Tony Blair, American Messiah
This is ridiculous.
Tony Blair is preparing to launch a "faith offensive" across the United States over the next year, after building up relationships with a network of influential religious leaders and faith organisations.If Blair is feted like a 'rock star' in the US, then there's something seriously wrong. Especially when this apparently 'liberal' ex-politician is making alliances with anti-choice, homophobic nutjobs. Then again, in Blair's world, if it helps him flog copies of his autobiography (which he was paid £4.6m in advance) painting himself as the second coming won't be anything new.
With Afghanistan and Iraq casting a shadow over his popularity at home in Britain, Blair's focus has increasingly shifted across the Atlantic, to where the nexus of faith and power is immutable and he is feted like a rock star.
According to the annual accounts of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, a UK-based charity that promotes cohesion between the major faiths, the foundation is to develop a US arm that will pursue a host of faith-based projects. The accounts show that his foundation has an impressive – and, in at least one case, controversial – set of faith contacts. Sitting on some £4.5m in funds as of April last year, mostly gathered through donations, it is now well placed to make its voice heard.
The foundation's advisory council of religious leaders includes Rick Warren, powerful founder of the California-based Saddleback church. It attracts congregations of nearly 20,000 and is reportedly one of the largest in the US. Warren, who has addressed the UN and the World Economic Forum in Davos, has been named one of the "15 world leaders who matter most" and one of the "100 most influential people in the world".
His influence was confirmed in December 2008 when Barack Obama chose him to give the invocation at his presidential inauguration. But the decision angered many liberals, who see Warren as an opponent of gay rights and abortion on demand; a prominent alliance with Warren is likely to attract similar attacks on the former British prime minister.
Labour In Good Idea Shocker!
An idea that Labour have trumpeted that is actually quite good.
Plans to abolish the House of Lords and replace it with a wholly elected, 300-seat second chamber are set to be unveiled before the General Election, it is claimed.Directly elected members, no hereditary peers, no party patronage...what's not to like? It's a pity that Labour seem unable to come up with bold plans like this on a more regular basis.
Justice Secretary Jack Straw is said to have been consulting Cabinet colleagues on what would be a key political move.
The proposals are likely to be popular with Labour's core support, while David Cameron may come under pressure from Tory peers who resolutely oppose such reforms.
The Government's blueprint would see all members directly elected, ending the tradition of party patronage.
Friday, 12 March 2010
Tweet Of The Day
I heart Cardiff. Man called Ninja preaching in the middle of street. with tights on his head.Sianz
Lib-Dem-Land
If they're not 'saving the internet' (or not as the case may be), campaigning for Badger Rights and shifting to the left and to the right on a daily basis they're selecting a porn director to be their candidate in Gravesham (who it turns out, according to her website, is a Labour supporter).
Life's obviously more interesting in Lib-Dem-Land.
Life's obviously more interesting in Lib-Dem-Land.
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
I Have A Confession
I agree with Bethan Jenkins AM on something.
The Tory scaremongering about Welsh language legislation is disappointing. I also think that her objection to the 'incendiary language' used as 'unacceptable' and 'wholly inaccurate' has good grounds. The use of the term 'apartheid' is over-used and has devalued the meaning. Ironically, the term has been devalued the most by Bethan Jenkins fellow travellers in the pro-Palestinian camp (Bethan joined their protests outside the Assembly and snubbed the Israeli ambassador).
Ed West, blogging at The Telegraph sums up the problem perfectly.
The Tory scaremongering about Welsh language legislation is disappointing. I also think that her objection to the 'incendiary language' used as 'unacceptable' and 'wholly inaccurate' has good grounds. The use of the term 'apartheid' is over-used and has devalued the meaning. Ironically, the term has been devalued the most by Bethan Jenkins fellow travellers in the pro-Palestinian camp (Bethan joined their protests outside the Assembly and snubbed the Israeli ambassador).
Ed West, blogging at The Telegraph sums up the problem perfectly.
Now the Israelis are a difficult lot. Just when you put your neck out to defend them at a western European dinner party, which is today a bit like admitting to being a subscriber to the Man-Boy Love Association monthly, they go and build a new settlement in East Jerusalem.And that's the key, people are so busy creating their 'own form of apartheid' that they forget the horror and realities of true South African apartheid.
So I wouldn’t justify all their actions. But “apartheid”? The comparison of “bad things” with old South Africa is now as overused as “Nazi”, so much so that we’ll soon need to invent a Reductio ad Verwoerdem to categorise all the spurious uses of the term. People talk about “social apartheid” when complaining about house prices, “occupational apartheid” and “global apartheid”. Philippe Le Grain in his pro-immigration call to arms, Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them, describes all immigration controls as a form of apartheid. By that reasoning, by putting a lock on his door and not allowing any waif and stray to crash on his sofa, Le Grain has created his own form of apartheid.
Quote Of The Day
I am not Mystic Meg, but I would not book any rail travel for the Easter period.Bob Crow, General Secretary of the RMT union.
