Religion
Related: About this forumAtheists challenge churches' free parking permits
The issue has become increasingly contentious as more councils scrap free evening and Sunday parking in pursuit of additional streams of income. The charges were initially denounced as a "tax on worshippers", so a number of local authorities including Wyre council in Lancashire and Canterbury city council responded by setting up "worship parking permit" schemes.
Woking, which established its scheme in May 2012, is the authority that the NSS has chosen to target for a test case, exploring whether the preferential treatment amounts to a breach of the Equality Act 2010.
Their letter of claim, sent by lawyers Leigh Day, explains that the local Anglican Christ Church, evangelical Coign Church and Trinity Methodist Church have all been provided by the council with ticket validating machines. Woking United Reform Church gives out council-backed parking permits to churchgoers valid between 9.30am and 1pm on Sundays.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/02/atheists-churches-free-parking
What's interesting is that the council had legal advice before doing this, which said it "amounts to indirect discrimination", but could be justified, on the grounds that churches are a bunch of nice guys (not the exact legal wording, but pretty much what the reasoning is).
BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)...2 dollars for parking.
Look..you have a choice..either be deluded or cheap...You're not allowed both.
Fortinbras Armstrong
(4,473 posts)Poor dears. I wish they would grow up and stop their constant complaints about how the nasty believers are being cruel to them.
trotsky
(49,533 posts)Leave religion completely out of it for now. What do you think are valid reasons for charging certain people but not others?
Fortinbras Armstrong
(4,473 posts)Like, say, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act? That would be worth bringing suit about, not "Why should we have to pay for parking on Sunday?"
trotsky
(49,533 posts)I don't live there and I'm not personally affected.
I asked you a question. Will you answer it?
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)And yet another weak passive-aggressive attempt to smear non-believers.
How expected.
trotsky
(49,533 posts)is that of Southern racists and some of their enablers who, in the 1950s and 60s, would have dismissed concerns over such things as separate drinking fountains. "What's the big deal? You have your own drinking fountain right next to mine. Don't you have bigger battles to fight?"
Or the defenders of marriage inequality - "Why are you hung up on the word marriage? You can have a civil union and get most of the benefits you are looking for - don't you have bigger battles to fight?"
It's an overall effort to trivialize and dismiss legitimate concerns - generally employed by, as you so accurately noted, those in positions of privilege.
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)LostOne4Ever
(9,554 posts)Fortinbras Armstrong
(4,473 posts)To bring suit because you poor ickle atheists have to pay for parking on Sunday is evidence of your whinging over trivial slights. I do not have to smear non-believers -- you smear yourselves. Grow up. Life is not always fair.
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)Jesus is really, really proud of you, I'm sure.
Iggo
(48,092 posts)I know you can.
muriel_volestrangler
(102,122 posts)and the discrimination was started because the council listened to the whinging of the churchgoers, but decided to only make it free for them.
el_bryanto
(11,804 posts)Why are local governments feeling compelled to require people to pay for parking on Sunday? Because state governments are putting the squeeze on because the federal government is putting the squeeze on.
Once they decide to cancel free parking on Sunday, well religious folks have the natural complaint that this effects them more than other people, and non-religious folk have the natural complaint that the religious folk are getting benefits that the rest of society doesn't.
Bryant