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No Carols in Corringham

CHRISTMAS carols were kicked out of festive celebrations in Corringham last week, disappointing a school choir who had been rehearsing for weeks.

The 60 pupils from Arthur Bugler Junior School in Stanford-le-Hope had finished their rehearsals for the Corringham Winter Festival when organisers informed the head teacher that the carols they had chosen did not “dovetail” with the festival’s theme.

There was no time for the pupils to rehearse new songs so the school was forced to pull out.

Head teacher, Mrs Sue Morris, said: "It would appear there was a communications mix-up between the school and the organisers of the event.

"Initially the school was invited to attend and sing, but after a great deal of rehearsal with the school’s 60-strong choir, we were informed the songs we were rehearsing would not have dovetailed into the event’s theme.

"There was no time to reorganise the choir’s planned programme and we thought it best that we did not take part. The organisers of the event were informed of this.”

A parent of one of the children in choir, who asked not to be named, said: “The school was advised by the organisers that the carols they had chosen were not suitable as they were deemed to have a religious theme.

“The kids were really disappointed.

“Whatever the Christmas Carols were that they were going to sing- I can’t see how they would be offensive to anyone.”

Organisers of the Corringham Winter Festival have put the incident down to a communication problem.

Mr Tony Benson said: “It was a simple communications error, it did not come to my attention until it was too late they even appeared on the program and street notice.

“It was a smashing evening and their presence would have gilded the lilly.

“I have promised the head mistress that we will give them a lot more notice in the future, I can assure you their parents disappointment was matched by mine.”

When the Gazette asked Mr Benson if the school was told their Christmas carols were unsuitable for the event he added: “It is a fact of life that a lot of people have forgotten the meaning of Christmas.

"We the committee try to put something back into the community with The Winter Festival and The Tree of Lights which we arrange and put on for St Lukes.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Prayer Book Society, Prudence Dailey, has hit out at the organisers of “winter festivals” up and down the country, saying their political correctness threatens Christmas.

She said: "These 'politically correct Winter festivals' seek to make Christmas part of a 'multi-faith' mix and hark back to pagan winter solstice observance.

“'Winter festivals' see Christmas as merely a local seasonal event and miss its central religious significance at the heart of national identity.

“Perhaps organisers would benefit from reading the Book of Common Prayer and discovering what winter festivities are in fact about.”

Comments(24)

Eddie says...
7:40am Thu 11 Dec 08

HOLD ON christmas carols contain religious theme's, OF COURSE THEY DO thats what christmas carols are, SOD multi faith festivals, we are talking christmas here, who the bloody hell will it offend to sing carols, mate this bloody country has gone nuts, this is going to create racial hatred, and the silly thing about it all is that I very much doubt if any other faith would be offended in us celebrating christmas, we have been doing it for 2000 years The only people this seems to offend are the politically correct muppets that work for council and other government funded do good institutions. I am Pi**ed of with this disregard for good christian people and our countries right to vcelebrate our relegion. why did my family die fighting wars for freedom of speach, why are our soldiers still giving their lives for freedom, when some idiot who is too scared to admit to their beleives can stop outr children singing christmas carols in our country, IT IS NOT A FESTIVAL OF LIGHT IT IS CHRISTMAS and please let us not forget what christmas is all about. Its time we stood up for our country and our way of live, if people are offended by us celebrating christmas then P**s off to somewhere that does not celebrate it

logician says...
8:21am Thu 11 Dec 08

What's going on here? Who's going to be offended, and have they said so? Does the Hindu Festival of Lights, 'Diwali', offend me? No it does not! Does the Jewish Festival of Lights, 'Hanukkah', offend me? No it does not! What can we expect next? Will the Pope cancel going to the window and giving his Christmas blessing to the masses assembled in St Marks Square on Christmas Day? Can we expect to see the Queen's Winter Festival Speech on TV on Christmas Day afternoon?
Just a minute. What's this?
"We the committee try to put something back into the community with The Winter Festival and The Tree of Lights which we arrange and put on for St Lukes.”
Isn't St Luke a Christian Saint? Is this the same Luke that was Jesus' mate?
So to all you organisers, GET REAL!

