Memorandum submitted by David Skinner (CJ&I 379)

A national press ad placed by the Gay Police Association, in The Independent last year, was headlined "in the name of the father" and explicitly implied that Christians were responsible for a 74% increase in religion-fuelled homophobic incidents. It therefore singled out Christians for vilification and discriminatory stereo typing which could have incited violence towards people of faith, particularly Christians. Even though the Advertising agency found them guilty of breaking the advertising standards, the Crown Prosecution service refused to find a case against them- in spite of the fact that 45,000 people wrote in to say that they had found the advert offensive and threatening.

In 2001 Harry Hammond, an elderly evangelical preacher, was convicted of a public order offence after he held up a poster calling for an end to homosexuality, lesbianism and immorality. Although he had been the victim of a physical attack when a crowd of 30 "offended" bystanders poured soil and water over him, he alone was prosecuted. He died a few months after having to pay a fine and court costs at Wimborne magistrates of £650. To this day, the Crown Prosecution Service has lost the moral courage to posthumously clear Harry Hammond's criminal record. Even Peter Tatchell has said that this is a miscarriage of justice. Why should there be one law for the LGBTs and one for the rest of society? The answer is craven fear.

 Any assurances and promises from the government that the Sexual Orientation Regulations would not be applied to the School Curriculum ( I have in my possession a letter from Lord Adonis) have all proved to be worthless . Indeed Ben Summerskill and his people are determined that there will be no exemptions to the incitement hatred bill- all exits will be blocked. I am under no illusion that he is also determined that the meaning of the phrase, "inciting hatred" will be stretched so far that even the raising of a disapproving eyebrow will automatically qualify as "hatred."

Do not imagine for one minute that the recent case of the four Avon Fire crew who disturbed a homosexual orgy in a public beauty spot and as a consequence were disciplined will spread warmth, enlightenment, and 21^st century tolerance" towards gays. This will only propagate a smouldering hatred.

This law will have the effect of increasing tensions and mistrust within society, which will inevitably lead to the gays becoming even more vulnerable to attack from the more extreme and brutal elements of society -and for whom the law will be no deterrent . Jack Straw's boast in the House of Commons , on the 8^th October that violent crime had fallen does not equate with reality. Even high profile homosexuals like Peter Tatchell and Johann Hari have articulated this same concern.

The un elected, personal views of Ben Summerskill have clearly had a powerful influence in shaping the proposal to make incitement to hatred of homosexuality a criminal offence and in reinforcing the erroneous belief that homosexuality is an inherent characteristic. He limits a legal definition of religion only to celebrations, ceremony and liturgy; any biblical view of existence, morals and truth will not be regarded as being related to objective reality and will accordingly not be permitted to inform and direct British life as it has for the last two thousand years..

What right has Ben Summerskill to claim that his personal, evolutionary humanistic views of existence, morals and truth are objectively true ? The world according to Nietzsche is indeed myth and fantasy. This level of blatant discrimination and persecution being carried out in the name of equality and justice is truly breathtaking in its arrogance and self -induced stupidity.

The labour party were swept into power in 1997, bursting with idealism and a plan for building a society based on justice and equality. The country was behind them and there was practically nothing of a revolutionary nature that Mr Blair might do by way of combating the values of our then run-down, spiritually impoverished way of life and for which it wouldn't have given him full support.

Yet how infinitely sad and macabre that after ten years the form this revolution has taken should be a demand not for redressing the widening gap between the rich and the poor, or those with second and third homes and with those with none, or with fighting disease in our hospitals, or a lack of justice and security for its citizens, but for the legalising of gambling, binge drinking, drug taking and the ultimate 'gift' ,as the homosexuals call it, HIV.

October 2007