BBC News - BNP votes to ditch whites-only membership rule

Imagine that!  Having to be equitable and inclusive in a liberal democracy. I think Black and Asian people should join in droves, achieve a majority voting block and vote the BNP out of existence.

The British National Party has voted to scrap its whites-only membership rules after an extraordinary general meeting.

Members who had gathered in Essex voted to amend the party's constitution to let black and Asian people join.

The BNP had been threatened with a possible court injunction over its whites-only membership policy by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Now, if I had a party I would include everyone, take them to the movies, buy them popcorn and Ben and Jerry’s and tell them funny stories. Takes all sorts I suppose.

BBC News - BNP votes to ditch whites-only membership rule

Man Sues California Mall After Guard Arrests Him for Having Conversation About God - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com

Stop and think for a moment about the possible implications of this wacky story:

Imagine getting arrested for just striking up a conversation about religion in public.

That’s what happened to California resident Matthew Snatchko in 2006 when the youth pastor initiated a conversation about God with three shoppers at the Roseville Galleria mall.

I have been suspicious of shopping malls for some time. There are undeniable benefits but inner city malls effectively rob us of otherwise open streets, privatise public space, restrict right of passage and make us subject to rules beyond the normal laws and bylaws of the country.

You cannot eat food, walk a dog,  ride a bike, busk or enjoy buskers, hand out literature, smoke and a hundred other things we take for granted on these privatised streets, and when the mall closes we cannot walk through them but must go around them to get to where we want to be.

Everything comes at a price and we would be wise to think seriously before we give up even more of our rights just for the sake of doing a bit of shopping in comfort.

Man Sues California Mall After Guard Arrests Him for Having Conversation About God - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com

BBC News - Dubai court annuls marriage to 'bearded lady'

If ever there was an argument for banning the niqab surely this is it. Proof, if ever it was needed, that when someone wears a veil you just don’t know what your getting. The words pig in a poke spring to mind.

An Arab country's ambassador to Dubai has had his marriage contract annulled after discovering the bride was cross-eyed and had facial hair.
The woman had worn an Islamic veil, known as the niqab, on the few occasions the couple had met.

BBC News - Dubai court annuls marriage to 'bearded lady'

BBC News - Bombs and beatings: Life among the Taliban

Do you want to know what a craven coward looks like? It looks like a man who would strap bombs to children, drug them so they don’t know what they are doing, send them into crowded market places and detonate the bomb. These are the people who want to rule our streets, bring their Islamist civilisation to our country and “enlighten” us all.

People say I have a strong heart. I've had to be strong. What can I do? God won't even let me die.

If my brother gets hold of me, I will poison him and myself.

The Taliban slaughter other people's children. They turn women into widows. They should be made to suffer too.

I want these Taliban to be burned alive.

BBC News - Bombs and beatings: Life among the Taliban

Welsh MPs, Gas Bills and Sofa Beds

The big story of the day has been MPs expenses. What a tangled web, as they say. The taxpayer is apparently owed £1.3million, which will come in handy as we try to keep our heads above water having bailed out the banks, spent a fortune bailing out the Americans in their ill-conceived venture in Iraq, and more taxpayer's money soon to be doled out to pay for an election. A full list of who fibbed about what can be found here

But the thing that has been bothering me is not the naked greed of MPs (after all, if they wanted to live with any degree of integrity they would have chosen another career route). What struck me is the almost total lack of ambition on the part of Welsh MPs. While some English MPs have to pay back tens of thousands - Barbara Follett £42,458; Andrew and Julie Kirkbride £60,000; Liam Fox £24,878 - Welsh MPs are mostly paying back pocket money. Check the numbers here

If there is one thing worse than being represented in politics by thieves it is being represented in politics by thieves with no ambition. What "bunce" is out there that we might have enjoyed but they hadn't the imagination or fight to get it for us? For more on the Welsh political scene check out Betsan Powys' blog