Brown leads attack on cards 耐えるing the word 'Christmas'

by JANE MERRICK

Last updated at 22:00 11 December 2006


Gordon Brown leads a string of 閣僚 大臣s who have shunned the word "Christmas" on their 年次の festive cards, it has 現れるd.

The （ドイツなどの）首相／（大学の）学長 has 選ぶd for the secularist and 政治上 訂正する message "Season's Greetings" on his 公式の／役人 Christmas card.

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Home 長官 John Reid, Health 長官 Patricia Hewitt, Defence 長官 Des Browne and International 開発 長官 Hilary Benn also chose "Season's Greetings" instead of the 伝統的な "Merry Christmas".

The 決定／判定勝ち（する） by 大臣s to banish Christmas echoes a wider 傾向 in which just one in every 100 Christmas cards on sale on the High Street feature 宗教的な images.

The Daily Mail 明らかにする／漏らすd that 伝統的な Nativity pictures have been 取って代わるd by a bizarre 選択 耐えるing no relation to Christmas.

And some 会議s have 改名するd their Christmas street decorations as "winter lights" out of "sensitivity" for other 約束s.

Mr Reid's card - which he chose 本人自身で - features a 絵 of a Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square but no 宗教的な imagery.

His choice of card raised eyebrows in Westminster last night because only two days ago Mr Reid tore into the "mad political correctness" that you "can't call Christmas Christmas".

Mr Reid said he was "sick and tired" of the 腐食 of Christmas in Britain - に引き続いて a 調査する which showed decorations have been 無法者d in three out of four offices for 恐れる of 感情を害する／違反するing 非，不，無-Christian 宗教的な 少数，小数派s.

The （ドイツなどの）首相／（大学の）学長's card features an illustration of children 開始 現在のs around a tree - but inside fails to wish the 受取人 a Happy Christmas.

Again this appears to jar with Mr Brown's public 声明s on the 問題／発行する. Last week the （ドイツなどの）首相／（大学の）学長 attacked the move by some Sure Start playgroups for 取って代わるing children's Christmas parties with "winter 祝賀s".

Mr Brown 主張するd at the time: "The fact is children of all 約束s all over Britain will be looking 今後 to Christmas in a few weeks time, and it is 権利 that they can celebrate Christmas."

行方不明になる Hewitt's card features a winter scene of the House of ありふれたs overlooking the River Thames.

Defence 長官 Mr Browne's card shows a picture of a British 兵士 tending to child 犠牲者s of last year's Pakistan 地震, while Mr Benn's card is by international children's charity Unicef and shows a picture of an 11-year-old Zimbabwean girl.

A Daily Mail 調査する of the 閣僚 設立する that 大臣s 選ぶing for "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Christmas" 含むd Tony Blair, Foreign 長官 Margaret Beckett, ありふれたs Leader Jack Straw, Northern Ireland 長官 Peter Hain, Culture 長官 Tessa Jowell and Lord （ドイツなどの）首相／（大学の）学長 Lord Falconer.

Mr Hain's card is a child's 製図／抽選 of a penguin, and the 伝統的な Christmas 迎える／歓迎するing inside is written in English, Irish and Welsh.

Other 閣僚 members 辞退するd to 答える／応じる or have not yet sent out their cards.

Simon Calvert, 広報担当者 for the Christian 学校／設ける, said: "It is disappointing to find this 態度 from 大臣s.

"It is Christmas isn't it? Everybody else in the country is やめる happy to say Happy Christmas. I cannot understand why 大臣s are 存在 so coy about it. Seventy two per cent of the 全住民 regard themselves as Christian. I don't see why people are so ashamed of the word."

In an interview on GMTV's Sunday Programme, Mr Reid said: "Like the 広大な 大多数 of people, I'm sick an d tired of this sort of mad political correctness that said you can't wear a crucifix on British 航空路s, or you can't put up decorations for Christmas, or you can't call Christmas 'Christmas'.

"I think most people just find this 完全に over the 最高の，を越す and I would rather have a bit of what I call PCS - Plain ありふれた Sense - than PC - Political Correctness."

A Home Office spokeswoman said of Mr Reid's card: "There are few images more associated with Christmas than a decorated Christmas tree, 正確に what is 設立する at the centrepiece of the Home Office card.

"The design was chosen by the Home 長官 本人自身で in preference to other 選択s that had no direct Christmas 関係."

A source の近くに to Mr Brown said: "Gordon was proud to host his 10th 年次の Christmas party in 負かす／撃墜するing Street today, with kids from all different 約束s and backgrounds, and he believes everyone in Britain should be proud to celebrate our Christmas traditions.

"As for the 'Season's Greetings' message in the Christmas card produced for the 財務省 by the Booktrust charity, it's been the same message for many years, so no-one gave it any thought.

"We'd certainly have no problem 説 'Happy Christmas' instead, and we can't see why anyone else would."

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