclear power stations have been recommissioned is something which makes it far less likely that i could vote Labour next time, let alone rejoin the party. The links between nuclear weaponry and power are obvious - we recognise that to be the case with Iran. The question of nuclear waste is something which no-one has an answer to. And how about active development of clean coal technology and alternative energy sources - all put on the backburner in the name of the military-industrial complex?

I recall a t-shirt with a slogan which read:
The earth is flat, pigs can fly, and nuclear power is safe.
Nothing has changed.

Bloody Chickens

This week, we have been treated to a barrage of propaganda about chicken welfare by Channel 4.

Now, I usually buy free range. Simply because it tastes better.

But I am all too aware that many people aren't in the financial position to be able to afford free range - which is something in the region of three or four times the price.

So, the unedifying sight of posh boy Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (clearly of council tenant origin) lecturing single mums as to why they should buy free range - what planet does this bloke live on? Same with the future Lord Oliver. He is a multi-millionaire - its easy for him to advocate free range.

When it comes down to it, cheap food for people is more important than chicken welfare.

So, other developments

The world of politics and religion has proved interesting.

I suppose i should comment on Mr. Tony's joining Vatican plc. No surprise and given that his family are members, quite logical. Amusing to see the conservative catholics get so angry. They always hated him anyway and the fact that he has been welcomed without an insistence that he publicly denounces all he did in Parliament which they didn't like amuses. I wouldn't touch Rome with a barge pole but its his business, no-one else's.

As for Michael Nazi-Rally, bigoted homophobe and Roman Catholic son of a convert who manages to be an Anglican Bishop too, he is clearly positioning himself to be the British head of the breakaway conservative Anglican communion, gaining publicity by some well placed alarmism about Islam which he loathes with the typical zeal of the convert - even though he shares much more with their ideas than he would with me. Almost a mirror image - he also appears to think it is the job of Government to promote Christianity! Now, it is clear enough that without immigrants, church attendance would be lower still than it is now, but he cannot expect a secular democratic state to make his religion look attractive when he so clearly fails to do it himself every time he opens his mouth.

The US elections: Barack Obama's success is an encouragement - I hope he goes on and wins the Democratic nomination.

In Las Vegas, with the neon lights....

Well, where can one start? Its quite a place. Unique, in fact, and whilst I don't think we will be regular visitors, its certainly a lot of fun. Its quite the most profoundly extravagant and over-the-top place I have ever visited. Where else has a fake Venice, a fake Eiffel Tower, a fake Pyramid - its all quite hilarious. And fake, but in such an in your face way that you can't help but smile.

Highlights of the trip. The food. Its excellent, and the exchange rate meant that we could do some fine dining at reasonable cost. The days we spent exploring the valley of Fire National Park, and the Red Rock canyon, both of which are curiously beautiful, albeit in a bleak, lunar way. Barry Manilow, who we went to see at the Hilton - a great self-deprecator, acknowledging that he has left the world with songs murdered nightly in karaoke bars everywhere. And the show Le Reve, which was stunning - imagine 18 Dermot O'Leary lookalikes in swimming trunks for a start (Gary Mac, if you are reading this, put it down - now!)

We travelled cattle class with BMI. Not ideal. They have a system where you can request seats and then they go ahaead and totally ignore your requests. Its a bit like a longhaul version of Easy jet - not even a free gin and tonic.

We also managed to spend opur time there without gambling at all - is that a record.....

Try it for yourself.

just to say hello....

Back from Las Vegas a couple of days ago. Will be fully updating the blog in due course.....watch this space.

Dangerous cults?

I don't know if anyone caught the Jeremy kyle TV programme which looked at religious cults, focusing particularly on the 'Jesus Christians'.

On a personal level, I have no time for any of these organisations, which appear to be largely led by authoritarian personalities, attracting those who feel the need to follow.

The problem is that many of the so-called anti-cult organisations have their own, inevitably evangelical Christian, agenda.
They are not interested in the real problems of mind-control and authoritarianism, for if so, they would give up their own religion. What really counts as a 'cult'? Seems to me it should be about the way they treat people, not whether they have any kooky beliefs (which could be aimed at any set of beliefs)

I would, this, have great suspicions about anti-cult groups who do not start from a neutral position but believe that the main problem with cults is not the way they operate, but what they believe. I would certainly question people like Graham Baldwin, who appears to start from the position of being 'a Christian'. That makes his entire operation suspect. He merely wants to replace one set of beliefs with another. Which one is the 'cult'? Both propagate supernaturalist fairy-tales which cannot be verified. The question is what methods do they use and how much harm they do.