Barabara says...
9:56am Thu 11 Dec 08

merry x mass Eddie

Again everyone is missing the point. Its Manipulation and control and erosion of culture and ientity.

It was called the Corringham Winter Festival for a reason, like the now winter lights in london, stop christmas carols this year, what's next year going to bring.
You all have to see the bigger picture out there even if you don't want to, though i know some of you are race sensitive but you have to face facts and the reality that are also being shafted as much as everyone else.

Another example of our culture erosion in preference for a one world order.

The Price of Multiculturalism: Words Associated with Christianity and British History Vanish from New Oxford Children’s Dictionary.

Words associated with Christianity, the monarchy and British history have been dropped from the latest version of Oxford University Press’s Junior Dictionary for Children to reflect ‘multiculturalism.

Oxford University Press has removed words like ‘aisle’, ‘bishop’, ‘chapel’, ‘empire’ and ‘monarch’ from its Junior Dictionary. Dozens of words related to the countryside have also been culled.
Indian-origin Vineeta Gupta, who is head of children’s dictionaries at Oxford University Press, said: “We are limited by how big the dictionary can be. We are also much more multicultural. Our understanding of religion is within multiculturalism, which is why some words such as ‘Pentecost’ would have been in 20 years ago but not now.”
“The changes have been made to reflect the fact that Britain is a multicultural and multifaith society.”
Academics and head teachers said that the changes to the 10,000 word Junior Dictionary could mean that children lose touch with Britain’s heritage.
“We have a certain Christian narrative which has given meaning to us over the last 2,000 years. To say it is all relative and replaceable is questionable,” said Professor Alan Smithers, the director of the centre for education and employment at Buckingham University.


Words taken out include carol, cracker, holly, ivy, mistletoe, dwarf, elf, goblin, abbey, aisle, altar, bishop, chapel, christen, disciple, minister, monastery, monk, nun, nunnery, parish, pew, psalm, pulpit, saint, sin, devil, vicar, coronation, duchess, duke, emperor, empire, monarch, decade, adder, ****, beaver, boar, budgerigar, bullock, cheetah, colt, corgi, cygnet, doe, drake, ferret, gerbil, goldfish, guinea pig, hamster, heron, herring, kingfisher, lark, leopard, lobster, magpie, minnow, mussel, newt, otter, ox, oyster, panther, pelican, piglet, plaice, poodle, porcupine, porpoise, raven, spaniel, starling, stoat, stork, terrapin, thrush, weasel and wren.


Words put in include chat room, tolerant, vandalism, negotiate, interdependent, creep, citizenship, EU, cautionary

Eddie says...
7:50pm Thu 11 Dec 08

well we all try to get on with all people, I was talking about this carol singing ban with a muslim customer of mine today and he was aphalled by it. He is not offended by christmas celebrations and I doubt very much if 95% of muslims and all the other diverse religions would be either, NO this is some idiotic do gooder trying to appear politically correct, well stuff political correctness, no one wants it, we want our country and our way of life back. This stupidity in inciting racial hatred, this segregation of faiths and cultures in the same as what went on in south africa where black men could not sit on a bus with whitemen, this is what we are now creating in this country, seperate organisations, seperate funding, monies going to all shapes and sizes and colours but we are neglegting and actually segregating the genuine englishman from going about his life in the manner he was brought up to do. And as for multi faith, Christmas is a celebration of the birth of jesus christ, religious or not this is an historic fact, like lord nelson, hitler, churchill, napolean, joan of arc, boy george, paul mcCartney, luther king, these are all people that lived, were born, and have made the history books, as with jesus. so you cant rub him out and you cant stop people celebrating his birth as we have done for 2000 years just because some muppet trying to make a name for themselves suggest we do.We are NOT a multicultural country, we are a christian country with christian beleives and in so being we allow other nations to live peacefully within our shores, PEACEFULLY so I am going to go out this year carol singing everywhere I can, I've never done it before, but I am going to now

