ASA and its Inbuilt Bias against Traditional Marriage

John Bingham, Social Affairs Editor of The Telegraph, has published an article under the title -

"Gay marriage: Advertising watchdog accused of bias over Chairman's Campaign Video."

He explains that the Advertising Standards Agency has been accused of bias after its chairman publicly campaigned for gay marriage while it has placed advertisements from opponents of a change in the law under investigation.

The watchdog rejected calls for Lord Smith of Finsbury – the former Labour cabinet minister, Chris Smith – to resign last night but accepted that he had a “conflict of interest” on the matter and therefore would not vote.

ADVERT UNDER INVESTIGATION

It has emerged that the ASA is investigating an advertisement from the Coalition For Marriage (C4M), which campaigns against changing the law, following claims it is “offensive” to homosexual people.

Archbishop Cranmer, a popular political and religious blog, was asked to justify carrying the advertisements, which also appeared in a host of other media after 11 complaints to the ASA.

PRESSURE FROM THE LAW SOCIETY

It came on the same day as the Law Society banned a conference on marriage due to be addressed by a senior High Court judge because it did not promote same-sex marriage.

The advertisements carried on the Cranmer blog promoted the C4M petition, which has attracted more than 500,000 supporters so far, and polling figures suggesting that 70 per cent of people believe marriage should remain between a man and a women.

If the complaints are upheld the advertisement could be banned.

Yesterday Cranmer voiced disbelief after Lord Smith recorded a message for the “Out4Marriage” website, expressing his support for same-sex marriage.

“We have gained so much over the last 10 or 15 years and civil partnerships have been a major step forward but it still isn’t full equality and that is why I think this is a very important campaign,” he said.

“There is a personal reason too – as a gay man I would like to be able to marry.”

CALL FOR RESIGNATION

The blogger called for Lord Smith to resign, adding: “It is simply not possible for the ASA to assert impartiality and objectivity in adjudicating on matters relating to the promotion of traditional marriage.”

Colin Hart, campaign director of the C4M, said: “Cranmer raises some very important questions not least is has this frivolous and spurious complaint being investigated.

There is a political campaign and there seems to be a willingness on the part of the ASA to do its uppermost to clamp down on freedom of speech and debate in this country.

We should all be very worried about this investigation.”

A spokeswoman for the ASA said that there were “robust” processes in place to ensure that the decision on the complaint would be fair and impartial.

“The fact that [the advertisement] is under investigation does not mean that it will necessarily be upheld,” she said.

“Our chairman ordinarily does not vote, we have got 13 members of the council and the decisions are taken by them and our chairman does not ordinarily vote unless it is split.

There is a conflict of interest here so even should the decision have been split he would not vote.” 

Given the performance of ASA in the past, the outcome of this investigation will be worth watching!

European Court Ruling on Homosexual Marriage

Same-sex marriages are not a human right, European judges have ruled.

Their decision shreds the claim by ministers that gay marriage is a universal human right and that same-sex couples have a right to marry because their mutual commitment is just as strong as that of husbands and wives.

The ruling was made by judges of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg following a case involving a lesbian couple in a civil partnership who complained the French courts would not allow them to adopt a child as a couple. 

The ruling comes just days after the Government published a consultation paper which promised marriage to same-sex couples and made clear that Britain is only catching up with other countries.

Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone said:  "Put simply, it’s not right that a couple who love each other and want to formalise a commitment to each other should be denied the right to marry."

However, the Strasbourg judges ruled that because the French couple were civil partners, they did not have the rights of married people, who in France have the sole right to adopt a child as a couple.

They declared:  "The European Convention on Human Rights does not require member states’ governments to grant same-sex couples access to marriage."

The judges added that couples who are not married do not enjoy the same status as those who are.

"With regard to married couples, the court considers that in view of the social, personal, and legal consequences of marriage, the applicants’ legal situation could not be said to be comparable to that of married couples."

The French civil partners, Valerie Gas and Nathalie Dubois, tried to secure marriage rights under clauses that prevent discrimination and protect privacy and family life.

But the Strasbourg judges said there had been no discrimination against them because they were lesbians.

Lawyers said the decisions transformed the impact of David Cameron’s planned same-sex marriage law.

Neil Addison, a specialist in discrimination law, said:  "Once same-sex marriage has been legalised then the partners to such a marriage are entitled to exactly the same rights as partners in a heterosexual marriage.

This means that if same-sex marriage is legalised in the UK it will be illegal for the Government to prevent such marriages happening in religious premises."

The Strasbourg ruling won praise from campaigners against same-sex marriage.

Norman Wells, of the Family Education Trust, said: 

"For too long campaigners have been using the language of rights in an attempt to add moral force to what are nothing more than personal desires.

In many cases they have bypassed the democratic process and succeeded in imposing their views on the rest of the population by force of law.

We are seeing the same principle at work in the Government’s sham of a consultation on same-sex marriage."

He added: 

"The ruling from the ECHR will embolden those whose concerns about same-sex marriage and adoption are not inspired by personal hatred and animosity, but by a genuine concern for the well-being of children and the welfare of society.

Instead of rushing to legislate without seriously considering the views of the electorate, the Government should be encouraging a measured public debate on the nature and meaning of marriage."

Further reading:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9157029/Gay-marriage-is-not-a-human-right-according-to-European-ruling.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2117920/Gay-marriage-human-right-European-ruling-torpedoes-Coalition-stance.html

Collapse of Tesco Car Sales

Sky News has reported that,

"Supermarket chain Tesco's brief foray into the consumer car market has reached a dead end."

Tesco Cars was set up in April 2011 to sell second-hand vehicles but failed to become a viable business venture.

The firm's website has announced the closure and said: 

"We started Tesco Cars in good faith and we always aim to do a good job for customers.

However, following a review of the business model we and Carsite, our partner, have decided that we cannot offer customers a satisfactory range of vehicles and as a result, have decided it is right to close the business."

According to 'Car Dealer' magazine, Tesco lacked popular car models to sell and began laying off staff on Christmas Eve after it failed to build sales via Tesco card club member access.

An industry insider said: "I also know there were a lot of changes at board level.  The guys driving the Tesco Cars brand along were moved to other parts of the business, which weren't doing well and that says a lot.  Tesco is really struggling at the moment - they can't seem to sell food in the UK, so why bother with cars?"

 

This major failure comes as part of a series of other similar 'crashes.' 

It comes after:

• the retailer's worst Christmas period for 20 years, during which they were out-performed by the other members of the 'big four';

• £5bn was sliced from the chain's shares in January after a profit warning was announced;

• the humiliation of their market share dropping below 30% for the first time since this milestone was achieved;

• turmoil within the company's management structure that has seen former UK operations boss Mr Richard Brasher losing his job – the fourth board director to depart since Philip Clarke took the top job in 2011;

• a plague of mice that forced the closure of their Covent Garden store hardly lifted morale within the company;

• nor did the loss of a battle to open a Tesco Express store in Herne village in Kent when the whole village united against their planning application, and one local councillor branded the company "totally silly."

The collapse of the car business is the latest problem to hit the stricken firm since it announced a £30,000 gift to London Gay Pride in November 2011.

Whether the Gay Pride decision has brought the wrath of God on the supermarket giant, or whether that ill-timed and ill-thought-out decision was simply a manifestation of a general and deep-seated incompetence, depends on one’s point of view.

Certainly the verdict of God's Word cannot be disputed; 1 Samuel 2:30:  "Them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed."

Embryos, Euphemisms and Eliminations

In recent days horrifying facts have emerged respecting the creation - and elimination - of 'embryos' in our country.

An article in the Belfast Newsletter reported that,  

"More than 4,000 human embryos have been destroyed in Northern Ireland since 2006.  The number of embryos being destroyed has massively increased from just 1 in 2006 to more than 1,200 last year."

Every Christian should be dismayed at these statistics – and their concern will not be dissipated by the 'pseudo-scientific speak' that has been quickly wrapped around this horrific reality.

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/ni-destroys-4-000-human-embryos-1-3762407

• Of chief concern is the destruction of human life.

The term "embryo" de-personalises the real issue.  A human embryo is nothing less than a living human being at the earliest stage of its development.

Psalm 139:16 reveals that David existed in the eyes of God while he was in the womb and at that stage when, in today's jargon, he would be classified as "an embryo":

"Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in Thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them."

The destruction of this embryo would have involved the murder of David! 

It is chilling to think that medical services within our country are saving life with one hand - and slaughtering it with the other. 

• Of great concern is the fact that IVF treatment is being offered on the NHS to same-sex couples.

Most valid is that objection that disapproves of public funds being used to provide this service to same-sex couples,

"who, by the very nature of their lifestyle choice, have determined they are not interested in natural procreation.  Yet, the public are expected to pay for expensive IVF treatment to facilitate reproduction for same-sex couples."

Dr Lindsay Wilson produced a booklet that was published by our 'Government and Morals Committee' in 2006.  Having outlined the procedure involved in IVF treatment, Dr Wilson makes the following observations: 

"We accept that life begins at conception; therefore in the case of IVF life begins outside the body.  There are several issues in the IVF treatment procedure that present us with grave difficulties.

Discarded embryos.  

Once an embryo exists it has the full status of any other person.  To discard it, is to kill it, and this is unacceptable.

Fetal reduction.  

This is another name for the heinous practice of abortion.  God’s Law demands that we do all in our power to preserve life.

Freezing embryos.  

Life has begun at conception; those embryos are alive, though frozen at present.  What, if on the first treatment the woman finds she is expecting triplets and doesn’t want any more children?  What happens to her frozen embryos?  What happens to the frozen embryos if she dies?  There are many thousands of frozen embryos in the United States of America, where no one wants them.  Some Christian couples have offered to adopt an embryo, and have it implanted.  While these people may be commended, legal difficulties could be formidable.  However the practice of producing embryos to freeze them in the first place is where the problem lies."

Our appeal to those in positions of influence within our country is to take a principled stand against this slaughter; to –

"Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction" (Proverbs 31:8).