The Labour Humanist

How secularism boosts social democracy

Secular humanist culture can encompass religious lives, but religious culture cannot do the same for secularism and atheism. Some powerful arguments from Mitchell Cohen in Dissent Magazine on the important role secular humanism should play in creating vibrant social democracies. Here's a short excerpt but it really is recommended reading:

"When religious movements are triumphalist, when they believe that they can assert themselves inexorably in the public realm, liberal and social democratic values are jeopardized....

...In my view, a secular state needs a humanist basis. Yes, that means that I think secular humanist culture should be privileged in liberal democracy (or in what I would prefer, social democracy) but not religion. The reason is that it can encompass religious lives, whereas religious culture cannot do the same for secularism and atheism. Humanism, with its Renaissance origins (among thinkers who were mostly religious in some way), fostered pluralism by legitimizing multiple authorities, leading people to evaluate for themselves, to see varied points of view, not just to accept a last word from one authority...

...It seems to me that aggressive efforts at some form of religious domination of the public realm in the U.S. and elsewhere undermine the possibilities of common political language. Let me make this stronger. If I express my secular humanist ideas publicly, if I try to persuade fellow citizens of them, I must be open to criticism—fierce criticism, down to the basics, up to the dots on the i’s of my ideas, every word and sentiment. I can survive those criticisms. I may even change my ideas. After all, the different bases of my ideas may be wrong, in whole or part. But what happens when religious-political claims are open to the same challenge? If a Muslim friend, on the basis of his profound religious convictions, makes an argument for a law that is to govern me, shall I challenge his belief in Muhammad’s prophetic role? Anyone who knows some history knows it is likely to lead to religious wars. The alternative is to ask him (or her) to secularise the principles of argument. ..."

Confused Conservative Party web site attacks its own non-domiciles policy as a "City of London" tax

The Conservatives yesterday promised to impose a £25,000-per-year charge for "non-domicile" taxpayers, but their web site still has a briefing attacking, what is now, their own policy from when the Liberal Democrats proposed a similar scheme a few years ago.

The document is titled the "Lib Dem tax sting" and they brand taxes on non-domiciles as a "City of London Tax". Here is the apparent rebuttal of their own policies:

"#7 - City of London tax

Liberal Democrats would ‘end the practice of giving non-domicile tax status’ (Liberal Democrats, Alternative Budget, Invest to Innovate, 8 March 2002, p.6).

Yet as the Evening Standard has warned, ‘a change in the tax status of non-domiciled resident individuals will devastate the London shipping business centred on the Baltic Exchange, cost thousands of City jobs, destroy London’s position as the international centre for shipping, undermine its ability to attract key foreign personnel in all its other areas of activity and result in a lower, not a higher, tax take for the Exchequer… When people talk about the competitiveness of the City, they usually refer to the number of foreign bankers and brokers who are happy to come here to work. These create the pool of talent that cements London's position as the leading international financial centre. A change in the rules will make them want to leave London. There is nothing the Government could do that would give a bigger boost to Paris, Frankfurt and Zurich, the rival Continental financial centres’ (Evening Standard, 26 March 2002).

A study by economists at Numerica has observed that abolishing non-domicile tax status would knock between £5 billion and £10 billion off Britain’s GDP (cited in Sunday Telegraph, 3 August
2003)."

David Cameron may have given up smoking, but this is all policy written on the back of a fag packet stuff. The Tories are clearly struggling to get themselves ready for a possible election.

The sad demise of the secular Tory bloggers

As we enter Conservative conference week it's sad to see the apparent demise of the small strand of Tory bloggers who adopted a consciously secular and humanist tone to their writing.

We have lost Martine Martin's blog as she has decided to stop blogging now she has a job in Westminster. This prompted to me to look up the other secular Tory blogger on my links list, Jeff Peel, only to find his wordpress blog "the way it is" seems to have bitten the dust.

This is all very sad because we need a healthy secular voice inside the Conservative Party, who in my experience, and from their recent history, are incredibly intolerant of a multi-belief society and many Tory activists seem rather keen on using the power of the state to force a cultural and political primacy of Christianity down our necks, whether we like it or not. It was the Conservatives who implemented compulsory Christian worship in schools and cross-party Humanist groups in parliament find it hard to recruit and retain Conservative members.

Are there any secular humanist Tory bloggers out there? By this I don't mean Conservative supporting bloggers who pre-dominantly write about the interaction between religion and politics from a secular standpoint, although that would be an intriguing find. But any Tory bloggers who have "outed" themselves as atheists and who occasionally cross swords with the religious authoritarians in their own party. Is there any secular life out there in the Tory blogosphere?

