I doubt you would be in the majority, if the modarators were asked Charlotte.

Instead of calling it Homophobic, which I am not, as I have no fear of Homosexuals.

Why don't you argue your case against what I have said, each point.

Is it because you cannot?

I stand by what I have said and more of you should be honest and get to the root of the problem. Wherever I see failures politically, in particular I bring to your attention, Scottish & Irish nationalism, where this occurs, there is the influence of Homosexuals, leading to ruin, or worse, tyranical government.

Do something about it "NOW", instead believing these lies you have been been taken in by.

POL BRANNAGH

St. Andrews Primary School, The source of my views, and he will have the last word when he judges with the Heavenly Court.

You are respopnsible people. You are not taking this seriously.

How can you ignore these facts?

Just look at the figures for HIV and AIDS in Scotland. This is not a broken leg we are talking about, so less of the spelling quirps, as if that is that worries you. I get limted access to a computer and have to do what I can in a very short time.

These people prostitute rate among Homosexuals is very high and typical of the lifestyle and non procreational-life attitudes on this and other isssues that is destroying you.

Stop hiding behind these lying conventions that you obviously believe, and do something.

You are in the position to do it.

Look at this. http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/scieh/infectio...iv/infaids.html

pol brannagh,

You are hetrosexual hypocrites. Not one of you would not let a couple of homosexuals live in your home for a few weeks with you or your family, but you would not allow such an example to your children, nor would you tolerate this yourselves as you would normal people who visit and stay, if you are honest.

That is the "TRUTH"

Stop joining the immoral-whoremongeres, just becuase you have been conditioned to do so.

This act was abomiable when I was a child in primary school, and it still is now.

Over and Out, Honest.
Ends.

pol brannagh.

God Bless The Pope.

Just like every other deviant’s physiological desires,
homosexuals disregard human life in pursuit of their own interests.
Their soul objective is to attain and satisfy their own selfish ends
in a world which can only be perceived as, an unjustifiable darkness.
It is an existence, which is like that of an organic Darwinism,
surviving only to exploit what they can of others in this world,
claiming that if every last and unjustifiable urge, is possible, then
it is right, to satisfy their own selfish ends.

This they cannot deny.

Their wants and desires, what ever you want to call them, have now
extended to the frozen market and trafficking of surrogate or
donated sperm of children, from frozen embryos or sperm deposits in
banks. Surrogate births have already taken place or been sanctioned.
Now homosexuals are seizing upon another immoral opportunity, the
adoption children at birth. This is not right either, in our
creators eyes. This is outlined in the Book of Genesis.

So how can you justify it, and cast your vote for this immoral
whore-mongering?

There is no respect at all from the homosexuals, towards our
Christian view, that the intelligence, the word that created them,
and everything that is good in the beginning, is the law of the earth
and man. That is the reason they are opposed, and they proceed with
their abominations, and others such as adopting children. They have
no concept of Gods will, and have lost their way to our creator, to
act in such a way.

You, like any other proponent of such laws, will only find recompense
in a return to prayer, to God, with Christian doctrine. The path
however, that you, like they have taken, is to try and mislead the
public, and persuade over, to their explanation of life, a lifestyle
which is reminiscent of a Darwinist, organic creation of the earth,
which favours, the continued use of everything, all means at their
disposal, or others, to satisfy their own selfish ends in this nexus
of immorality.

This has already been proven to be a disgusting and abusive existence
sculptural, and most significantly, in research that exists at
present. Their lifestyle encompasses an all engrossed nexus of
allurement, in which they try to tempt and mislead others, with
whatever increments they can obtain, sedimentary in empty promises,
whilst ceding to pass on this degrading and deprived lifestyle, under
their guise, of increased social mobility and material affluence,
until that is, they are themselves exhausted. It is endemic within
such lifestyles, they are compelled to do it in their glut of
confusion. They do not believe in God, the Holy Spirit, our
intelligence, our word.