Baphomet says...
8:23pm Thu 11 Dec 08

Until we stand up and fight the white lilly livered hand wringing guardian reading traitorous scum then we will never change this country. The enemy within is a bigger threat to our way of life than anything else. How can our own people hate us so much?

bgarduk says...
5:42am Fri 12 Dec 08

The politically correct brigade in UK need to get life experience. Get on a plane and visit the world outside of your village mentality.
I have lived and worked in Muslim majority and Buddhist majority non-secular and secular countries over the past 12 years and they all have Christmas themes in all shopping malls with carols ringing out loud and clear at this time of year. And at Chinese New Year, they have that theme, at the Deepavali, the Hindu religion is seen and heard everywhere. Any one who is offended by any of the major religions is obviously not a true believer of the religion that they profess to follow. All religions have a place in this world, and by denying the right to express your religion for fear of offending someone is a curtailment of the civil liberties that we must defend daily, but peacefully. Me? I am am what would be called a non-believer, but I will join in that defence of all to be able to be a believer and to freely express that belief.

coddy says...
8:06am Fri 12 Dec 08

Nice to see that this story has now made the national newspapers.Not the kind of publicity the organisers would have wanted.Maybe next year they wont pander to the pc brigade and will call it a Christmas festival and let the children sing carols.

Freddy K says...
9:18am Fri 12 Dec 08

What a flaming joke this country is becoming with the PC brigade too frightend that they might upset someone, grow a flaming backbone.

People coming into this country do so of their own free will, nobody has forced them to live here, they picked a predominantly(sp) Christian Country and as such should repect the culture of their chosen country, I think if you were to question the majority of different faiths that we have they would not give a rats arse if we sing carols or deck the halls with holly it is only these small minded petty hitlers that sit in their little office and dream up these stupid rulings, all this creates is a further divide in the harmony of the multi-faiths that exist in this country.

I am not a christian, I follow the pagan path of wicca but do I care about what Christian, Muslim, Hindu etc faiths celebrate, no, I enjoy being able to follow my own path in life and feel comfortable that others are allowed to enjoy theirs but I would never dream of shouting foul play if people want to celbrate christian events as this is a christian country.

Barabara says...
10:11am Fri 12 Dec 08

Look all I'm normally the first to crash anything on immigration here, but its not the immigrants faults but the white hater traitors who see nazi racist filth in anything indigenous.

Eddie naively bless him would allow other nations to live peacefully within our shores, but this just don't work,(just look at the rioting in Grease) calling me racist, moron is just covering up guilty feelings because we need solutions and deep down we all know the only solution that would work is keeping everyone to their own country and culture and religion.

We are called racist nazi scumbags for this outlook, so is Amazonian tribal leader Pierlangela Nascimento da Cunha also going to be labelled a racist nazi scumbag for wanting to preserve his culture and identity.



http://bnp.org.uk/20
08/12/self-determina
tion-%e2%80%98good%e
2%80%99-for-amazon-i
ndians-but-%e2%80%98
bad%e2%80%99-for-fir
st-world/

http://www.timesonli
ne.co.uk/tol/news/wo
rld/us_and_americas/
article4232102.ece

http://www.survival-
international.org/ne
ws/3387



'' Mr. Cunha told the British press in June this year that “The development of our country cannot be achieved through the extinction of its indigenous people and by disrespecting their rights. The big economic interests see as an obstacle.”



This man talks like a bnp member and understands that the only solution to preservation is to have his own land with no outsiders in it, and world governments are helping to achieve this, so why aren't these same rights given to the British/english/scot
tish/welsh and n ireland indigenous tribes, its correctly ok to preserve Amazonian tribal Indians, but not the British indigenous tribes, now there's something undemocratic and fundamentally wrong about that and if we are truly democratic we should be fighting to achieve the same rights and not made to feel so guilty and bad if the solution is unsavoury to some but is the correct way so solving a problem.

ebony says...
7:49pm Fri 12 Dec 08

So, Mr Benson, if 'some people have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas' how exactly did the committee think it was 'putting something back into the community' by preventing young children from singing carols? If their choice of song did not 'dovetail' into the theme, just what was Mr Benson and the committee expecting them to sing? I hope the children themselves get another chance to perform after all their hard work. Maybe next year, the 'winter festival' won't dovetail into local schools celebrations at all!

