Wales, Wales!

First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford                                                                   Source: Guido Fawkes, order_order.com

Nation Cymru reports:  "The Welsh Government is setting itself on a potential collision course with the UK Government after deciding to allow people to self-identify their gender when standing as candidates for the Senedd - much to the chagrin of Wales-Women’s Rights Network

Little surprise there  given this earlier report from order-order.com: 

"The Welsh government is paying out £9 million in taxpayer cash annually for woke jobs. The Taxpayers’ Alliance have uncovered data revealing that in 2022, a total of 138 posts in the Welsh Government featured words ranging from “diversity” and “inclusion” to “climate“, “wellbeing“, and “race“. A whopping 25 staff are employed in roles mentioning “equality“. The total cost of these, including salary and pension contributions, was £8,879,479."

Meanwhile, in NHS Wales, the health minister has warned that there may be fewer hospital beds in Wales, after asking health boards to make a further £64m in savings.

The Welsh Government has an action plan to make Wales  'A Nation of Sanctuary for asylum seekers and refugees' in which it has a 'vision' for Wales to become "the world’s first ‘Nation of Sanctuary’, celebrating Welsh hospitality and our history of migration and safety. " 

No matter what the cost in a cash-strapped Welsh economy it appears! 

Another government minister said that vulnerable people will "inevitably" feel the impact of spending cuts as she prepared to announce how the Welsh government will fill a black hole in its budget.

Nation Cymru also reports that the Welsh government is working on a plan to introduce a Bill "to make our parliament more representative of the people it serves", which includes provisions to introduce candidate quotas for people seeking election to the Senedd: “Our proposed model for quotas is designed to maximise the chances of achieving a Senedd comprised of at least 50% women."

With plans to increase the number of Senedd Members from 60 to 96, and change the electoral system to one that is "wholly proportional" no doubt the Diversity, Inclusivity and Equality (DIE) campaigners will will be keen to ensure that the real needs of the people of Wales do not come before the wishes of the Welsh DIEhards. First they need to know what a woman is.

Postscript [12.11.2023]

Fresh challenge for Welsh Government’s gender-balanced Senedd plan - Martin Shipton writes in Nation Cymru: "The introduction of a Bill to the Scottish Parliament that will end the rights of transgender women to identify as female when applying for public appointments should prompt the Welsh Government to ditch a similar plan relating to membership of the Senedd, according to a campaign group."

A glimmer of hope for the Church in Wales

The Archdeacon of Carmarthen, Dorrien Davies, is to be the 130th Bishop of St Davids
Source: Church in Wales

There is a glimmer of hope for the Church in Wales following the announcement that the Ven Dorrien Davies has been elected to be the 130th Bishop of St Davids.

There were many expressions of delight following the announcement which are summed up in the response: "The right person to bring healing and allow the Diocese to move forward together."

A former St Davids Canon Residentiary, the bishop elect asked for the Diocese and the Province to pray for him as he begins the difficult task of rescuing the diocese of St Davids from mistakes of the past and for bringing back some credibility to the Church in Wales. Of that he can be assured.

Postscript [12.11.2023]

"Let's make this journey together" - The new Bishop of St Davids looks ahead to his forthcoming role and what the future holds for St Davids Diocese.

'By their deeds you will know them'

Source: The New Humanitarian

 

While the Gaza/Israel conflict has dominated the news an estimated population of around 120,000 Armenian Christians have been expelled from their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh. In an act described as Cultural Genocide, one of the oldest Christian communities in the world has been destroyed.

It has been estimated that in the birthplace of Christianity, Christians now make up approximately 5% of the Middle Eastern population, down from 20% in the early 20th century.

Meanwhile Islam continues to expand. Cultural jihad has resulted in thousands of Muslims importing their ideology into the Western world. The consequences of multi-culturalism rather than assimilation  can be observed most spectacularly in France where Islam is now "the most practiced 'religion'."

Demonstrations in support of Hamas, a designated terrorist organisation by many Western Countries, have been witnessed in many major cities including Paris, Vienna, New York and in London where, at Speaker's Corner, Islamic ideology is made clear for all to hear while adherents do as they please. 

Civic and religious leaders in the West must take their share of  responsibility for this situation. For decades they have accepted assurances that Islam is a religion of peace without question.

Caught in the middle are the innocent. Among them those massacred by Hamas in Israel and the multi-faith civilians trapped in Gaza. 

God help them.

Bishop of St Davids election

St Davids Cathedral (photo by Toby Pickard)                                                                                     Source: Church in Wales

This beautiful photograph of the sun setting over St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire was published in a Provincial News item, Election of new Bishop of St Davids. It is also symbolic of the sun setting on Christianity in the Church in Wales.

The election of the previous bishop of St Davids was all about politics. It ended in disaster.

In another Provincial News item, New team for Panel as it widens access to ministry, the Church in Wales announces that "A senior journalist and Lay Canon is the new chair of the panel which selects people for ordained ministry."

Their aim is 'to increase the number of vocations and for new priests to reflect the wonderful diversity of our communities'.

Diversity along with inclusivity and equality have come to supersede all else in the Church in Wales.

A commentator under my previous blog entry sarcastically referred to 'eccentric congregations in Pembrokeshire' which, given the context of the comment, implied that traditional, orthodox Christianity was eccentric.

That does not augur well for the election of the next Bishop of St Davids later this month.

Postscripts 

[16.10.2023]

BBC News article St Davids chooses successor to 'never trust a Tory' bishop

[17.10.2023]

The Archdeacon of Carmarthen, The Ven Dorrien Davies, is to be the next bishop of St Davids.

https://twitter.com/ChurchinWales/status/1714294224538181736