I would suggest that the anti-contraception position of Vatican plc and the homophobia of evangelifundamentalists does far more harm in terms of actual amount of damage done.

The original cult-busters were not operating from a religionist perspective. Their concern was the activity of particular groups. I remain to be convinced that this is so with regard to those operating from their belief that their sort of cult's beliefs are true, and others not so.

More from the Bigot of the Year

Some people really have no shame....

Elected Bigot of the Year, Bishop of Hereford Anthony Priddis, is now whining about how hurt he feels about being called a bigot and having 'derogatory' remarks made about him.

Easy answer to that, matey.

1. Admit you are wrong, that you broke the law, and that you would not to the same again
2. Offer penitence for your homophobia and join LGCM or Changing Attitude
3. Recognise that it is your beliefs which are unacceptable - they have the same moral status as racism and thus it is quite reasonable to address you in that light.

You know, the sight of Christians playing the victim is just risible. These people have a bloody state religion to play with yet still they whine because their particular brand of premodernism isn;t seen as appropriate to run a contemporary country. There is a victim in this instance - John Reaney.

Not you, Priddis. You are the bigot and tormentor who broke the law. You should feel ashamed, and any hurt you feel is simply your unrecognised guilt.

Remember that next time you partake in your sacramental activities. How about a bit of confessing?

Money, money, money....

The scandals about party funding appear to have died down somewhat, but I certainly don't expect them to be over by any means.
It seems to me that there has to be some sort of lasting and workable solution. This means, in my view, that we need to reach a situation where parties do not need to expend so much effort raising money. That means a downsizing: spend less money and there won't be the need to raise so much.

Of course, both parties really don't want this, and its interesting to see both the union funding and the money of rich individuals justified on a number of politico blogs. It appears to me that we need to move to a situation where the need to raise such large sums is no longer necessary. I have yet to hear a good case against this.

Vatican plc bigots strike again

This time on Five Live's phone-in, where a particularly nasty and intemperate version of Bigotus Catholicus made an appearance last night.

What is really good is that he made a fool of himself and in dispersing with the warm words, showed his true colours.

What I really want to know is why reasonable people - particularly gay people - have any truck at all with this thoroughly evil and corrupt institution. In my view its about self-hatred - not properly coming out, not having open relationships and so on. Its somewhere for the fearful to hide, even though if the truth were known, they would be unable to partake in the central sacrament of that church. For me, living in such a hypocritical state simply isn't acceptable. Living a lie cannot be a positive way to live one's life. That doesn't mean any sort of expectation of very visible 'outness', but the fact is that the RC church doesn't offer being gay and in a relationship as an acceptable option - thus, there must be a level of self-hate in wanting to be part of such an organisation.

In any case, the Christian myths look ever more ridiculous to me. There are some of the key messages which are worthwhile, but they can be found in other philosophies without the need for the supernaturalist mumbo-jumbo. Jesus was a premodern Jewish mystic and radical who along with many others, was killed by the authorities, and a cult of worship linked up with stories about coming alive again, virgin births and so on, developed around him, spread by his followers.

Still, they can believe what they want. But when they spread their homophobic poison, they absolutely must be opposed. Fortunately, they regularly do the job for us.

Come on Amazon, get some copies in....

Well, the book has made it to Amazon's hallowed listings, though they don't seem to have any in stock at present

Freedom of speech, teddybears and fascists

It was refreshing to see Caroline Flint's straightforward and honest performance on tonights Question Time. More politicians like her, please.

Freedom of speech is back on the agenda. We had the infamous debate at the Oxford Hooray Henry's Glee Club. I think it had precisely nothing to do with free speech and everything to do with publicity seeking tossers. Neither Irving nor Griffin are prevented from expressing their vile views within the law. But to invite them to do so - no.

As for Sudan. It goes without saying that I sympathise with Ms. Gibbons, and disagree with the Sudanese government. This is largely about political points being made by a government in a strop with the West, and Ms. Gibbons has been caught up in the mess. I do think, though, that it makes sense to be cautious whilst she remains in custody. I am also surprised that she seemed so naive as to what Sudan was actually like - surely someone from the school must have explained? I do think that one needs to be aware of the risks of working in countries with these sort of regimes.

