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Monday 24 October 2016

OURS NOT TO REASON WHY?

Whilst I was active in my chosen profession more than once I refused to offer my services requested by some individuals because for various reasons I considered that any actions I might have undertaken for or on their behalf were liable to be misconstrued or a basis for spurious complaints based upon their likely malevolence.  I should add that I was a self employed person offering my services under my own name.  I most certainly was not an employee in a public service. In fact my position was similar to the Asher family who own and manage a bakery in Belfast and who, earlier today, faced the disappointment of losing their appeal against their refusal to bake a cake for a same sex couple.  The Appeal Court apparently based its decision against the Asher`s  argument that the bakery would have been endorsing gay marriage equality by baking the cake. 

Apart from that factor to this simple J.P. (retired) that decision seems to find no reason to consider that a self employed business owner can refuse to offer his trade or service at his/her discretion.  So where are we with what I suppose is an equality based fundamental?  If a service or good  is supplied to person "A" and s/he complains with no evidence or argument in support that the service is not to a certain prescribed standard, requests a refund and threatens further action but then requests that a similar service or good be supplied to a relative and this request is refused is there a breach of the law? Indeed is the refusal to supply a service without giving a reason sufficient for legal action to be taken? 

I am not a person of religion but I do have every sympathy for the Ashers. 

1 comment:

  1. Punished for their own honesty, I expect that in future they (and others) will simply find themselves too busy to be able to accept certain commissions.

    Unless diversity is more important than forced labour? I wouldn't lay money against it.

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