Campaign to Legislate for a Quota of Catholics in Public Life

There is no reason why this video is up on this post, aside from the fact that it's a great Bowie song.

H/T to My Heart Was Restless for this:

British churches will be forced to accept practicing homosexuals or "transsexuals" in positions as youth workers and similar roles, under upcoming equality legislation, the government has said. The Labour government's Equality Bill will prohibit churches from refusing to hire active homosexuals even if their religion holds such behavior to be sinful, said deputy equalities minister Maria Eagle.

The legislation is due to come into force next year, and churches fear that it will force them to act against their religious convictions in a broad range of areas. Eagle indicated at a conference called "Faith, Homophobia, Transphobia, & Human Rights" in London, that the legislation "will cover almost all church employees."

For full story see Life Site News.

There are, as is usual with Government 'equality' legislation, several key points in this policy move which are glaringly insane and unworkable.

1. What kind of a person goes to an interview at a parish Church for, say a job as a youth worker, and makes his sexuality the chief reason for why he thinks he is 'appropriate for this position'?

2. I thought everyone's private lives were left outside the door when turning up for work, or have those days gone by? It is a sad reflection of our times that we are reducing our humanity to our sexuality and feel the need, so desperate for identity as we are, down to only that.

3. It would be unjust and unfair for a parish Church to sack someone, or not hire someone because they suspected that the individual was a homosexual or because they thought they were in a relationship. I would imagine that the majority of parish priests are not only discreet but also compassionate regarding the intricacies of worker's private lives. The Church already has, within the Catechism, the expressed desire that 'any unjust discrimination' with regard to homosexuals is to be rejected. Thus this legislation is or at least should be redundant.

4. If someone was a 'active homosexual', that would not necessarily preclude them from wanting a job as a Church youth worker, for the Church includes people with different sexual peccadillos. However, while the LGBT movement within the Church is strident, a sharp and irritating thorn in the side of the Church, why would a 'homosexualist activist', for only such would make his sexuality so apparent, want a job working for a Church with whom, theologically, at least, he is at odds.

5. One suspects that as with all of this bulls**t equality legislation, that the Church will have to fill a quota of 5-10% of its staff being 'friends of dorothy'. This is why I cannot stand this awful, awful Government. There is no aspect of human interaction and human affairs for which they will not legislate. What next? Friendships? "We wish to fine you because you are not friends with enough gays, or lesbians, or transgendered people. By and large the group of friends you hang out with are straight. You must fulfill a quota of at least 5 LGBT friends or we'll charge you £80."

Finally...Where, in all the Government legislation, is the equality for the employability of Catholics? There should, given that Catholics are a minority in this country, be at least a quota of 5-10 % Catholics in the Houses of Parliament. Let's start a campaign for this now!

Exclusive Interview with New Archbishop!

Exclusive that is...to The Guardian. They can have their scoop. Sure. One day though, obviously, the Archbishop will prefer to be interviewed by the Catholic web-magazine of Thrilling Bones...

It takes a lot of nerve to pass judgment on somebody else's moral crisis when you know you are about to face one of your own, but Vincent Nichols is that kind of man. The new spiritual leader of Roman Catholics in England and Wales has a reputation for speaking his mind, and as we sit in the vast, strangely soulless study where he will work from now on, behind Westminster Cathedral, he shows why. "MPs have revealed themselves to be fallible and flawed," he says of his new neighbours, their palace only a short walk away. They are guilty of "fiddling their system" and giving in to the "easy temptation of greed".

He says this with an air of sadness, sitting straight-backed in a high armchair with his hands clasped together on his lap. Archbishop Nichols is not monkish like his great friend and predecessor Cardinal Basil Hume, nor bullish like the man he follows into the job, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor. He is elegant, even in simple priestly black, and eloquent, but a soft Mersey lilt adds humanity to the package. He holds himself with ­assurance, like a gameshow host who has the answers.

"We need civic virtue," says the archbishop. "We need people who are committed, not just to keeping the rules but to serving with honesty and integrity and justice."

[Click here for more]

Barry Running Scared from the Holy Father

Come to Papa! Do not be afraid! Unless you're a well-dodgy world leader...

Courtesy of Zenit

A press statement from the White House this week gives details about U.S. President Barack Obama's upcoming trip to Italy, but makes no mention of a stop at the Vatican. [What a wuss!]

The president will be in Italy to attend the Group of Eight meeting from July 8 to 10, during part of an international tour that also includes Russia and Ghana. According to the National Catholic Register, the White House explained that the notable absence is because details of the president's tour are still pending: "We won’t go into the details of who he’s meeting and the places he'll be visiting until nearer the time," a spokesman said.

The Register also reported that the Vatican is hoping for a presidential visit ["Please, come...We've got some important things to talk over!"]. Father Ciro Benedettini, deputy director of the Vatican Press Office, said the Holy See is "waiting" to hear from the U.S. administration, but that as of last week no contact by the current administration had been made. Additionally, the president has yet to name a U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. [Oh dear...That's because the Holy See insist on a genuine Catholic being appointed, rather than one of Barry's sycophantic abortion apostles!]

Heads of state visiting Italy traditionally also visit the Pontiff. [But, this guy is all change, isn't he? Hopefully given that he's got the balls to overturn years of pro-life policy in the US, he'll have the balls to spend 15 minutes with the Holy Father discussing some of the key issues of the day.]

Does God Still Love the UK?

Yes, look! Here's the proof!

Courtesy of The Telegraph

Gardens that Rock!

I was up bright and early today having contracted food poisoning from out of date sausages yesterday. I felt so awful that I didn't know whether to drive to the hospital or to Fr Ray for the Anointing of the Sick. It was 12am, so I'll bet he's glad I chose the hospital. I approached the reception grabbing my throbbing head (oo-er, missus) and told her insistently that I was a Catholic and that if I died please would they call my priest. I then told them it would be better if they called the priest before I died. As it was, I recovered in the time it took for me to wait to be seen. I still feel the worse for wear but think I am on the mend.

Anyway, so having got up so early I took a walk down to the beautiful Japanese rock garden on Preston Park. It was incredible. London Road is so depressing, grey, urban, deprived and full of pubs that I have inhabited so diligently for the past few years. It is only recently that I have been going for walks to Preston Park after I went with a friend.

At 6am, the sun was rising on Brighton (and the rest of the UK of course, one assumes) and the weather was sublime. The suns rays streaked through oak and horse chestnut trees in the park. The Rock Garden has gigantic Gunnera plants that line the pond which look like they could quite happily house your behind and take your weight. I didn't try. In the pond are a vast array of fish which the groundsman said later on are currently spawning. I thought they were stuck in the reeds and mossy stuff in the pond!

The Garden contains a foxglove tree or two - my favourite tree - and little early morning sparrows and blackbirds sang in the tree, while squirrels raced down the branches to the next tree. I sat on a rock in the pond and looked at the fishes, gold and grey which jump up and down doing their spawning and mating malarky.

'**** me,' I thought...'Why do I never come here?' It was like a little slice of Heaven early in the morning. Now I know why some people actually get up in the morning! Later on, joggers arrived and men and women walking their dogs. Well...I'm skint anyway, so I am going to have to change my lifestyle and keep out of the pubs. Still, at least there's something beautiful to get up and see.

I have a friend who is staying nearby at the moment who is banned from much of Brighton. London Road and much of Brighton is mayhem. He seems to be drinking a lot less now he is sited further out of town. It is nicer out of town. Perhaps they've done him a favour giving him this ASBO, as unjust as it is. He likes it out of the way where it is peaceful. He seems much happier there than on the London Road, but he's still awaiting a hostel place back in the Valley of Death in Brighton. It feels quite monastic in Preston Park. So much nature. I wouldn't mind camping out there for a day or two in the summer...I love camping! Anyway, just thought I'd share that morning tale. No giraffes though. I'm going to make a habit of going there in the mornings.

The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)

"If they can't fornicate, they can't fight. And if they don't fight hard, I will flog their backs raw for all their fine looks!"

To date, two major films have been produced about the disastrous Charge of the Light Brigade. The first, Michael Curtiz's 1936 effort with Errol Flynn, is an escapist imperial adventure without a shred of historical accuracy. Its simple story reduces the Crimean War's messy imperial politics into personal revenge, catching the glorious spirit of Tennyson's poem in exciting style.

