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| Ukip suspends councillor who claimed floods were caused by gay marriage | Ukip suspends councillor who claimed floods were caused by gay marriage |
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| A Ukip councillor who blamed the Christmas and new year floods on the passing of gay marriage laws has been suspended from the party, a spokesman has said. | |
| Henley-on-Thames councillor David Silvester, who defected from the Tories in protest at David Cameron's support for same-sex unions, said he had warned the prime minister of "repercussions" if gay marriage went ahead. | Henley-on-Thames councillor David Silvester, who defected from the Tories in protest at David Cameron's support for same-sex unions, said he had warned the prime minister of "repercussions" if gay marriage went ahead. |
| He was suspended by the party after defying a request not to do further interviews on his beliefs following his initial claims made in a letter to a local newspaper. The move came as leader Nigel Farage launched a clearout of "extremist, nasty or barmy" views from the party ahead of polls in May. | He was suspended by the party after defying a request not to do further interviews on his beliefs following his initial claims made in a letter to a local newspaper. The move came as leader Nigel Farage launched a clearout of "extremist, nasty or barmy" views from the party ahead of polls in May. |
| On Sunday he caused fresh controversy telling BBC Radio Berkshire that being gay was a "spiritual disease" that can be healed. | On Sunday he caused fresh controversy telling BBC Radio Berkshire that being gay was a "spiritual disease" that can be healed. |
| He said the new law, paving the way for the first gay marriages in Britain this spring, was the latest mistake that would anger God – following on from abortion laws, which he likened to the Holocaust. | He said the new law, paving the way for the first gay marriages in Britain this spring, was the latest mistake that would anger God – following on from abortion laws, which he likened to the Holocaust. |
| In the radio interview, which followed his initial claims about the link between flooding and gay marriage in a letter to the Henley Standard, Silvester said: "I don't have a problem with gay people. | In the radio interview, which followed his initial claims about the link between flooding and gay marriage in a letter to the Henley Standard, Silvester said: "I don't have a problem with gay people. |
| "I believe as a Christian I should love gay people and indeed, I do. My prayer for them is they will be healed. | "I believe as a Christian I should love gay people and indeed, I do. My prayer for them is they will be healed. |
| "When I was at Bible college I did a thesis on homosexuality and I came across the writings of an American psychiatrist, Jeffrey Satinover. He came up with two particular beliefs; one, he said it has not been proven at all that the gay condition comes from the genes, and second he said that by the Holy Spirit, there is always power for a gay person to be healed. | "When I was at Bible college I did a thesis on homosexuality and I came across the writings of an American psychiatrist, Jeffrey Satinover. He came up with two particular beliefs; one, he said it has not been proven at all that the gay condition comes from the genes, and second he said that by the Holy Spirit, there is always power for a gay person to be healed. |
| "I believe that is what the Apostle Paul said in the New Testament; he said some of you are gay but you have been healed. There is healing for the gay condition and I believe a Christian should long for gay people to be healed and to have normal heterosexual lives. | "I believe that is what the Apostle Paul said in the New Testament; he said some of you are gay but you have been healed. There is healing for the gay condition and I believe a Christian should long for gay people to be healed and to have normal heterosexual lives. |
| "It is nonsense to say it is homophobic. If you love a person enough to want them to be healed and to have a proper family, that is hardly homophobic. | "It is nonsense to say it is homophobic. If you love a person enough to want them to be healed and to have a proper family, that is hardly homophobic. |
| "It is a spiritual disease … it's not what I say, it's what the Bible says." | "It is a spiritual disease … it's not what I say, it's what the Bible says." |
| Silvester said he was convinced that there were "repercussions for a nation persisting in what is wrong", and that he had clear beliefs "there are things that are right and wrong". | Silvester said he was convinced that there were "repercussions for a nation persisting in what is wrong", and that he had clear beliefs "there are things that are right and wrong". |
| "Over the years we have done many things that have caused problems," he said. | "Over the years we have done many things that have caused problems," he said. |
| "One, for example, is the abortion law in which something like six million children, as many as the people killed by the Nazis in the death camps, have been killed as a result of the abortion laws. | "One, for example, is the abortion law in which something like six million children, as many as the people killed by the Nazis in the death camps, have been killed as a result of the abortion laws. |
| "Now, this is a process. The latest in this process is these homosexual laws and the homosexual marriage." | "Now, this is a process. The latest in this process is these homosexual laws and the homosexual marriage." |
| Expanding on his views about the repercussions of the state, Silvester added: "I am a man who prays every day for every member of the cabinet and for every member of the royal family and when, two years ago, I wrote to the prime minister to warn him there are repercussions for serious breaches of the Coronation Oath, such as this one has been, when I saw what followed I naturally assumed this was the result of them going against God's laws. | Expanding on his views about the repercussions of the state, Silvester added: "I am a man who prays every day for every member of the cabinet and for every member of the royal family and when, two years ago, I wrote to the prime minister to warn him there are repercussions for serious breaches of the Coronation Oath, such as this one has been, when I saw what followed I naturally assumed this was the result of them going against God's laws. |
| "This is not new, this happened in the Old Testament – they were warned if they turned against God there would be pestilence, there would be war, there would be disasters. | "This is not new, this happened in the Old Testament – they were warned if they turned against God there would be pestilence, there would be war, there would be disasters. |
| "All I'm doing is following the pattern that the Old Testament set out for a nation that followed God. If they followed God, things would go well, if they rebelled against God, then there would be repercussions." | "All I'm doing is following the pattern that the Old Testament set out for a nation that followed God. If they followed God, things would go well, if they rebelled against God, then there would be repercussions." |
| The councillor said Ukip, to whom he defected from the Conservative party, had told him not to give any more interviews. | The councillor said Ukip, to whom he defected from the Conservative party, had told him not to give any more interviews. |
| He said: "I had a phone call yesterday from one of them and the instructions I have got from now on is not to answer anybody and not to do interviews such as this one... [this] is the last one. | He said: "I had a phone call yesterday from one of them and the instructions I have got from now on is not to answer anybody and not to do interviews such as this one... [this] is the last one. |
| "I'm not going to go into [their reasons]. That's a private discussion between me and them." | "I'm not going to go into [their reasons]. That's a private discussion between me and them." |