Those evil Liberals...
I'm going to try to make this my last post on the subject before I end up disappearing up my own arse, but I've just realised something else about Oliver Kamm's post on the Liberal Democrats yesterday - a theme that was later taken up by Jackie, Stephen Pollard and Peter Cuthbertson, amongst others.
First, there's the supposedly illiberal nature of the Liberal Democrats which is highlighted by a decision to impose restrictive new laws, propose the introduction of compulsory identity cards and withdraw from sections of internation human rights treaties we don't like. Oh no, that wasn't the Liberal Democrats, was it? That was the Labour government that Oliver (and others) seem to keenly support. Of course, that sort of behaviour means nothing compared to the Liberal Democrat conference in 1995 passing a resolution calling for the removal from sale of lottery scratchcards. That policy, one so important to the party that it was never included in an election manifesto as far as I can recall, is the most dangerous and restrictive policy ever passed by a British political party, or so some people would have you believe. After all, the Labour and Conservative Party conferences have never, ever, passed policies that might embarrass the party leadership, have they?
Secondly, there's the argument put forward by Pollard that the Lib Dems show a 'shameless inconsistency' and change their policies in each and every town. Yet again, it would seem that I'm living in a parallel universe, for in the one Pollard and the others who advance this argument live in every single local Labour party and Conservative branch all agree on the exact same policy in every ward of every borough and never change that policy by one iota to suit local circumstances or the wishes of the people they represent.
And, of course, not one Labour or Conservative councillor anywhere in the country has ever done anything wrong at all. This parallel universe Private Eye obviously has no need for a 'Rotten Boroughs' page - or if it does, it must be entirely filled with those nasty Liberals - for there's nothing for it to report on. From Doncaster to Westminster, all Labour and Conservative councillors are perfectly moral and upstanding citizens who would never do anything so corrupt as actually representing the people who elected them.
Don't worry though, folks, you can still go and make all the unfounded personal smears about Charles Kennedy you like. After all, you won't complain if I do the same about Blair and Duncan Smith, will you?
First, there's the supposedly illiberal nature of the Liberal Democrats which is highlighted by a decision to impose restrictive new laws, propose the introduction of compulsory identity cards and withdraw from sections of internation human rights treaties we don't like. Oh no, that wasn't the Liberal Democrats, was it? That was the Labour government that Oliver (and others) seem to keenly support. Of course, that sort of behaviour means nothing compared to the Liberal Democrat conference in 1995 passing a resolution calling for the removal from sale of lottery scratchcards. That policy, one so important to the party that it was never included in an election manifesto as far as I can recall, is the most dangerous and restrictive policy ever passed by a British political party, or so some people would have you believe. After all, the Labour and Conservative Party conferences have never, ever, passed policies that might embarrass the party leadership, have they?
Secondly, there's the argument put forward by Pollard that the Lib Dems show a 'shameless inconsistency' and change their policies in each and every town. Yet again, it would seem that I'm living in a parallel universe, for in the one Pollard and the others who advance this argument live in every single local Labour party and Conservative branch all agree on the exact same policy in every ward of every borough and never change that policy by one iota to suit local circumstances or the wishes of the people they represent.
And, of course, not one Labour or Conservative councillor anywhere in the country has ever done anything wrong at all. This parallel universe Private Eye obviously has no need for a 'Rotten Boroughs' page - or if it does, it must be entirely filled with those nasty Liberals - for there's nothing for it to report on. From Doncaster to Westminster, all Labour and Conservative councillors are perfectly moral and upstanding citizens who would never do anything so corrupt as actually representing the people who elected them.
Don't worry though, folks, you can still go and make all the unfounded personal smears about Charles Kennedy you like. After all, you won't complain if I do the same about Blair and Duncan Smith, will you?
Nick got away with this at 9:05 AM
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