Employment Law & Derek Acorah

This story from the Independent continues the recent trend of my increasing incredulity at the absolute stupidity of 1) Employment Law and 2) Judges. It also dovetails nicely with my recent postings on Derek Acorah (If you haven’t watched the Harry Hill clip yet, I urge you to do so.)

“A police worker who was sacked because he believed psychics can help solve criminal investigations is to go to court today to defend his right to legal protection from religious discrimination.

In the first case of its kind Alan Power, a trainer with Greater Manchester Police, will rely on a previous judgment that found his belief in mediums who contact the dead is akin to a religious or philosophical conviction.

In an unpublished judgement in Mr Power’s favour seen by The Independent, the employment specialist Judge Peter Russell said that psychic beliefs are capable of being religious beliefs for the purpose of the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003. This is the same law which was used by the environmental campaigner Tim Nicholson when he successfully argued that green beliefs were the same as religious beliefs in a case decided last week.

"I see a man in a wig and I feel he is very gullible and stupid"

In Mr Power’s case Judge Peter Russell, sitting at Manchester Employment Tribunal, said: “I am satisfied that the claimant’s beliefs that there is life after death and that the dead can be contacted through mediums are worthy of respect in a democratic society and have sufficient cogency, seriousness, cohesion and importance to fall into the category of a philosophical belief for the purpose of the 2003 Regulations.”

Mr Power told the court that he had a belief in psychics and their “usefulness in police investigations” and wanted the judge to confirm that holding such a belief is not a justification for dismissal. Mr Power has been a member of a Spiritualist church for more than 30 years and gave evidence that Spiritualist churches have ordained ministers and that hymns are sung at church services. When cross-examined by lawyers for the Greater Manchester Police he said his religion was one of love because he believed in a God of love rather than one of retribution.

Judge Russell said that a later hearing would have to establish whether the claimant was “dismissed for the possession of religious or philosophical beliefs or for his alleged inappropriate foisting of his beliefs on others.”

Meanwhile

This story from the Guardian is worth a read. It concerns an apparent suicide case which was reopened because some psychics went to the police with information saying that contrary to suicide the man had been murdered and that a “lion, a horse and a man called Tony Fox” were significant.

The true level of the usefulness of clairvoyants and psychics in police work is perhaps betrayed in the final paragraph:

A police source said: “We are becoming a laughing stock. We went haring across the country looking for a lion, a horse and someone called Fox based on info from cranks. Not surprisingly, it turned out to be a wild goose chase which cost at least £20,000 in time and resources.”

"It's a male dog woof! woof! woof! woof! woof! - but it could be a fox"

So there you have it. It seems that you can believe any old pish you want these days, your boss will have to like it or lump it no matter how bizarre the belief, AND the law will protect you if someone points out that in fact Derek Acorah is a fraud.

It can only be a matter of time before animal lovers are given legal protection from being told that bears shit in the woods.

Gordon Lennon Memorial Match

Thank you to the various sources who have publicised the Memorial Match for Sons skipper Gordon Lennon who died in a tragic accident in June.

There has been good coverage today from The Scottish League and also an excellent piece by my friend Willie Cochrane in The Sun.

There also has been terrific support from Alan Findlay at the DFC Website

I am the fund chairman but to be honest most of the hard work for this game has been done by Gilbert Lawrie and Jim Chapman, Chief Executive and Manager of Dumbarton FC respectively. Thanks also to Denise Currie and the team at Sonstrust for their help.

The game is at 2pm this Sunday at Strathclyde Homes Stadium Dumbarton and there will be tickets available on the day.

And on the Subject of Television

Of course I don’t watch much telly. I waste the time I would otherwise waste watching rubbish on the broacast media, typing rubbish here.

When I do decide to watch it is on our flat screen telly which has a great picture and we have the Sky thing (plus?) which costs an arm and a leg and lets you…………….sorry that’s about as much as I know.

However I’m intrigued by this article which states that 28,000 households UK wide and nearly 2,000 in Scotland still tune in on black and white sets!

Whilst this appeals in one way to my Luddite sensibilities I do think that forty years after its introduction we should be used to the idea.

A couple of years ago a cousin of mine married a lad from the Irish Republic. John told us that the main energy company’s slogan in Eire is “It’s Here To Stay!” trying to encourage older folks in more rural settings to connect to electricity. The perception amongst some was that electrical power was perhaps a new fad which wouldn’t last!

Another thing that springs to mind here is that perhaps people are buying a black and white licence for a colour TV in the hope of saving a few bob.

In the nineties when Fergus McCann was in charge at what my correspondent Jim calls the “Brother Walfrid Charity X1″ (Celtic), they were redeveloping the Parkhead ground to an all seated affair. This meant that the stadium structure would be considerably taller than previous.

Residents in the surrounding streets (recently identified as the most poverty stricken in Scotland) were concerned that the new building would mean that their TV picture would be affected. Fergus called a meeting at which he agreed to provide a signal booster and a sizeable cash sum by way of inconvenience to the assembled crowd.

“Now will you all just sign up here agreeing to drop any opposition to our plans and be seated again while I explain arrangements for us to imburse you please”

When it was all signed the bold Fergus said “The money will be available here from next Monday. Please bring your TV licence as proof of entitlement”

Aye he didn’t make £9 million personal profit in a few years at Celtic by not being astute!

More Derek Acorah

This Harry Hill clip is probably the funniest thing you’ll see today.

Sky to Relaunch Scottish Channel

Sky are rumoured  to be close to re-launching their own dedicated Scottish  Channel later this month, and have previewed what they are  intending to broadcast.

