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Thursday, June 12, 2008
Peter Robinson: The New Deputy Prime Minister
An amusing exchange has been reported to me between a Tory MP and a Labour junior minister about the PM's press conference this morning...
Tory MP: So who will the Prime Minister be flanked by at his press conference this morning in the wake of these Al Qaeda papers going missing? Jacqui Smith perhaps?
Labour Minister: Hmmm. Peter Robinson might be a better bet.
Although I deplore the DUP's action on this issue, it seems incredible to me that only now are they party receiving censure for being 'duplicitous bastards'. In Northern Ireland the UUP and others have been pointing out their hypocrisy all along whilst both parties in Westminster heap laurels at their feet. The DUP are an Ulster nationalist party whose commitment to the Union extends only to what they can get out of it. It is Tony Blair ultimately who is responsible for hanging out Trimble to dry and unsuring it is this shower that Westminster must deal with. The Tories have been fooled once, but they shouldn't be DUPed again.
The DUP have stood up for national security. Well done to the DUP. I normally do not support the right wing parties. But it is not the DUP who have played politics with terror. It is tories who have created a dissunited front in the fight against our number one enemy Bin Laden. The man who wants to execute innocent people for an evil cause. You talk about civil liberties well where would his civil liberty values put us.
It is interesting how dirty euro really fails to understnd UK politics. The DUP are not a "right-wing" party - I was at University when the Northern Irish Unionist MPs resigned en masse over government policy. Some of our more nutty Conservative Association members went over to campign FOR them and AGAINST the Conservative govermnment. They enthusiasticallly reported back that the DUP (as well as the UUP/OUP/take your pick) had moderate and (fairly) extreme socialists in their ranks. The politics of Northern Irelandhave always revolved around nationality, and much less so around the issues that matter to the rest of the UK.
The rest of dirty euro's diatribe appears to hinge on the fact that, without 42 days' detention without charge, Bin Laden will win. Well, that's a nonsense for starters. Indeed, changing our ways - allowing the way to be open to oppress our citizens, is very much a victory for the terrorists. If anyone is locked up for 42 days, and then released without charge, is £42k really going to make them look kindly on this country's security services? Isn't this more likely to aid extremism?
The final point is, of course, that everyone, quite rightly, wants terrorists locked up, and (probably) the key thrown away. But, and it's a big but, until you are charged, you are only suspected. Suspicion is not proof, nor is it fact. Just remember - in the words of the Lottery - "it could be you". Wrong place, wrong time, police under pressure, bye bye 42 days of your life.
Although I deplore the DUP's action on this issue, it seems incredible to me that only now are they party receiving censure for being 'duplicitous bastards'. In Northern Ireland the UUP and others have been pointing out their hypocrisy all along whilst both parties in Westminster heap laurels at their feet. The DUP are an Ulster nationalist party whose commitment to the Union extends only to what they can get out of it. It is Tony Blair ultimately who is responsible for hanging out Trimble to dry and unsuring it is this shower that Westminster must deal with. The Tories have been fooled once, but they shouldn't be DUPed again.
ReplyDeleteThe DUP have stood up for national security. Well done to the DUP. I normally do not support the right wing parties. But it is not the DUP who have played politics with terror. It is tories who have created a dissunited front in the fight against our number one enemy Bin Laden. The man who wants to execute innocent people for an evil cause.
ReplyDeleteYou talk about civil liberties well where would his civil liberty values put us.
It is interesting how dirty euro really fails to understnd UK politics. The DUP are not a "right-wing" party - I was at University when the Northern Irish Unionist MPs resigned en masse over government policy. Some of our more nutty Conservative Association members went over to campign FOR them and AGAINST the Conservative govermnment. They enthusiasticallly reported back that the DUP (as well as the UUP/OUP/take your pick) had moderate and (fairly) extreme socialists in their ranks. The politics of Northern Irelandhave always revolved around nationality, and much less so around the issues that matter to the rest of the UK.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of dirty euro's diatribe appears to hinge on the fact that, without 42 days' detention without charge, Bin Laden will win. Well, that's a nonsense for starters. Indeed, changing our ways - allowing the way to be open to oppress our citizens, is very much a victory for the terrorists. If anyone is locked up for 42 days, and then released without charge, is £42k really going to make them look kindly on this country's security services? Isn't this more likely to aid extremism?
The final point is, of course, that everyone, quite rightly, wants terrorists locked up, and (probably) the key thrown away. But, and it's a big but, until you are charged, you are only suspected. Suspicion is not proof, nor is it fact. Just remember - in the words of the Lottery - "it could be you". Wrong place, wrong time, police under pressure, bye bye 42 days of your life.