Eddie says...
9:09am Sat 13 Dec 08

naive maybe, but i take everyone at face value no matter what colour or shade the face is, as I have said so many times before, i know some lovely non english people and i know some horrible english people, my philosophy is treat everyone as you would wish them to treat you, until they prove they do not deserve it. everybody deserves the right to live in peace with each other, if everyman helped their neighbor no man would be without help. what I cant stand is some politically correct moron telling us how other people feel when really they have not got a clue. what i cant stand is being made to feel a second class citizen and being treated like one in my own country, a country that my father fought to defend, a country that i was once proud to be associated with, a country that friends have been killed fighting to protect, a country that had not been invaded for centuries that we have now handed over freely without a shot being fired. we have been invaded and our culture has been taken away by our own spineless people more keen on votes and outward appearances than the people they were elected to protect

arcgrays says...
11:40am Sat 13 Dec 08

Barabara wrote:
Look all I'm normally the first to crash anything on immigration here, but its not the immigrants faults but the white hater traitors who see nazi racist filth in anything indigenous. Eddie naively bless him would allow other nations to live peacefully within our shores, but this just don't work,(just look at the rioting in Grease) calling me racist, moron is just covering up guilty feelings because we need solutions and deep down we all know the only solution that would work is keeping everyone to their own country and culture and religion. We are called racist nazi scumbags for this outlook, so is Amazonian tribal leader Pierlangela Nascimento da Cunha also going to be labelled a racist nazi scumbag for wanting to preserve his culture and identity. http://bnp.org.uk/20 08/12/self-determina tion-%e2%80%98good%e 2%80%99-for-amazon-i ndians-but-%e2%80%98 bad%e2%80%99-for-fir st-world/ http://www.timesonli ne.co.uk/tol/news/wo rld/us_and_americas/ article4232102.ece http://www.survival- international.org/ne ws/3387 '' Mr. Cunha told the British press in June this year that “The development of our country cannot be achieved through the extinction of its indigenous people and by disrespecting their rights. The big economic interests see as an obstacle.” This man talks like a bnp member and understands that the only solution to preservation is to have his own land with no outsiders in it, and world governments are helping to achieve this, so why aren't these same rights given to the British/english/scot tish/welsh and n ireland indigenous tribes, its correctly ok to preserve Amazonian tribal Indians, but not the British indigenous tribes, now there's something undemocratic and fundamentally wrong about that and if we are truly democratic we should be fighting to achieve the same rights and not made to feel so guilty and bad if the solution is unsavoury to some but is the correct way so solving a problem.
Just exactly what do you mean by indiginous tribes.

bgarduk says...
4:46am Sun 14 Dec 08

What a lot of hate spills from some when this subject is raised.The issue is not about immigrants or indeginous tribes, (And Greece is spelt like the Country Barbara, not the musical!)The issue is about the preservation of cultures and religions, the right to preserve them and the right to practice, or to not practice them. Preserving should never be antagonistic or confrontational. As has been said, people that are true follwers of the world's major religions have no issue with other who follow their own. It is only the "Taliban" mentality in Islam and Christianity (and Zimbabwe etc etc) over the last centuries that has got us where we are today. And the more hate you spill onto these pages, the more you demonstrate your ignorance of things outside your kampung !

davepartridge says...
8:36am Sun 14 Dec 08

This is a real shame - Christmas is a Christian festival and we should be able to celebrate it by singing carols.

Our Church has Christmas services next week and you'll be more than welcome to come along and sing carols. Details are on our website: www.corringhamevange
lical.co.uk

Barabara says...
4:05pm Mon 15 Dec 08

HA bgarduk, didn't take you lefties long to jump on a spelling mistake again to try to belittle me, you must be nearly ready to start the troll scumbag name calling. ( must tell spell check off ). You communists get it all wrong as usual because i don't want immigrants living here don't mean i hate them, you lefties just presume that because you hard-left live in a dreamworld (nightmare ?) based on your own hate-filled pre-conceptions, but sometimes the comments you come up with expose your crass stupidity as you feel discrimination and dictatorship shown to me don't count. Its about the problem of immigrants on mass not as individuals, as eddie has said some good and bad in all.

