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                     RC  POLITICS PARLIAMENT IN VIEW



 

 
Contents

Protect Marriage
Alcohol Pricing and the Political Process
The Euro and Financial Crisis
Offensive Behaviour Bill Proceeds
Current Legislation
Fill in Your Card
News in Brief
Church and State Relationship
Recommended Reading
Consultations

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Protect Marriage

So many parts of society give the message that marriage doesn’t really matter. The Scottish Government is taking this message even further by proposing to change its definition. This will have huge implications for what people are allowed to say about what marriage really is and more importantly about what children will be taught about marriage in schools.

Other parts of the world have given examples that show we have much to worry about. In one American state a law-abiding father was arrested after complaining that his young child should not have to be taught that homosexual relationships are the same as marriage; but authorities insisted that the child had to hear it because it was the law. (See
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnMYTeO3BjI for details)

We have already seen the heavy handed imposition of equality laws which force people to go against their consciences or lose their livelihoods: people like Lillian Ladelle and Gary McFarlane forced out of their jobs for not condoning homosexual relationships; or Adrian Smith, demoted for noting his opposition to Churches being forced to do civil partnerships on his personal Facebook page; or  like Peter and Hazel Bull who lost their Bed and Breakfast business because they only wanted to provide shared rooms to married couples. The closure of adoption agencies for refusing to place children with homosexual couples has proved that there is no willingness to tolerate those who disagree.

These examples have not raised as much opposition from the general public as they should have but they point to what can be expected should schools in future want to say that marriage is between a man and woman. One homosexual group already has teacher training resources asserting the need to make children resilient to the values of their parents and grandparents.(See  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9VnzaH-uf8 )

The preparation of public opinion for the latest distortion of equality ideas has built on an emphasis of freedom which has been detached from responsibility and now goes as far as far as being detached from reality such that it will insist that two completely different types of relationship are the same.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference has given a clear lead that such proposals have to be opposed and the witness of the Bishops has been followed by many Christians and others who see that conceding that a government can redefine the nature of the human family is to  bestow on it power which threatens the freedom of all. The government emerges from society, it does not create it and neither can it redefine morality.

Many other Churches have now voiced their support for marriage, as have leaders in the Muslim community.

Information on responding to the government’s consultation process is available on our website at www.rcpolitics.org and anyone can participate in the Church’s card campaign to support marriage at their local parish.

For those concerned about giving support to those with same-sex attraction please visit http://couragerc.net/

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Alcohol Pricing and the Political Process

The government has previously attempted to introduce a minimum pricing of alcohol strategy in legislation but its previous attempt was undone by opponents united in opposition to the idea. Things have changed now that Alex Salmond leads a majority government; and the measure can therefore be pushed through by SNP politicians. The bill has therefore been re-introduced and is now at its first stage in the parliamentary process. The impact of excessive drinking is enormous in Scotland and particularly marked in some regions which have shocking health and wellbeing statistics.

The recognition that anti-social drinking is a problem is widespread but the solution is disputed. Price can be shown to be linked with consumption and this has made Alex Salmond determined to make this change. Others argue that greater personal responsibility is required. The Church cannot give a definitive answer to the solution but recognises the correct principles noted by supporters and opponents of the bill. The principle of subsidiarity should indeed allow people to take responsibility for their own behaviour as much as possible but governments have a duty also to take measures for the common good. In providing external pressures to change people’s behaviour there is inevitably the chance that the inner personal resolve of people can be weakened. However the failure to resort to actions which push behaviour in the right direction can allow individuals and society to tread a path into deeper misery. The parliamentarians therefore have a difficult balancing act to achieve. This lends itself to considerations of how parliament functions and an enquiry is presently underway to do exactly that. If the activities of law makers are so important to the lives of citizens then adequate consideration of proposed laws is crucial. The call for evidence for the enquiry poses that parliamentary debates could be more “lively, spontaneous and topical”.  Perhaps this would make politics more entertaining but these aspects cannot undermine the greater aim of producing good legislation and the call for evidence thankfully also identifies the problem of issues not being given enough time for debate. The need for greater post-legislative scrutiny has also been raised and this would help if it can lead to improvements in the law. It would also help with the task of balancing the principles mentioned above by allowing new laws to  be more easily revisited rather than set in bills that may wait a generation for further change. The enquiry is ongoing - see details at www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/CurrentCommittees/41788.aspx

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The Euro and Financial Crisis

The consequences of the economic and financial events of small countries in Europe are rippling not just to other European countries but across the world. The eyes of the world leaders turn to financial markets to see if they react favourably to the measures their governments have taken. Meanwhile national debt is at astronomical levels, as is personal debt, and measures to reduce public spending are leading to cuts in benefits, pensions and services.

