Tuesday, June 26, 2007

In Praise of the Ministry of Truth

The Ministry of Truth is a site which specialises in forensic examinations of particular topics. The author of the blog has taken me to task on a number of occasions so he might expect me to trash his site.

On the contrary, he's done some excellent work exposing the charade behind the case of the girl who has taken her school to court over their decision to forbid her to wear a 'chastity ring'. I must admit I always felt there was something a bit fishy about this case but couldn't quite put my finger on what. Well if you're interested, click HERE for the full story - and it's a story which the national press seem to have missed, despite devoting acres of space to the girl's story.

31 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...
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Ted Foan said...

Well, the only intersting thing about this load of non-news is that the nice girls aren't being recruited to become suicide bombers.

Oh, and the Chief Sock Puppet has bothered to comment (twice) on his own story! Now that's fervour for you!

The Military Wing Of The BBC said...

Just caught the back end of what looked to be a surprisingly good (ie an attack on Broown) Panorama on BBC News 24.
Its repeated again at 03.30 tonight on News 24 but is not yet on line.

Manfarang said...

Should make her wear a chastity belt.Much more effective than a ring.And it wouldn't be against school rules.

Anonymous said...

Did you submit your site at blogsearch.sg?

You can reach blogsearch by just typing blogsearch.sg in your browser window or click here

This is a service by bizleadsnet directory of web logs

Anonymous said...

I agree with Diablo to a point. It is an interesting story and illustrates how any matter reported should never be taken at face value. I can't help feeling that it wasn't particularly difficult to piece together. Now if the MoT could do the same on the various organisations wibbling on about Muslim oppression in the UK (for a start) and their links to proscribed organisations within the Uk and terrorist groups elsewhere in the world - that might well be very interesting. Somehow I don't think we'll see the same fervour. A chastity ring wearer isn't going to threaten to behead you or blow you up in your way to work now are they?

Anonymous said...

As much as I don't hold with evangelicals and their 'ring thing', so the hell what? Why is it bad for evangelical Christians to flout their weird ideas but a-ok for Muslims to impose theirs?

If you scratched the story of the girl who fought to wear full Muslim dress at her high school you will find that her brother, who was an Islamist militant was behind it and he was backed by radical Muslim organisations.

Let's get this in perspective here.

Anonymous said...

WEll Iain, let's have Cameron come up with a National School Uniform policy. No rings, no jewelry, no turbans, no Arab costume dress for Muslims.....blazer, tie, blue, white or grey short and skirts for girls.

Let us lay down a standard code for uniforms and expel any child into the private sector who refuses to adhere to policy.

After all the only legal requirement is for parents to educate their children, not for the taxpayer to provide them with a school

Hughes Views said...

Wot, no mention of this morning's poll in the Indy - "Tories go back to front". The old jokes are sometimes the best....

Anonymous said...

Not all the national press missed it, Iain. It was reported in the Guardian here: http://education.guardian.co.uk/
schools/story/0,,2109483,00.html

Anonymous said...

All polls are dodgy until October

Anonymous said...

The BBC's flagship documentary programme makes an astonishing attack on Gordon Brown at peak viewing time, basically calling him a liar and a spiv, yet the Tory blogs completely ignore this preferring to concentrate on relatively trivial matters instead.

Do all you Tory bloggers, particularly Iain, Guido, Tim etc, share the Mail's Paul Dacre's peculiar (homo-erotic?) crush on Brown. Are you secret admirers of the Great Charlatan or are you saving your ammunition for later?

What is going on?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the referral -- I have added it to the list of blogs I look at.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for highlighting this Iain, it's a very cool piece of proper journalism by a blogging citizen, which indicates how weak, useless and self-serving much of the "mainstream" media are. Even the BBC which should make some sort of effort, however shambolic, to check it's stories, gave this one full coverage without so much as a mention of the business interests of her parents and the fact she had left school anyway. And then the BBC have the bare-faced cheek to feature attacks on bloggers from journalists on Today. Hypocricy and indifference to the facts are alive and well in journo-land.

Anonymous said...

Puzzled - all loyal Englishmen (and women) were watching gallant Tim battling for Britain on BBC2 at the time. No doubt all part of a terrible conspiracy to draw the nation's attention away from the startling news that politicians don't always quite say entirely what they mean...

Anonymous said...

eric the fish....welcome! we don't get too many Brownite trolls on here these days.