When she is released, all aid should be automatically stopped until they are prepared to change. I would do the same for nearly all foreign aid, unless the country is prepared to sign up to secular democratic values. If they won't, then we will keep our money, and they can go stuff themselves. The third world lobby will whine as per usual, but if there's one issue I lean to the right on, then that's it. Why support a bunch of pre-modern homophobic religionists of either Christian or Muslim variety? The most civilised and progressive countries are both liberal and secular, and religion is kept in its proper place - for private piety, not public governance. The answer, though, is not to march in with troops in the hope that somehow one will be viewed as some sort of saviour - particularly when your own government has so many shortcomings.

Politics....

So, who else listens to music when doing the shopping? Yes, that slightly crazed, animated person with the mp3player making his way round Formby Waitrose is me (yes, Waitrose, yes, I know I am a champagne socialist...)
Which brings me on to the fact that the last two times I have been shopping, the two albums on my Mp3player were both anti-Tory political pop albums. The Housemartins' biting satires set to pretty little popsongs - can you listen to 'Five get Over-Excited' without thinking of Cameron's arrogant, oleageanous face just waiting for someone to thump it. Sorry, but he makes me want to vomit. Wankers like him are the very reason every public school in the country should be firebombed (No, not literally..there I go, back on the MI5 security risk list).
But on Friday, pride of place went to the Style Council's excellent 'Our Favourite Shop'. A superb expose of everything wrong with Thatcherism and the Conservative party. But, listening to it again, my thoughts were....some of this could equally apply to this lot.

Now, I don't think that the two parties are exactly the same. But there comes a time in every government's life where it simply runs out of steam. In this case, it coincides with Brown's ascension. I think that's something of a coincidence. In many ways we have simply returned to the tiredness of late-Blair. What appears to be the case is that the Government has little direction and is still beholden to the mistakes of the Blair years. Listening to the Style Council album brought back memories of how much I detested the Thatcher regime, and I certainly don't feel the same about the current government. But I do feel a sense of...boredom? Lack of any real enthusiasm or feeling that they know where they are going and why? And positively no enthusiasm for what they have to offer....not that the alternatives offer anything more. Clegg has the same effect on me as Cameron. I just don't like public-school wankers trying to be trendy. Piss off to the Tory party where you belong, Nicky-boy.

So, how about a few radical ideas.
1. tell the old gits whining on about defence that they should, firstly, keep their mouths shut, and secondly, that we quite agree that the current money doesn't cover current commitments. There's a simple answer to that. Pull out of Iraq, with one months notice, and halve the commitment to Afghanistan. There we go. Easy, wasn't it? Plenty of money, to be reduced each year and spent on something worthwhile, not propping up the military-industrial complex
2. stop sucking up to religious bigots of all colours, disestablish the church, and remove religion from public life. Keep it where it belongs. In private life, personal faith to follow, not interfering in the State's workings.
3. abandon PFI and nationalise all current hospital buildings without a penny of compensation to those who wanted to make money out of 'investing' in the NHS
4. get rid of the plastic coppers and spend money on proper police. And get rid of the ridiculous amounts of paperwork. That may require getting the Germans in to show us how to run IT schemes successfully
5. start taking reparative community sentencing seriously. Imprison people who are a danger to others only, and deal with the others in a constructive way, not in universities of crime

There's five for starters....
2.

PROVINCIAL QUEENS...by Mike Homfray. Click for further details...

http://www.liberalconspiracy.org/

This looks like something worth supporting....

Equalities and Human Rights Commission

Interesting to see the rather overblown reaction to the appointment of Joel Edwards of the Evangelical Alliance to the Equality Commission. I have a feeling that some conservative religionists think that his purpose will be to oppose LGB equality.

Lets make it clear. I don't have a lot of time for Edwards, and even less for his organisation. However, the Commission exists to put into practice the law which exists - it has no role in changing the law. Thus, Edwards will have to work within the confines of all the legal boundaries - which includes all the legislation they were so unenthusiastic about. And I am sure that the other Commissioners will be there to remind him of that fact!

His presence there reflects the fact that faith/religion is a category which is also included within the legislation - he is there to advise on that strand of the legislation and to provide that representation, not as a mouthpiece for the anti-gay lobby. His statement and the corresponding Government statement make that clear enough - but I don't think the spinners of the right-wing religioso have been listening!

Spin pt. 2

I shall never cease to be amused by the attempts of the religious right-wing to spin things to their liking. The couple who created such a fuss about the gay equality and anti-discrimination clause in the adoption and fostering agreement mentioned below have now climbed down and agreed to sign the document. The document has not been altered or changed. So, its reasonable to assume that they realised that they had no choice but to sign.

However, the 'morality' merchants have taken the false claims of their original spin ( that fosterer's would be expected to 'promote' homosexuality - which of course they will not, and were never expected to - that was purely in their over-fertile and sex-fuelled imaginations!) and claimed that the council, not the couple, have climbed down, even though their policy remains absolutely intact and the document has been agreed to without amendment.

I suppose we should sympathise. After all, we know they are prone to believing delusions by their very existence, but the poor dears have so little to celebrate these days!

Food Festivals and Reality TV!

Forgot to mention this - we went to a Food festival last week, at Tatton Park, and bumped into Martin and Emma, stars of the reality-TV programme 'The Restaurant'. They were very entertaining on the programme and many were rooting for them to win. They were very friendly and Martin is an Evertonian! I'm quite convinced the programme was a fix from the start. A restaurant had already been procured and the location fitted the eventual winners ( and what can one say about them - strange isn't the word...)

As for Everton, I don't often blog about my beloved club, but yesterday was just amazing - 1-0 until 10 minutes before the end, though we missed loads of chances and totally dominated throughout - then an equaliser which dampened everyone's spirits. We have a habit of last minute goals, and the 4 minutes of extra time spurred on some cheering - but no-one expected the TWO goals from Lee Carsley and James Vaughan. Amazing!

Congratulations!

To the Bishop of Hereford, Anthony Priddis, who has been awarded the prize of 'Bigot of the Year' at this years Stonewall Awards. This was the idiot who managed to lose a keynote discrimination case after discriminating against an openly gay youth worker, but still wouldn't accept responsibility for doing so.
Good to see the Church taking its proper place in society!

The London policing incident and the judgment on the Met

The judgment on the de Menezes case has been issued and has decided that the Met broke health and safety laws.

I do wonder, though, just how any normal regulations can be made to operate successfully in this sort of situation. Mistakes were made, and I think that they will be made again. Can the normal precautions be enacted when the level of fear and heightened concern was as it was then? Did the victim run away because he knew that his illegal status might be the reason for the chase? And why do we still not have police radio systems which can work underground? The Tube was the threatened target.

I think Ken Livingstone's comments make a lot of sense.

"I think this is disastrous ... if an armed police officer believes they are in pursuit of a terrorist who might be a suicide bomber, and they start making calculations based on this - 'how's this going to be seen, am I going to be hauled off to court?'
At the end of the day, mistakes are always going to happen in wars or situations like this. The best you can do is to try to make the potential risk the minimum possible.

Sefton Equality Week conference

Having limited paid work is giving me time to do a bit more in the way of community-based activity at the moment which is fun - today I was a one of the keynote speakers at a conference to mark Equality and Diversity Week in Sefton - giving a presentation on the history of the gay and lesbian movement, and facilitating two workshops on making one's organisation more LGB friendly.

It made me think of just how far we have come in such a short time. I recall a few years ago, few people feeling confident enough to attend such an event, and workshops such as mine struggling for participants. Not the case today!

We still have to continue to work for change. As I said today:

It is not the end of working for change, but the beginning....

The real challenge is to ensure that the legal and policy changes are put into practice, and that we ensure that our commitment to equality is enacted via our own organisation

The advantage we have is that those who still wish to pursue an agenda of prejudice, often justified by religion, are ever more shrill and represented by those who repel and who are clearly not comfortable with their own stance.

Another sensible legal decision

I have been generally encouraged that the barrage of cases brought by right-wing evangelical Christians aiming to undermine gay equality legislation have all to date been quashed.

The latest is a Sheffield magistrate who thought that he should be able to ignore the law of the land and pick and choose which cases he heard.

Of course, this is not possible, for any reason. He wished to absent himself from child care hearings involving same sex couples as he does not agree with the law of the land.

I have friends on the bench. They often have to make judgments according to laws they do not agree with. But they do so, and they apply the law as it stands fairly and objectively - because that is what they are required to do.

If that isn't something that a person feels they can do - then don't be a magistrate. but no-one in that important position can be 'let off' cases of any description simply because they don't agree with the law.

Abortion and more religious homophobia

The abortion issue appears to be on the agenda again.

I think there is a lot of hypocrisy talked about this issue. Those who believe it to be murder know that their position is not shared by most, so tend to concentrate on cutting the time in which abortions are legal. Surely if 'life is life', this is irrelevant?
I would not reduce the upper age. Very few abortions take place at the latter stages and those which do are done for good reason. I would also make early abortion easier and agree with the proposal to remove the need to have a second medical signature.
If the aim is to reduce abortion rates, then issues such as the effectiveness of sex education , the use of contraception, and broader cultural questions need to be considered. Holland, for example, has a low teen pregnancy rate and a low abortion rate, because teen pregnancy is viewed not as immoral, but a sign of stupidity - the stigma comes from the view that there is no excuse for getting pregnant when contraception is freely available and sex education is comprehensive and frank.

And we now have a new set of self-promoting 'Christian' martyrs. It is clear enough to me that young people who are gay and in the 'looked after' category - in foster care, for example - have an absolute right to positive affirmation and support. It is thus reasonable that prospective foster parents are able to offer this support. If they are unable to do so, then any gay or lesbian young person placed in that environment would be at risk. So, people with those attitudes, and who are unwilling to reconsider their position in the interest of the child they are looking after, should indeed be removed from the fostering register. Bigoted religion has no place in child care.....

Encouragement

Have a look at http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1572562/20071023/index.jhtml - a refreshingly honest interview.

Its good to see the Yanks catching up - both Stephen Gately and Mark Feehily from boy-bands came out and both have successful careers - in musical theatre and remaining in Westlife respectively.

The real barrier is still professional football, though. Lots of rumours about various players who all without exception, end up married or with live-in girlfriend within 6 months.
Its a shame, but it would take a brave man to come out in such an environment.

Thinking of you....

Just a quick message to Chloe who regularly reads this blog and occasionally provides comments.

She and many others have been evacuated from their homes near San Diego because of fires. I wish her and all affected a safe return.

The mentality of religious conservatives

Its interesting just how angry and frustrated these people are getting.

I suppose they must be feeling rather as we did during the days of Section 28. Only the difference is that change in our direction has been both faster and more complete, and they don't really know how to cope. Pointless attempts to challenge the law, growled remarks about 'defiance', then...nothing - given that the issues have become far less controversial and most simply don't care.

Its interesting , though, to see just how desperate they have become. The group 'Anglican Mainstream', better described as 'Anglican Extreme', has a forum where opinions are becoming ever more shrill and angry. To see what I mean, have a look at the thread 'Cultural Conditioning' which is in their 'Culture' section. I'm not going to dignify it by printing any excerpts, but it sums up how desperate they have become, and why, as their arguments become shriller and more and more angry, they manage to influence so little.

It may be the case that they enjoy the victim status - if they can't get their way, then present themselves as victims of a world which hates them, even though there is precisely no evidence of that. Their churches meet without fear, they have the ability to work with others on community projects, as many do.

What they seem to have forgotten is how they look to others outside their narrow world-view. And that gives me pleasure as it can only assist those of us who want to work for equality. Imagine the response of the average MP, when presented with the contents of that AM thread.

Who would appear to be the irrational and angry extremists now?

On more cheerful note, congratulations to LGCM who have been presented with an award from the Gay Police Association for their work in combating homophobia.

Venice, and the Liberal Democrats

Went to Venice last weekend. Its such a beautiful city - though very expensive, and its one of those odd places that would not survive without tourists but one sometimes gets the impression that the Venetians would rather they didn't exist (other than to fleece!)
Food-wise, it really is best to stick entirely to fish and seafood, which is first-class, but anything else is less so....
Spent a whole day at the Biennale - which reminds me that the Turner prize contestants are nowe being exhibited in Liverpool and that needs to be fitted into the schedule.

As for the LibDems. I was once a member, during a time when I felt that the Labour party simply couldn't get to grips with the progressive social agenda. They are a curious party, largely because there really isn't anything very much holding them together, and their local campaigning, though very effective, operates on a 'take the politics out of politics' level. Not entirely without justification given the way local government actually works

But their claim to be the nice party has gone forever. I thought Ming Campbell was quite ineffective as party leader but to dump two leaders in as many years cannot be an accident.

And the possible replacements? Two identikit posh boys, one a bit more Tory than the other, offewring very little that isn't already on offer.

If Clegg wins, I can imagine the Tories will be worried since he is another Blair-Cameron type and certainly to the right in LibDem terms. Can't see Labour voters being attracted to him, though.

An example of conservative obtuseness

The Government have announced that they intend to introduce legislation which will offer protection to people on the grounds of sexual orientation with regard to the incitement of hatred. This is good.

