So what have you done today..?

I rode my bike to work, clearly a huge error. It pissed down all the way here and hasn't stopped since....

 

First rule of riding your bike to work...always check the weather forecast.
Second rule, there isn't one!

 

I know, massive amatuer, funnily enough...... All the other Ducati's here have been left at home today!

 

Wrong! We most certainly do not. For the pros and cons of that controversy, see:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27111146
Seems abundantly clear that, by most measures, the answer is no. Thank god.

 

Race has got nothing to do with it. People of any race can be muslims, or christians, or atheists. And people of any race can try to impose sharia, or can oppose this.

There are people who want to destroy democracy, free speech, equality and human rights; and there are other people who want to preserve and promote those things. Are you really saying those positions are equally extreme?

 

Any moves to undermine secularity must be defended vigourously. At the end of a rifle if necessary.

 

reading that post on sharia. scarry stuff

 

Yes there is. Several groups such as the National Secular Society (of which I am a keen supporter) and the British Humanist Association strive mightily to reduce the specially privileged influence in government, and the agenda-sneaking, of various christian and other bodies. Religious power over schools is a major area of contention, as it has been for many years. Islamic influence is a very recent threat, but seems to be rapidly growing - hence the need for new initiatives to expose it.

 

Unless youre going to wales in which case the forecast doesn't really matter as it normally starts raining as you go over the bridge....

 

And the rest of us are not politicians or civil servants

 

I am glad there is a Sharia watch, although it should be completely unnecessary.
From a rapid read of the website suggested, it appears they have a problem with the following:
Sharia Law - on the basis that it is discriminatory (against women and non-Muslims, notably).
Sharia Finance
Halal Food

The arguments advanced for finance and food seem to be the same - that the industries go to finance terrorism and are uncontrolled. That doesn't seem to me to be a credible basis for being against it in a blanket fashion. If you want to invest your money according to sharia rules and with dodgy companies - more fool you, but it's your choice. God knows there is enough dodginess in normal finance.

As for the Halal argument, I didn't find anything about animal welfare in it. But then there are terrible abuses of animals in non-Halal food (cf pork production). So some of that economy goes to fund terrorism. Well that's criminal, but it doesn't have much to do with halal food, any more than if you said that a lot of companies producing organic food funded the Animal Liberation Front. What's that got to do with wanting to eat organic?

Which brings us to the Sharia Law. I can't see what an alternative justice system is doing in the UK. What legal basis does it have? And if it is voluntary, does that mean that Scientologists should also be allowed their own arbitration structures?

Still, it's a very shrill website.

 

We need a new thread about this, or the "What have you done today" thread will get very cluttered. See: "Sharia" thread.

 

Fair bit of work and picked up a pair of slick race scrubs ready for when I can eventually get round to repairing my bike and fit enough to ride it

 

you wont get a response out of him for a while yet :Yuck:

 

Have a good one, but...200 guests... Your venue will only be half full.... Where's our invite.?

 

Belated Birthday Wishes.