Tony Richardson's 1968 film is much more accurate, but equally problematic. It's certainly impressive in scope and pageantry, and its damning indictment of military idiocy remains strong. But it also suffers from a disjointed tone, unsure if it wants to be a rollicking satire or a powerful anti-war statement.

In 1854, England and France edge towards war with Russia, whose ambitions in Eastern Europe menace the Ottoman Empire. As war fever intensifies, the 11th Hussars, under ruthless Lord Cardigan (Trevor Howard), recruits criminals, derelicts and assorted scum. Idealistic Captain Louis Nolan (David Hemmings) joins the regiment, but immediately clashes with Cardigan. Cardigan tries to cashier Nolan from the army over a trivial incident, but commander Lord Raglan (John Gielgud) sides with the junior officer. The clash of egos continues through the war, where the woefully unprepared British Army bumbles through a series of engagements with crack Russian troops, culminating in the titular Charge at Balaclava.

The Charge of the Light Brigade is largely a black comedy, a Doctor Strangelove for the 1850's. Drawing on Cecil Woodham-Smith's book The Reason Why, Richardson and writer Charles Wood attack the British Army's class-dominated officer corps. This inequitable system allowed officers to purchase commissions. Designed to prevent the rise of a powerful military caste as in Germany or France, it effectively populated the Army with rich dilettantes and dullards. Forty years removed from Waterloo, the Brits were in poor shape for a major war.

Richardson's portrait is broad but effective. Cardigan embodies the pompous aristocrat to a T, amoral, egotistical, vain and none-too-bright, expecting unconditional admiration. He loathes Nolan for his Indian service and ambition, and nurses hatred for brother-in-law Lord Lucan (Harry Andrews), his division commander. The senile Raglan literally fights the last war, confusing the Russians with his French allies. Under such dismal leadership the army falls apart in the Crimea, inept tactics compounded by poor supplies and cholera. A disaster is inevitable.

Richardson provides solid direction, with near-perfect art direction and photography. The battle scenes are epic in scope, with the elite Turkish Presidential Cavalry expertly marshaled, and David Watkins' widescreen photography makes it clear how Raglan garbled his fateful order. The fighting itself is a bit underwhelming, however, Richardson going for the gritty details rather than grand scope. John Addison provides a marvelous score, mixing imperial bombast with mellow tragedy.

Special praise goes to Richard Williams' brilliant animation sequences. Based on Punch magazine's political cartoons, Williams delivers some creative imagery: an English lion pummeling a Russian bear, Great Britain collectively crying out "Poor little Turkey!", Queen Victoria and Prince Albert dancing an angelic victory waltz. These sequences are so stunning they nearly overshadow the live action.

Where Light Brigade falters is its story structure. The superfluous romance between Nolan and Clarissa (Vanessa Redgrave) is ill-judged filler. Early scenes dote on the 11th's common troopers, especially the Sergeant Major (Norman Rossington) whose refusal to spy for Cardigan ruins his career. Once we arrive in the Crimea these angles are unceremoniously dropped, much to the film's detriment.

On another level, the opening hour's brutal satire gives way to an awkward tonal dissonance in the war scenes. We laugh at Raglan's nonsensical pronouncements and Cardigan's awkward tryst with Fanny Duberly (Jill Bennett), but the battle scenes and soldiers' suffering are played deadly serious. It just doesn't add up, and Light Brigade becomes unwieldy and uneven.

Trevor Howard gives a masterful turn; blustering and chewing scenery in inimitable fashion, this is one of Howard's best performances. Harry Andrews matches him rant for rant, while John Gielgud's droll underplaying provides welcome balance. David Hemmings gives a layered performance, dashing and indignant but arrogant in his own right. Vanessa Redgrave's token role is forgettable but Jill Bennett is hysterically randy. Norman Rossington gets a rare standout role, playing his part with the right boisterous gravitas. Other roles go to Howard Marion-Crawford, Alan Dobie, Corin Redgrave and Donald Wolfit.

The Charge of the Light Brigade is a mixed bag. It's easy to laugh at the '36 version's anachronisms, but it's much more entertaining than Richardson's take. Nonetheless, its depiction of upper class arrogance and military bumbling is certainly worth watching.

Click here for a more detailed analysis.

Dr Alan Keyes on His Arrest and the Notre Dame Scandal

The excellent Alan Keyes.