As these various factors stretch the ingenuity of politicians, financiers and economists there is a need to consider that the complexities of the world financial system require not only technical expertise but also a moral evaluation.

Citizens are often powerless in the face of unemployment and at present trade unions are weakened, for many reasons, contributing to uncertainty over working conditions and fear of exploitation by some employers willing to benefit from the desperation of workers.

Solidarity is proposed by the Church as a fundamental human value to overcome the temptation to participate in the economy for purely selfish reasons. This means that it is individual consciences that have to be  examined in relation to their participation in every aspect of the economic life of nations. The Pope has spoken of the need to build on the logic of contractual exchange, which requires justice between those who contract business. He argues that there also needs proper political action and what the he calls the “logic of gift”.

This refers to a willingness to give of ourselves for the sake of others. In our society that message has to overcome the idea that life is mainly about seeking our own pleasures and owning things. That idea is re-enforced in so many ways by advertisers, the entertainments industry and the world of business itself.

Governments need to assess the needs for intervening in the market such that it can be directed for the common good but that will not be a sufficient response to economic problems unless all of society is willing to take an objective view of the wellbeing of everyone. In business, for example, profit is essential for keeping an enterprise running but it does much more than seek profit. Businesses provide employment in which people use their gifts and cooperate with others; they meet the needs of customers and in many other ways impact on society. The importance of these other aspects of the economy are being recognised. For example business leaders can now take the equivalent of the Hippocratic oath and commit themselves to serve the interests of society through their work. See www.globalbusinessoath.org

This initiative is one of many where people in civil society aim to imbue the logic of the market with human and spiritual values. Ultimately each of us is also challenged by the message of the Gospel on how generous we are with our own lives.

When so much money is spent on fashion and entertainment in the developed world whilst others starve or live in poverty, even alongside us, there is a challenge to the priority we make in following the “logic of gift”. The demise of the developed world is a very real possibility and has been prepared for by the moral decline which has accompanied the decades of prosperity. Successive Popes have pointed to the reality that poverty is at root a spiritual problem and as we see the marginalization of a moral voice in society we cannot be overly surprised at the material collapse which follows.

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Offensive Behaviour Bill Proceeds

The Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Bill is currently at Stage 2 of deliberation in the Scottish Parliament. The procedure has effectively been altered to overcome the widespread concerns due to the speed at which the Bill was being introduced in the wake of some high profile sectarian incidents a few months ago.

Supporters of the bill have been keen to highlight evidence which shows that the general aims of the new Bill are welcomed by the vast majority of the Scottish population, with 89% agreeing that sectarianism is offensive and unacceptable in Scottish football, 85% agreeing that it should be a criminal offence and 91% agreeing that stronger action should be taken to tackle sectarianism and offensive behaviour associated with football.

The Bill will create two new offences, one in relation to words or actions concerning offensive behaviour and the other in relation to threatening communications. It is not intended, however, to stop peaceful preaching or proselytising, or to outlaw the “right” to criticise religious beliefs or criminalise jokes and satire about religion.

Opponents have however remained resolute in highlighting misgivings about the scope and practicalities of the Bill’s intentions, among them, elements of the Celtic and Rangers support, paradoxically, uniting in their opposition to some of its clauses.

There have also been other concerns raised, one of them emerging, partly, from a debate about the use of the Sign of The Cross.

Bishop Tartaglia outlined concerns about the bill, in a letter to Alex Salmond. This led to a meeting between them which resulted in an acceptance that the bill needed to have a provision protecting freedom of expression. Bishop Tartaglia was able to state after, that “fears that the wide remit of the Offensive Behaviour Bill might impinge on the freedom to hold and express otherwise inoffensive views appear to have been recognised and addressed.” Publication of the amendments has taken place and they will be scrutinised in the Justice Committee to ensure that they provide the protection desired.