Sally Morgan "star psychic" forced to withdraw bogus claims

Congratulations to the gang over at badpsychics for exposing how self styled celebrity psychic Sally Morgan misleads and lies about her activities. Here are some of the claims that badpsychics have debunked:

• That Sally Morgan falsely claimed to have worked for Bob Geldof.

• Exposed Morgan's claim to have assisted in police investigations and "other investigations" and forced her to remove claims from her web site.

• Exposed how Sally Morgan claimed to have never met "celebrity" Brian Dowling before given him a "psychic reading" on her ITV1 show, but in fact had meet Dowling before and had given him other "psychic readings".

To the contributors at badpsychics we salute you, this is the way the internet can make itself socially useful!

Shame on Stephen Timms for spouting insulting nonsense

Ok, count to 10..........no it's no good, I am furious with party vice chair Stephen Timms MP, because he speaks irritating, ignorant and insulting nonsense, and in the process has produced what I see as a disgraceful slur on the character of non-religious voters.

In a speech to Traidcraft - the Christian-based fair trade organisation Timms said:

“There is positive impact when people of faith are involved in the lives of their community, because these people bring valuable qualities in their service which are rare elsewhere and they are qualities modern Britain urgently needs,”

It's is hard to translate that this in any other way than a gross, and discriminatory, slight against the millions of British citizens who lead their lives, quite happily, without a religion. Of course, Timms was brown nosing to his audience, but that is no excuse for this US Republican style rhetoric.

What qualities Stephen, does someone who believes in a faith the paranormal and follows religious rituals bring to a community that I as a Humanist, or the growing millions of other non-religious UK residents, do not?

Timms is saying that when I, as a non-believer, do voluntary work in my community, donate money to local causes, give time and support to local clubs and societies, when I join in and support progressive campaigns, it is of less value and "rarely" of the value of the very same activities undertaken by "people of faith". The contribution of the non-religious is not to be regarded as holding the same value as any contribution from believers. This is bare-faced discrimination against the non-religious and has no place coming from the lips of a representative of the modern Labour Party.

"We" atheists work in our millions across the public services, as nurses, teachers, as volunteers in local charities. But we don't put ourselves above other citizens when we do so. Stephen clearly thinks his Christianity makes him more valuable citizen than any Humanist. Shame on him.

The O Project agrees Timms has insulted the non-religious

"The point is if when speaking to a (thoroughly noble and admirable) Christian organisation he can generalise about them being a faith-based organisation why does he not generalise about them being a charitable organisation, a social-justice organisation or a part of civil society. Surely that would hardly be a slap in the face to them and wouldn’t take anything away from their amazing work.

But making faith-based organisations out to be a special case is an insult to those who “have a vision of a world freed from the scandal of poverty, where trade is just and people and communities can flourish” that is not based on belief in a God."

Stephen Timms needs to explain his remarks, he needs to apologise and publicly state that when a Christian and an atheist take part in their community their efforts are of equal worth. Timms holds a campaigning remit within the party's structure, insulting millions of voters in this way is some strange way of carrying out those duties.

DUP creationists: Will they succeed in turning Northern Ireland into the new Kansas?

Is Northern Ireland turning into the new Kansas? The DUP seems intent on importing the lunacies of the American creationists into British politics and education.

Last night Lisburn council voted  to write to all its grammar and secondary  schools encouraging them to teach alternative theories to evolution like 'intelligent  design'. The proposal was made by DUP councillors, but opposed by SDLP and Sinn Fein representatives.  DUP head office is briefing that these stunts are in keeping with party policy.

As the Belfast Telegraph reports, this is not the only move in Ulster to undermine the science education of local pupils:

"DUP MP David Simpson (Upper Bann), who is a member of the Free Presbyterian Church, questioned Education Minister Caitriona Ruane on the availability of materials and resources for schools wishing to teach alternative scientific theories to evolution as part of the revised   curriculum."

"Mr Simpson also asked for an assurance that pupils who answer GCSE examination questions outlining creationist or intelligent design explanations for the development of life on Earth, will not be marked lower than pupils who give answers with an evolutionist explanation."

(Yes, you did read that right, he wants pupils to be able to make up non-scientific answers in science exams and not be "marked lower".)

Of equal concern is the response by the NI education department to the Belfast Telegraph which displays zero concern for the educational welfare of children and maximum accommodation of the anti-science zealots:

"In a statement the Department of Education said the teaching of alternative theories was a matter for schools.

  A spokeswoman said: "The revised curriculum offers scope for schools to explore alternative theories to evolution, which could include creationism, if they so wish."