I guess Gordon is in a bit of a paddy this morning eh? "Heads will roll" and all that.

Best keep out of his way eh? LOL

Iain Dale said...

Puzzled, if you were a regular reader of my blog you would know exactly what I think of Gordon Brown.

I didn't know about the Panorama programme and have seen no write-upss about it. I can only write about what I have seen, and as you may know, I am working in the evenings so i wouldn't have seen it anyway.

Chris Paul said...

Iain: I thought you were instantly removing abuse and swearing? I don't mind what you leave up. But people will get the idea you're inconsistent and even two-faced. If your sock poodles (a) can't keep a civil tongue in their heads and (b) reckon you've got the story from me ("his own story") and not direct from MoT then perhaps you would (a) reel them in and (b) give me a hat tip.

Panorama is soooo over. Staff are even resigning as the sad ship sinks.

Tapestry said...

If there is a partly commercial aspect to this case, it would make sense. Ameicans have no problem in seeing promotion of religion and making money as one and the same. It is more a British emphasis to think that religion should be exclusively spiritual.

Where's Cranmer when I need him?

There is clearly political approval of the story, or it wouldn't be hitting so much media. It probably suits the government's position on limiting Moslem apparel to be able to say that Christians are equally affected.

It is a natural marketing ploy to get into this area as it is guaranteed free media coverage, as it suits the government's needs at the samne time.

PUZZLED - yes we all admire Brown. Let him have his parade and look happy. People like a bit of froth and scmaltz in their dull lives - especially the girls. We wouldn't want to get a reputation for being party poopers. Isn't it good to see Gordon happy at last? I hope Tony finds a nice job too. Such lovely boys. Such nice smiles. It's just like a soap opera. People just love it.

Anonymous said...

Iain, it the Panorama prog is well worth watching. Here's the link to view it:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_4120000/newsid_4124500?redirect=4124514.stm&bbwm=1&bbram=1&nbwm=1&nbram=1&news=1

Chris Paul said...

PS Nitrazepan? Oh come on.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm.. an interesting story, but I have to say that the school have to take some of the rap here. They did kick up a fuss about this girl in a way reminiscent of the BA fiasco, when they weren't enforcing Uniform Policy on jewellery against the other kids.

If they had clamped down on 'nose studs, ear rings and the like' they might have had more of a leg to stand on.

Not sure the evidence that the Silver Ring Thing are a franchise stands up when one looks at the money they are taking - £35 for a course might not be considered good vfm - but it is hardly in the money making league of the Scientologists.

I think the thing about the model was a bit of a cheap shot - church people have to mix with non-church people to provided goods and services, or they would be like the Amish. And many non-church people will not, by definition, aspire to the same standards of behaviour as religious people. That doesn't make them criminals.

Nice lingerie though...

Anonymous said...

"Iain: I thought you were instantly removing abuse and swearing? I don't mind what you leave up."

You're an exceptional case.

(and you love it)

Anonymous said...

Heeeello!!

I'm not at work today (much like any day) but I just thought I'd make an appearance to show you that, yes, I exist!!

Shame Chris doesn't know how to use me :-(

Rich Tee said...

I have to agree with Lady Finchley here. It's no worse than the Muslims banging on about their rights.

Relentless Christian bashing in society is one of the reasons I decided to join the Conservatives - and I'm not particularly religious myself. I have done my own share of Christian bashing in the past.

It is our state religion after all. It is a pleasant relief to see them standing up for themselves.

Anonymous said...

Tapestry
"Ameicans have no problem in seeing promotion of religion and making money as one and the same. It is more a British emphasis to think that religion should be exclusively spiritual".

Well Tapestry, you certainly havn't had the benefits of a British Cahtolic upbringing! In fact the Catholics pretty much invented/perfected religious bribery in the middle ages and old habits die hard. Anyone want to buy a candle to light the way of a lost soul to heaven? (all proceeds to the local priest's whiskey fund)

Unity said...

>>> Now if the MoT could do the same on the various organisations wibbling on about Muslim oppression in the UK (for a start) and their links to proscribed organisations within the Uk and terrorist groups elsewhere in the world - that might well be very interesting.

Already covered by Harry's Place in far more depth that I could manage.

...that I like it... said...

Car Finance Team agreed what Diablo said...
that ...Well, the only intersting thing about this load of non-news is that the nice girls aren't being recruited to become suicide bombers...

It's funny. Have Fun.

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