You as an MP in our Parliament can in no way justify these Acts, to
the public. I am convinced that the majority of your constituency
are opposed to this Act, and also same sex marriages. You
underestimate the importance of this Act also. Divine intelligence
has always been with us. In the beginning, it created human life,
this intelligence is also with us at present in all good things that
are created, and this will be with us tomorrow. The word is
determined by scripture, this should never be changed. The
consequences of doing so, the detriment of ignoring or altering this,
is made very clear, by St Matthew, St Mark, St Luke, St John, in
their books in The New Testament, this has also been brought to us
most importantly, by our National Patron, Saint Andrew.

Do you not understand, or realise that through scripture, the Church
on earth was left to the apostles, many centuries ago, before you
were born, primarily to St. Peter, the saint of Rome, then under our
National Patron, Saint Andrew. You act as a legislator for our
children. This is critical, and you will face the consequences, for
what you are doing. You with others, will be charged with
implementing the laws of the land. It is your duty and
responsibility to adhere to the aforementioned, as a proprietor and
public servant. You argue intelligence and of course you are also
quite well paid for doing this, so you will understand surely, the
heavy weight based upon your shoulders.

You seem to believe the lies that are propagated by the media or
around you, in immoral and corrupt word. The television and other
communication sources have played their part, do not be tempted by
this. You have been instructed as such, can you not see what damage
has already been done?

So why choose do you choose to go against the indoctrination of you
ancestors, this is ancient?

I can clearly see on the features of young people today, a distress
that is imprinted upon them, their natural inclinations are being
taken away, and their thoughts being destroyed with such adversities
as this. There is also the dangerous attempts in to label these
people, now from birth also, with mental and physiological ailments
or traumatised illnesses, which, administrations such as yours,
through Parliament, try to sustain. When I speak of other traumas, I
mean in particular abortion, and the labelling of such, with side
effects or trauma, which are conceived as environmentally inherited,
sadly now called Autism. Alongside this I have got to highlight
Munchhausen's disease, which in very few cases, I believe, can
justifiably be diagnosed. These are all concerns also, and the
tendency to skew towards, disapproving Clans, or their members, is
becoming more evident. Which I will highlight.

There is no doubt, that the mass media has played its role in
determining, how far our legislators have gone in introducing these
new laws, the Scottish Parliament however, must scrutinise all these
issues adequately, not only the Adoption of Children to homosexuals.
Our children are being wrongly taught in the British Education
system, and some are excepting these immoral and depraved acts as
norms. This is also done quite wrongly also, in my view and there is
growing support among Christians in Scotland to counteract these
dangerous myths, which are attempted, at being portrayed as normal in
the media as well. The truth is, some of these issues, are far too
distressing to convey to you, the real facts in this letter at
present, but this will come up again, and be apparent, with the truth
well deserving of an airing and media coverage. You only have to go
to the USA to find the tip of the iceberg, of what abuses can, and
have have occurred in this sort of parenting of young children with
homosexuals. There is abuse in order to achieve such ends, and
ultimately this spills over to the homosexual family unit which is
being proposed by you.

The denial of God, is what has caused all of these problems that
exist today, some which I have mentioned, and others such as we face
today, which I will outline to you later.

Yours sincerely,
Paul Welsh.

On Homosexuality.

May I correct my thread which carried the name of Denis Faul, this meant to say, MP John McFaul. On page 3 of this topic.

I shall write you later, instructing why you have been mislead by this.

pol brannagh

I gather you mean Spock, the fictional character from Star Trek?

This is the greater which outweighs, Our Lady Prays For You.



Ten secrets to be revealed... great sign promised...

In addition to the messages given by Our Lady, the visionaries claim that she will impart to each of them 10 secrets about the future.
Mirjana, Ivanka and Jakov have received all of the secrets and their daily apparitions have now ended. The others, Vicka, Ivan and Marija, have been given nine secrets and still see Our Lady daily.

Three of the secrets are known by all of the visionaries and will be revealed only after Our Lady instructs them to do so.
She has said to Mirjana: "Three days before the fulfillment of each secret, you will then be allowed to reveal this secret to a priest of your choice."
Mirjana has chosen Fr. Peter Ljubicic (pictured) to divulge the secrets. He will fast 10 days on bread and water. On the seventh day he will reveal the secret Mirjana will have told him, and three days later the foretold event will happen.

