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Purple, or black. One of the two. :P
Purple, or black. One of the two. :P
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I was only pretending to be serious for comic effect Leo. Thanks for the Cookie!
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Just watching the Ross Kemp On Gangs in Kenya programme. I have to say there is little in the world I find truly shocking nowadays but I find the glue kids truly truly shocking.
These kids have sod all they are addicted to glue and tend to be victimised by society in general. That I dont actually find surprising. What shocked me was their ambitions. When asked most simply say I want to go to school.
Anyway, thought Id get that off my chest. You can carry on with the silly stuff now.
Andy
PS: I also find it really shocking that Grant Mitchell has gone on to be a very good, very serious documentary maker - hats off to the man.Comment
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Although primary school fees have been abolished in Kenya, attendance isnt compulsary. Families are so poor (by our standards their level of poverty is beyond imagination) that a child in work - any work - brings some sort of relief. Those children lucky enough to have been given a taste of a better life from education only see it snatched away from them by the more pressing need to helping their family survive. Those who still lag behind are in an ever spiralling circle of despair and the glue helps to kill the hunger pangs and fight the coldComment
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Andy and Karoline thanks for that, it is always good to stop and think of those worse off than us. It is always important to get our lives in perspective; Bec and I have always supported child sponsorship in countries like Kenya. We can€™t cure the countries poverty or even go out there to help at the moment, but at least we can do that.Comment
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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4749183.ecehttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle4749183.ece
Am I the only one who finds this worrying?Comment
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No Leo you are not alone, Wendy read about this a few weeks ago.
Will the last person to leave the country please turn off the lights and lock the door!!Comment
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I think its a bit of a misconception that Sharia law is extremist in itself and contradictary to the British legal system.
As with Christianity there are extremes. In the Christian church you have the liberals who want to accept gay vicars and the extremist who want to hang gay people. These people to get quite a lot of publicity when in reality the vast majority of Christians are quite moderate.
It really is the same with Islam. Most of what is portrayed as the fundementals of Sharia law is that of extermist countries. It is actually in a lot of cases quite forward thinking.
The jewish community have been able to resolve things according to their own laws for a quite a while and it doesnt cause a problem.
I do agree however that should this be contradictary in principle to British law then it should be not be allowed. We are not about to have stonings in the streets of Newcastle and I am sure that beyond an article in the Times very few of us will see any effect on our daily lives.
AndyComment
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But would other countries change their legal system like Britain? I doubt it.This is after all a predominately Christian country.Comment
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Let me make my position perfectly clear on this: In a democratic society it is detrimental to grant laws to a specific sub-society, No matter how huge the minority may be. That is, if it touches on the fundamental laws the majority of people in the society live by. It only fuels alienation, discrimination and feelings of inequality and leads to a shattered society.
I find this concept of a Sharia court in a country that is not muslim by the majority of its citizens an insult to the country. It insinuates that the existing laws are not sufficient while it has served your country for centuries and as opposed to Sharia Law amended its laws to accomodate the changing morals and values of the zeitgeist.
Now I know some might find this point of view Islamophobic but it truly isnt. I am in the opinion that if you want to live in a specific country you should adhere to that countries rules, and not impose your own value system on it. It doesnt matter to me what religious group tries to do it. You all live in the same country, you will all abide by the same laws.Comment
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I actually dont find it Islamaphobic Leo.
I think we are not a million miles apart. My argument is exactly the reverse of yours. If arbitration is available to all members of society then it should be available to all. And if as part of that arbitration the choice of applicable law is allowed then any law should be allowed.
Now, the jewish faith has been allowed to refer their issues to arbitration for many years. As have the construction industry. As have the RMT on a regular basis prior to calling a strike. We even have a consiliation service called ACAS which deals with arbitration in trade union and emplyoment cases etc.
The term court is misleading in the article. The option is to refer it to an arbitrator not a court. The referral can only be carried out with the consent of both parties.
At the end of the day Leo under UK law if I decided to take offence at your comments and sue you we could agree to refer my civil action to an arbitrator and have them decide the case under English Law, Dutch Law, Murphys Law or sods law. It is not a new concept. The concept of arbitration has been established in British law long before you or I were born. It is just good alarmist journalism!
We are not changing the law. It is just being used to meet the requirements of a changing society.
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Andy, what if a muslim acts under the Sharia and calls you to Sharia court?Comment
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He cant do that because you can only act under British law. The Sharia Court would actually be a tribunal. The only way it would have any jurisdiction would be if I accepted to go to an arbitrator (Sharia court) and if I decided to accept that a case should be ruled under Sharia law.
Quite simply that wouldnt happen. Not because I particularly object to it but because I dont understand Sharia law and I have the absolute right to have any case heard under english law.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6190080.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6190080.stm
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