One thing you are correct on is preservation of cultures and religions, the right to preserve them and the right to practice, or not practice them, but you end up treading on each others toes. So you should support my right to preserve my identity, culture and religion in my country and support the only logical solution, that is an immediate halt to all further immigration, the immediate deportation of criminal and illegal immigrants, and the introduction of a system of voluntary resettlement whereby those immigrants who are legally here will be afforded the opportunity to return to their lands of ethnic origin assisted by a generous financial incentive.

We wont be treading on each others toes, we can all preserve our cultures and religions antagonistically in our own country's.


Barabara says...
4:16pm Mon 15 Dec 08

arcgrays

If i was intelligent i may be insulted by your far left statement which you lot always use to say we are all immigrants in britain, but i think we all know who the indigenous peoples of these islands are, so go read it all again and you should come up with the correct answer.

bgarduk says...
8:18am Tue 16 Dec 08

Barbara, barbara, barbara
you really are a sad one.
I truly hope you get the Christmas spirit soon.
There is an old saying that the population of England is the result of many thousands of years of rape and pillage, so we are all partly "foreign" and the beauty about the country, and many others world wide, is the ability to live together, enjoying our similarities and learning from our differences.
Merry Christmas to you all, from wherever you may come from.

arcgrays says...
8:45am Tue 16 Dec 08

Barabara wrote:
arcgrays If i was intelligent i may be insulted by your far left statement which you lot always use to say we are all immigrants in britain, but i think we all know who the indigenous peoples of these islands are, so go read it all again and you should come up with the correct answer.
Baabara,i asked you what you consider the criteria are to be considered 'indigenous' for the reason i will tell.A friend of my niece who is a supporter of the BNP,
which is his right, was in a discussion with me and other members of my family regarding the BNP,during which we were informed by him that because i am a Gerry (his term not mine) i would never be considered British.
Now i am of german descent, but my family came here in 1750,so as far as i am concerned i AM British,now is his opinion that of all the BNP/Thurrock patriots?? or is he in a minority.

Barabara says...
8:15pm Tue 16 Dec 08

arcgrays,

When i supported the conservatives I did not agree with all they stood for and supporters of the bnp are the same, there opinions vary, like they did when they supported labour or conservatives. Your nieces friend and I will agree on 95% of other things but considers you german and would never consider you British, I don't agree as all us Northern European evolved people came from the same pot and descended from the original Germanic people from the viking countries originally, so you should fit right in unless you are taking the p*ss and are Indian or nigerian really.

If we are really having a none slagging honest debate no one is 100% in agreement in anything, but researching a lot and being around politics has shown me that the bnp is telling the truth good or bad and sometime the truth hurts as in immigration, but if they stopped telling the truth so would my support as its my country I believe in. If the conservatives told the truth and wanted the best for britain and the bnp were liars I would still be supporting the conservatives.

The Germanic tribes

Are a historical group of European people, originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic languages which diversified out of Common Germanic in the course of the Pre-Roman Iron Age. The descendants of these peoples became the ethnic groups of North Western Europe, such as the Danes, Swedes, Norwegians, Icelanders, Germans, Dutch, English and Frisians.

Germanic peoples spread throughout Europe in Late Antiquity (AD 300-600) and the Early Middle Ages. Germanic languages became dominant along the Roman borders (Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and England), Furthermore, all Germanic peoples were eventually Christianized to varying extents. The Germanic people played a large role in transforming the Roman empire into Medieval Europe, and they contributed in developing a common identity, history, and culture which transcended linguistic borders.




