The Mission

A Jesuit from South America, Pope Francis, is to lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. God grant him the strength to complete His mission on earth in the steps of the beloved Benedict XVI.

Summoned!

Having recently received a Jury Summons it was the one occasion when Mrs Briton was happy to be classed as elderly. Others will not escape this civic duty so easily. Rather thoughtfully Her Majesty's Courts Service includes in the contents of their buff envelope texts in a variety of unintelligible languages for the benefit of those unable to speak the mother tongue. Using Google Translate the opening sentence of the only readily identifiable language was translated thus: 

Wezwanie do lawy przysieglych

Zostal(a) Pan(i) wezwany/-a do stawienia sie w sadzie w charakterze czlonka lawy przysieglych.  

"The call to jury. Was(a) you(i) requested/-a to appear in court as a member of the jury" so inability to understand the lingo is no impediment to attend for jury service although a judge may decide otherwise at a later date.

In order to qualify for jury service a person must be between the ages of 18 and 70 years old, registered to vote on the government electoral register and be a registered citizen in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for at least 5 years since their thirteenth birthday. A judge has the ability to discharge a person from jury service if he believes the person cannot sufficiently understand English and is therefore unable to understand any evidence given so lacking the capacity to cope with the information needed for the trial. - Presumably in those circumstances a translator will be needed to tell them that they are excused and assist in completing a claim for attendance!

One wonders why anyone on the electoral register who has been a registered citizen in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for at least 5 years since their thirteenth birthday is unable to understand English. Clearly the Communities and Local Government secretary Eric Pickles was thinking along the same lines when he argued that publishing papers in English would encourage migrants to integrate. He singled out Crawley council in Sussex for spending £600 on translating its glossy 12-page in-house magazine into Urdu after a single resident complained they couldn't read English. Other examples are freely available. A quick 'Google' shows the facilities available form Haringey Council: You can ask a council officer who is dealing with your enquiry for a translation of council letters or other council documents. Most council documents have a language panel on the back cover. You can ask for a translation of that particular document by completing your details on the form given and returning to the freepost address shown. You do not have to pay for translations.

The absurdity of this situation was highlighted in 2010 when a Mail Online reporter disclosed that there was a school in Birmingham where 60 per cent of pupils spoke English as a second language and computer translators were used so that the children could communicate with teachers. Interpreters are used in the health service and to enable people to avail themselves of the services provided by the Department of Works and Pensions. As Mr Pickles told MPs,"Stopping the automatic use of translation and interpretation services into foreign languages will provide further incentive for all migrant communities to learn English, which is the basis for an individual's ability to progress in British society. It will promote cohesion and better community relations. And it will help councils make sensible savings at a time when every bit of the public sector needs to do its bit to pay off the deficit." 

Hear, hear!

Slavery and trafficking includes British citizens

Today sees the publication of It Happens Here by the Centre for Social Justice, a study of "collated evidence of exploitation of foreign adults and children as well as British citizens, in factories, fields, construction sites, brothels and houses. It identified more than 1,000 cases, but cautioned that official figures remain "a pale reflection of the true size of the problem". Christian Guy, managing director of the centre, said it was appalling that many of those who fall into modern-day slavery were themselves considered criminals." 

Two trailer reports here and here suggest a degree of complacency on behalf of the government which enables this trade to continue. Others take the problem more seriously. The Salvation Army has launched the "first ever app" that helps people spot the key signs someone may be being trafficked. Details here. 

Mothering Sunday

Mother and Child

two mothers and child

no mother and child


Happy Mother's Day!

it's Mothering Sunday

Pray for all mothers, especially those separated from their children.

Judith Iscariot: the second coming

In March 2009 the people of Aberystwyth awaited their first screening of Monty Python's The Life of Brian thanks to Judith Iscariot, AKA Sue Jones-Davies who played Brian's girlfriend.

Given the changes in attitudes to religion it is hard now to understand the furore that this film caused at the time resulting in the 30 year ban in Aberystwyth. Hate it or loath it the film carried many messages. Based on mistaken identity my view has always been on the side of humour rather than blasphemy but the essential point is that one should be able to take a view for an honest belief without condemnation as frequently happens today. Initially the film was not shown on TV for fear of offending Christians, now anything goes but one thing has not changed. Neatly explained here,  Brian becomes infatuated with an attractive young rebel, Judith. His desire for her and hatred for the Romans lead him to join the People's Front of Judea (PFJ), one of many fractious and bickering independence movements, who spend more time fighting each other than the Romans, rather like Christians squabbling among themselves today while ignoring the threats to their religion.

A generation later religion plays little if any part in most people's lives while others re-interpret or even re-write scripture as the whim takes them. Of course if Jesus had foreseen the current need for parity of the sexes when appointing His Apostles, Judas may well have been Judith but best not go down that road! 

