Against the stream

The news that our politicians in the Mother of Parliaments has been able to reach agreement on one thing over Brexit after two years of negotiation and debate is that they don't want a "no-deal" exit. Even that was with with just one vote. No matter what one thinks of Brexit it has to happen as that was the decision of the electorate in the first "peoples vote".

I voted remain and think leaving will be a disastrous backwards move but my view lost and frankly that's something I have to accept. I don't have to like it but that's democracy.  Still enough of Brexit you are going to get plenty of that elsewhere and frankly I can't be bothered much about it these days.

Meanwhile society is facing other issues amongst which I take strong but I think balanced views though the accusations thrown against me have been legion recently. According to my critics I'm a racist Islamophobic, transphobic TERF.

I am an atheist and a fairly militant secularist who believes in the complete separation of religion and the state. We have seen in recent months how religion when implemented through the state leads to such inhumane injustices. It's called Sharia Law which discriminates against women, gays and Christians amongst others to enforce the will of what they call "Allah" but in reality is nothing more than redneck clerics hanging on to power through superstitious nonsense in the Koran.

The recent plight of Asia Bibi, the poor Christian woman facing the death penalty for alleged blasphemy disgusted or should have disgusted civilised observers everywhere. However much of the world remained cowardly silent because after all no-one wants to be called Islamophobic or upset the supposed religion of peace.

Even now as the Shit of Brunei introduces stoning of gays and adulterers (the latter seemingly overlooked by many) along with other equally barbaric and inhuman laws in the name of some invisible friend should be condemned by all.

Sadly even a seemingly normal moderator of a Facebook group who claimed to have been to Brunei said the report I put up about the stonings from a Gay newspaper site was and I quote "horseshit". It's now all over the media and the Shah defends his brutality as the will of "God".  I asked the Moderator to apologise. I'm still waiting.....

There's been no demo outside the Brunei Embassy over this, certainly not to my knowledge. The usual suspects remain surprisingly quiet as they did over Asia Bibi. I think Islam is barbaric and Sharia inhumane. I don't believe all Muslims are, in fact I have often argued those most oppressed by Islam are Muslims themselves as freedom is an anathema to their holy book. Question or leave the perfect religion and they face ostracising or worse death.

Yet I'm the bigot the extremist, the Islamophobe.

Then there is all this business about Transphobia. Until the sudden demand by trans-men for the right to "self ID" as women regardless of any safeguards and be able therefore to be treated as legally women using women's spaces I hadn't taken much notice of this small phenomenon. However the aggression employed by the current wave of trans activists against women was disturbing in itself.

I have never understood why the "T"was added to the LGB as being transsexual is not a sexual orientation it's something completely different. The Lesbian section of the LGBT has been adversely affected by this with the movement splitting as indeed have lots of feminists who take umbrage with the undermining of their hard won sex based rights.

One thing I had not known was that something 80% of trans-men do not have the operation. I can hardly define them as women even if they wear a dress. They are to me just transvestites. I wish them no ill but they cannot and should not be allowed into women's spaces.

I also find it odd that they call lesbians who refuse to sleep with then "transphobes". I have not heard anything so ridiculous in my life. Oh wait I have. During lengthy debates on two Facebook pages yesterday I was told that trans men have periods. Utter tosh. These people said it with a straight face as if undeniable fact. It is because of this nonsense and the censorship of the trans-lobby that I side with the women.

The no platforming of feminist speakers, stopping of of women's meetings, attacks on Universities to prevent research into the whole trans-issue and those that are badly affected by choices (does happen) and the bulling and threats to women by trans-men is a disgrace.

Before this cross-dressers, transvestites and even trans-men were broadly accepted. I know society isn't perfect but most people didn't care until now. Self ID is not enough. Women's rights are not for surrender. Call me a TERF I don't care.

Then there's the thorny issue of immigration. I believe in immigration controls. We have a right to decide who comes and lives in this country. Those who arrive are welcome, but you live by our laws, our values. No Sharia courts, No FGM, forced marriages etc. otherwise fine.

There have to be limits. Yes I think our laws are too soft and some people should not be allowed to continue to live here. Serious or career criminals should be deported after their sentences.

This is a view I have held for years I do not think it is unreasonable. Controlled immigration is fine and immigrants bring much of value to this country but it is something that needs to be reformed and controlled better.

Of course the moment anyone says they favour immigration controls the shouts of racist can be heard from the Socialist Worker types hanging around on street corners. I don't care.

The terms Islamophobe, Transphobe, TERF and sometimes even racist are used to to suppress debate. I'm not intolerant nor a racist but I do have views that sections of the left and the identity politics brigade do not like. My message to them is I simply don't care.

It is they who are the real bigots