Sometimes, the People's Republic gets it wrong. One of these times, and the one that has caused the most damaged to my beloved Birmingham, is a tongue-in-cheek write-up about the politically correct Brummie creation (myth) that is known as Winterval. Back when I started this blog in 2005, I pointed out that if we were to set aside a day for Winterval, it should be the 28th December, which was in 1998 a Bank Holiday Monday in place of the Boxing Day which fell over the weekend, and was based on an Ed Doolan show joke back then where people were moaning about their bins not being collected. Sadly, I have to report that some people have quoted this post (on a forum no less!) as proof that Birmingham did abolish Christmas back in 1998 and replaced it with a Winter Festival - Winterval if you like - so as not to offend the Brummie ethnic minorities (of which I am one). Repeat after me:
Birmingham City Council never - I repeat never - abolished Christmas in favour of a new festival called Winterval in an act of political correctness gone mad.
Here are some posts testifying to this truth:
http://pigsonthewing.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/winterval-the-truth/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winterval
http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/2008/12/28/debunking-the-winterval-myth-a-creed-for-christmas/
http://humanistsforlabour.typepad.com/labour_humanists/2007/10/its-early-octob.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/dec/08/religion.communities
Happy belated Winterval everyone!
Showing posts with label History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label History. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Friday, December 30, 2005
Happy Winterval!
We find ourselves in the middle of the Christmas season and the People's Republic wishes all our (one) reader(s) greetings of the season. There are no speeches on Christmas Day by the head of state in the People's Republic - and if there was, it would be more likely to take place on the 28th of December.
For those of you that don't know, the 28th has been declared the festival of Winterval in the People's Republic ever since 1998, when the City Council decided to replace the Christmas festivities with the Winterval festival so as not to offend our any of our ethnic (or should I say religious) minorities. In 1998, Christmas was on a Friday meaning that the Bank Holiday for Boxing Day was taken on the Monday the 28th and the rest is history. Updated 30/12/2008: Just in case you are considering quoting this to prove a point of political correctness gone mad, Birmingham City Council did not abolish Christmas in favour of a made-up festival called Winterval. Please see this post for further details.
In recent years Christmas in Birmingham has taken on some traditions. The Wheel of Birmingham is now here all year round, but we see the return at this time of year of the kids train sponsered by Centro (but luckily not run by Central Trains, so it actually runs on time) and the outdoor skating rink in Centenary Square. We also see the return of the Frankfurt German Market, our twin city, where we can drink mulled wine and German beer, eat Pretzels and German sausage and buy assorted trinkets and craftwork. This year the market research really paid off as a Bluenose stall was available. Super stuff.
I wonder if there is a Brummie Market in Frankfurt?
For those of you that don't know, the 28th has been declared the festival of Winterval in the People's Republic ever since 1998, when the City Council decided to replace the Christmas festivities with the Winterval festival so as not to offend our any of our ethnic (or should I say religious) minorities. In 1998, Christmas was on a Friday meaning that the Bank Holiday for Boxing Day was taken on the Monday the 28th and the rest is history. Updated 30/12/2008: Just in case you are considering quoting this to prove a point of political correctness gone mad, Birmingham City Council did not abolish Christmas in favour of a made-up festival called Winterval. Please see this post for further details.
In recent years Christmas in Birmingham has taken on some traditions. The Wheel of Birmingham is now here all year round, but we see the return at this time of year of the kids train sponsered by Centro (but luckily not run by Central Trains, so it actually runs on time) and the outdoor skating rink in Centenary Square. We also see the return of the Frankfurt German Market, our twin city, where we can drink mulled wine and German beer, eat Pretzels and German sausage and buy assorted trinkets and craftwork. This year the market research really paid off as a Bluenose stall was available. Super stuff.
I wonder if there is a Brummie Market in Frankfurt?
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Injustice for All
As the dust settles from the terrorist attacks in London, we reach a period where the Government pontificates about how we were always a target of a terrorist threat, that they are trying to destroy our way of life and it was absolutely, positively nothing to do with Iraq, Afghanistan or that matter any other Western action in the Middle East.
There is a problem with this analysis. It is wrong. The Islamic world did not wake up one day and say, "I know, just for a laugh we'll start bombing and maiming innocent people for no particular reason. Civilization and democracy is not for us, let's kill, kill, kill!"
On the other hand the western world did wake up one day start bombing defenceless third world countries so that they could rob the economic wealth. Alternatively they may just have wanted a military presence in the area. Often, they installed brutal dictators in these oil rich states to ensure democracy didn't flourish and the wealth stayed under their control, leaving only extremists who resorted to religion as the only ones who could fight back.
Ok, these are oversimplifications of the history of the Middle East, but the fact remains that the problems of 9/11 and the subsequent events are the direct results of Western foreign policy in the Middle East. In the same way that the IRA terrorised Britain due to the perceived injustices in Ireland under British rule, Islamic extremists are murdering innocent people to avenge (in their eyes) the injustices happening in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq and other Muslim areas.
Of course this is a biased view. NATO for example helped liberate the Kosovan Muslims from Serb rule. If it wasn't for American intervention in the 70's, Kashmir would probably be completely under Indian rule. By perpetuating myths of anti-Islamic bias in Western foreign policy, Al Qaida and its fellow Islamist groups convince a seemingly unending stream of young men to give their lives for their perverted cause.
And while they continue to see the atrocities happening in Palestine and Iraq, it will be difficult to convince these young men otherwise.
There is a problem with this analysis. It is wrong. The Islamic world did not wake up one day and say, "I know, just for a laugh we'll start bombing and maiming innocent people for no particular reason. Civilization and democracy is not for us, let's kill, kill, kill!"
On the other hand the western world did wake up one day start bombing defenceless third world countries so that they could rob the economic wealth. Alternatively they may just have wanted a military presence in the area. Often, they installed brutal dictators in these oil rich states to ensure democracy didn't flourish and the wealth stayed under their control, leaving only extremists who resorted to religion as the only ones who could fight back.
Ok, these are oversimplifications of the history of the Middle East, but the fact remains that the problems of 9/11 and the subsequent events are the direct results of Western foreign policy in the Middle East. In the same way that the IRA terrorised Britain due to the perceived injustices in Ireland under British rule, Islamic extremists are murdering innocent people to avenge (in their eyes) the injustices happening in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq and other Muslim areas.
Of course this is a biased view. NATO for example helped liberate the Kosovan Muslims from Serb rule. If it wasn't for American intervention in the 70's, Kashmir would probably be completely under Indian rule. By perpetuating myths of anti-Islamic bias in Western foreign policy, Al Qaida and its fellow Islamist groups convince a seemingly unending stream of young men to give their lives for their perverted cause.
And while they continue to see the atrocities happening in Palestine and Iraq, it will be difficult to convince these young men otherwise.
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