Tuesday, May 29, 2012


Plans for same sex marriage doomed in Britain

Ditch plans for same-sex marriage, voters tell MPs.  Plans to legalise same-sex marriage are the number one issue in MPs’ postbags - with an overwhelming majority of voters opposed to the move - according to a new poll.

The survey of MPs from across the political spectrum by ComRes also shows that only one in 25 parliamentarians believes that allowing gay unions is a main priority for voters.

The poll comes in the wake of a growing number of Conservative heavyweights declaring that they do not support moves to allow same-sex marriage by law by the time of the next election, May 2015.

Last week Downing Street backed down by signalling that there would a “free vote” on the issue in parliament - as is traditional with matters of conscience - in what has become a divisive issue for the coalition.

Earlier senior sources had indicated that the measure would be “whipped” - meaning that ministers would have to support government plans.

Campaigners believe up to five cabinet ministers would vote against same-sex marriage in the Commons, three of whom are claimed to be Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, Owen Patterson, the Northern Ireland Secretary and Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary.

By contrast, Theresa May, the Home Secretary, last week recorded a video in support of the proposals, saying “marriage should be for everyone.” Her intervention was seen as highly significant since she is the minister leading the public consultation on the plans.

David Cameron is said to remain firmly committed to allowing same-sex marriage - despite his stance being held at least partly to blame by some Tory MPs for his party’s poor showing in this month’s local elections. Liberal Democrat ministers are strong supporters of the move.

Ministers are expected to press ahead with plans, permitting same-sex unions in non-religious venues, within the next year. With Labour supporting the move it would be assured of a majority in the Commons - but would run into significant opposition in the Lords.

The survey, commissioned by the Coalition for Marriage (C4M), which is leading the campaign against the government’s proposals, shows that same-sex marriage is the issue which most stands out in MPs correspondence from voters.

According to the polls, findings, seen by The Sunday Telegraph, around one in three MPs (34 per cent) cited it as one of the main concerns raised with them by voters, putting ahead of welfare reform (23 per cent), NHS reform (19 per cent), pensions (13 per cent), fuel prices (13 per cent), fuel taxes (13 per cent), unemployment and jobs (8 per cent) and the Budget (8 per cent).

Asked how voters divide on the issue, MPs say their constituents are overwhelmingly against - with, on average, three in four voters either opposed to the measure (19 per cent) or strongly opposed (55 per cent), according to the MPs’ assessments. Just 16 per cent of those who are in touch with their MPs support the plans.

Strong opposition to the move is reported by MPs of all three main parties, with Conservatives getting the heaviest flak from voters. Among Tories, 45 per cent say that letters and emails opposing same-sex marriage are the number one item in their postbag and email accounts - with the figure falling to 30 per cent of Lib Dems and 23 per cent of Labour MPs.

Asked what issues matter most to their constituents, MPs cite fuel tax (79 per cent), cutting the deficit (74 per cent) and ensuring the tax burden is “spread fairly” overall (69 per cent).

Gay marriage is cited by just four per cent of MPs as a key priority for their constituents, just one per cent ahead of House of Lords reform.

Colin Hart, Campaign Director of C4M, said: “This poll shows that, right across the Commons, MPs do not regard gay marriage as an important priority.

“It also demonstrates that public opposition to the measure is vociferous and widespread.

“If Ministers decide to press ahead regardless of popular opinion, they will further undermine public confidence in Parliament and reinforce the growing impression that the ruling elite is out of touch with the strongly-held concerns and opinions of the British people.

“David Cameron should drop this idea before it causes yet more social divisions and ill-feeling.”

Andrew Hawkins, Chief Executive of ComRes said: “Clearly this issue has touched a raw nerve with the public, and not in a positive way.

“It is however entirely in line with public polling which shows that Mr Cameron’s stance on same-sex marriage has already cost the Conservatives some support and could well be responsible for a number of the party’s MPs losing their seats at the next election.”

SOURCE




THOUSANDS of jobless layabouts risk having benefits stopped in British government crackdown on the workshy

Ministers now want to make ALL able-bodied claimants do unpaid community tasks in return for their dole.

The move follows the success of a tough new regime aimed at pushing the long-term unemployed into work.

Job centre staff have power to send suspected shirkers to join supervised gangs painting schools or trimming hedgerows.

Those who refuse to put in 30 hours a week have their £67.50-a-week unemployment benefit stopped. Next month the government will DOUBLE the number on the programme.