Here’s a selection of the listed programmes:

Sky Wan – 9am News and whair it’s pishin doon

9.30am How clatty is yer hoose? – This week the ladies pay a visit to a man whose wife shot  the craw only  three days ago to find the entire hoose under five inches of stoor and  the cludgy honkin o’ pish

10am The Mags Hainey Show – Early mornin chat show hosted by big Mags Hainey in which  neds and  sengas settle their petty differences by screaming  obscenities and  attacking each other with furniture for the amusement of the viewing public. This morning’s episode is entitled  “Whair’s ma effin hoosekeepin  money disappeared tae?”

12.30pm News and whair it’s pishin doon.

1pm Neeburs -Soap opera set in the village of Kinghorn in Fife. This  week Archie  accuses Morag of being in league with Lucifer and has her  burned at the  stake

2pm Film -Angels wi Manky Coupons

4pm Tam the Tank Engine – Tam goes aff the rails and the Fat Controller is chuffed  tae bits

4.15pm Boab the Builder – Reality show where Boab is investigated by the Inland  Revenue

6pm News and whair it’s pishin doon

7pm Doaktir Whae – In this week’s episode the Scottish time traveller  takes the TARDIS back  tae 1966 and breks Geoff Hurst’s legs wae a sonic  Glesca screwdriver

7.30pm Torn Faced Cockney wankers -  Eastenders wi’ subtitles. In tonight’s episode,Dot  gets her jotters fae the steamie while the rest o’ the cast stoat aboot  wi’ faces the length o’ Leith Walk

9pm Fitba Player’s Burds -Drama surrounding the players of fourth division  Auchtermuchty Rovers and their off-pitch antics. This week Boaby is worried that  the club is facing relegation while Moira is gettin it baw deep from the Aberfeldy Academicals goalie

10pm News and whair it’s pishin doon

12.30am Merrit Wi Weans – Re-make of the popular American sit-com ‘Married With Children.’ In this week’s episode, Al sits in front o’ the telly  scratchin his baws while  Peg is still chokin on his boaby

1.30am The Beechgrove Back-Green The boys plans tae dae up a gairdin in Niddrie are scuppered when localneds eff off wi the wheelbarra

2.15am Close Doon

Remembrance

I was busy on Sunday oganising a lunch for my mother’s 80th birthday party. It wasn’t until some relatives, who had come from the other side of Glasgow, remarked that they’d seen the remembrance parade in George Square when changing trains that I “remembered” it was remembrance Sunday.

I reflected that I had the luxury of forgetting such a thing.

War graves at Flanders

When I was growing up there were plenty of veterans of the Great War to tell the horrific tales of what was suffered by the soldiers who fought in it. Death and injury of  countless men to gain a twenty yard advantage over the enemy, shell shock, shooting men with trauma and stress.

My own grandfather, having lied about his age, fought in the trenches at 16 years of age.

The last British soldier from the first world war died earlier this year.

A friend emailed at the weekend and asked if I’d be blogging about Remembrance Sunday and suggested one of the songs listed below but I didn’t get the email until Monday.

If you have a few moments, listen to these two songs written and performed by Scots/Australian songwriter Eric Bogle. As with the contemporary poetry of the likes of Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen, Bogle’s songs can sometimes be just too miserable to bear.

They are certainly not the kind of thing one would listen to for inspiration on a sunny day.

However the words of these songs contain more incisive thought about war and humanity than anyone could otherwise cram into thirteen minutes.

I can’t begin to imagine the worry, tragedy, pain and grief being experienced currently by soldiers and their families in Iraq and Afghanistan but perhaps it will be much the same as that suffered in any war.

Like the war to end all wars.

The armistice treaty for which came into effect at 11am (Paris time) 91 years ago today.

More Shoplifting

I’ve heard this is a common modus operandi of shoplifters.

A trolley load of shopping is collected at the supermarket and paid for. The purchaser passes the receipt to an accomplice who  goes in and takes an already assembled identical trolley of shopping whilst the original purchaser makes away with the original trolley load.

The accomplice, if challenged when leaving without paying then produces the receipt!

 

 

 

Just in Case You Missed This

Tucked away in the comments section of the Dumbarton Stenny game is this gem from my old friend Shanghai Jimmy. Stuff like this makes blogging worthwhile.

“If the Sons beat Cowdenbeath on Saturday, they will equal the club record of five consecutive away league wins, set on 19th March 1892, when they won 3-2 at St Mirren. Thanks to an o.g. and a Jack Bell brace, below video of the great man leading out Preston North End over a decade later.”

There is some absolutely fantastic footage on Youtube in this series including the first ever film of Manchester United (otherwise known as Newton Heath) playing Burnley at Turf Moor in 1902 in front of 2,000.

Thanks Jim!

Haud Me Back!

It’s not often this blog turns to the Sun for inspiration but I spotted this in yesterday’s scan of one of my staff’s copy (I only read it for the football!)

This is brilliant. “I’ve got my car keys here but what did I do with the antidote?”

A SUBSTANCE said to give the feeling of booze without the health risks is being developed by controversial ex Government drugs tsar Professor David Nutt. The solution is added to liquid. It is claimed anyone using it will get the alcohol high without the hangover or deadly liver damage. There is even an antidote which would allow a user to DRIVE home after taking it. Here, the scientist – recently sacked as chairman of the independent Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs after saying ecstasy is safer than alcohol – gives the reason for the innovation.

The full article is HERE

Pay Attention Class!

Apropos my posting on middle class shoplifting and the  raw nerves which were touched, an old TV sketch kept coming to mind:

I was amused recently when John Prescott (see TBLFP passim) did his series about class. He was in a high rise (in London I think) with some single mothers and asked them what class they regarded themselves belonging to. Prescott answered the question for them and said” I’d say you were working class” to which one of them replied quite seriously “I’d say middle class because I don’t work!”

Edit:

In fact here is the very clip!