Anyone for the High Jump?

Those watching the TV coverage of the athletics at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow will most probably not have noticed something. That is because it is difficult to notice something not there, for the simple reason; if it is not there, one is not reminded of it.
What, or we should say who are not there are female athletes from the Commonwealth’s Muslim communities. The reason? The track attire the female athletes wear. Such attire is designed to enhance their performance on the track.
On the left of the complied image above, we see a Muslim woman attempting the high jump known as the Fosbury Flop. One can clearly see that in attempting to comply with the dress codes enforced in her country [Pakistan] the lady is not prepared to risk the fate shown on the left of the image for want of getting over the bar!
What relevance has this to do with Glasgow 2014? You may ask.
Well on one level is does not. However, as described in a previous article, the demographics of these islands are changing. Rapidly. With that change will come a radical change in social and legal attitudes. Those who are of the opinion that the present secular, western, liberal social mores and norms will continue should take note of the radical change in attitudes towards homosexuality. In 1964 two men could be prosecuted for engaging in sexual activity between them. Today, these two men could get married at the registry office. In 1964, a person advocating homosexual marriage would have been publicly condemned and scorned. Today those who publicly condemn homosexual marriage as a sin and heresy risk arrest by the police for a public order offence.
It is not only those such as Polly Toynbee who should consider the future.
Those many persons currently languishing in one of HM’s Prison having been sentenced to Life Imprisonment for murder should take note.
According to 2002 statistics for UK prisons 9 percent of prisoners were serving life sentences. 4,980 were men,170 were women,160 were between 15-21. Not all of these have been convicted of what used to be a capital crime.
It is entirely possible that a Muslim sectarian political party will advocate the reinstatement of the death penalty and furthermore, for its retrospective application. After all, execution of say 4.500 prisoners will save a large amount of taxpayers money.
What about the European Court of Human Rights? We hear you shout. What of it? In 2020 the UK will likely be placed outside the EU and into the EEA by the EU – unless it chooses to adopt the Euro. Internal political considerations will always outweigh minor diplomatic consequences.
Ashley Foster and Jonathan Bowling, both 22, were convicted of manslaughter at Sheffield Crown Court of Alan Greaves, 68, who was battered to death as he walked to church on Christmas Eve 2012. Had this offence had been committed in Pakistan they would almost certainly have been hanged. Given demographic and cultural developments in the UK, they may well yet meet that fate.