The government has accepted that the Bill has its limitations in that it cannot be a solution to anti-Catholic feeling in Scotland. Further work is to be announced by the government on dealing with sectarian hostility in Scottish society. A commitment to produce statistics on offences which have a religious hatred element  in them has been made by the First Minister but demands over recent years to have these statistics revealed have not been heeded since a limited study in 2006 showed that two thirds of these offences had been directed against Catholics. It has however been announced that the relevant information is now no longer available for analysis prior to 2010, due to the destruction of the earlier data.

The published data for last year has just been released and it shows that in 58% of cases the victims were perceived to be Catholics despite Catholics only constituting 16% of the population.

Future publication of such statistics will need to be accompanied by efforts to turn around the hostility to Catholicism.

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Current Legislation
Agricultural Holdings (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill (Ex)
Stage 1 (Finance Committee) 16 November
Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill (Ex)
Stage 1 (Subordinate Legislation Committee) 22 November Lead committee – Health and Sport
National Library of Scotland Bill (Ex)
Stage 1 (Education and Culture Committee) 22 November
Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Bill (Ex)
Stage 2 (Day 1) (Justice Committee) 22 November

(Ex) = Executive Bill.

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Fill in Your Card

Many thousands of people have responded to the card campaign supporting marriage. There is still time to fill this in and copies should be available in every parish. As well as signing a card individuals can make their views directly known online at www.christian.org.uk/marriagescotland

All are encouraged to do this. There is also an online petition which can be supported at www.ipetitions.com/petition/marriagescotland/

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News in Brief

According to a recent answer to a Parliamentary question, there have been only two prosecutions for human trafficking in Scotland since the Criminal Justice Act in 2003.  The last prosecution was discontinued in 2006 following a review of the available evidence.  The other, in September of this year, was successfully concluded with periods of imprisonment of 44 months and 18 months for the two accused. There have also however been a number of successful prosecutions for criminal offences related to trafficking, such as identity offences and trading in prostitution.

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Visit Scotland is currently in discussions about joining up a Pilgrim’s Way between Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway.  It has offered marketing support for the venture once it has been developed further.

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Dave Thomson MSP sponsored a members debate in parliament on the influence of the bible in Scotland and the great benefits our country have received from the Word of God. He identified the unfortunate decline of the bible on present day society.

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The UK government is to release the “first ever transgender equality action plan”. David Cameron has also vowed to redefine marriage in England and Wales to include same-sex couples.

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Ruth Davidson has been elected the leader of the Scottish Conservative party. The 33 year old 2011entered Holyrood in May 2011 and succeeds Annabel Goldie.

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The Scottish Government has released a breakdown of figures for offences aggravated by religious hatred covering the year 2010-11 which can be found at www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/11/17154035/0

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During question time in the House of Commons, Aberdeen MP Anne Begg urged that Embryonic stem cell research be continued for the sake of those with degenerative illnesses. The ethical alternative of adult stem cells does not involve the destruction of human life and has been the basis for successful use of stem cells. Earlier in the year Lord Alton put down a question in the House of Lords which prompted the release of information that over 150 embryos have been created by mixing human and animal cells since the passing of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act in 2008

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A recent Oxfam briefing paper for Parliament “Land and Power: The Growing Scandal Surrounding the New Investments in Land” has highlighted the growing rate of land deals brokered around the world since 2001.  It estimates that a land mass, the size of Western Europe and the equivalent to 29 times the size of Scotland has been sold, leased or licensed in large scale land deals.  This has been carried out mostly by international investors, often to the detriment of poor communities in countries such as Uganda, Indonesia and Guatemala.  Frequently, homes and livelihoods are forfeited with no compensation, consultation or opportunity to appeal.   Sometimes violence is used for evictions.  British companies have been among those involved in the land acquisition.

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Church and State Relationship

The Prime Minister has taken steps to change the laws which cover the appointment of the Monarch. The constitutional arrangement is that the United Kingdom has an established Church which means that it is theoretically controlled by the government. Until now it has been the eldest son of the King who has been the natural successor of a deceased monarch but it is to be changed to allow the eldest child, son or daughter to inherit the crown. Those who have married Catholics have had to lose their place in the line of succession but this is also to change whilst still ruling out a Catholic as ruler. There are 16 countries from the 54  Commonwealth states which have the Queen as head of state and they have given their approval for change.

