"Good solid British common sense"

After camp                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Source: Twitter

"Today RSPB #Haweswater and @unitedutilities staff, and dedicated RSPB volunteers, spent 4 hours clearing more mess from groups camping on our reserve." - Twitter

"Boris Johnson told MPs that 'good solid British common sense' had worked throughout phase one [of the lockdown rules to combat coronavirus] and he had 'no doubt' it would work in the second phase of fighting the disease."

Despite the sterling efforts of the many, there are always a few who can be relied on to undo the good work done by those keeping to the rules.

Health leaders have warned that UK must prepare for a second Coronavirus virus wave.

Not only will there will be more litter for others to clear up but more people will have their lives put in danger adding more strain on weary NHS staff unless the thoughtless minority start showing the common sense referred to by the Prime Minister.

Postscript [25.06.2020]

Bournemouth beach: Major incident declared as thousands flock to coast

Source: BBC/REUTERS/TOBY MELVILLE                                      Bournemouth beach                                                                Source: BBC/MATT PINNER

Sex education in our schools

From Coalition for Marriage

Another three councils drop their ‘trans toolkits’

Dear marriage supporter,

We recently wrote to you with several pieces of good news in the battle against harmful transgender ideology. I am pleased to say that there is now more to share.

After being threatened with legal action, Warwickshire and Oxford Council pulled misleading materials which promoted transgenderism in schools. Increasing concerns over the legality of the ‘trans toolkits’ has now seen Shropshire, Kent and Barnsley councils follow suit.

These ‘toolkits’ promote transgenderism to young people. They encourage schools to allow pupils who identify as the opposite sex to use their preferred toilets or changing rooms – even “sleep where they feel most comfortable”.

A 14-year-old girl is threatening fresh legal action against the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over its controversial LGBT hate-crime guidance for schools.

The unnamed girl recently forced the CPS to drop guidance warning schools they could face prosecution if they did not allow boys into girls’ changing rooms.

She is now arguing that the CPS will be unable to review that guidance properly, due to its alliance with Stonewall. The brave girl has told the CPS to withdraw from Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme, which gives awards to employers who promote LGBT ideology.

By seeking to destroy what it means to be ‘male’ and ‘female’, transgender ideology undermines true marriage – that between a man and a woman. This momentum against it is great to see. We hope it will continue.
Donate

Yours faithfully,

Dr Tony Rucinski
Director of Supporter Strategy
Coalition for Marriage (C4M)

- o -

But it is not all good news:

Teachers at Archbishop Sentamu Academy in east Hull asked 11 to 14-year-olds to "define pornography, soft pornography, hardcore pornography and transsexual pornography, as well as female genital mutilation, wet dreams, trafficking, male circumcision, breast ironing and more."

The Mirror reports that "a mum was 'fuming' after her 11-year-old daughter's schoolwork asked her to define hardcore pornography and other topics she deemed 'inappropriate'.

"Youngsters in years 7, 8 and 9 were set the work for their Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) class, as part of their home-learning during the coronavirus school shut down."

Following complaints from parents, the academy apologised for any offence caused. 

The children were also asked questions about alcohol, drugs and smoking.

Year of Pilgrimage - not

Social distancing was not required at the Llandaff diocese clergy 'pilgrimage' school in Santiago de Compostela                                            Source: Twitter

The Diocese of Llandaff 's Year of Pilgrimage has fizzled out. The Coronavirus lock down saw to that.

In what she described as an 'ambitious' plan, the bishop of Llandaff flew all diocesan clergy, plus various hangers-on, to Santiago de Compostela as a precursor to the Year of Pilgrimage which was designed to 'reinvigorate its work and worship' as part of the Church’s 2020 centenary celebrations.

Some hope.

With extra time on their hands during the pandemic clergy could read about the depressing pilgrimage of the Church in Wales from birth to death in a book edited by Professor Norman Doe under the title A New History of the Church in Wales: Governance and Ministry, Theology and Society.

At £74.99 for the hardback edition if anyone is still interested in the Church in Wales a paperback version is available at just over £25.

Chapter summaries can be found here.

Much Ado About Nothing

Wales' First Minister's traffic lights                                                                   Original image: BBC

What did we learn from the First Minister's 'Traffic light' system to lift the Coronavirus lock down in Wales? - Nothing of any consequence.

Moving from red through amber to green is a familiar traffic light pattern in the UK. That is more or less the substance of Mark Drakeford's revelation.

A waste of time and money.

It's not cricket!