Employment Minister Chris Grayling, who set up the scheme last year, wants to extend it to capture thousands more he believes play the system.

And he has launched a secret trial in one area to see if tough sanctions can be imposed on EVERY claimant. An insider said: “He wants this scheme to be the norm, rather than an optional extra.

“They are planning to extend it rapidly from next month and have already found funding for thousands more places.

More than 18,000 jobless have already joined community projects or had their handouts docked.

But a study shows half of claimants would rather lose their cash than do unpaid work. (Because they are in fact working)

SOURCE





The Media Is Guilty Of Racial Profiling

The media reporting on the Trayvon Martin killing is guilty of felony racial profiling.

It thought it had all the juicy ingredients for a long term titillating story about an angry, white, gun toting, wannabe cop who profiled and stalked an innocent black teenager before killing him simply because of his race.

Due to Zimmerman having a European surname, living in the South, carrying a handgun, speaking without any dialect, and appearing Caucasian, the New York Times naturally profiled George Zimmerman as a bigoted right wing Conservative-Republican NRA life member nut job.

 After learning that his mother was from South America, the newspaper of record, the New York Times, identified him as a "White-Hispanic." I never heard that term applied to former Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, whose mother was Hispanic. Richardson was always regarded as the Hispanic member of Bill Clinton's diversified cabinet.

It turns out that Zimmerman is a registered Democrat.

George Zimmerman's genes are an eclectic blend of at least three different races. The shameless mainstream media purposely downplayed the fact that Zimmerman's grandfather was black. But because he has a German family name and has Caucasian facial features, he was immediately profiled and portrayed as a stalking racist killer who preys on poor defenseless black children.

ABC News was the first to obtain a police station videotape of Zimmerman being led from a police car to an interview room. The media went out of its way to find so-called experts, attorneys, and other pundits to view the tape and conclude that there were no signs of injuries to Zimmerman's face and head, as his father had claimed. Therefore, he's obviously guilty! Even enhanced versions of the tape rendered the same conclusion. So-called audio analysis experts concluded that the voice heard screaming voice on the 9-11 tape during the struggle between Zimmerman and Martin was more than likely Martin's. It turns out that when Martin's father heard the tape, he told the detectives that it was not his son's voice; and then later recanted, probably after his attorney contacted him.

In an unethical effort to reinforce that Zimmerman was a Conservative, racist bastard, NBC news edited the 9-11 tapes to give the indelible impression that he volunteered to the 9-11 operator that Martin looked like a black guy who might be on drugs. In reality, Zimmerman never mentioned race until asked specifically by the 9-11 operator what Martin's physical description and race were.  That portion of the tape was surgically removed before being played on the Today Show. When a hail storm of criticism hit NBC, it reluctantly fired three employees, but refused to identify them. I wonder if any of them were "White-Hispanics."

Following nationwide protests orchestrated and led by the usual suspects, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, Florida appointed a special prosecutor whose job it was to make sure Zimmerman was charged for a crime, any crime, just to get the heat off.

After the New Black Panthers and the media began looking for Zimmerman, he eventually self-surrendered and was arrested for second degree murder. He was later released on bail.

This week, photographs suddenly emerged of Zimmerman that clearly show he suffered severe cuts and abrasions on the left rear side of his head indicative of his being slammed into a sidewalk by Martin, as Zimmerman always maintained. Other corroborating photos showed Zimmerman's crooked nose that was broken by punches thrown by Martin, something else Zimmerman had always claimed.

Martin's autopsy report was also released, and to the shock and amazement of the media, the only other injury to his body, besides the single bullet wound, was to his scraped knuckles! And, if that wasn't enough, the sweet kid, who according to his mother would never do anything wrong, had Tetrahydrocannabinol (the active ingredient of marijuana), in his blood and urine. So it seems that Zimmerman's description to the 9-11 operator that the person he was following was acting strange and might be under the influence of drugs was also accurate.

Zimmerman didn't racially profile anyone; the media did. It profiled Zimmerman as someone who could further its agenda of portraying all whites as racists, and all blacks as victims. They shamelessly ignored the facts and manufactured evidence to cleanly fit into Martin's family's version of what happened.

The media hasn't had a feeding frenzy like this since the Duke Lacrosse case, which turned out to be a complete fabrication by the alleged victim. It will be interesting to see if the main stream media will ask the Florida prosecutor if she purposely concealed exculpatory evidence from the judge at the time she filed the complaint and sought an arrest warrant for Zimmerman.

In light of the corroborating photographs and autopsy, will the media demand that the charges against Zimmerman be dropped in the interest of justice? Will the media learn from this and admit that it rushed to judgment because of its own prejudices?

There's about as much chance of that happening as Trayvon Martin rising from the dead and taking responsibility for his actions. 

SOURCE




Australia: Former Qld. Labor party government  commissioned, covered up report into excessive red and green tape

A SECRET report has emerged, exposing the reams of red tape and irrational regulation strangling Queensland business across an array of industries.

Obtained by The Courier-Mail, the two-volume report compiled from interviews with 80 business leaders was commissioned and then kept secret by the former Bligh government.

The highly embarrassing report, conducted in partnership with the Australian Industry Group, contains detailed case studies of businesses forced to shed staff, cancel contracts and incur huge costs because of bureaucratic bungling and random government rules.

It is understood the only action taken on the May 2010 report was to establish a new business commissioner at a cost of $1 million a year, condemned by some sectors as more bureaucracy.

The Newman Government has inherited the responsibility of untangling a series of red-tape disasters as it seeks to meet an election commitment to reduce regulation by 20 per cent.

Premier Campbell Newman described the decision to commission and bury the report as "extraordinary", saying it exposed how business was drowning in red tape.  "This report provides some stark examples of how ridiculous rules and regulations waste the time and money of businesses," he told The Courier-Mail.  "Unlike Labor, which put this report on the shelf to gather dust and did nothing to ease the burden on business, the LNP is determined to change the culture of government from one that promotes red tape to one that actively reduces red tape."

The report breaks down the issues that business faces in interacting with state and local authorities across nine key areas, including case studies and recommendations.

One prime area of complaint involved environmental regulations - so-called "green tape".  In one case study, a major fertiliser company spent millions of dollars improving its water efficiency, but then complained that government-enforced reporting requirements focused on how much water it had used flushing toilets.

In another, a waste recycling company operating in the Torres Strait had to report to 42 state and local authorities.

Fire safety requirements were also a bugbear, with two firms revealing they were forced to post "exit" signs along open-sided 80m-wide workshops.

Workers' compensation requirements were also of concern, the report highlighting the case of an equipment manufacturing firm that paid an employee through WorkCover for a shoulder injury that was sustained at work.  "It was later found that WorkCover had paid the employee for the same injury to the same shoulder when with a prior employer," the report said.

Other problems were reported across areas including planning, procurement and government grants, along with everyday issues such as regulations and other rules being out of date or unavailable on department websites.

It is unclear whether Business Commissioner Blair Davies was ever made aware of the report.  His office did not return calls to The Courier-Mail.

AiG Queensland director Matt Martyn-Jones said while the report was two years old, the issues were still relevant and red tape remained a "dead weight" on the shoulders of business.  "We are very encouraged that the Newman Government has committed itself to reducing red tape by 20 per cent," he said.  "Close consideration needs to be given to how this target is measured and how it's achieved."

Mr Martyn-Jones said the best way to help business was with practical steps resolving issues highlighted in the report.

Consideration should also be given to setting up a task force of industry leaders.

The Courier-Mail has highlighted many examples of red tape, including a requirement for piggery operators to install illuminated exit signs inside pigpens.

SOURCE

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Political correctness is most pervasive in universities and colleges but I rarely report the  incidents concerned here as I have a separate blog for educational matters.

American "liberals" often deny being Leftists and say that they are very different from the Communist rulers of  other countries.  The only real difference, however, is how much power they have.  In America, their power is limited by democracy.  To see what they WOULD be like with more power, look at where they ARE already  very powerful: in America's educational system -- particularly in the universities and colleges.  They show there the same respect for free-speech and political diversity that Stalin did:  None.  So look to the colleges to see  what the whole country would be like if "liberals" had their way.  It would be a dictatorship.

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, GREENIE WATCH,   EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, GUN WATCHAUSTRALIAN POLITICSDISSECTING LEFTISM, IMMIGRATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL  and EYE ON BRITAIN (Note that EYE ON BRITAIN has regular posts on the reality of socialized medicine).   My Home Pages are here or   here or   here.  Email me (John Ray) here.  For readers in China or for times when blogger.com is playing up, there is a mirror of this site  here.

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