Barabara says...
8:40pm Tue 16 Dec 08

bgarduk wrote:
Barbara, barbara, barbara you really are a sad one. I truly hope you get the Christmas spirit soon. There is an old saying that the population of England is the result of many thousands of years of rape and pillage, so we are all partly "foreign" and the beauty about the country, and many others world wide, is the ability to live together, enjoying our similarities and learning from our differences. Merry Christmas to you all, from wherever you may come from.
Yes bgarduk,I really am a sad one, I'm sad the way I'm have become a second class citizen in "MY" country, I'm sad the way "MY", country is becoming a thirdword Sh*thole , just an area of the globe that anyone from around the world can come to if they fancy a free house,or a bit of free welfare or a bit of free nhs because they have aids, bringing their gang knife crime cultures, honour killings ,ritual animal cruelty among bombings and other things with them. I'm sad the way my Identity is being eroded. I'm sad the way you are so desperate to belong to my Identity hence losing your own ethnic Identity. If the powers that be create a federal europe you cant believe they will not stop destroying everyone's Identity to replace it for a one world Identity, they will shaft you as much as they are now shafting the indigenous people.

Don South says...
10:40am Wed 17 Dec 08

Why is it when you scratch below the surface you find an ex-Labour councillor at the centre of all this!

A few years ago this used to be the Dickensian Market before it was hijacked and turned into a 'Winter Festival'

Eddie says...
3:44pm Wed 17 Dec 08

barabara!! why is it no one spells your name right?? or do you just become barbara on a friday night???. wow this has really stirred us up, well 6 of us anyway. at the end of the day, we dont want our country to become the worlds dumping ground, if that aint bad enough we certainly dont want our culture, wherever it came from and how ever long ago destroyed.I can trace nmy family tree back to 1796 barkingside through and through my family was the biggest family in that area and made the local historians reports. my grandad was jailed for a year for stealing a duck to feed his family. but scum come here, we pay them benefits and they burn our national flags in our royal parks. and we let them get away with it. but much worse than that some P C idiot then encourages them and bows to them and denies that christmas exists and deprives our children of their birth right to celebrate their religion. So as far as i am concerned whatever party name they go under, if someone is willing to put their neck on the block to reverse this dispicable situation then they have my vote. and what is so wrong in having a BNP scotland has a SNP ???

Janet Dipper says...
8:28pm Wed 17 Dec 08

I was part of the Bar'N'Bus team at the Corringham 'Winter Festival'. Bar'N'Bus is a bus provided by local Christians as a mobile youth centre for Corringham young people on a Thursday evening.
I would like to say two things: firstly thank you to those who give of their time and effort to make a community event like this possible and secondly how nice it would be for this to be a real'Christmas Fayre' in future - complete with carols!

Barabara says...
10:09pm Thu 18 Dec 08

EDDIE

I to can trace back my ancestry hundreds of years, up north and kent and the culture generated from them is ours to preserve.

Multicultural / ethnical countries don't work, look around the world, Iraq sunni , shiites, kurds all killing each other, Africa Rwandan genocide, Hutu militia slaughter 800,000 Tutsis . In India, waves of violence against Christians by Hindu fundamentalists. Hindu fundamentalism is against the search for greater justice and wants to stop ongoing social transformations. Israel's violent westbank. And its not going to work here either, and burring the head in the sand wont make it go away.

I'm ex conservative, my old man is ex Labour and we have seen over the years the disillusional snide undemocratic internal communist changes in both parties from caring about our towns and country to playing the one europe one world culture game, thus destroying our culture in the process, and don't be fooled, all the immigrants who come here once they have used them to destroy indigenous culture they will destroy theirs as well.

Like it or not the bnp are the only alternative to all the other maine parties, they speak the truth that's why so much effort is afforded into muddying the name, i'm ex conservative for christ sake my old man was a union rep, does anyone really believe we are nazis, and have hitler pictures on our walls, that's just ridicules and ludicrous.

But we have wised up to the situation, we were also sucked in for years.

but if you want to keep Christmas, the pound , not a federal europe even leave it, the union jack, everything you feel passionate about this country the only way is supporting the bnp, they are the only ones left that care, if you don't feel passionate about this country, ok burry the old head in the sand but one day we will not be talking at all about christmas or anything british it will all be gone and it will be too late to get it back.

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