Clause 28

517 days ago

The National Trust celebrates Pride, my Bennite grandfather Sir John Winnifrith spins in his grave again

The month of June, now known as Pride Month, or a quarter of the 30% of the year appropriated by 3% of the community, is drawing to a close. Scenes of naked men flashing all at young children taken to parades in America this weekend just gone, by parents who should be in jail are all over the internet. I marched against Clause 28 but the overt sexualization of toddlers in this way is surely wrong? Or maybe my values just belong in the last century as the decadent est marches full steam towards Sodom & Gomorrah.

1178 days ago

Absolutely Loving Hating Peter Tatchell

I challenge even those who dislike Peter Tatchell, who loathe his methods or who just don’t like homosexuals, to watch this film and not come away from it both liking and admiring the man. Those of us who think that that day, just over 50 years ago, when Peter arrived in Britain to escape being drafted by Australia to fight in Vietnam, was a very fortuitous day, for it has given us a true national treasure, start in a different place. Wherever you start, I suggest you go to Netflix as I did yesterday for a most riveting film.

1208 days ago

Lies, damned lies, rich lesbians, poor gays and statistics

Lesbians earn 7% more than straight women, gay men less than straight men – some academics don’t understand data, just in this case damned lies and statistics. This is all nonsense.

1488 days ago

The vicar sends me a stern email about Dad's funeral - the Church of England is failing its parishioners monstrously

I have been sent a stern email by the Vicar in Shipston about tomorrow’s funeral for my father. She knows my views and position but reminds me that the Church is only following the law in requiring us all to muzzle up and not sing. Naturally I have replied but the attachment below, the Church’s guidance on Covid prevention, strikes me as a monstrous deception which, in time, it will be forced to recognise and will come to regret.

1551 days ago

Explaining the BBC’s reference to flags at the last Night of the Proms to a shocked father

My father is a lifelong Guardian reader but is now gleaning real news from a one-day-old copy of the Daily Mail provided by his enlightened carer E. There is talk of cancelling his subscription to the loss-making publication, founded on the profits of slavery, and while this may threaten the funding of latest restoration works on Polly Toynbee’s Tuscan castle, it would surely be a good thing. But despite this move out of the shadows, my father still has a touching faith in the Guardian’s broadcast sibling, the frightful BBC. But maybe even this has now been tested.

1752 days ago

Only the sort of idiot who works for Oxfam would delight in the UK's first ever gay road crossing

Gay rights and civil liberties campaigner Peter Tatchell is my hero and a photo of him with my daughter Olaf sits proudly on my desk. Can you believe that Tatch turned 68 the other day?  I marched against clause 28 and will take no lectures on tolerance of the LGBT community from anyone. But the decision of Haringey Council to build a gay pride rainbow road crossing outseide of a local school is just daft virtue signalling.

2170 days ago

I can’t decide if Brighton is Sodom, Gomorrah or Bedlam

Brighton used to be known as Britain’s gay capital. But in recent times it appears to have its collective LGBT (notably T) obsession to a level which might be laughable were it parody.  Sadly it is not. Today’s episode of “Off your Brighton Rocker”  concerns eight year old kids.

2557 days ago

West Ham virtue signalling for the Irons - I don't give a damn, I just want them to win tonight

My beloved West Ham are on nine points and in the relegation zone. We have just sacked one useless manager in Slaven Bilic, something we should have done ageas ago. But we have replaced him with David Moyes and many of us fear that he will make Bilic look like Ron Greenwood. So facing the biggest crisis since the last one I am deliughted to hear the big news today...

2635 days ago

An Oxford tale - another sad day on British campuses

Yesterday it was free speech denial at Edinburgh. Today it is my old place, Oxford, that serves up a tale which just leaves it as an object of ridicule. It started with the Vice Chancellor Professor Louise Richardson who, rather foolishly, suggested that students who are upset with their tutors for expressing views against homosexuality should “challenge” them, rather than reporting their tutors to university authorities.

2696 days ago

As we all "celebrate" Gay Pride this weekend a look back to Ambridge 2002, a small landmark in the dismal decline of the BBC

The BBC, Channel 4 and the rest of the liberal media are telling us that this weekend is when we are "celebrate" pride. There is a massive event in London and a march has just set off here in Bristol. I am sure there are events across the land.