MORMONS GIVE BARNETT THEIR BLESSING

OPPOSITION Leader Colin Barnett received a Family Values Award at a special
function of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on Sunday.

The Mormon's public affairs director, John Grinceri, said Mr Barnett had
been pro-family in a number of areas, which is fair enough after all he's
got two of them, but received his award mainly for his stance against the
Gallop Government's drug reform agenda.

As far as we know, Mr Barnett is not a Mormon, although around election
time he has been known to turn up on the doorstep and ask inhabitants to
take the Gospel according to the Book of John (Howard) into their hearts.

The Mormon's Family Values Award is the highest honour bestowed by the
Church on a non-Church member and, according to Mr Grinceri, Mr Barnett was
chosen for it "because of his strong commitment to strengthen the homes and
families of WA and for his consistent opposition to drugs".

Not that the Church has wanted to be seen as getting involved in government
matters.

"To begin with, we don't want to be seen as getting involved in politics,
but in the drug issue he has stood up aginst ...," Mr Grinceri said.

IC: The Government's position?

JG: ... the Government's position, yes.

IC: So, obviously the Church is against the Government's position?

JG: Well, we wouldn't endorse it. But we wouldn't want you to go reporting
it in that way, that the Church is against the Government's position. We
prefer to be more pro-active and say we applaud his stance on family values.

AND speaking of family values, we understand an olive branch has been
extended in the row between WA's Pride Festival and the long-established
Festival of Light organisation. This year's gay and lesbian romp, due to
kick off on September 28 and conclude with the now-traditional parade
through Northbridge on November 1, has adopted "Light" as its theme and the
term "Festival of Light" has popped up on promotional literature, including
7000 festival guides as well as the festival's website.

That has upset the Festival of Light organisation, a South Australian-based
Christian group which preaches "permanence of marriage, sanctity of life,
primacy of parenthood and limited government".

Don't ask us how "limited government" gets a guernsey in among that lot but
the bottom line here is that the Christian group isn't happy that its name
has been appropriated by people who, let's face it, they don't exactly see
eye-to-eye with.

FoL director Mr David Phillips told IC from Adelaide his group had taken
legal advice but was hoping for an amicable agreement.

"Our essential stance is for upholding traditiional family concepts and
theirs is contrary to that, in fact, it's the direct opposite," he
said. "So we have opposite views and for them to masquerade under our name
is misleading to people who associate our name and our values."

IC: Is it offensive to you?

DP: Yes, yes it is.

Yesterday afternoon, Pride co-president Daniel Smith rang IC to say his
organisation had agreed to remove "Festival of Light" from its website and
not to use the phrase in any national advertising.

A remaining stumbling block appears to be Pride's banner, due to span
Williams Street in Northbridge on Friday, which uses the phrase.

Mr Smith says it's too expensive and too late to change.

We know just how he feels.