Australia is not immune...

[uriel1972]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/14/religious-discrimination-bill-what-will-australians-be-allowed-to-say-and-do-if-it-passes

"You are going to burn in Hell for eternity, but I am not saying that in a hurtful, vilifying manner, so there."

Without any recourse available to those on the receiving end.

[OhNo-Really]

1. This is appalling! Are the fires flaming a Theocracy?

This is granting free reign to condemn even deny helping those you disagree with.

Happier everyday to be old!

The youth better rise up soon

[Cartoonist]

2. That's a theocracy.

I'm an atheist. Can I tell them all to go to hell if I tell them to take the scenic route?

[wnylib]

3. So does anyone believe it would really be passed?

Hardly seems likely.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. It's a government bill; their coalition has a majority in the House of Representatives

so it's likely to pass there; and they form the largest group in the Senate, though not a majority. It'd be good to hear from an Australian about what the Senate is likely to do with it - whether there are any individuals in Labour or the Greens who might vote for it, for instance.

[uriel1972]

5. I really wish I knew...

This has been flying under the radar for a while, Labor has been giving wishy-washy mixed signals, but it's probably down to cross-bench independents in the senate. Given the way they have been performing lately.. sound and fury signifying nothing then voting with the government I don't hold out much hope.

Being able to punish or expel a schoolchild for daring to declare agnosticism... I am dying inside. We the taxpayer in Australia fund religious schools, it's kinda hopeless here.

[wnylib]

6. The home of Rupert Murdoch. Looks like

the Anglo world is going down the tubes. Except that Canada and New Zealand still seem sane.

I heard a British journalist in an interview say that Brexit means only that Brits will pursue their own governance without what many felt was too much foreign control by the EU. He expected little else would change except they would need to negotiate their own trade deals. Hope he was right. There is strong opposition there against the kinds of trade deals (like health coverage) that Trump has suggested to them. But will they be more vulnerable economically to pressure from the US when on their own?

We hear about xenophobic behsvior from Brits toward "outsiders" from the EU in Britain (e.g. eastern European immigrants), but I wonder how widespread that is or if it is just fringe people..

As for Aussies and religion going the way of the US, it is hard to imagine Brits going bonkers on religion these days. They' ve been through those battles before.

Bob Dylsn comes to mind. The times they are a-chsngin'.

How ironic it would be today if it was the Brits who kept their heads and rescued us this time around. Not necessarily in physical battles, but in values and leadership example. They might strike a balance between economic globalism in the name of independence vs xenophobic isolationism.