Mirjana has also explained that Our Lady has given her a plain piece of paper on which on which the secrets are written. The material composition of the paper is said to be not of this world. The seer adds: "The writing is not visible. When I hand the paper to the priest I have chosen, he will receive the grace to read only the first secret. he will read the others later."

The priest will be free to divulge the secret in whatever way he chooses.

Many people have quizzed the visionaries about the content of the secrets, but the answer is always the same: a secret is a secret.
Such is the silence about the secrets that not even the visionaries know if they are the same for all of them.

Although they guard the secrets with the utmost tenacity, the visionaries have said Our Lady will leave a 'great sign' at the site of her first appearance that will confirm the apparitions.

According to the seer Vicka Ivankovic, the sign will be permanent, visible and indestructible. It will be a sign or testimony for unbelievers and bring about many conversions.

In a letter to Pope John Paul II, Mijana also added that before the great sign appears, three warnings are to be given to the world. These warnings presented by Mirjana to Fr. Ljubicic, refer to events to take place on earth.


pol brannagh

It is difficult to comprehend how anyone can conclude that the Vatican teaching on human relationships and sexuality does nothing to address teenage pregnancy, abortion, gay relationships or HIV/AIDS. It does indeed address these issues, as outlined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

�Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception� (CCC 2270).

�Abortion willed either as an end or a means is gravely contrary to the moral law� (CCC 2271).

�Sexuality is ordered to the conjugal love of man and woman� (CCC 2360).

�Homosexual persons are called to chastity�.by prayer and sacramental grace they can approach Christian perfection� (CCC 2359).

The problem is not that the Vatican fails to address these issues, but that many practising Catholics choose to dismiss the teachings of the Church in favour of their own self-styled views on morality.

Is it really surprising that the incidences of sexually-transmitted diseases and teenage pregnancies have escalated when we consider the extent to which Vatican teaching is rejected, even within the Church?

Anyone who does not have a genuine willingness to embrace the true teachings of the Gospel, but instead desires the endorsement of a lifestyle which we know to be immoral will indeed feel uncomfortable if that approval fails to materialise.

Nowadays we see what is termed �compassionate help� which includes IVF for childless couples(which involves the destruction of embryos), abortions for pregnant teenagers (destruction of foetuses) and the production of some vaccines and medicines (utilisation of cells from aborted foetuses).

In the words of the Catechism, �one may not do evil so that good may result from it� (CCC 1756).

The answer lies with the Holy Spirit. There is sadly, it seems a relatively small number of Catholics who have not been �baptised in the spirit� and thus the lack the strength to really accept and live the teachings of the Vatican.

Baptism in the Spirit should not be compared to the sacrament most Catholics receive in childhood, which is the forgiveness of the Original Sin and initiation into the Church. Rather, it is a process of total penetration of the soul by the Holy Spirit following a conscious decision to truly commit oneself to Christ.

So many of us desire to have a �safe religion� which is not too challenging, were we can go through the motions without having to be transformed. This is why Catholic newspapers are flooded with letters from people who want to change Church rules � it is so much easier than changing themselves!

It is extremely regrettable that so many practising Catholics lack these charisms and consequently lack the strength to live out the laws of their own Church. If only more people would truly consecrate themselves to Christ, they would regard the Catholic rules not as �a burden too heavy to carry�, but as a natural expression of God�s Holy Will.

pol

I understand the part about being home sick. I visited the US East to West in 1997 and enjoyed the visit. I felt like going back at one point to live, after a being back here a while. It seemed as if there were less adversities in the US because I was new and visiting.

But I relaise too, that it is worth cherishing my own identity, heritage and clans culture here. The US is clanish anyway. That is why you have so many different quarters. Espanic, Peurto Rican, Irish, Jewish, Scots, German, Chinese, French, Italian, ect....ect.. I could go on.

It is the same here with clans, and those clans are still important, historically through scripture and are today. Keep your roots.

A look at global history over the Twentieth Century, is enough to confirm this.

I was looking into a Chinese history of twentieth century yesterday. The betrayals and wars within one nation is staggering. Bless their souls.

So I thought, how interesting it is also, to read that they eventually all ended up, apparently, being Communist too. That is except those who saw that corruption is more resonant in Communism, because of its denial of Christian doctrine.

I use the Chinese example because there are a lot of them, but you can go anywhere and find that people tried and failed, just in the same way, as communism did, when they abandoned the guiding principles of the Holy scriptures.

Some you think that the system is all corrupt, and that the existence of rightous money a fallacy. How do you know?

Most of you came straight out of the womb and laid on a hospital bed or incubator, and were given everything you have, ever since.

You don't want to acknowledge it seems to me, that the spiritual existence which grants material comfort, existed before man, and is good.

Why do you look so pessimistically at it all?

As I said: rightous money, rightous anything always wins.

pol brannagh

I do not know what to make of the two threads above.

looking at their contribution to this board, gaelic history and culture, you would think they were completely and totally demoralised.

Their expressions, which I have read, do not impress any sort of universal expediency, who do they appeal to? Nor could I envisage them attaining much support, as an alternative to the system that already exists. i.e. The US Senate.

My point to all of you is.

If you have no viable alternative, which can persuade others over to your point of view, encompassing also the same calibre of administrative skills, hitherto, legislative powers.

Then sadly, you are wasting your time.

Frankly, I don't think it is worth grumbling about how much cash you lose either, to the Gov't. The size of a cash penalty or imposition doesn't matter. What goes around comes around, as far as I can see.

If your moaning about it, you 're either greedy or you're justified in defending the your side against adversity, namely the poor against corruption.

"Fight for the truth, and the lord god will champion on your side".

That's it.

Rightous money always triumphs.


pol brannagh

Thread above, you miss the point.

Victory and Supremacy comes later, it is not omnipotent. There is but a sample of this and instruction. This is the ultimate victory and supremacy, is achievable only after serving your neighbour constantly.

There is no utopia here, anywhere. To suggest otherwise, is unwise.

pol brannagh

Hello vulvabogwadins,

Victory and supremacy is possible for anyone who wants it.

Our history and language has transcribed this aspiration from Gospels in Hebrew;Aramiac;Greek;Latin;Gaelic;English.

This is the oldest form of divine human expression we know, ever since God blew air into the soil to create us.

The victory and supremacy I mention is good.

pol

It has yet to be seen how influential John Roberts' own faith will be on the US Senate.

Supreme court nominee John Roberts', father Jack and mother Rosemary hold the belief, that it is their tight knit Catholicism, that has kept their family together.

There is some hope for everyone.

pol

I think it is deplorable, the resort to violence. I have written briefly about persecution of Nationalist/Republicans, also the lack of impartiality by the Police.

There is a school of thought also, that they are quite justified in their treatment of Nationalist/Republicans in this way, to erode the confidence of past actions and those who still believe in a United Ireland. I believe there is a firm belief, by many parts of the Police & the British Gov't, that much of Nationalist/Republican actions, up until now, have been unjustified, and that this is a fit punishment.

Further, that they will continue this war of attrition, and must continue to do so, until they see that they have set their perception of justice clearly, on the balance of justice scales.

No matter what the crime against ones neighbour, good always prevails, and ultimately, there is always improvement. So no matter how difficult it must be endured. Everyone involved has responsibility.

Quite clearly these acts are to been seen as evil, but the only way to defeat evil is to pray and to avoid evil as best you can, although this grows from the very same soil as good. The alternative is to depressing to contemplate.

If we let evil get the better of us, sooner or later the primitive lable is attached to us all. History has enough evidence to prove how barbaric people can become.

Providence is always ready to help those in such a situation.

For those willing to be constructive in defending themselves against such attacks, by concentrating on what is right, then victory and supremacy is theirs.

The supreme divine judge always ensures the inevitable changes do occur.

pol

I got that figure officially from a Canon, in our parish as did everyone else who heard him. That is the figure.

There are hunderds of thousands of clergy throughout the world in the Catholic Church. So I expect that figure was collated from each Archdiocese.

I have a thought to share about the power of good and evil. The aforementioned thread Christophe accusing me of blaming homosexuals. I do not, although I won't frighten you with sites that entwine selfish new age religion, witchcraft and other occult emblems which inter-relate with such Voyeuristic pleasures. There is enough of them around Bathgate, in Central Scotland where I live.


No, instead think of a system of figures if you like as I was so earlier.

If god controls all that is good and all that is evil, there is a system, for this just as their is for the litmus test, including any surveying or voluable human construction.

I have to go, I only get an hour here.

I do not condone homosexuality, I am honest enough to say that and I have met females who abhor the thought of lesbianism.

I have read of Sinn Fein's manifesto, and its outreach to the gay community in projects in Belfast it supports.

If we stand up honestly, and say what we believe on issues which confront us, such as this, as I and others have done, then there is more continuity and unity.

That is what I prefer.

over and out,
pol.

For anybody who reads Christophes comments about priest abusers, it is not as widespread some would like us to believe, the figure is about 0.02 %. Very small proportion I think. I have not been confronted by anyone like that.

That's from a personal point of view.

It is a mis-conception to believe this occurs often, and and a widly over exagerated comment he uses, from our adversities.

pol.

Christophe'

I disagree with you.

You are not compatiable with my objectives. I am honest enough and forthright enough to tell you this. I do not want to read what you say, I think it is unacceptable, there is very little intelligence in your format with the swearing, and is totally unacceptable.

I understand why people swear. usually it comes out of frustration at being excluded because their own particular talents, are not utilised by the authorities over them. Who have failed.

You have overdone in Christophe' God's judgment may take a time, but when it comes it is overwhelming.

I hope you change.

pol

Always trust the priest Patrick.

I don't know where you live Patrick, but anyone on this board, I will assume is baptised in one of the Christain churches.

That is the "correct authority" which you should trust.

In each nation there exists Archdioceses, each Archdiocese has a Deanery, and each Deanery has Parishies. From your Parish contacts, and Catholic National press, you will read about issues which we are all invoved in, and find the best way through discussion, contributing and concensus what to do in each situation.

Choose what is the best approach.

For example this week, I looked in the Catholic Universe Newspaper, The Scottish Catholic Observer, Sinn Fein website, and other Irish Press websites. I read about the same issues on all, but first and foremost, the Catholic Press, is the main concern I think for everyone on this forum.

You can read about practical ideas, showing how we are to solve issues, to obtain all our objectives, which are put forward in the aforementioned media information sources.

The Catholic Church's Vatican Seal, the "Holy Decree" is the most important document source of authority, and much of this is shared with the aforementioned press and media organisations.

There are various matters which the Vatican Council discuss, there are also other Councils, Knights and Legions, which implement and coordinate these matters for you.

My guess is, there is some secrecy which surrounds these sources from the Vatican Council, much like the files which are found on our DOS for a computer. They are kept apart, so that they cannot be corrupted.

That seems to make sense to me, Patrick.

pol

Charlotte,

How have we always got food. There has never been the need to steal food as God does provide. To despoil is different however, when your possessions are plundered, then it is justifiable , only with the correct authority to repossess what has been plundered. This is not stealing.

The Catholic church has at times throughout history embarked on, a "Just War". That would be like taking back what you toiled for, and obtained for the greater good.

Murder and Stealing is not acceptable. There is no justification for it, other than the aforementioned.

pol.

Cairde'

A further point on sex before marriage.

I have good news for those who already are illegitimate or in the situation or Co-habbiting.

I was reading my National Catholic Newspaper, The Scottish Catholic Observer this week, and was suprised to read that a couple from Fort William, appear in it, after marrying with their one year old child.

The child had to be baptised, before the couple went to the alter to receive their sacrament of "Holy Marriage".

My guess is, the sacrament of reconciliation was received by pentinents, then the baptism, followed by the "Holy Marriage" by a Catholic priest.