It involves changing a network of interconnected constitutional laws which include the Coronation Oaths Act 1688, Crown in Parliament Act 1689, Bill of Rights 1689,  Act of Settlement 1701, Act of Union 1707, Royal Marriages Act 1772 and the Accession Declaration Act 1910.

The dual role as Head of State and Supreme Authority of the Church of England makes this an understandable problem but one which is created by the entanglement of Church and State. The Catholic Church recognises that there are two separate authorities: that relating to  political affairs; and that relating to the spiritual realm. To entangle these creates many problems not least making it difficult to discern moral values from political policies.

Ideally therefore each authority should be distinct which logically calls for disestablishment of the Church. There are concerns however that such a move would weaken the role of faith in a society which is already thoroughly secularised and working towards marginalising faith. The counter argument is that a Church’s proper authority is diminished when it is not free to exercise it’s authentic role free of political interference. The government has not proposed disestablishment nor has it proposed that a Catholic could hold the crown. This therefore ensures the continued anomaly which precludes Catholics from a public office at a time when human rights laws demand radical equality for every other group.  The Scottish Parliament will be having a debate on the issue sponsored by Jim Eadie MSP on the Thursday 24 November.

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Recommended Reading

The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson is a true story of one man’s attempt to offer Christian witness and support amidst the violence and crime of gang-ruled streets in New York’s roughest areas in the 1960s.

Story of A Soul  by St Therese of Liseux is the classic spiritual book recently recommended by Pope Benedict XVI. It gives the personal account of one of the best-loved saints who promised “when I die, I will send down a shower of roses from the heavens”. Her “little way” has inspired great devotion and she is a Doctor of the Church.

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Consultations(with closing date)

Proceeds of Crime (21/02/12)
Consultation on Draft Charities Transfer Scheme (Scotland)
Consultation on Relevant Premises defined in the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 (14/02/12)
The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Record Certificates – Children’s Hearings) (Scotland) Order 2012 (07/02/2012)
Rail 2014 Consultation (20/02/2012)
Guidelines for the selection, designation and management of Historic Marine Protected Areas (27/01/2012)
Historic Scotland strategy for protection, management and promotion of marine heritage 2011-16 (27/01/2012)
Children's Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011 (27/01/2012)
Renewable Energy - The Renewables Obligation (Scotland) Order 2011 - Consultation on Review of ROC Bands (13/01/2012)
Council Tax on Long-Term Empty Properties and the Housing Support Grant (10/01/2012)
The Equality Act 2010: Commencement And Secondary Legislation (02/01/2012)
Zero Waste (Scotland) Regulations Draft Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (25/11/2011)
Fifth Quinquennial Review of Schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (11/01/2012)
Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003: Consultation on draft Order to permit temporary closures of core paths (11/01/2012)
Energy Performance of Buildings Directive - Recast (20/01/2012)
Section 63: Energy Performance of existing non domestic buildings: Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 (20/01/2012)
Delivering Scotland’s River Basin Management Plans: An integrated approach to the protection of shellfish growing waters (27/12/2011)
Consultation on the Creation of a Scottish Civil Justice Council (22/12/2011)
Managing Change in the Historic Environment: Works on Scheduled Monuments (31/10/2012)
African Horse Sickness (Scotland) Order 2012 (16/12/2011)
Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011: consultation on draft statutory Code of Conduct for property and land managers (16/12/2011)
Putting Learners at the Centre: Delivering our Ambitions for Post-16 Education (23/12/2011)
The Children's Hearing (Scotland) Act 2011 Safeguarders Regulations 2012 (06/12/2011)
Public Sector Equality Duty Revised Draft Regulations (25/11/2011)
The Rights of Children and Young People (01/12/2011)
A Mental Health Strategy for Scotland (31/01/2012)
Registration of civil partnership ¦ Same sex marriage: a consultation (09/12/2011)

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Edited by John Deighan with contributions from Tom Higgins and Lucille McQuade


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