January 2012 Archives

Scotland: A Christian preacher and former Conservative candidate has been gaoled for the sexual abuse of three children, two boys and a girl. He had met the children at the Edinburgh City Mission and gained the trust of their parents.

The parents of his victims believed he was a devout Christian and let him take the youngsters to play parks and swimming pools.

Instead Smart, of Christian Crescent, Edinburgh, used the time alone with them to carry out the abuse.

But this is not the first time Smart has featured in the Prattle. Back in 2003, when he was a Tory candidate, he ranted against Pride marches and campaigned to have them banned. His outburst directly caused a group of LGBT activists to call a meeting to arrange that year's march in Edinburgh. Somehow, no-one had bothered and the march would not have happened had the activists not been reminded by him. When he said I find quite horrendous the sort of materials being provided to impressionable youngsters in schools now. It is quite vile., it was assumed he was talking about the repeal of Section 28. We now know he was talking about himself.

Preacher John Smart jailed over campaign of child abuse—BBC News, 17th January 2012. See also: Tories revert to type.—Pagan Prattle, 22nd April 2003 and Disappointment—Pagan Prattle, 20th July 2003.

England: Some myths never die. Indeed, the internet seems to enable them to spread far more quickly than before. That some people are simply violent cunts who need to be locked up never occurs to most. It's either space aliens, the Beast of Bodmin or, as in this case, some kind of imaginary Satanist.

Satanic link to Cornwall horse mutilation investigated—BBC News, 11th January 2012.

And still full of himself.

So, if someone ends up getting hurt there, will he take responsibility for his actions?

Tradition was fully observed during 2011 when, despite some strong contenders, none of the predicted ends to the world happened. But 2012 promises to be a biggie. The world is going to end in so many ways this coming year that I really should have started writing this more than 11 hours before the end of 2011.

But first, as tradition dictates, the ongoing end-of-the-world scenarios: