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The DUP and the IRA
by David Semple
As much as I despise Sinn Fein for their pretensions to the mantle of progressives in Northern Ireland, they are barely a patch on the hypocrisy of the DUP. When historians return to the period of devolved government at some point in the future, I hope many of them will notice the flagrant obstructionism of the DUP to (it must be conceded) an essentially pointless endeavour - a functioning devolved government.
At every possible turn, the DUP complained that the structures of devolved government could not go forward until one objective after another was met. Disarmament of the IRA, ‘complete’ disarmament of the IRA, disbandment of the IRA, disbandment of all IRA ’structures.’ Now, finally things have been whittled down to the disbandment of the IRA Army Council as a body, despite its lapse into disuse.
New Labour, fascism and silly squabbles
by David SempleWhat would the blogosphere be without other blogs to gripe about? Harry’s Place continue this fine tradition with a screamer of a post about an image dreamed up by Derek Wall, leader of the Green Party, posted along with an article at the Socialist Unity blog. When I say a screamer of the post, I mean read the comments section; the post itself is fairly anodyne but Harry’s Place seems to be pulling Hayek-style “socialism equals fascism” wannabes by the dozen.
If you’re at a loss to understand what all the fuss could possibly be about and can’t be bothered visiting either site linked to above, look at the following picture:
What is the Tory health plan exactly?
by David Semple
How wonderful it is to see the Conservatives acknowledging that obesity might be a problem in our modern society.
Having recently checked my Body Mass Index, suitably adjusted for a non-smoker, I find that I am something like 0.4 of a point overweight, so I was particularly interested to see what Andrew Lansley might propose to help get our nation of lard-arses on the move again.
Once more it turns out that the Conservative Party is all about big talk but limp wristed action; so with pornography, now also with the health of the nation. The grand plan is to ask the food industry if they would be good chaps and reduce the size of the portions they dish out, presumably meaning in ready-meals, frozen meals and desserts. I imagine that the food industry will have no problem with that as they’ll keep the sticker price the same, padding their profit margins.
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Are unions at the point of no return?
by David Semple
When John McDonnell, hero of the working class, ran for the Labour leadership, one of the most convincing arguments in his arsenal was the demand to repeal the battery of repressive legislation aimed at the Trade Unions, which the Tories fielded and then Labour compounded.
Recently this has again come to the fore, with speculation that Labour is ‘in hoc to its paymasters’ following union bailouts of Labour’s massive debts.
Gordon Brown, while at the G8 summit in Japan has attempted to put paid to this sort of accusation:
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Outflanking David Davis…to the right
by David Semple
The BNP have a lot to answer for in regard to pulling down the gene ral tenor of virtually any electoral debate, but it is not to them that I refer herein.
No, it is to ‘independent candidate’ Jill Saward who is running against David Davis in Haltemprice and Howden on the basis that all our society seems to be interested in are the rights of the accused, not the rights of the victims.
This one could give the hang ‘em and flog ‘em brigade a run for their money when she declares that…
Was will das Weib? Was Will Europa?
by David Semple
Well might Brian Cowen echo the age-old question of Sigmund Freud, what do women want?
The Irish rejection of the Lisbon Treaty pulled a large number of women voters into the “No” camp. Indeed Cowen and his government, as they scratch their heads at the imponderable, impertinent ignorance of the Irish electorate in rejecting modernisation, freedom, democracy and mama’s apple pie, might well ask what Ireland wants.
The rhetoric leading up to the vote on the Treaty of Lisbon was apocalyptic. A vote against the treaty was a vote against progress; anything less than full-throated support for the treaty was calling doom upon the Irish economy. Even French Foreign Minister and ‘respected humanitarian’ Bernard Kouchner weighed into the debate by declaring that a “No” vote would hurt Europe but that it would hurt Ireland most of all.
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I don’t care what motorists think
by David Semple
I will be the first to admit, I don’t drive a car. I use trains more than any other form of transport except walking. Buses come a very distant third. Perhaps this makes me totally biased in respect of the concept of congestion charges but I am.
When the opposition to congestion charges reads like a poor man’s Daily Mail, I don’t see any reason to care what motorists think. If this is genuinely a cross-section of what motorists think then frankly they’re too stupid to be allowed an opinion never mind suffrage.
If readers are wondering why this subject and why now, it’s because Graham Stringer has declared that if we go through with congestion charges, we’ll torpedo our chances of election in Manchester by alienating voters in marginal seats. Evidently the notion of getting his parliamentary P45 doesn’t appeal to Stringer.
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The natural progress of procreation?
by David Semple
During the HFE Bill debate, several members of the House of Commons stood up to claim that fathers are being sidelined by the lack of legislation on whether lesbians should have to provide evidence of a male role model in order to qualify for IVF.
Several other members stood up to claim that the child has rights, and that these rights are best looked after by the existence of such a ‘father’ clause.
The terrible logical inconsistencies in such statements became very obvious in debate. If we’re insisting on a male role model, because it will result in a better brought up child, why is it immaterial what sort of role model we’re talking about? If the male role model is a drunk, a wife-beater or any number of other things, then that will hardly result in a better brought up child.
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Proud to be ‘indecent’
by David Semple
A guest-post over at Harry’s Place by ‘Ben’ advertises what it means to be a ‘Decent.’ Seemingly this is shorthand for someone who supports the war, is opposed to anyone further left than Jon Cruddas and genuinely thinks that the Parliamentary Labour Party should be staffed by people like Oona King.
With these blanket labels flying around, it is difficult to know the extent to which any given author is perpetrating a deliberate slander, or to which they’re simply caught up in their own misguided rhetoric.
I’m not sure which is the case when guest-poster Ben makes the following declaration about why he turned from Stopper to idiot:
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