Martin Tod
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12 years ago @ Martin Tod - About Martin · 0 replies · 0 points
In terms of previous activity, aside from reporting endless potholes, I actively campaigned to save the bus services through to Hiltingbury and Chandler's Ford back in 2008, and campaigned hard to save the Post Office in Bournemouth Road (although not successfully unfortunately) and to try and stop the phone mast in Leigh Road (also not successful).
In addition to my campaigning activity, I've also helped out with Hocombe Mead as a conservation volunteer and with the launch of Transition Chandler's Ford.
I realise that this is not as much as I've got up to in Winchester, but I hope to redress this in the coming period of time.
12 years ago @ Martin Tod - About Martin · 0 replies · 0 points
12 years ago @ Martin Tod - About Martin · 0 replies · 0 points
Several people have written to me about Conscience Manifesto and much of what is written in the wider manifesto I have no problem with or find admirable. For example, I share the concern about assisted suicide and euthanasia. However, candidates are not being asked to sign up to the wider manifesto - we're asked to sign up to a shorter and broader statement that I have more of a problem with.
I do of course, I support the right of Christians to hold and express Christian beliefs - and - within legal limits - to act according to Christian conscience.
The question that comes (as it always does) is where those rights conflict with the rights of others - or with the law - and how those conflicting rights are reconciled. At this point, I don't support elevating religious rights above all other rights.
Specifically, allowing people to 'act according to Christian conscience' without recognising that this may sometimes conflict with other rights is too much of a blank cheque. Am I allowed to add 'within the law' to that? Or are there laws (or human rights) that it is intended to exclude? Does this include racial discrimination? Or gender discrimination? Or discrimination based on sexuality? Or restrictions on the use of violence for example?
For example, there were those within the Christian Church who supported slavery - although of course, it was also Christians who led the campaign for the abolition of the slave trade. Would I have been required to protect the slave-owners right to act according to their conscience?
There are those (not Christian). who believe - for religious reasons - in the death sentence for blasphemy - and we've seen examples of where that belief has posed a severe threat to another competing right (free expression) within the UK.
In short, I certainly do not want to exclude religion from public life. Freedom to practice religion is an essential human right. But I believe religious rights should not be elevated above all our other rights. We need to continue to balance those rights and this makes it hard for me to sign up without adding some extra conditions or clarification to the manifesto.
12 years ago @ Martin Tod - About Martin · 0 replies · 0 points
12 years ago @ Martin Tod - About Martin · 0 replies · +1 points
12 years ago @ Martin Tod - About Martin · 0 replies · +1 points
12 years ago @ Martin Tod - About Martin · 0 replies · 0 points
I will be more than happy to do what I can to help.
Best wishes,
Martin
12 years ago @ Martin Tod - About Martin · 0 replies · +1 points
12 years ago @ Martin Tod - About Martin · 0 replies · +1 points
12 years ago @ Martin Tod - About Martin · 0 replies · +1 points
The Electoral Commission has ruled on the Michael Brown case as follows:
Having considered all the evidence in this case, we have concluded that 5th Avenue Partners Limited met the requirements to be a permissible donor. The Electoral Commission will be taking no further action in this case.