Marriage is a big issue in the Euro elections
19 May 2014With just under two weeks to the European Parliament elections we’ve got some important news on how your Euro candidates can defend true marriage. These upcoming elections are crucial because Members of the European Parliament have been demanding an ‘Equal Treatment Directive’ that will threaten our freedom to talk about marriage. The Directive would bring in a dangerous low-level harassment law and give the EU control of UK goods and services discrimination legislation. Amongst other things, it would require equal treatment for same-sex marriages and traditional marriages. Schools could be sued for harassment if they allow teachers or pupils to explain why they believe in traditional marriage.
TV marriage experiment to begin on Channel 4
19 May 2014Strangers will marry after meeting for the first time on a Channel 4 television programme, set to air next year. The series, currently called Married at First Sight, will see TV cameras follow the couples for six weeks after their official ceremony. They will then be offered the choice to stay together or separate. Channel 4’s chief creative officer Jay Hunt claims the programme is a ‘celebration of marriage’, but family groups have criticised the show. The Marriage Foundation said the producers do not understand commitment, while The Christian Institute said the show belittles marriage. Simon Calvert, a spokesman for The Christian Institute, said the idea ‘denigrates marriage’ and it is ‘horrible for broadcasters to be experimenting with people’s lives in this way’. Harry Benson from the marriage group said: ‘Instead of getting married with clarity and intent about their future, these couples will still be in a relationship that is riddled with ambiguity.’
The NHS is quietly ditching an electronic booking system for outpatient appointments, Choose and Book, which has cost £356m since 2004, in a further sign of the difficulties of introducing efficient IT systems into the health service. The decision to replace it with a potentially even more expensive e-referral scheme by 2016 follows a drop in its use by doctors and patients. During a recent investigation into NHS waiting times by the House of Commons' public accounts committee, MPs were told by NHS staff that while some GPs liked Choose and Book, many did not, and that not all outpatient appointment slots were available on it, limiting its usefulness. Meg Hillier, a Labour member of the committee, said: ‘It's another NHS cock up. A system designed for use by GPs but only used by half of them, has been quietly dropped, so quietly that even most of the NHS seems unaware.’
Children are still being exposed to ‘harmful material’ on television despite strict rules on what can be shown before 9pm, say head teachers. The National Association of Head Teachers - which has drawn up a charter to protect children's innocence - says the media must ensure pre-watershed content is free from sex and violence. A poll of 1,013 parents found 96% believed the rules were being broken. Speaking at the NAHT's conference in Birmingham, its president Gail Larkin said: "We know that most parents are trying their best to protect their children from certain dangers in the outside world. I know, as a grandparent, how much more difficult it is with such advanced technology to prevent children from accessing, often unwittingly, materials and media that are not just inappropriate but often obscene and mentally damaging." Media regulator Ofcom said protecting children was a ‘fundamental concern’.
Energy suppliers are accused of not giving early help to vulnerable households on prepayment meters. Tens of thousands of vulnerable gas and electricity customers could be going without power for up to three months, despite promises from the big six companies that no one will knowingly be cut off. The Labour party argues that an unacceptable ‘disconnection by the back door’ has taken hold because many on prepayment meters are not receiving early help from suppliers. The plight of those on prepayment meters is already under scrutiny, with recent figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change showing this category of energy user is paying on average about £100 a year more for gas and electricity combined, compared with those on direct debit. There is further concern because some of those on prepayment schemes have been pushed on to them by energy suppliers as a result of past debts.
Children and adults are dying needlessly from asthma attacks, according to a report by experts published on Tuesday, which found that in a quarter of fatal cases patients had received less than satisfactory care. Complacency around the disease – which kills about 1,200 people a year – has to end, says the report by the Royal College of Physicians. The National Review of Asthma Deaths is the largest study ever done on the subject. In the inquiry it was found that there was room for improvement in 83% of the cases. Dr Kevin Stewart, clinical director said ‘These worrying statistics can and must be turned around in the next decade. Every patient should have a personal asthma action plan to help them recognise when the disease is worsening and seek help’.
With the International Christian College in Glasgow and St Michael's College in Cardiff both recently announcing their closures, are UK Bible colleges in a state of peril? The principal of the ICC says the nation's Bible colleges face a lean future. Of the ten largest UK Bible colleges, only one is growing. In the ICC between 2000 and 2013 the annual intake of new undergraduate students dropped from 57 to 16. He points out the Bible colleges used to be the first port of call for Christians entering church ministry. However many are now studying the Bible in theology departments at universities and entering ministry via ‘learning on the job’ as an understudy to a pastor. Meanwhile, online education is rapidly growing - offering either free service or significantly reduced costs. Buildings, equipment and textbook overheads become non-issues or cost effective and there are over 1 million people enrolled in online courses globally.
Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams urges calm after release
07 May 2014Northern Ireland police released Gerry Adams from custody on Sunday amid fears that his four-day detention could destabilise the British province. He was arrested over the 1972 murder of Jean McConville, a killing he repeatedly denies. His detention raised tensions among Northern Ireland's power-sharing government and its fragile peace after Sinn Fein pointed the finger at ‘dark forces’ in the police service and their Protestant partners in government. A calm Adams toned down the rhetoric and said he supported the police. Tapes being held at Boston College, USA, are a key part of the investigation. The tapes contain a testimony of a former IRA commander stating Gerry Adams was overall commander of the IRA's Belfast brigade, controlling his own squad - ‘the unknowns’ who were responsible for the 'Disappeared'. See also: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-27238797