baldysblog.co.uk

It was responding to articles in the Daily Telegraph that led me down the slippery slope of writing my own blog. Of all the British media, the DT is the best and most generous when it comes to publishing reader entries but what I really want to do is to show how stimulating and enlightening taking an interest in mainstream comment columns can be.

I still post to the DT but not as regularly as I used to however, I always read the comments that interesting articles attract on a daily basis. Of course some of them are just people “farting on paper” but there are just as many who are very interesting and write well even if expressing views that are different to your own and can often make you think again…

The Purpose

The following 3 entries come from comments I wrote in the DT over the past couple of days on the question of Embryology Research, now I do have recent blogs here on just that and therefore as a subject, it may be repetitious but I’ll risk that to make a point. Brown’s Government has completely mishandled the whole thing from the start, Catholic Clergy speaking out uncovered the nascent anti Catholicism endemic in some and therefore although no “holy roller”, my approach would be to protect the Church.

However, something happened, a couple of people posted references I could follow up on the subject and the information was very interesting. See what you think as the tone changes from First to Third.

First Posting

Sadly, put the word “Catholic” into a news story and we Catholics are subjected to the usual bigotry that lies just beneth the surface in these islands. However, I would advise caution here because those “pesky Cardinals” are doing more to protect our Parliament than the Labour Party is. Regardless of where people stand on this issue and I think that neither side is displaying too much rationality in putting their case, there is a need for parliament to look at this issue again, it last did in 1990. What is required is rational debate of the issues and the legal framework in which the people involved operate. The real story here lies in the way Brown has handled or badly handled the whole thing because such debate should be devoid of these “bully boy tactics”.

Since 1997 we have had MPs who have little “love” for Parliament and its procedures although happy, to stuff their pockets with taxpayers money, Balls and his wife managing some £540,000 pa between them. Leaving aside ethical dimensions to this particular bit of legislation the important issue concerns a totally free vote. Any member of Parliament should be able to vote for or against these issues according to their own conscience when confronted with these dilemmas.

The Catholic Church is not trying to impose any agenda on the Government, we live in a secular society. They are quite rightly demanding that adherents of their Church who are MPs, be allowed to vote according to their consciences. A secular society demands freedom of religion but also denies the imposition of any particular faith on others or, deliberate offence to people of faith. EG. It would clearly be wrong to pass a Bill imposing the eating of pork on Jews and Muslims or beef on Hindus because the government said it was necessary for the farming industry.

In the longer term, allowing Catholics to vote according to conscience in the same way that in future times Muslim members may wish to do on some issues, protects the dignity, the power to bind our society in equality and strengthens our Parliament. Having a one eyed fool surrounded by sycophants that handle parliamentary business in this fashion, is the kind of thing that leads to revolutions. So for all you clever anti-Catholics out there, get a grip, there is far more at stake here than just on Bill. Also, look on the bright side, none of them are advocating Sharia Law are they ?

Second Posting

Some interesting comments and I am particularly grateful to:

Posted by Natalie on March 24, 2008 9:34 AM and: Posted by ILLUMINE on March 24, 2008 4:06 PM – both of whom give references for what they have written, the way it should be done. That the Bill should be debated calmly and rationally is obviously correct because currently this work is happening anyway under a body that effectively is not being regulated itself.

As to the question of whether this type of work should be done, clear evidence needs to be put before the House, a House that will vote freely based upon the evidence and, according to conscience be that based upon faith or rationality. Brown’s days as PM may be coming to a close because this is a really serious tactical blunder to have made over this type of issue. He has put his Government and his own Premiership on the line for what purpose ? Politics is the art of the possible and a Tory government in 1990 showed how these things should be handled. If Brown is too dim to have got this right, can we trust his judgement on anything else especially the EU Constitution – I think not.

Third Posting

Posted by Mr Blue on March 26, 2008 8:04 AM – A rather silly remark and one suspects that you haven’t been following the debate. The Catholic Church is against some parts of this legislation on moral grounds and if they or any other religion failed to speak up for their beliefs, one would question what they existed for anyway. Besides which this being a secular society, what they have been pushing for since this legislation was announced was that any of their “flock” who happened to be MPs, should be able to vote on the basis of personal conscience.

However they are not alone because many others believe the “science” is flawed. Having some knowledge of IT, right from the beginning I suspected that Blair had been sold a total “pup” over ID Cards and in this I’m talking about the technology, you simply never approach such a project using a single database design, it is fatal. I don’t know anything about the Embryo Vs Adult Stem Cells and Cord Blood Cells issue but after reading up on it a bit, Brown too may have been sold a “pup” on this research.

It is not for me to tell anybody how they should think nor, on matters such as this should the Government, it all needs to be open and examined thoroughly in the House, Brown has mishandled this whole thing. The thrust of this editorial is 100% right on that. If it helps you or any others, do a “Google” on the following people, all professors:

Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto

Robert Blelloch of California

Ian Wilmut of Dolly the Sheep fame.

However what is certain is that the original legislation of 1990 does need to be looked at dispassionately because the reality is that the controlling body has been handing out research licences for exactly this type of work for years, effectively unregulated by Parliament. For Mr Red, I wouldn’t worry too much about the UK losing out on scientific research and any commercial benefits, there haven’t been any whereas on the “other side” of Adult Stem Cells, Cord Blood Cells, there have been many and that is where the emphasis on development is taking place globally.

The real issue with regard to Embryo Research is that it is already being done in the UK and has been going on, fruitlessly it would appear, for very many years. However, each series of “experiments” has to be licensed, pass this legislation and they can carry on doing anything they like without reference to anyone or any body.

This Government declined to even try and “explain” why it signed the EU Constitution, they just rammed it quite cynically through the House using their cattle on the back benches. If Brown and Milliband are prepared to give away our freedoms in such a fashion, would you trust them with something as complex as this ? Frankly, we should all be quite grateful to the Catholic Church and for those Catholics in the Labour Party who have forced this disgraceful Government to stop in its tracks.