NHS privatisation plot (2)

From 38 Degrees:

It’s being called backdoor NHS privatisation. And if we want to stop it, what happens in Parliament this week is crucial. Some Labour, Lib Dem and Green MPs have tabled a motion demanding the NHS privatisation plan be immediately withdrawn. [1] So far only 72 MPs have signed up. [2] We need to make that number grow, and quickly.

In the last few hours, the legal advice paid for by thousands of 38 Degrees members’ donations has come in. The verdict seems clear. If the government forces through these new NHS privatisation rules, it will mean ministers breaking promises they made last year when they said doctors wouldn't be forced to privatise everything. [3]

We’ve got the proof we need to show MPs that the government is breaking the promises made when the NHS law was forced through. Now we need to make sure every MP reads it, to convince them to sign the motion demanding these new privatisation rules are stopped.

If MPs hear from thousands of us we can make sure that they sign up to block backdoor privatisation. Can you click here to send an email asking them read our legal advice and oppose the plans?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/nhs-broken-promises

The government says their ‘modernised’ NHS is supposed to be about giving more control to local doctors and communities. But under Jeremy Hunt’s new regulations, the government will force GPs to open up every part of local health services to private companies – whether or not it’s what they or local people want.

And it’s not just us saying this. On Sunday, the Observer newspaper reported an explosive letter from the head of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges to the health minister, outlining concerns that “healthcare will be disrupted and hospital services damaged as a result of time-consuming, disruptive and unnecessary tendering processes,” and that these new regulations are “at odds” with reassurances previously given to doctors. [6]

These are hardly the voices of radicals or political opportunists – so what’s it going to take for MPs to sit up, take notice and admit that something’s not right here? Let’s seize this moment and ask our MPs to listen to doctors, patients, legal experts and concerned constituents, before they make a big mistake:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/nhs-broken-promises

We can stop this now, if we try. In the past week we've grown our rapid-response petition to over 230,000 signatures. We’ve chipped in to pay for expert legal advice. Now let’s make the talk in the halls of Parliament on Monday be about how many voters are getting in touch about these broken promises. Together, we can help those wavering MPs to find some backbone, and help even the diehard supporters of privatisation to realise the game is up.
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/nhs-broken-promises


Thanks for using your voice,

David, James, Hannah and the 38 Degrees team


NOTES
[1] The motion was originally tabled by Green MP Caroline Lucas, but then re-tabled co-sponsored by Lib Dem Andrew George and Labour leader Ed Miliband.
[2] You can see the motion, and the latest signatures, here: http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2012-13/1104
[3] For example, Andrew Lansley sent a letter to prospective CCGs on 16th February 2012, during the height of the battle to get the Bill through parliament, in which he assured them, “I know many of you may have read that you will be forced to fragment services, or to put services out to tender. This is absolutely not the case." See http://www.opendemocracy.net/ournhs/nicola-cutcher-lucy-reynolds/nhs-as-we-know-it-needs-prayer
[4] https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/nhs-section75-legal-advice
[5] Telegraph: Scrap NHS competition rules say 1000 in letter to Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9901194/Scrap-NHS-competition-rules-say-1000-in-letter-to-Telegraph.html
[6] Guardian: Doctors bemoan NHS privatisation by stealth http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/mar/02/doctors-bemoan-nhs-privatisation-by-stealth

Postscript [05/03/13]
NHS private sector climbdown. Read about it here.

Episcopal kindness

Readers will do doubt recall the letter sent by 50 clergy to the Archbishop of York demanding that the next Bishop of Blackburn must be prepared to ordain women. Their demands have been satisfied with the appointment of the Venerable Julian Henderson. Full details here. This has prompted one reader to comment: "This means that there will now be not a single diocesan in the Northern Province who does not ordain women. We can draw our own conclusions."

Commenting on his appointment Archdeacon Henderson said: "I am aware of different deeply held convictions around the diocese on the ordination of women to the priesthood and to the episcopate. Let me be clear, I am in favour of women serving as Bishops and will want to introduce a change in the current diocesan pattern by ordaining women as deacons and priests. But I hope my vote at General Synod last November will be a reassurance to those opposed to this development, that I want to be a figure of unity on this matter and will ensure there is an honoured place for both positions within the mainstream of the Church of England. Might Blackburn be a model for the rest of the Church of England!"

Welcome words with the best of intentions but if 'Blackburn is to be a model for the rest of the Church of England' that undermines the principle that "there will be no discrimination against candidates either for ordination or for appointment to senior office in the Church of England on the grounds of their views about the ordination of women to the priesthood". The reality is that if appointments are to be made only from candidates who are prepared to ordain women, no matter how well intentioned we can look forward to extinction by kindness.