Some people just don’t know when to quit

Despite repeated failures over the last five years, the Grauniad is reporting that our favourite fugger, Mohammad Al-Fayed is trying (again) to get a public enquiry into the deaths of his son Dodi, and Diana, Princess of Any Charity You Can Think Of.

Personally, I think Al-Fayed is obsessed, and won’t ever let the entire thing go. No wonder the Home Office seems happy to know he’s leaving the country…

Will his robes be pink?

So far, I’ve avoided commenting on the completely farcical furore over whether the church should appoint a gay man as Bishop of Reading. This is a man who has been in a solid relationship for 27 years, which is more than I can say for most pederastic bastards priests/vicars/whatever.

Considering Rowan Williams’ comments today that the church should be ‘more gay-friendly’, and that Christianity is supposed to be about tolerance, loving thy fellow man, and all that gubbins, surely a gay priest is an ideal move? (Yes, that might be slightly flippant, but bear with me here) The Christian church has been alienating gays for years, telling them that they are sinners, evil, against God’s law, and other far worse insults and inquisitions, while still conveniently managing to avoid the issue about priests who abuse children etc. So really what this acceptance of a gay bishop comes down to is that the church would have to admit that they’re a bunch of hypocritical blinkered bastards – which everyone in the public knows anyway. In many ways I think it’s actually great that the Church has been called on it’s hypocrisy, double-standards, and intolerance towards modern life – and I hope it helps them move forwards, rather than get bogged down in some stupid schism. (Meanwhile, back in reality…)

After all, if someone who is so obviously a Man Of God is also gay, then that can’t fit in with the “fact” that it’s against God’s Law to be gay – can it? Personally, I would be far more likely to visit a church knowing that it’s main speaker had been through that kind of test of faith – I’m interested in people that have that level of conviction in their beliefs. If Canon Jeffrey John were a lesser man, he’d have bowed to his critics, and stepped down from even being nominated for the Bishop-ship (or whatever it’s called) – and I will admit to a more than grudging respect for him that he’s faced this fight head-on, and not even called for the privacy laws to be invoked himself, although others have – perhaps wanting to hide the entire issue under a stone.

UPDATED : I should also point out that Gert has also ranted about this, and she’s done a much better job than me.

Grim

I know I’ve written about this before, but the story of the man who shot his neighbour in a dispute over a hedge has taken another turn.

The man, who was accused of murder, has now hanged himself in jail. So – two lives lost over a poxy garden hedge. Was it worth it?

And I thought BT were bad…

In the same vein as the posting below, here’s one for everyone who’s ever cursed BT, NTL, Telewest, or any of the other UK phone providers. Over in Bangladesh, it took one man 27 years to get a phone line installed.

Personally, I’m amazed BT hasn’t come up with the “we’ll be more efficient if you bribe us” policy yet – maybe they will after this story. I’m sure it’ll be wrapped in some legalese mumbo-jumbo – they’ll call it an “express installation charge” or somesuch, but I predict it’ll be tried.

Ah, sweet irony

Personally, I think there are few things funnier than irony, and the story of the politician caught speeding by the camera he bought for the local police force is funnier than most.

Warped, but still somehow pure comedy.