http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/11/23/northern-ireland-dup-to-introduce-bill-to-exempt-religious-people-from-equality-laws/ The DUP have got to be having laugh. After years upon years of sectarian hate-mongering, it seems they have at long last realised that they need to make a play for the religious vote of the other side. (Not that the Troubles here were truly to do with religious disparity anyway.) So, now that they can no longer afford to make the Catholic community their whipping boy, it seems they mean to set the religious up as a class unto themselves. I'm not particularly worried about this, as I think it's a fairly safe bet that Sinn Fein will table a Motion of Concern. I'm sitting here wondering whether their actions will actually tip the balance and push traditionally Unionist voters who are not religious into voting for Sinn Fein next chance they get. I'm very curious to see how this pans out.
Sounds like they've been hanging out with too many of our crazy Americans. (Your gay-related cake brouhaha is more amusing than ours'.)
@chicagoliz I know, right? You think they'd have some indication of how their involvement is likely to be perceived just from what we're seeing from your side of the pond. (WBC anyone?) Last thing we need is our politicians pandering to the bigoted religious nut-jobs here. (No harm intended to the religious in general.) Unfortunately our most vocal politicians either have histories of involvement with paramilitaries, or are religious hard-liners. It's a horrid state of affairs when one actually thinks the law will be better served by ex-IRA men, than by those who purportedly stand for the rights of all. There is an awful lot of judging being done by those who believe that is the job of God, and God alone.
It is worrying that a government can seriously consider legislation that would allow people to openly discriminate. This would allow any business, shop, restaurant, hotel, etc. to get away with refusing to serve gay people. As I understand it, the proposed change basically says; discrimination is not permitted unless you believe you have a reason to discriminate, in which case it’s okay. Suppose you have a strong religious belief that black people are inferior, or that other religious shouldn’t exist, what then? The floodgates would be open to any such notion, popular or not. Presumably the change would also apply to those who work for local and national government. Planning permission could be refused for a mosque or synagogue, if the members of the planning committee didn’t believe in them. If the balance is being tipped against people of faith, it is only because people of faith are the ones doing a higher proportion of the discriminating. Societies’ values are not religious values. People can have their own religious values in their own private lives, but if they have a business, societies values must prevail in that business. Perhaps in the near future, the main divide in the people will be between the religious and the non-religious, rather than between Catholic and Protestant.
@Aled James Taylor I actually think that happened a long time ago, it's just taking a long time to be reflected at the ballot box. All of us have experienced bigotry in the past, and it's hard to sit back and see a significant portion of our society belittled, demeaned and worse still, by those who claim to have love in their hearts. I usually whinge when N.I. law takes a departure from that of the rest of the UK, but the difference in this case might prove to be advantageous.
I very much doubt Sinn Fein would. (And this is coming from someone who would be traditionally expected to vote for the DUP—shock, horror.) This strikes me as being like the sabre rattling done on the Twelfth—a lot of bluster. What worries me is that a very small section of the populace treat this man's opinion like it is the word of Law, nay God himself, and are only too willing to start collecting bottles for their Molotovs, should they feel like a bit of riotous behaviour. Robinson would claim he's preaching on behalf of the converted. I'm more inclined to believe all he's doing is inciting the mob. Wouldn't be the first time.
True... but that's only because he lacks the physical oomph to make it so, but it's that same core of miscreants who will use his posturing, put their spin on it, and the bottom line is that people will get persecuted as a consequence. And in the meantime Robinson's wife is back in the headlines again, the woman who believes homosexuality is a condition to be cured, but apparently she has no problem being unfaithful to her husband with a teenager. I believe the Bible has teachings on that too. I wonder if Asher's bakery would have a problem baking the adulteress an anniversary cake? Ok... that's just me being mean. I'll get down off my soapbox, shall I?
"I am pretty repulsed by gay and lesbianism. I think it is wrong. I think that those people harm themselves and -- without caring about it -- harm society. That doesn't mean to say that I hate them -- I mean, I hate what they do" - Ian Paisley Jr I remember reading the interview he said that in, and thinking, 'Well this moron had just committed career suicide.' And then... Nothing. I suppose the party was founded by a fire and brimstone preacher who you could hardly accuse of a fondness for political correctness, but still. And so unionists are left with a choice of two mainstream parties who make the Tories look positively cuddly and ineffective, small groups some of whom have extremist views of their own. There's a long, long way to go. Shinners are as bad in their own way, they need to sever ties with the past. I'm sure they'll oppose this though.
