There were two extraordinary stories in the newspaper this week, and both, I think, are absurd.
If you did read about them skip this bit but if you didn't here is the gist:
A Christian doctor who is suing the Department for Work and Pensions says he lost his job after a recruitment agent asked whether or not he would call a bearded man 'madam'. "No I would not," he said. He was then sacked for refusing to call people who were born male 'she' even if they now identify as female. He was suspended as a disability claim assessor said it would be irresponsible to address people based on preferred pronouns.
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The other story is about a senior Northern Ireland civil servant who was paid £10,000 compensation for having to walk past portraits of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in his line of duty Mr. Hegarty's complaints are said to have led to the portraits being removed and replaced by pictures of the Queen meeting people. One of those was Martin McGuinness, former Deputy first minister of Northern Ireland and an ex-IRA commander. The case brought by the complainant was settled secretly and the sum of £10,000 was handed over, presumably for hurt feelings and distress.
I just wonder where the UK is going. It all seems so mad to me, and so sad.
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Rose Coloured Spectacles
For her he was such a hero,
caught the biggest fish,
rode the fastest horse,
made people laugh,
procured lots of money,
knew the elite
made them his friends,
no weaknesses were known
or seen.
Yes, he was somebody.
But who is without a flaw?
He was insensitive to others,
spoke out of turn, hurt feelings,
and didn't care or notice.
She sadly learnt her hero's crown
was not made of gold.
Found her spectacles had slipped,
that she needed a new pair
with clearer vision.
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With very best wishes, Patricia
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