Sigh, again my tardiness (or wanting to watch Cowboy Builders on Channel 5 instead) has caused me to be the late one to this particular party. I was going to mention the couple of other bloggers who have raised concerns with this but now even LibDem Voice has a round up of the by now myriad blogposts on this subject. That's how late I am, sigh.
Anyhoo this is what I was going to say:
When people ask me why I'm a LibDem, I don't have to give any of this wishy-washy well, on-balance, my views are more in line with theirs than other parties nonsense.
I am privileged to be able to honestly say that whenever a LibDem spokesman says anything, they are merely saying what I already thought or had concluded (and what the establishment parties would never say).
(although I think my stock answer for this year will be the more combative "Well, I have a brain and a conscience so my options are limited"!)
My only criticism is that sometimes they are too timid and don't go far enough.
Aside:
The exception (that proves the rule) of course being Sandra Gidley MP. In fact the complete opposite applies in her case, i.e. you can almost guarantee I that I will vehemently disagree with anything that comes out of her mouth!
Take her pronouncement on so called extreme porn.
"You cannot look at this sort of material and not be affected." indeed!
That and the way she charmlessly and publicly stuck the knife into CK causing members to resign left, right and centre...
(okay only one then local member that I know of who wrote to Cowley street citing Sandra Gidley's shenanigans as the reason, but if this trend was repeated across the country...)
But I digress.
So I was somewhat perturbed to hear Chris Huhne on the radio this morning supporting Jacqui Smith's decision to ban Dutch MP Geert Wilders from the UK.
Now, don't get my wrong I find him objectionable and one look at his pictures confirms my inner prejudices. With his slicked-back blond hair and sneery face he is so the Tory boys' Tory boy!
("The hair proves it" is a line from "The Blackadder" when he is accussed of being a witch which I am want to use when referring to an unjustified judgement resting on an ignorant basis which I realise is what I've just done there but you know I'm right really...er...)
When I first heard the Chris Huhne was coming on Today to defend this decision, my heart sank but I also just had a general feeling of bewilderment. Somehow my firm party political foundations were feeleing a little more shaky.
To be honest, I thought he sounded a bit like a New Labour minister who has been put up to defend the indefensible so was going to just power through his weak argument even though his heart wasn't really in it.
Do we know if he actually thinks this or was a political decision made (although we don't tend to do this kind of thing)?
It will be interesting to hear what Jo Swinson MP has to say on Any Questions tonight.
Anyway on a purely cynical note, I don't think it does us any good as it muddies our message on civil liberties.
Why Chris Huhne, why have you forsaken us?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
In his speech prepared for delivery following the screening of his documentary, Geert Wilders, said that as an elected politician from a fellow country is surely welcome. By the same token would he recommend inviting Jean-Marie Le Pen whose National Front party enjoys 20% votes in France and to screen Le Pen's views on society's relation towards AIDS patients?
United Kingdom Independent Party was hosting Wilders and was busy screening his documentary when British society has been worrying about its 13 year old fathering a baby.
Britain had 27 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 between 2000 and 2005, according to a report published by Population Action International. Comparable figures are 10 per 1,000 for Spain, 8 in 1,000 for France.
A 2007 increase in pregnancy rates mean that around 43,000 girls under 18 in England and Wales became pregnant - at least 1,200 more than the 41,800 teen pregnancies in 2006.
Lord Pearson could have invested efforts how to address the real menaces affecting British teens. Why should he bother importing some problems from Holland when there are more than enough of our own to cope with?
Post a Comment