Tag: anti-Catholicism
Labour MP decries Labour anti Catholicism
Red Maria Thu Jun 19, 2008 at 12:01:09 AM GMT 
Facebook
Labour MP Jim Dobbin has written to the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown expressing his concern about the anti-Catholic attitudes of some party members. His letter comes a week after the Catholic vice-chairman of Young Labour resigned, citing the anti-Catholicism which surfaced around the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.
The attacks came most notably from Labour MEP Mary Honeyball, who questioned the right of Catholics to hold public office.
Catholic Labour MP Stephen Pound claimed Mary Honeyball’s anti-Catholic statements had “a strong whiff of the 17th century about them.”
“The logic of her argument is to suggest that no single person who subscribes to any moral or religious code should dare to stand for election to Parliament,” Mr Pound said.
“That would not only disenfranchise the majority of current MPs but finally confirm that a sterile, sour and secular society is the political desideratum. God forbid, say I.”
Mr Pound said that if there was no place for Catholics in non-religious political parties, it pointed to the creation in the future of an exclusively Catholic party.
“This leads inevitably to exclusively Muslim, Hindu, Anglican and even atheist parties.
“That dystopic vision is one that I do not subscribe to and I worry that Mary Honeyball has so little intellectual rigour as to fail to see the blindingly obvious,” Mr Pound added.
The attacks came most notably from Labour MEP Mary Honeyball, who questioned the right of Catholics to hold public office.
Catholic Labour MP Stephen Pound claimed Mary Honeyball’s anti-Catholic statements had “a strong whiff of the 17th century about them.”
“The logic of her argument is to suggest that no single person who subscribes to any moral or religious code should dare to stand for election to Parliament,” Mr Pound said.
“That would not only disenfranchise the majority of current MPs but finally confirm that a sterile, sour and secular society is the political desideratum. God forbid, say I.”
Mr Pound said that if there was no place for Catholics in non-religious political parties, it pointed to the creation in the future of an exclusively Catholic party.
“This leads inevitably to exclusively Muslim, Hindu, Anglican and even atheist parties.
“That dystopic vision is one that I do not subscribe to and I worry that Mary Honeyball has so little intellectual rigour as to fail to see the blindingly obvious,” Mr Pound added.