Six Nations: Final round fixtures postponed until October                                Image: Express Sports

It came as little surprise that games in the final round of the Six Nations were to be suspended until October following the coronavirus outbreak.

If only that were all. It is going to get worse for loyal rugby fans.

The Six Nations tournament is likely to go behind a Sky paywall from 2022. It's just not cricket!

The government is reported to have rejected the chance to ensure the Six Nations fixtures remain only on free-to-air TV by turning down a call to include the tournament as a category A-listed sporting event which include the rugby union World Cup final, the football World Cup, Wimbledon, the Grand National and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

It is sad but realistically Rugby Union is not what it was. Today, money talks. Winning is all.

Before their game with France, England coach Eddie Jones warned France to "expect violence in England’s Six Nations opener, doubling down on his pledge to unleash 'absolute brutality' on Fabien Galthié’s 'bright young things' in Paris."

One would have thought that England Rugby would be embarrassed by such comments. Instead Jones' contract was extended to continue his role until the end of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The highest paid coach in world rugby, Jones is on a salary of £750,000 per year although he has agreed a 25% pay cut as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

Sadly for the game and the enjoyment of fans, winning often follows dull games bogged down by tedious scrums. As former international hooker Brian Moore put it in one of his less biased comments: "Instead of being a means of restarting the game it has become a way of winning penalties."

The extent of the change can be seen when watching highlights of the 1990 Calcutta Cup recently broadcast  by the BBC in their Live rewind series with commentary by the late, great Bill McLaren. There is no hint of favour or partiality, unlike many of today's games when commentators appear to regard themselves as extra players for their favoured team.

In the 1990 game there was none of the excessive hugging, ritual tapping and patting celebrations which greet scrum penalties; just enjoyable, running rugby flavoured with some rye comments on play rather than on commentators' National teams.

Another aspect of the game needing urgent attention is the ritual spitting picked up from over paid professional soccer players. Hopefully players will become more aware of the health risks of such behaviour after the coronavirus pandemic and exercise more self control.

There are few fixtures that draw the nations together like the Six Nations. The government should think again.

The selfless and the selfish

Source: BBC

Source: Express

Source: Independent

While NHS employees, numerous carers and many public servants are putting their lives on the line to care for the sick in the coronavirus pandemic, the selfish lie on their backs in the sun or chat idly, ignoring pleas to stay home.

These are the very people who are spreading the virus. They may even find themselves on their backs in hospital beds - if there are any left for them - having infected countless others.

Either they are deaf to the message or just couldn't care less - until it hits them.

Locked out

Many regular Sunday church attenders will be feeling lost following the closure of churches in accordance with government instructions on defeating the spread of the coronavirus. In time of need they are denied the comfort of Holy Communion and fellowship. 

Many of us have been there for years. Effectively excommunicated, orthodox Anglicans have in many areas been left with no church to attend, especially in Wales where the Assistant Provincial Bishop David Thomas was not replaced following his retirement in 2008. 

My experience of virtual services has not been inspiring, unlike the above video link which was sent to me by a well wisher. 

We have lost so much.

“Women of Jerusalem, do not shed your tears for me, but for yourselves and for your children! For the days are coming when men will say, ‘Lucky are the women who are childless—the bodies which have never borne, and the breasts which have never given nourishment.’ Then men will begin ‘to say to the mountains, Fall on us! and to the hills, Cover us!’ For if this is what men do when the wood is green, what will they do when it is seasoned?”
Luke 23:28-31

Please stay home request

Source: Twitter

Please stay home. Surely it is not too much to ask.

Postscripts

[23.03.2020]

Two powerful messages to obey government advice and stay home:

https://twitter.com/ShiptonMartin/status/1242072350323073026

Anyone ignoring requests to stay at home could be responsible for infecting 59,000 people.

https://twitter.com/aljwhite/status/1241859943017349126

[24.03.2020]

https://twitter.com/BBCWalesNews/status/1242383182449840132

God bless!

Loser

Labour's Jeremy Corbyn in the House of Commons. Source: Independent (PA)

There was no contrition after Jeremy Corbyn led the Labour Party to a humiliating defeat at the 2019 General Election. He refused to accept any blame and remained in office.

 Ignoring Coronavirus advice from Prof Chris Whitty the Chief medical adviser that people over the age of 70 should take "particular care to minimise their social contact" Jeremy Corbyn said he would not be working from home and would carry on with his duties as normal.

Advice from the Government is designed to keep British citizens as safe as is reasonably possible. 

As Leader of the Opposition, Corbyn set an abysmal example demonstrating that he is a loser the country was fortunate to avoid.