What Right Has This Man To Condemn Gay Marriage?
Cardinal O’Brien is getting all Catholic churches in Scotland to read out an anti-gay marriage letter. He must be going very near the anti-discrimination legislation, so he might find that he gets interviewed by the boys in blue. And I don’t mean Rangers supporters.
In a way, it’s all rather sad, as he is effectively saying that we don’t want certain types of people in the Catholic church. To some religion is important. Not me I hasten to add. But it has caused so much trouble in this world and still does.
In my view, churchmen and other religious leaders should stay out of areas like race and sexuality. And probably politics and football too, except as voters and supporters! Except of course, when they are trying to calm a difficult situation. Here he’s pouring petrol on the fire!
I would also say, that can anybody who has never been married, make a sensible statement, about the joy that relationship can bring.
If Scotland Votes For Independence, Where Do Orkney And Shetland Go?
Only now, with the referendum on Scottish Independence now being seen on the horizon, do people start to think about the real problems of the vote and what happens afterwards.
This article in the Guardian lays out the problems of the northern islands. This quote is given.
All the Shetland ever got from Scotland was dear meal and greedy ministers.
It may be true and I have heard something similar all over Suffolk, as people always feel that other areas of the UK get better treatment. In Suffolk’s case that usually means Norfolk.
Somehow, we must find a better way to spend taxes all over the UK.
Are Booze Cruises On The Way Back?
With Scotland likely to make it more difficult for Scottish residents to buy booze, this article indicates that booze cruises might be on their way back.
All it proves is that Newton was right.
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
He may have been talking about mechanics and his laws of motion, but it also applies to the rules imposed by governments.
Why Is There So Much Religious Bigotry About?
Two stories have dominated the BBC’s most read list this weekend; the arrest in Pakistan of a disabled girl from a Christian family for blasphemy and the breaking off of talks by Cardinal O’Brien with the Scottish government over gay marriage.
Are those behind the bigotry trying to outdo each other?
With regard to the second story, I suspect that there must be quite a few gay Roman Catholics in Scotland.
Scotland’s Thoughts On An Olympic Homecoming Party
I just read this article in The Scotsman, which I thought was a serious newspaper..
The celebration for the Olympic and Paralympic medallists is going to be in Glasgow, but I would have thought that there was a case for it to be in Edinburgh.
The comments are priceless.
Branson Good, First Group Bad
You have to admire Richard Branson on the way he has marshalled the general public to stand up for Virgin Trains. I listened to a couple of phone-ins and the callers were generally behind Virgin. One caller virtually said that he like travelling on Virgin for the loyalty scheme.
As an extensive train user, there is little to choose between Virgin Trains and First Great Western, but both are much better than the state-run East Coast Trains.
Virgin’s main problem at the moment is a shortage of Pendolino trains. This is being rectified, with a few new ones coming into service and the existing fleet growing by a couple of coaches per train. Whoever got the franchise, would have benefited from the increased number of seats.
But as I said in an earlier post, I think that one of the keys to success for First Group, is its links in Scotland. This could cut costs and also bring about an integrated system to get passengers between the north of Scotland and the south.
Cornwall Wins More Gold Medals Than Australia
The Aussie press is having a go at their athletes for failing to turn silver into gold, but what has happened to Australian sport? When I was growing up, Wimbledon was almost a suburb of Sydney or Brisbane, with win after win by a never-ending stream of players. Then more recently, the cricketers were invincible. So why has this happened?
I’ve just done a bit of research on London’s Olympic medallists and have found that one of the UK’s least populous counties, Cornwall, has won two gold medals; Helen Glover and Ben Ainslie, to Australia’s one.
Perhaps our athletes are doing better as they get a post box painted gold in their honour, in their home town. It costs us nothing, as we get bankers to do as a tax allowable expense.
And if that wasn’t enough shame, Wales, Scotland and Yorkshire have also got more gold medals than Australia. My adopted county, Suffolk may not get a gold medal. But here’s hoping!
Does Trump Have A Brain?
In this report from the BBC, about the opening of Donald Trump’s new golf course near Aberdeen, there is these two paragraphs.
The development at Menie has been controversial, with environmental campaigners opposed to the construction of a course on protected sand dunes.
However, Mr Trump said he believed he had created the world’s greatest course.
I know nothing about golf, except a few good jokes, but no sporting venue could be called the greatest in the world, just after it opened. If I take my local football stadium, the Emirates, where Arsenal play, it was designed to be one of the best club grounds in the world and it is certainly good. But no Gooner would say it is the best for a few years yet, until he or she has visited every club ground with a capacity of over 60,000 or so.
Trawl the Internet and there is a lot of deep discussion about this golf course. I have read some tonight on respected web sites and I can’t get it out of my head, that the development has annoyed too many people to succeed. As I said, I know nothing about golf, but many others do and they will build developments, that will appeal to Trump’s target market. If they are better courses, the punters won’t go to Trump’s course. Trump should also remember he’s not dealing with bumpkins in the Southern part of the United States, but proud Scots, who don’t like being told they are wrong. Has he ever watched Local Hero?
I also feel that Trump is going to have to fight the dunes at Menie. I used to live at Felixstowe and I know Suffolk isn’t Scotland, but the dunes there had a mind of their own, which didn’t help the golf course by the Deben.
Scotland Has A Better Wimbledon Than Australia
I can remember as a child, when Mens tennis was dominated by Australians. But this year, those small countries; Scotland and Yorkshire had a better Wimbledon.
What’s gone wrong?
I suppose that Aussies can argue they have a world-class driver in Mark Webber, but even he, needs to drive a car designed and made in the UK.
What Shall We Do With Rangers?
They’re talking this morning on the BBC Radio 5 phone-in about Rangers.
What right to Rangers have to exist, let alone go into their division of choice.
Just imagine, what would happen if say Chelsea or any of the big London clubs went bust. Every fan north of Watford, would want them to be kicked out completely, for all the arrogance they’ve shown over the years.
So fans of other clubs in Scotland are only acting how their English counterparts would.
But let’s face it, no team in Scotland, would beat the best two teams in Wales.
We certainly don’t want Rangers or Celtic with their sectarianism in the English leagues.
Rangers too, should pay their debs to HMRC.
The Anonymous Widower 