All of which goes against the recent Council of Europe statement that states that Creationism in any of its forms, such as “intelligent design”, is not based on facts, does not use any scientific reasoning and its contents are definitely inappropriate for science classes.

Politicians and the education establishment in Northern Ireland need to do more to defend scientific knowledge or else Ulster will be in danger of becoming known as an educational backwater dominated by religious extremists. The story has already hit the major science blogs in the USA, how long before Louis Theroux will be filming his next show in Lisburn?

DUP wants schools in Northern Ireland to teach creationism in science lessons

Meanwhile, just when you think sanity is returning to politics in Northern Ireland, Dr Ian Paisley's DUP party are attempting to coerce schools into teaching creationism in science lessons as an alternative to evolution.

Tonight will see DUP councillors in Lisburn officially propose a motion that schools in Lisburn  be encouraged to "teach alternative theories to evolution as the origins of the earth, such as Creation and Intelligent Design."

The proposal has been opposed by SDLP councillors and received a mixed response from Ulster Unionist members:

Cllr Givan from the DUP said: "I have never believed in the theory of evolution and, like many people believe in the teaching of creation. I believe science points to creation but our schools are teaching a very narrow remit and many exclude alternative theories to evolution. I have asked the Council to write to local schools encouraging them to give equality of treatment to other theories of the origins of life and how the earth came into existence." However, other committee members voiced their objection to the proposal. The committee's Vice Chairman, SDLP Councillor Peter O'Hagan, said: "I think it is a dangerous road to go down for Lisburn Council to be getting involved in school curriculum.

It's hard to imagine within the mainstream UK education system this loony attempt at undermining children's education would getting anywhere near to succeeding....unless of course, the schools involved were faith schools or city academies, in which case dogma can be given a special place over science. In reading a debate on this story on the Richard Dawkins web site I was rather amused by this response:

Mr Givan said: "I have never believed in the theory of birth by sexual reproduction and, like many people, believe in teaching that the stork is responsible. I believe science points to stork theory but our schools are teaching a very narrow remit and many exclude alternative theories to sexual reproduction. I have asked the Council to write to local schools encouraging them to give equality of treatment to other theories of the origins of life and how babies come into existence."

Let's hear it for Martin in the Margins

Let's say a big no to tory bloggers placing themselves as the arbiters of what makes a good left wing blog shall we! Added to my list of links is Martin in the Margins - a very fine Labour supporting politics blog with decidedly secular humanist leanings. Lots of interesting and well argued material including this explanation of how multi-cultural education in primary schools can go horribly wrong:

"As a parent, and an erstwhile school governor, it's irked me the way that multi-cultural education often gets translated, especially in primary schools, into multi-faith education. Learning about 'other cultures' is reduced to finding out about the religious beliefs and customs of different groups. Non-white, non-indigenous groups are characterised as unchanging, homogenous cultures defined mainly by faith. Schools think if they've 'done' Diwali, Ramadan and Passsover, then they've fulfilled their multicultural obligations. In my experience, there's very little sense (at least at the primary level) of migrant communities as diverse, living entities, shaped by historical events, and very little sense of the secular and political forces at work within communities.

Defining non-white children primarily in terms of a nominal faith privileges that aspect of their identity above others, including loyalties based on nation, locality or cultural tastes. It also makes it more difficult for children to put any distance between themselves and their faith-of-origin, or to experience school as a neutral, secular space in which they might explore alternatives to the beliefs they were brought up in. And it has a spin-off for 'indigenous' children: they get categorised, by default, as 'Christian'. This subtle re-introduction of sectarian identities is ludicrous, in a nation where a majority are not active believers in any religion."

Labour Party Conference - on the fringe

If you are attending this year's party conference in Bournemouth do make sure you support the fringe meeting and reception to celebrate the first conference since the establishment of the Labour Humanist Group.

The reception will feature the humanist philosopher, AC Grayling. A Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association, an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society, and author of (amongst many others) "What Is Good?: The Search for the Best Way to Live"  and "Against All Gods: Six Polemics on Religion and an Essay on Kindness". His latest book, "Towards the Light: The Story of the Struggles for Liberty and Rights That Made the Modern West" is published this September. He is a lively and engaging proponent of humanist values in the modern world, and a speaker always worth hearing.

The reception is being held jointly with the British Humanist Association.

Monday, September 24, 2007
7.30 – 10.00pm
Carrington House Hotel
Knyveton Road
Bournemouth
BH1 3QQ

John Prescott, the Polish Women's Party, and the big clunking fist

It seems John Prescott has had a profound influence on the campaigns of the Polish Women's Party and their approach to, ahem, voter contact.  Watch their latest campaign ad here and all will be explained: