New First Minister's shame

New Welsh Labour leader and First Minister nominee, Vaughan Gething Source: BBC

 Gaining 51.7% of the vote, Vaughan Gething secured a narrow victory over his cabinet colleague to secure the top job in Welsh politics, First Minister of Wales.

It is not an auspicious start. WalesOnline reported that Gething "received a huge £200,000 donation from a man whose companies have been convicted of environmental offences. On the same day that he received the donation, one of the donor's companies submitted an application to build a large solar farm in Cardiff that would require Welsh Government approval." 

The First Minister nominee has refused to return the donations arguing that they were "within the rules". He has since declared another £51,000 in donations.

They may be within the rules but not in the spirit of good government.

Nation Cymru reported that the offences entailed "illegally dumping toxic sludge in the Gwent Levels, a sensitive wetlands landscape near Newport", regarded by former First Minister, Mark Drakeford, as a 'fantastic wild haven' equivalent to the Amazon rainforest for sheer diversity of wildlife.

Toxic sludge to kill off wildlife but not the much needed M4 relief road which Drakeford killed off.

It can only get worse with plans to raise the number of Senedd members from 60 to 96. 

As Penny Mordaunt, Leader of the House of Commons argued, if Westminster were expanded in the way planned for the Senedd it would have more than 2,000 MPs. 

But it gets even worse. Described by the bishop of St Asaph as 'bad news' for democracy, from 2026 votes will be cast for parties instead of individual candidates enabling the Labour Party to tighten its grip in Wales despite its lamentable record, particularly on NHS waiting lists. 

There was a time when Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer regarded Welsh Labour as his "blueprint" for power but no longer. He has twice declined to repeat his claim.

No surprise there. 

Postscript [23.03.2024]

Nation.Cymru reports that "New First Minister Vaughan Gething is facing his first major constitutional clash with the UK Government over a controversial Bill that would enforce a gender-balanced Senedd by law and allow election candidates to self-identify as the gender of their choice."

Self-identifying gender balance! Completely crackpot.

Church in Wales in denial

Church in Wales bishops

The duplicity of Church in Wales bishops knows no bounds.

Responding to concerns expressed by Anglican Essentials Wales in the Church Times in advance of their inaugural conference in March, a spokesperson for the Church in Wales said that it was “committed to proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God, and this includes both a call to personal faith and commitment, and bearing witness to God’s call to justice and peace in society.

“All major policy decisions are, and have been, taken either by its Governing Body, which is made up of elected representatives from across the Province, or in consultation with it. This is a fair and democratic process, representative of the whole church, and we believe it is the best place for people to express their views and seek to bring in change.

“We do not recognise the criticism expressed by Anglican Essentials Wales as a fair description of our common life.”

'Proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God' in the Church in Wales has become how the bishops presume to interpret the message.

In the interests of 'democracy' they have embraced “a thoroughly this-worldly message” instead of upholding orthodox faith and practice.

Far from representing 'the whole church' as claimed, traditional Anglicanism is not officially represented. In an appalling breach of faith, commitments given to secure the ordination of women were abandoned when Bishop David Thomas retired.

Faithful worshippers have been left with nothing while overtures continue to be made to high profile minority groups who claim to be persecuted while enjoying their privileged status with access to special chaplaincies.

Movements such as Mae Cymru claim to be "a group of people with a vision of the Church in Wales as a community of God’s people where, regardless of gender, justice and equality prevail". That is exclusively on their terms.

'Gender, justice and equality' have become twisted. Love is everything so everything is permissible. But it is not agape, it is Eros, blatant sexual licence that has little if anything to do with the Gospel message.

Sad to say the ordination of women has proved to be nothing to do with equality. It is about power. Feminist power. Feminists demand equality. Equality demands equality 'regardless of gender'.

In the Church in Wales that means parity regardless of suitability, embracing everything LGBT+, advocating transgenderism and working towards same sex marriage even though the innovation failed to win the necessary votes at the Governing Body of the Church in Wales.

The bench did not accept the 'democratic' decision against same sex marriage in church after a heavily weighted discussion in favour. Instead they decided that more work was needed to implement their decision, using their Governing Body as a tool, drawing participants into heresy. 

In my entry Another farcical Church in Wales 'consultation'? I outlined how the bench of bishops use consultations to cherry pick comments they find favourable while binning those which fail to accord with their predetermined agenda. Their idea of democracy.

Small wonder that the Church in Wales is in terminal decline. The latest press release shows that Wales' struggling rural churches look to tourism for survival. The churches will be fitted out with sleeping stalls and 'services built for cycling'. Services for the faithful are no longer required.

The Church in Wales has entered into dialogue with followers of Witchcraft, Atheism, Peace Mala, Hare Krishna, Sufi, Islam, Yungdrung Bön, Judaism and Druids. Only orthodox Anglicans are regarded as beyond the pale. Unworthy of consideration because they remain true to the historic Apostolic faith in common with Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

That is the 'fair and democratic process' of the Church in Wales.

Self-interest

Click here for his "My generation betrayed the young generation."

In the above tweet 'mace grabbing' Lord Heseltine claims that "his generation betrayed the young generation" by voting to leave the EU. He talks of self-interest and is well placed to do so.

In 1996 when Deputy Prime Minister he faced considerable condemnation after admitting that as a businessman he had delayed the payment of bills, thus putting self-interest above the interests of his creditors.

At the time the Government was consulting on whether companies should be entitled to interest on unpaid invoices. Up to £20bn was owed to UK companies, some of them facing financial ruin.

An ardent Remainer who is campaigning for a second vote in the guise of a 'people's vote', Lord Heseltine complains that "those who are the Brexiteers" are driven by obsessions of yesteryear.

They are "ignorant of the wishes of generations yet to come", he said,  perhaps attempting to add seer to his list of  aspirations.

Self-interest is rampant in the Brexit debate. In politics it is to be expected that political parties will exploit a situation for their own advantage but the animosity generated between factions has reached a new low.

Democracy is the loser. If hardliners do not like a result they campaign until they get what they want, even if it puts the institution they claim to serve at peril. Witness the decline of Western Anglicanism after the feminist onslaught.

It is claimed that people who voted to leave the EU did not understand what they were voting for or those who did could not have foreseen the outcome of the negotiations so the people need to be consulted again even though the majority of voters in a massive turnout voted to leave, no ifs or buts.

Far from betraying future generations many Brexiteers were anxious to safeguard their British identity before it is subsumed into an EU political model nobody voted for.

The Pew Research Center (PRC) reported in 2016:  Immigration to the United Kingdom has been one of the most important issues driving the debate over whether or not the UK should remain a member of the European Union.

The Guardian reports that more than three years after Europe’s biggest influx of migrants and refugees since the second world war, tensions between EU member states over how to handle irregular immigration from outside the bloc – mainly from the Middle East and Africa – remain high.

Since 2014, 1.8 million refugees have arrived in Europe, more than 1 million of them in 2015 alone.

According to PRC figures, the UK’s immigrant population more than doubled from 3.7 million between 1990 and 2015. As of 2015, about 13% of the UK’s resident population was foreign-born resulting in multiculturalism rather than integration.

There are regular reports of migrants putting their lives at risk by crossing the English Channel in unsuitable inflatable vessels to gain illegal access to the UK illustrating the determination of people to settle in the UK by any means.

One of the founding principles of the EU is free movement of workers and their families among member states. Further uncontrolled immigration is unsustainable in the UK where the infrastructure is already under considerable pressure.

The EU attitude is take it or leave it. The option was clear.

Oath of British values

Moderate Muslims?                                                                                                                             Source: Communities Digital News

"I know that for some, the content of this review will be hard to read, and I have

wrestled with what to put in and what to leave out, particularly because I know that

putting some communities under the spotlight – particularly communities in which 

there are high concentrations of Muslims of Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage – will

add to the pressure that they already feel. However, I am convinced that it is only by

fully acknowledging what is happening that we can set about resolving these

problems and eventually relieve this pressure." - The Casey Review

The Casey Review is a review into "opportunity and integration" by Dame Louise Casey DBE CB. The above quote is from the Forward to her report. As ever the "pressure" indicates concern only for Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage communities, the politically correct attitude which rendered the police and social services impotent while British Girls were raped by Muslim Gangs on 'Industrial Scale'.

Watching the BBC News at Six this evening it was telling that ethnic minorities who were interviewed saw no problems when asked about integration. Only an indigenous white couple, now in a minority, admitted that the situation was worse than it had ever been. Predictably Muslims are already complaining that the Report is divisive, a victimisation ploy currently being used by the gay community and previously by Women and the Church (WATCH) to achieve their aims to the detriment of others.

The report shows that there were an estimated 65.1 million people living in the United Kingdom in June 2015, with the population having risen by 4.1 million between 2001 and 2011. More than half of this growth was due to immigration. [1.15]

Among faith groups the number of people identifying themselves as Muslim grew most significantly, by 1.2 million people. This 72% increase is higher than for any other religious group and Muslims make up the largest non-Christian religious population in the UK at 2.8 million in total, compared with 0.8m Hindus, 0.4m Sikhs, 0.3m Jews and 0.3m Buddhists.

The Guardian typifies the problem in their account of the Report: 'Louise Casey's integration plan is behind the times' going on to say that "It was odd for the government’s tsar to focus so relentlessly on Muslims, and her aggression is likely to be counterproductive". Is the author blind to what is going on all around the world?

