Barend Vlaardingerbroek: Employees who won’t do their jobs for whatever reason

The furore over the Kentucky county clerk who refused to officiate in same-sex marriages and went to jail rather than accept a compromise involving her underlings doing the job on her behalf brought out the predictable placard-waving groupies shrieking inane slogans about ‘God’s law’ and religious freedom on the one hand, and pro-same-sex-marriage clichés (e.g. ‘Love wins’) on the other.

To get an insight into the real issues involved, let’s change location to the comparative sanity of Western Europe. There was a very similar case before the European Court of Human Rights in 2012 (Ladele, one of the ‘and others’ in Eweida and others v UK 2013). 

Barend Vlaardingerbroek: The Age of Aquarius and Enforced Ideological Conformity

The Age of Aquarius, I have long been informed by some of the shining lights of the astrological community of seers, is bringing about a higher level of social consciousness and its translation into policies and practices that actualise the ideals of social justice and equity. But the concerns are more at the abstract level than borne of heart-felt compassion, and this is being reflected in the increasing ‘impersonalisation’ of delivery.