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Sir Salman Rushdie: I object to the ennoblement of Lord Ahmed and other Muslims as they are high-profile representastives of that community, members of which have killed some of their fellow citiizens in the UK. Some of them are of Pakistani origin. Sir Salman Rushdie has killed nobody to my knowledge and many of those objecting have never read 'The Satanic Verses' which so enrages them.
Alan Johnston: I find it ironical the the 大象传媒 which has been so pro-Palestinian and anti Israel for so long, should find itself targeted by those people it has sought to appease and support. Let's hope the 大象传媒 has learnt its lesson and will be more even-handed in future. I shall not hold my breath.
The new PM: I think it wholly wrong that an MP for a Scottish constituency, in which country he has virtually no authority, should be allowed to be the PM of England! The present government has shown great favours to its home country in education, health etc and this has all been done out of English taxes!
Can the 大象传媒 not find anyone who has actually read some of Sir Salman Rushdie鈥檚 wonderful, magical books? Is Jim Naughtie on holiday leaving the 大象传媒 in the hands of literary philistines? Two more interviewees today each admitting to have read none of them (in the case of the Tory, it was more of a boast). One at least was able to name check 鈥淢idnight鈥檚 Children鈥 as well as 鈥淭he Satanic Verses鈥, but the other stated quite unchallenged that he鈥檇 written nothing since the latter (he has written at least eight further books, two plays and numerous articles and columns).
Also, one cannot help noticing that you cannot have a Tory without a balancing Labourite, even though they were pretty much in agreement, but you see no need to balance a Muslim religious thug (Lord Ahmed on Monday) with a civilised secular supporter of European values. Did you not recently have an internal report about this?
I read The Satanic Verses in the same year it was published. I found it dull and almost put it down before finishing it. God alone knows what it was about; it just rambled on about nothing.
But, speaking as someone who detests the British honours system and thinks that the whole corrupt rubbish (along with the house of lords (sic) and the monarchy) should be abolished I just want to say that nothing makes me want to change my mind more than that bunch of Islamic fundamentalist thugs who are openly threatening to destroy my civilisation. These Muslim nutters really do themselves and their culture no favours at all by running around burning effigies of the queen and Salmon's book. We've seen it all before with the Danish publication of those cartoons and frankly it is starting to look silly and it's getting boring. They all need to grow up.
Girls aged and 13 will be given jabs to protect them from cervical cancer. TheDepartment of Health has agreed 'in principle' based on expert advice. In my opinion a positive move 'considering about a third of 3,000 women diagnosed with cervical cancer each year die from the disease'.
I was appalled to hear a spokesman for a Christian organisation suggest that this could encourage underage sex. I read that females who have the vaccine before they start having sex derive more benefit than those who receive the vaccine after the onset of sexual activity. So, it certainly makes sense to offer this vaccine at a time that is considered 'optimum'
If this vaccine has the potential to prevent some women from developing cancer why should it be seen by some as moral issue.
ROPK @4 -- why should some see it as a moral issue? I'm not convinced they do. In the 1940s people who spent their time trying to boss everyone around were called 'little Hitlers', in the 1960s they were called 'control freaks', and nowadays they are called 'MPs' and 'a spokesman for [x religious group]'.
Morals has nothing to do with it; they just can't bear the idea of anyone not paying attention to them and doing what they are told. Mention what Monty Python splendidly called 'the naughty bits' (cervix, nudge nudge wink wink) and such people know they have a ready-made cause for indignation.
It's my opinion that the time is ripe for a new political party to be founded, whose rallying cry when faced with interfering know-it-alls speaking on behalf of others would be 'M.Y.O.B!' How many of these sanctimoneous folk who disapprove of sex have died of cervical cancer? None. Unless they are communicating via a ouija board, of course.
Grrrrr.
So 12-year old girls are going to get HPV jabs, what about the boys? After all, if a sexually active girl is at risk of contracting HPV, exactly who is she getting it from?
Chris T (6)
It's probably cheaper than circumcision, and it all comes down to cost these days.
Raising the age of consent to 21 is another possibility. Obedience to such a law would be highly effective.
I'm sure I commented here last night.
VH (7)
I don't really understand your post. Since at the moment 50% of young women have underage sex, the only consequence of raising the age of consent to 21 is going to be to increase that proportion to pretty much 100%.
Chris T (6) has a good point. The aim of most vaccination programmes is to give herd immunity and drive instances of the disease as close to zero as possible. It is my understanding that the DOH has not ruled out extending the vaccination programme to boys in future, though I expect more research is needed before that happens.
I am delighted that this vaccine is going to be made available and that my daughter will be in one of the first cohorts to benefit from it. She listened to the item on PM and was astonished that anyone should be suggesting she shouldn't have it or that it might induce her to have sex any earlier. Youngest daughter then said "Mummy, I don't really understand what sex is" at which point older girl asked if I could leave the detailed explanation of the yucky bits until after she'd finished her tea!
Vyle Hernia (7): Why not just outlaw the virus? A law raising the age of consent to 21 would be about as likely to be obeyed!
Well, I did say obedience to such a law.
There is an argument that if you set a legal limit at such-and-such, people will generally adhere to it but consider themselves free to go slightly outside it. Thus driving at 33 in a 30 limit or smoking at the age of 15 or leaving prison a few weeks early are behaviours to which most people would consider themselves entitled, as long as they didn't get caught/punished. But I am digressing (isn't that what blogs are for?).
I have long wondered what the penalty is for under-age sex (where both parties are under-age). Has anyone ever been convicted?