No, Bob you're not Mystic Meg. You do share some of her qualities though, you're both full of shit and take a wage for pretending to do something. She pretends to predict the future you pretend to have your members interests at heart.
This is the road we are now going down, just as we did in the late 70's. The death of the Labour party means the cockroaches come out to play.
Tweet Of The Day
The biggest Risk to economic recovery is 5 more years of Gordon Brown@EricPickles
Is that really all you've got?
Gordon Brown, Failed Soccer Pundit
Well, this is a surprise.
I couldn't think of a worse guest than Gordo. A mumbling, incoherent Scottish misery......moaning about modern football and how brilliant it was in the old days. Match of the Day already has Alan Hansen on a Saturday, the Sunday night show is far more uplifting.
Perhaps Sgorio could sign him up, it would add a couple more viewers.
Gordon Brown is a sports fanatic whose passion for Raith Rovers, the football team he has supported since childhood, is a matter of public record. But the BBC has barred the prime minister from appearing on its Sunday night Premier League highlights programme Match of the Day 2, saying it is too close to an election to have him on as a guest.The BBC are usually up for cringeworthy PR stunts for Labour, perhaps they're still upset they didn't get Gordon Brown crying like ITV did.
I couldn't think of a worse guest than Gordo. A mumbling, incoherent Scottish misery......moaning about modern football and how brilliant it was in the old days. Match of the Day already has Alan Hansen on a Saturday, the Sunday night show is far more uplifting.
Perhaps Sgorio could sign him up, it would add a couple more viewers.
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Sins Of The Mothers
A Catholic school in Boulder Colorado has refused to admit a child with gay parents.
BOULDER, Colo. — A preschooler is caught in the middle of a fight between religion and sexuality. Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School, in Boulder, has refused to readmit a preschooler because the child has two moms. Her parents are lesbians.Punishing a child for something it had no control over....what would Jesus have done? If he'd actually existed that is.
“God and Jesus would not allow discrimination in that way,” said Joellen Raderstorf, one of about two dozen demonstrators who turned out at Sunday’s church service.
Most of the protesters stood silently, across the street, holding signs. One read “God loves all people.” Some of them went inside during mass. The priest addressed the situation in his sermon.
“He feels like it’s a calling to be strict with upholding the Catholic principles,” said Dave Ensign, president of the Board of Directors of Boulder Pride, a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender organization.
“People who understand the Catholic teaching will understand why the decision was made,” said Fabien Ardila, a member of the parish.
Tweet Of The Day
Going to the #senedd now to support pcs union. Cant understand why lib dems not supporting them. Tories same as ever on this agenda.Bethan Jenkins AM
Perhaps they're not supporting them because they understand that the Welsh Assembly serves the people of Wales and needs to function without the threat of being closed by union action. The House of Commons is apparently unaffected by union action, perhaps the Assembly could learn to function in the same way.
Quote Of The Day
I am also critical of Plaid Cymru's support for socialism. Socialism is based on reliance on the state, the only state that Wales can rely on at the moment is the British state, so reliance on the British state through Socialism is incompatible with Welsh Nationalism.Alwyn ap Huw, Miserable Old Fart
Amen to that.
Monday, 8 March 2010
Quote Of The Day
The tax status of donors is not an issue for electoral law. People's tax affairs is a private matter.Harriet Harman, Labour Party hypocrite.
Sunday, 7 March 2010
Quick Question For Paul Flynn MP
Hi Paul, when you wrote this on your blog...
The Icelanders are quibbling on how much they will repay us, but £billions are coming our way.Were you lying or talking out of your arse?
Another Day, Another Sex Abuse Scandal Rocks Catholicism
You'd think that after the revelations globally about child abuse within the Catholic Church that you've heard everything. Not so, new allegations are surfacing in Germany regarding their 'boys only boarding schools'.
The first accusers came forward a month ago in Berlin. Since then, the list of schools and victims who say they were scarred and haunted by alleged abuses has grown.It always angers me when I read a puff piece in a newspaper giving a platform to a Catholic holy man telling us why the world is going hell because of the lack of faith, homosexuality, abortion etc....when there is such perversity endemic in his own church.
First it was seven alumni of the prestigious Canisius Kolleg prep school in Berlin. Then it was Aloisius Kolleg in Bonn and then St. Blasien, another Jesuit-run boarding school in the Black Forest as well as other Catholic schools in Hamburg, Goettingen and Hildesheim.
Just days ago, the renowned boarding schools Ettal Monastery and St. Ottilien in Bavaria made headlines when allegations about child molestation by Benedictine priests there surfaced. The total number of alleged victims has reached at least 150.
Saturday, 6 March 2010
Tweet Of The Day
Generals and former Perm Sec attacking Gordon - check their Interests for defence industry positions and look at my PQs for huge payoffs!George Foulkes, Labour Party Peer & MSP.
....says the man who earned £1000 a day as a 'parliamentary consultant' to Eversheds.