Because most Muslims live relatively peacefully in Great Britain and claim to be peace loving it is easy to be taken in, especially if one has been brought up in the Christian spirit of 'love thy neighbour'. Evidence that Islam is at the root of the integration problem is ignored. Witness ISIS in the Middle East, now spreading to Europe and the UK, Boko Haram in Africa and numerous other Islamic organisations elsewhere in addition to the legalised  oppression of non-Muslims in Islamic states such as in Pakistan and in Saudi Arabia where there is no religious freedom.

Islam does not believe in democracy. Sharia rules. In this article a Muslim writer explains why Islam and democracy are incompatible. Nevertheless, political and religious leaders are still taken in, believing that "if we can just get Muslims to understand the democratic way of life, then all our problems will vanish".

To paraphrase a quote by former US presidential candidate Al Gore, "Once in control, however, all bets are off, because Islam takes over. It is the "controlling legal authority" for Muslims.

Given that the Islamic doctrine of taqiyya encourages Muslims "to lie" to achieve their goals an 'Oath of British values' can have no value.

In the following video the Chairman of the Association of Muslim Schools says that "as Muslims we have a right to bring up our children in accordance with our beliefs which have served us all the centuries well". He said that it is the parent's right to educate the child until he is old enough to decide for himself.

Some recent examples here and here illustrate that Islamic education is completely divorced from British values. At the end of the video clip the Association Chairman is forced to admit that, contrary to British values, the penalty for apostasy in Islam is death. There is no escape. Islam is Islam. No other values count.

Islamophobia 2

In a comment on my previous post tsavogadfly said...  "I want the whole world to think about the phrase you put so neatly, regarding the merits of pen versus the sword to express disagreement." The illustration above is one of many which neatly emphasises the problem facing us in the free and democratic society radical Muslims seek to exploit.

The reaction to Baroness Warsi's claims of Islamophobia suggest that we may have reached a watershed. Islam claims special privileges under the cloak of persecution while preaching hatred and supremacy. Why is this tolerated? Previous warnings were ridiculed. Politicians must grasp the nettle before it is too late. The spread of Islam must be stopped to protect our democracy.

Is Christianity its own worst enemy?

“The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12: 30-31

Even lapsed Christians tend to think in these terms and assume that others think likewise. The Equality and Human Rights Commission Triennial Review 2010 says that “Democracy is predicated on the idea that every individual, no matter what their background or personal circumstances, should have an equal opportunity to have a say in decisions about the country’s future.” The problem facing Christians and other religions is that Islam does not believe in democracy and denies people their basic human rights. Under Article 18 “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.” The penalty for converting from Islam is death. How do ‘honour killings’ square with Article 16 on the freedom to marry? There have been calls to allow Sharia law to operate in this country yet it is alien to our culture putting power into the hands of people who would deny others their human rights.

To question such anomalies is met with cries of Islamophobia, racism and bigotry. Political correctness based on Christian values of tolerance (love thy neighbour) encourages well meaning people of other faiths and of no faith to question the motives of those simply seeking the truth by asking questions. The English Defence League is getting a bad press with the usual PC labels attached to them. Most ‘causes’ become infiltrated causing negative effects but one thing is clear, most non-Muslims don’t have the faintest idea of what Islam is about. We tend to think of the Koran as their version of the Bible and we are led to believe that like Christianity it is a religion of peace but that peace is under Islam, not as we know it.

The vast majority of Muslims go about their daily lives peacefully and deplore extremism. The problem for Christians and those of other religions arises when they become the minority. Then the ‘infidels’ are treated as the second class citizens Muslims believe them to be unless they convert. Hence the Christian exodus from the Middle East which is the subject of the Vatican Synod now in progress. Immigration and high birth rates have seen Islamic communities growing in Non-Muslim countries. This leads to demands for Muslim schools and mosques which build communities within communities instead of integration. The proposed ‘Ground Zero’ mosque development has highlighted the issue causing much controversy. If people have legitimate concerns they should be allowed to express their fears without being accused of racism and bigotry. To understand what is happening we need to educate ourselves to take a balanced view of what our greatest war-time leader Churchill, warned us of, that "the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome".

The documentary What the West Needs to Know, explains "everything you've always wanted to know about Islam but were afraid to ask. The feature documentary discovers the basis of Muslim violence in the Koran and the life of Muhammad: jihad terror Muhammad Koran Quran Fitna." If you are not willing to devote an hour and a half to the fuller explanation you can get a shorter but incomplete message here.

These videos raise legitimate concerns for Christians putting documented events of discrimination and killings into context which raises the question, Who is my neighbour? or, more pertinently, What is my neighbour's attitude to me? That must be a legitimate question in a (currently) free society.