THE BRITISH INQUISITION
Christmas this year has been the most contentious ever, with the British Inquisition trying to either ban it outright, or re-label it as something else. The English Rights Campaign has already highlighted some of this [eg see the entries dated the 7 and 11 November 2005].
A report for the Waveney District Council in Suffolk recommended that the funding for Christmas lights does not ‘fit with the council’s core values of equality and diversity’. This was because Christmas is a Christian festival.
The report recommended that the funding be reduced and then withdrawn over a 2 year period.
Only 0.5% of the local population claimed to practice a religion other than Christianity.
Meanwhile in Lambeth, that bastion of the loony left, the local council had decided to refer to the Christmas lights as being winter lights.
Even the Royal Mail fell foul of the politically correct, as a direct result of its own political correctness. A 68p stamp, which could be used to send letters to India, was withdrawn after Hindus alleged the stamp was insensitive. This was because the stamp depicted a man and woman with Hindu markings worshipping the baby Jesus.
Apparently, this was the Royal Mail attempting to be inclusive. The Royal Mail’s stamps are designed by a multi-faith committee.
When the Hindu Forum of Britain urged the UK’s 750,000 to send unstamped letters to the Royal Mail HQ, it was decided to withdraw the stamp.
Meanwhile, the Home Office threatened to withdraw funding for a memorial carol service for victims of crime, alleging that it was ‘too Christian’.
Each year hundreds of grieving relatives have attended a carol service in the church of St Martin-in -the-Fields in Trafalgar Square, in memory of murder victims. However, Home Office officials recommended that the £2,000 grant be withdrawn unless the service became ‘multi-faith’ and is held in a secular venue and not a church. A letter to the event’s organisers said:
Eventually, it is understood that the Home Office backed down - for the time being - and the service is to continue.
Meanwhile, in Havant in Hampshire, the Tory council decided to have a ‘Festival of Lights’ and not Christmas lights, in order not to offend non-Christians. Father Christmas was done away with completely. This is despite the fact that 99.1% of the local residents are white.
However, in Wolverhampton the politically correct suffered a setback. For several years the Christmas lights, costing £150,000, had simply spelt out the word ‘Welcome’ in several different languages [needless to say]. This year, Elias Mattu, an Asian councillor and Christian, met with the local officials and insisted that Christmas should return to the city. This year, the lights say ‘Happy Christmas’.
But Preston was not so fortunate. The local mayor Bhikhu Patel, a Hindu, abolished the annual carol concert. In its place is planned a multicultural event in the New Year, which will consist of an evening of Afro-Caribbean and Asian music. Mr Patel said:
Mr Patel has also replaced the traditional Christian blessing at the start of a council meeting with Hindu prayers. He has also been criticised for requesting that the taxpayers fund a trip for a delegation of 11 people, including members of his own family, to visit his home village in India.
15% of Preston’s population belong to an ethnic minority.
Meanwhile, Christmas decorations were banned in a Peterborough Jobcentre office in order to avoid offending non-Christian religions. After an outcry of protest, the decision was reversed. Sukhi Wahiwala, of the Peterborough Bhat Sikh Associations said:
The Headmistress of the Bournville Community Infants School, in Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, banned the exchange of Christmas cards at school on the grounds that it was bad for the environment. Janice Taylor said that the ban was part of ‘ongoing work on recycling and protecting the environment.’ She continued:
A spokesman for Friends of the Earth said:
To sum matters up, a survey by the employment law firm Peninsula, revealed that about 70% of employers had banned Christmas trees and decorations. Over 2,000 employers were contacted in the survey.
The managing director of Peninsula, Peter Done, said:
A report for the Waveney District Council in Suffolk recommended that the funding for Christmas lights does not ‘fit with the council’s core values of equality and diversity’. This was because Christmas is a Christian festival.
The report recommended that the funding be reduced and then withdrawn over a 2 year period.
Only 0.5% of the local population claimed to practice a religion other than Christianity.
Meanwhile in Lambeth, that bastion of the loony left, the local council had decided to refer to the Christmas lights as being winter lights.
