The wrong MEP is kicked out of the Tory party... So, criticising someone for being anti-Semitic, homophobic and racist is a sackable offence, whilst hero-worshipping Enoch Powell and trashing the NHS in front of an overseas audience is just harmless eccentricity?
And while we're on the subject of unreconstructed Tories, tonight saw a bit of a buzz at Bristol's full council meeting, as protestors gathered to call for Cllr Richard Eddy to resign as Tory group leader. Darren Lewis made an excellent speech, citing stats on how many LBGT young people have suffered from homophobic bullying, including many driven to the point of attempting suicide or self-harming. This was met with a standing ovation from most of the public gallery, the Labour, Lib Dem and Green councillors, and a scene reminiscent of those in the Commons after Blair's farewell speech, in which Cameron had to force his troops to their feet. Three Tory councillors eventually and rather shamefacedly joined the ovation, and then Eddy stood up too, which must be the first time someone has applauded a call for their own resignation! Eddy then rose again to defend himself, saying he agreed with 95% of what Darren had said but in a time of financial hardship we have to consider what are the most important priorities, etc, etc. Which doesn't quite explain why he described the EACH funding as an 'outrageous' waste of public money and then embarked on a 'political correctness gone mad' rant worthy of his doppelganger, Simon Heffer. And describing the protest as 'hysterical' did little to endear him to his audience... You can watch the whole thing on here, http://www.bristol.public-i.tv/site/, I think it's about 15 or 20 minutes in.
7 comments:
That's democracy for you.
Kerry
See my blog on the same issue - with further links to media coverage
http://bristolwestpaul.wordpress.com/2009/09/16/unbelieveable/
Dan Hannan is brilliant and the Tories were right not to get rid of him. The only reason Labour supporters hate him is nothing to do with his views on the NHS (which let's face it - not many agree with but he's perfectly entitled to hold), but because he did such a fantastic job in bitch-slapping Gordon Brown in his speech to him in Brussels, and the reverse-snobbery of not liking his well spoken accent ("typical Tory").
When he criticised Brown for repeating in that "wooden and perfunctory way" we were "well-placed to weather the storm" like a "Brezhnev-era apparatchik", I wanted to buy him a pint for saying what so many people wanted to say to Brown.
Good on him.
Councillor Eddy, however....
No Dave you're wrong - our objections to Daniel Hannan are entirely to do with his unpleasantly right-wing politics.
As opposed to left wing policies that bankrupt the economy at the rate of £6000 quid a second.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article6840749.ece
Roll on election day when this Labour shower are kicked out.
As has been pointed out elsewhere, the former glorious leader
Hero-worshipping isn't exactly the right phrase though is it, and it's a bit difficult to jump on someone for that given that the former glorious leader was the first to hand out praise when Powell died, as has been pointed out elsewhere.
If our elected representatives were allowed to express criticism of the NHS instead of having to fawn about how wonderful it it the whole team, perhaps the endemic inefficiencies and problems within the 'service' could start to be tackled.
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