But now we have the fringe religious certifiables of the 'Lawyers Christian Fellowship' sounding off because, poor dears, the Government haven't invited them to put their case before the relevant committee whereas that nasty horrid Stonewall group have pride of place straight away. Or not 'straight' away as the case may be....

What these poor deluded people fail to realise is that the Government wishes to gain insight and guidance from a group who share their aims and who wish to offer constructive suggestion as to the way the legislation might be framed. The LCF don't want any legislation at all, because they are afraid that if they rant on about how their BigDaddyHomophobeInTheSky hates poofs, then they might even be thrown into jail.

Of course, that isn't going to happen, as attractive as the idea of homophobic conservative evangelical lawyers (couldn't get much worse, all told) being banged up in the nick might appear. But why should it be a governments priority to invite a group who don't want the legislation to appear before the relevant committee in the first instance?

This is all too typical of the sense of personal loss of status which these people feel. At one time they ruled the roost, now, even the Conservative party finds them an embarrassment.

Unseemly behaviour

People with responsible jobs, such as priests in the Church of England, should have no part in scouring through blogs they disagree with, in order to find comments to discredit others.

I hope we would all agree that such people are certainly not fit to hold such a post.

And that such activity says ia lot about their claim to 'morality'

Inciting hatred on the grounds of sexuality

The Government have announced that they are to introduce legislation to protect people on the grounds of incitement to hatred because of their sexual orientation

To quote Stonewall:

Ben Summerskill, Stonewall Chief Executive, said: ‘We’re delighted. We’ve worked tirelessly over the last six months seeking to persuade Ministers to match existing race incitement laws with identical protections for sexual orientation. A new offence will help deter extremists who stir up hatred against lesbian and gay people.These protections aren’t about preventing people expressing their religious views in a temperate way. However, we refuse to accept any longer that there’s no connection between extreme rap lyrics calling for gay people to be attacked, or fundamentalist claims that all gay people are paedophiles, with the epidemic of anti-gay violence disfiguring Britain’s streets. We anticipate, as always, a tough battle with our traditional opponents in the House of Lords but remain determined to secure complete equality in the criminal law.’

Naturally, the extreme evangelicals are kicking up the usual fuss when anything to do with gay equality is mentioned.

Let's hope they lose this as they have lost their other campaigns.

Nazi-Rally - Gobshite Alert!

Up here in Liverpool, we refer to people who talk rubbish as 'gobshites'. Its a nice little word, very expressive. And I think it can often be used in reference to the conservative wing of the Anglican church.

Now, lets take Michael Nazi-Rally, bishop of Rochester. Son of a Pakistani convert, there is some confusion as to whether he actually ever became an Anglican as his family was Roman Catholic. Nazi-Rally is a classic example of tokenism. he isn't capable of being anything more than a PA to the Vicar, but he has ended up as a bishop.

He is very ambitious. he scuppered his chances of becoming ABC last time by appearing on the Today programme, giving an interview which screamed 'CHOOSE ME! I'M THE BEST!' and surprise, surprise, he wasn't chosen. Since then we have had a stream of bile and undermining of Rowan Williams, and its been clear to many that this nasty little man sees himself as the first Archbishop of the New Reformed non-Anglican Church of Akinola by Sydney.

The latest is his announcement that he won't be attending the next Lambeth conference. That can only be a good thing. We can only hope that by then, the split will have happened and he will be busy building his new empire.

So, no election

And no real surprise, I'd say. I can't see any good reason to have an election - the government has a majority and we don't elect presidents.
It does raise the question as to whether the current system of flexible election times makes sense. Fixed term parliaments would be more stable and give less power to the government in charge to manipulate events - even if they make a pigs ear of doing so!
But both the major parties like to play their games so I'm not expecting an outbreak of common-sense any time soon.

And the latest from Israel....

Palestinian students doing courses at British universities have been prevented from returning because of the Israeli blockade.

Simply unacceptable.

The more the situation develops, the more I feel that the creation of Israel in Palestine was a mistake. Illegitimate, illegal and the product of misplaced guilt.

Tory conference.

VOMIT alert.....

If there's two things I despise, its evangelical Christianity and the Conservative party. Last week, we saw the former in all their lack of glory. Today, we see the Tories on show. And yet again, they prove that they haven't changed. Scratch the surface and they are still the same old Tories. Anti-Europe, utterly unimaginative on anything to do with crime, led by someone with all the weight and gravitas of a kids TV presenter.

And two losses to entertainment today. Ronnie Hazlehurst, who conducted the orchestra 7 times for the UK in Eurovision, and ned Sherrin - who despite being a Tory was a delightful old queen whose hour-long namedrop 'Loose Ends' was always tremendous fun.

From the newsletter of the Windsor Residents Association

"We have a huge house in our street.

The extended family is run by a grumpy old woman with a pack of fierce dogs.

Her car isn't taxed or insured, and doesn't even have a number plate, but the police still do nothing.

Her bad tempered old man is famous for upsetting foreigners with racist comments.

A shopkeeper blames him for ordering the murder of his son and
his sons girlfriend, but nothing has been proved yet.

All their kids have broken marriages except the youngest, who everyone thought was gay.

Two grandsons are meant to be in the Army but are always seen out in nightclubs. You may recognise them - one looks like his late mother (the aformentioned son's girlfriend), the other a spitting image of Mr. James Hewitt.

The family's odd antics are always in the papers.

They are out of control. ..........

Getting it very wrong...

I've come across a blog entry by former left-wing turned right-wing journalist Julia Langdon who comments on what she calls 'the gay movement'.

It started with "outing," which was an unforgivable intrusion on the private lives of homosexual persons; it labels gays who live by a moral code and prefer to live quietly as "self-haters." It insists on separateness -- gay neighborhoods, gay pride days, gay rites, gay clubs, gay cruises -- while demanding "full inclusion and acceptance." It shouts down as "homophobic" anyone who respectfully disagrees. Not many women I knew bought into the feminists' agenda; no homosexuals I know want much to do with the activists' agenda, either. They are church members, business owners, and employees whose homosexuality is a small part of their makeup and not their reason for being. They resent all of the attention and don't see taking on churches and church leaders as particularly helpful....

A lot of inaccuracy here.

First, only one organisation 'outed' to my knowledge, and they restricted that only to those, like Bishops, who were gay in private, homophobic in public. I don't personally agree with that tactic, but it was never widespread.

Second, it labels only gays who join organisations whose reason is to attempt to turn them into heterosexuals as 'self-haters' - for that is what they are. I live by a moral code and live quietly. I'm happily gay. Self-hatred is characterised by lack of acceptance of one's sexuality

Third, the separate institutions mentioned have almost nothing to do with the gay movement, but the pink pound! If builders of flats, bar owners, cruise lines and so on think there's money to be made by targeting the gay market, then that's what they will do. But I'll wager that 'movement activists' are less likely to live their lives in the commercial gay ghetto!

Full inclusion and acceptance will take place when there is no demand for such separate provision, because there is no perceived need for it.

As for 'respectful disagreement': problem is, that 'disagreement' is usually accompanied by reasoning why gay people are unequal and why discrimination should be accepted and incorporated into law. Funny, that....

As for taking on churches, most gay people think the church is a joke and wouldn't go near it with a bargepole. But given that they wish to impose their right to discriminate in areas such as the employment of lay people or other matters which have precisely nothing to do with them, they must be challenged.

All the 'gay movement' wants is civil and legal equality. A reasonable request, I'd say, and its because the movement , epitomised by Stonewall in the UK, has been sensible and moderate, that we have achieved so much.

Institutions.....

Two which I used to be involved with but left were the Labour party, and organised religion in the form of the Church of England.

The Labour party appears, to me, to be re-positioning on a course which is more true to its traditions without looking back towards nostalgia and unelectable fantasy. That can only be a good thing. I cannot believe that the Tories have really changed.

But the Church - what a pathetic waste of space it is. This week, the American church issued a statement which was essentially a confirmation of the status quo in terms of their position on gay bishops and same-sex blessings. The rabid conservative wing , led by unreconstructed fundamentalists and premodern tinpot dictators such as the primates of Kenya and Nigeria, won't accept that compromise, because they haven't stated that they were wrong and have been convinced by the right-wing lunacy of conservative evangelicalism. So, the followers of the headbangers in the US plan to start their own 'province' and seek approval of it from the Anglican Communion.

Its clear enough that there is going to be a split. Its just a question of when and how. I don't think anyone could be naive enough to think it could all be 'held together'. The CofE will clearly split along similar lines.

And quite right too. Religious infantilism which advocates Daddy-gods-in-the-sky sending floods to punish us and wishes to impose its homophobic nonsense on those of us who have seen through their delusions always need to be opposed. Small they may be over here, but the self-hatred movement of self-repressing gay people can cause an awful lot of harm, even if only short term. I have every confidence that these groups will continue to become more and more marginalised (and regarded as something of a joke) but people can be sucked into their clutches at vulnerable moments, particularly if they were born into the evangelical church.