Even the Royal Mail fell foul of the politically correct, as a direct result of its own political correctness. A 68p stamp, which could be used to send letters to India, was withdrawn after Hindus alleged the stamp was insensitive. This was because the stamp depicted a man and woman with Hindu markings worshipping the baby Jesus.
Apparently, this was the Royal Mail attempting to be inclusive. The Royal Mail’s stamps are designed by a multi-faith committee.
When the Hindu Forum of Britain urged the UK’s 750,000 to send unstamped letters to the Royal Mail HQ, it was decided to withdraw the stamp.
Meanwhile, the Home Office threatened to withdraw funding for a memorial carol service for victims of crime, alleging that it was ‘too Christian’.
Each year hundreds of grieving relatives have attended a carol service in the church of St Martin-in -the-Fields in Trafalgar Square, in memory of murder victims. However, Home Office officials recommended that the £2,000 grant be withdrawn unless the service became ‘multi-faith’ and is held in a secular venue and not a church. A letter to the event’s organisers said:
‘I appreciate the service is a source of great comfort for those who attend. I am, however, concerned that this service could be seen as a Christian service and could therefore exclude parts of the community that would benefit from attending a memorial service. Before we can make a decision on future funding arrangements I would appreciate it if you could provide me with some evidence that this event reaches all parts of the community.
I would also be interested in any ideas you have on improving the multi-faith aspect of the service such as possible alternatives to holding the service in a church.’
Eventually, it is understood that the Home Office backed down - for the time being - and the service is to continue.
Meanwhile, in Havant in Hampshire, the Tory council decided to have a ‘Festival of Lights’ and not Christmas lights, in order not to offend non-Christians. Father Christmas was done away with completely. This is despite the fact that 99.1% of the local residents are white.
However, in Wolverhampton the politically correct suffered a setback. For several years the Christmas lights, costing £150,000, had simply spelt out the word ‘Welcome’ in several different languages [needless to say]. This year, Elias Mattu, an Asian councillor and Christian, met with the local officials and insisted that Christmas should return to the city. This year, the lights say ‘Happy Christmas’.
But Preston was not so fortunate. The local mayor Bhikhu Patel, a Hindu, abolished the annual carol concert. In its place is planned a multicultural event in the New Year, which will consist of an evening of Afro-Caribbean and Asian music. Mr Patel said:
‘I want a multicultural peace and harmony event. It will be a culturally cohesive, more inclusive event. I do not think carol singing is suitable for my mayoral year.’
Mr Patel has also replaced the traditional Christian blessing at the start of a council meeting with Hindu prayers. He has also been criticised for requesting that the taxpayers fund a trip for a delegation of 11 people, including members of his own family, to visit his home village in India.
15% of Preston’s population belong to an ethnic minority.
Meanwhile, Christmas decorations were banned in a Peterborough Jobcentre office in order to avoid offending non-Christian religions. After an outcry of protest, the decision was reversed. Sukhi Wahiwala, of the Peterborough Bhat Sikh Associations said:
‘Although we don’t celebrate Christmas ourselves, Sikhs in Peterborough really enter into the spirit of things. It is madness to say people who are not Christian will get offended by a few presents and a bit of tinsel.’
The Headmistress of the Bournville Community Infants School, in Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, banned the exchange of Christmas cards at school on the grounds that it was bad for the environment. Janice Taylor said that the ban was part of ‘ongoing work on recycling and protecting the environment.’ She continued:
‘It is important to instil recycling principles in children at a young age so they grow up to be environmentally aware.’
A spokesman for Friends of the Earth said:
‘We would not discourage people from sending Christmas cards. What we would advise is to buy cards made from recycled paper and after Christmas make sure you recycle all the cards you have received.’
To sum matters up, a survey by the employment law firm Peninsula, revealed that about 70% of employers had banned Christmas trees and decorations. Over 2,000 employers were contacted in the survey.
The managing director of Peninsula, Peter Done, said:
‘The workplace is now the latest in an increasing number of places affected by the wave of political correctness being imposed on festive traditions. To ease fears of offending other faiths and excluding minorities, firms are increasingly banning Christmas decorations and traditions from the workplace.’
posted by erc @ 8:50 pm
<< Home