More from Tom Harris

Further to this.

Tom now says:

But I don’t accept that it’s [coalition government] remotely democratic.

What happens when you have an elected Upper House with a majority from a different party?

Tom Harris MP - Hypocrite

Tom Harris MP:

RENEWAL of Trident was supported by the 65 per cent of the electorate who voted either Labour or Tory in May.

No.

1) Turnout in the election was 65%. 65% of 65% = 42.25%.

2) Voters could not vote for Tory economic plans and against Trident renewal.

Ah, but you see, that was before the era of The New Politics of democracy, accountability and transparency. Which actually means that in order to keep the minority coalition partner, the LibDems (who won 23 per cent) on board, the Tories have agreed to ignore the views of the 65 per cent who voted for Trident renewal, now kicked into the post-election long grass. This isn’t about the rights and wrongs of nuclear weapons, or the cost of Trident. It’s about democracy, or rather, the lack of such in the era of coalition government.

And if Labour had entered a coalition it too would have compromised on election pledges. Tom Harris MP knows this. He's a hypocrite.

How Not to Get Over Oil

The Telegraph reports that green campaigners blocked a refinery in Essex. They're quoted as saying:

We've come here to the source of the problem, to put our bodies in the way of the relentless flow of oil to say 'no more'. If we're to have a hope of tackling climate change we need to find a way to get over oil. It won't happen overnight, but we can, and must move beyond oil.

And what was the energy source they used to travel to the refinery?

Police were forced to close the road after 12 female protesters handcuffed themselves to vehicles parked to deliberately block the way for fuel tankers.

So oil then. And the police who had to attend probably also used oil to fuel their journey. And the journalists.

They might argue that it's OK to use oil to bring attention to the need to stop using oil. But that's a little weird. It's a little like anti-racism campaigners beating up white folk to bring attention to racism.

If they truly want to put their bodies on the line let them simply stop using oil. If they find a way to make it work then I'm sure plenty of others will follow suit. 

Labour Hypocrisy

Two bus drivers have been suspended on full pay because manager's are worried that they're so fat they'll damage the buses. They've been told to lose weight or risk losing their jobs. The leader of the Labour group of the local council said:

I don't think it is for your boss to tell you that you have to lose weight

No. It's the place of the State.

Still Think You Can Trust the Police?

The commissioner of the Metropolitan Police wants the police to have more protection from being sued. I'm sure others will discuss this and point out how wrong it is. But what got me was this statement:

"One of the key aspects is that the average settlements are well under £10,000 and most under £5,000, in other words these are not major areas of police misconduct with long-lasting consequences but often technical breaches."

In reality what he's saying is - it's OK for the police to break the law so long as they only commit small crimes.

Anyone still think the police are friends of the public?

Sunny Hundal and Smears

Hopefully the last post on the LFF smearing of Phillips.

Just yesterday Sunny Hundal at Liberal Conspiracy was complaining that Guido Fawkes was smearing Sadiq Khan. Today, though, he happily retweets LFF's smearing of Melanie Phillips.

I guess it can be difficult to spot a smear, especially when there is such supportive evidence such as a link on a blog!

Thoughts on Wilders' Trial, Part II

Another thought on the trial of Geert Wilders. From The Telegraph report:

Last year, the Dutch Court of Appeal ruled that, despite the case being dropped by prosecutors, that it considered "criminal prosecution obvious for the insult of Islamic worshippers" being compared to Nazis 

I can think of another group of people who are continually compared to Nazis by the Left. Will we be seeing a rash of prosecutions for that "insult"?

Desperation?

Tom Harris MP is so desperate to score political points he contrasts a statement from George Osborne given in 2007 to the Conservative Party Manifesto written in 2010. He concludes:

"Well, as I’ve said before, consistency in politics is overrated. Osborne obviously believes the same about honesty."

The notion that someone changing their mind is a bad thing is itself bad. Why should our elected representatives be forced to be consistent when things around them change? Why shouldn't they sometimes change their mind?

Tom, if you're going to try and make a culture in which people cannot change their opinions please make sure that culture isn't one in which people's opinions have major impacts on the lives of so many others. Oh, and whilst you're at it please have a go at your colleague Tom Watson MP for being delighted about a politician changing their mind!