Good news was that the homophobic Bishop of Hereford, found GUILTY of discrimination against a gay man who had applied for a non-clergy post, will not be appealing against the decision. Excuses have been made about the cost and time of the process. Neither are valid - IT's require little money and appeals are dealt with quickly - the real reason is that they haven't a hope of winning their case. Its quite amusing to see that all the so-called 'advice' they were given as to how the decision could be challenged was nothing but hot air by those who wish that the law wasn't as it is. The Church is simply out of step, and whilst it remains so - watch them like a hawk and don't let them get away with ignoring the law.

Events, dear boy, events

I have a policy not to talk about work on this blog but suffice to say I'm looking for more work again. Long story, but still don't feel I want to write about it until everything is sorted. The morale in so many HE institutions appears dreadful. Correction. Is dreadful.

Anyway, I do have a bit of stuff to keep me going.

Gordon's speech at the Labour conference was impressive. He has gravitas, no doubt about that. Cameron beside him appears insubstantial and lacking in authority. The lack of coherent policies doesn't help.
Less impressive is the story of the Labour councillor in Waltham Forest, found guilty of electoral malpractice. By all accounts she thought it was appropriate to smear her LibDem opponent as a paedophile. Which he isn't. The councillor concerned, a gay man whose partner is from the East, had to move area because of the hassle he received.
It should be pointed out that the councillor concerned is black. The rainbow alliance appears to falter on occasion....
But there is simply no excuse for this. Playing discriminatory 'cards' isn't acceptable, particularly from a party committed to equality.

Gordon Brown

Interesting times. Last night, Labour won a by-election off the LD's in Liverpool. I think the LD's are making an almighty hash of things at present locally, and their national profile is non-existent.

But what of Gordon? The lunch with Thatch was a bit of politics, I suppose, and designed, I assume, to enbarrass cameron. I'm not sure it was wise. It will simply remind some of how vile the Tories were, but could even make cameron look nice in comparison. Basically, Labour are undoubtedly going to lose some soft Southern votes to the Tories next time. They may well win a few off the LD's , on the other hand. But actually, Labour can win a decent majority without many more Southern seats, as long as they don't lose a shed-load in Scotland and take a few more northern and Midlands marginals. Dallying with Thatch won't help. Also, Labour need to win back some of the Guardianistas and this won't help in that regard either.

So far, there's nothing which Brown has done which makes me think - yes, I must rejoin the Labour party. I really want to see a change in foreign policy. And personally, I'm not really into all that dour protestant work ethic shite. I'd prefer a bit of fun!

One think I do feel strongly about is the drift towards referenda which i utterly oppose. the Government must not be swayed. The EU treaty should be a decision for parliament, like any other.

Spin

Its odd how the right-wing can spin things.

A judge in Northern Ireland has decided that whilst the sexual orientation regulations themselves are ok, the harassment clause should be removed. Now, this is notr an essential clause, and it doesn't exist in the legislation in the rest of the UK. Ongoing legislation will produce anti-harassment measures to cover all aspects of equality. I am on record as saying that this makes more sense long-term and groups such as Stonewall also argued this was a sensible approach.

So, what has happened is that the regs in NI are now exactly the same as the regs in the rest of the UK. So, if this such a great 'victory' as some of the Right are portraying, does this mean their conversion to the existing regulations as both moderate and reasonable?

Religionists are calling, as ever, for the right to discriminate and calling it 'conscience'. Just like the BNP, who think that they should be allowed to discriminate against black people.

Lisbon

Or should that be Lisboa?

Its an interesting city. Grandly dilapidated in parts, modern in others, and some tremendous views. But the heat on our trip was simply too much - in the mid-thirties for most of the week. All the same, its an interesting place. Another drawback is that the funicular which links the Avenida de Liberades where we stayed, with the Bairro Alta, was out of action which meant that the only way to get there was by taxi - unless you go for walking up perpendicular hills.

On the positive side....the Fado Museum is excellent, as is the new contemporary art centre. Alfama is delightful, and the little cafe where we drank vinho verde, ate sardines, and enjoyed a chocolate mousse thick enough to stand a spoon in, with a slug of brandy poured into a hole made by the same spoon, was memorable. I like pateis de nata as well. Little custard tarts , puff pastry. Nice!

We left plenty to do for a re-visit. Oh, and the wine is good too - and there's a good selection at the airport as well as the 12 we stuffed into the cases....