This in fact reverses, the sex before marriage concepition, and living in sin, cleansing the family of past sins. Now they have the opportunity to indoctrinate their family the right way, they can instruct their new blessing, apon their family, who may have children in the future.

I presume when this was agreed by the Catholic Church, there was no doubt about the severity of lapsing bakward again into the abyss of their past sins. Perhaps this was with the seriousness of the Oath taken by an newly ordained priest or monk.

Their are no easy ways to avoid Catholic doctrine and preserve the family unit, I feel that to make recompense in this situation, will be perhaps more difficult, although I do not know the couples own particular circumstances. It may balance out as a result of some other afflictions which the have been subjected too. If they already new about Catholic doctrine then it will be a magnificent step.

It is certainly not, in my opinion, a excuse to lapse and jeopardise the sanctity of the traditional "Holy Marriage", but welcome all the same, as their are many people in this situation, who want to come back to their Catholic faith, or join the Catholic Church.

I hope this is reasuring to anyone who is illegitimate, and wishes to become Catholic, or to couples who are in this situation.

Catholicism has nurtured and preserved our Celtic Gaelic Culture for Centuries, and continues to do so.

St. Kentigern (St. Mungo) was illegitimate, so was St. Brigid. Pray For Us with All the Angels and Saints in Heaven.

pol

quote=Patrick,Aug 29 2005, 04:46 PM]
pol brannagh,
What are your views of men and women having sex without being married? What about same sex marriages? Will you really go blind from masturbating? Talk about a 'complete disregard for common decency'. The more I hear from fanatics like you, the more I am leaning towards beliefs like Christophes. Go ahead, ask me what I think. <_<



Patrick,

I love my culture and see culture relativism as threat more often than not.

Elected political representatives are entrusted to protect our cultural identities, but as they tend to adopt new ideas for whatever reason from other cultures, which jeopardise our own, as they are in the privileged position to experience, and persuade through politic, us to accept this "Cultural Relativism".

I feel safer and stronger, with my own culture, multi-culturalism tends to fragment, confuse, isolate and undermine what bonds us together most.

I love the Songs, my Catholic faith, Celtic Gaelic Art, the Clans, and this internet technology which helps us to collate all heritage together even more so. Now we can bring together again, all Clan Na Gael world-wide, everyone who is interested in investing in our Celtic, Gaelic Heritage. Which goes back centuries.

As for answering your questions: I am not standing on any moral high ground, I don't think.

I believe freedom is dificult to attain in any given situation Patrick, that apart from my own Christain doctrine which is Catholicism. Most people fear freedom in any given situation, because they do not no yet the outcome, because their is a pre-determinate outcome, which they do not know about yet.

With our Catholic doctrine there is no fear. Only the path of grace which leads to peace.

My views: On Homosexuality for instance Patrick, is not to judge individuals on what they have done, but treat them with compassion. The Catholic church provides care for those who are ill with Aids throughout the world, and has seen many pentinents accept Christ before they die and go to meet God. But it is also our duty to instruct them if need be, as to why their lifestyle is juxteposed to our own objectives.

My views on sex before marriage. Well this cannot be reversed of course, patrick.
I understand the psyche of this question, and the purity you are trying to ascertain from me. I think their must be a biological as well as a spiritual reason for virginity. It is better to start your sexual relationship from purest possible point after mariage.

If this has already be ruined, then I suppose trying to reverse the process is easier, and more psychologically achievable from the male point of view. But I don't see why a female cannot abstain from sex to this extent, until her grace is a near enough a state of virginity, then she meets the right partner to marry also. This I believe is more psycholgically and spiritually gratifying, than promiscuity. It also instils the foundations of purity in the family, for future generations, leaving intact, the cultural identity which I have spoken to you about.


Same sex marriages are a definite no as far as I am concerned. This is liberal marxism gone to far, the anti-christ in the extreme, it encapsulates everything that was destructive during the bolshivic upsurges, spreading throughout the world in the late nineteenth century, causing wars and upheaval, and has also certainly, had a role in the war in Ireland, hence, the erosion of church doctrine. Detrimental all of it, when you consider it was historically, the Monastic Orders who gave us Education, Health and freedom. i.e Translation from Hebrew;Aramiac;Greek;Latin;Gaelic;English. But they bit the hand that fed them.

Matrubation, can you go blind, you asked. Yes in a way you can be blinded, but only metaphorically. It is a vice of self gratification, which imposes its selfish thoughts, and lustful intent on others. What is the point of having a partner, if you are going to have a depraved sexual orgy of fantasies in your mind, about other people, who are not in your marraige? None whatsoever.

Like all selfish gratification in the extreme, this is another form of satinism, which devours everything in its path, which uses only for its own selfish interests.

pol.

Cambridge University was the most fertile ground for the recruitment of Soviet spies in the l930s. When the ring was finally unmasked, decades later, it was found to have four principal members -- Anthony Blunt, Kim Philby, Donald Macclean, and Guy Burgess -- all of whom had been at Cambridge around the same time and knew one another.

Such ties are, among other things, institutionalized networks for personal advancement, with friends and schoolmates promoting each other's careers over decades. The network of Cambridge spies was, with one exception, homosexual (Philby was a compulsive philanderer), and it could also rely on contemporaries who were themselves neither sexually nor politically subversive but who were loyal to their old friends and classmates.


At Cambridge, Blunt was chosen as one of the Apostles, a secret society which had been in existence for a century, the members of which considered themselves an inner circle of superior young men, whose bonds of loyalty were therefore even tighter than usual.

When the spy scandal broke in the l950s, a notoriously left-wing member of Parliament, Willie Hamilton, scathingly pointed out that the subversives were not from the ranks of Labor but were Tory homosexuals protected by social privilege. The spies of course detested the Conservative Party and its ideology, but they moved easily in Tory circles and for decades exploited the fact that socially they were part of the British elite, on terms of ease with others of the elite to whom they were ideologically inimical. One reason why the spies went undetected for so long was the reluctance of the British establishment to believe that any of their own could be guilty of such activities.

The Old Boy Network served a double function. Not only did it promote the careers of its members, in doing so it also provided the establishment with an easy way of recruiting men for responsible positions. Although in some ways a meritocracy based on such things as examinations, the British civil service also relied greatly on personal recommendations. Government officials wanted to recruit people like themselves, which was most easily done through the network.


In l95l the American Central Intelligence Agency at last pointed to Burgess and Macclean as Soviet spies, but they were warned in time to escape to the Soviet Union. Philby, despite strong suspicions against him, continued to function in British Intelligence until l963, when he too was warned in time to escape behind the Iron Curtain.


Once again, not all those who protected the British spies were themselves homosexuals, nor were they necessarily in sympathy with the spies' ideologies. In l955 the future Tory Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, a devout Anglican who was a close friend of Monsignor Ronald Knox, lied in Parliament, denying that the government had any knowledge of internal subversion, a denial which occured after Burgess and Macclean had fled and while Philby remained a suspect.


In l964, the year after Philby fled, British Intelligence finally uncovered Blunt, whose activities were by then common gossip in some circles. But Blunt's subversion was not formally acknowledged until l977, when a newspaper ferreted out the information. Only then was Blunt stripped of his knighthood and other honors, although he was never prosecuted.


However in 1972, the SIS was to be deeply embarrassed by the Littlejohn incident, when two brothers operating as SIS agents in Ireland were arrested for freelance activities including armed bank robberies. They also claimed to have been given a list of leading IRA members to assassinate. SIS emphatically denied any involvement and Oldfield went so far as to call a meeting of SIS staff to assure them that there was absolutely no truth in the allegations. SIS was soon to withdraw from the battle for control of British intelligence operations in the Province and the strong suspicions remains that the Littlejohn affair was somehow set up by the Security Service (MI5) to damage SIS's reputation. Oldfield was to suffer from a Security Service dirty tricks campaign some years later when appointed the Governments Security Co-ordinator for Northern Ireland in October 1979. It is widely believed that MI5 informed a number of friendly journalists that Oldfield was a homosexual and that his behaviour was a security risk.

Pol