Those of us who think Hilary Armstrong has outlived her usefulness may like to recall this famous encounter between New Labour's Chief Whip and the rebel MP Paul Marsden at the height of the controversy over the war in Afghanistan, in which La Armstrong (1) denies the existence of spin doctors, (2) claims that war is not a matter of conscience, and (3) compares opponents of the war to appeasers of Adolf Hitler.
Here's the full transcript in all its glory.
Armstrong: "Look, Paul, those that aren't with us are against us."
Marsden: "You won't even give us a free vote on whether we go to war - it is a matter of conscience."
Armstrong: "War is not a matter of conscience. Abortion and embryo research are matters of conscience, but not wars."
Marsden: "Are you seriously saying blowing people up and killing people is not a moral issue?"
Armstrong: "It is government policy that we are at war. You astound me. We can't have a trusting relationship if you keep talking to the media without permission. You must stop using the media."
Marsden: "That's a bit rich coming from people like you and Downing Street when Stephen Byers' spin doctor Jo Moore says September 11 is a good day to bury bad news."
Armstrong: "We don't have spin doctors in Number 10 - or anywhere else."
Marsden: "You aren't seriously telling me that you don't have spin doctors. You are losing it, Hilary."
Armstrong: "You wait until I really do lose it. I am not going to have a dialogue with you about that. It was people like you who appeased Hitler in 1938."
Marsden: "That's the official line now is it? We are all appeasers if we don't agree with everything you say?"
Friday, February 03, 2006
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Huhne right to reject Campbell coronation
What are we to make of the story in today's Times that Chris Huhne welched on a deal not to stand against Sir Menzies Campbell in the Lib Dem leadership contest?
I've no idea whether it's true, though I note that the author is not the impeccably well-informed journalist (I won't embarrass him by using his name) who usually covers Lib Dem matters for the Thunderer...
But whether or not there was such a deal, I think in retrospect it is clear that Chris Huhne made the right decision in asking Sir Menzies to release him from it.
The implosion of Mark Oaten's campaign, and the subsequent revelations about Simon Hughes, have left Huhne as the only credible alternative and a Campbell coronation would only have served the interests of Nick Clegg and Co, not the interests of the party.
As Huhne himself has said, appointing a "caretaker" leader who would stand down after the next election would effectively be like appointing "the chairman of an ongoing leadership campaign among the younger candidates."
The Lib Dems deserve a bit better than that, in my view.
I've no idea whether it's true, though I note that the author is not the impeccably well-informed journalist (I won't embarrass him by using his name) who usually covers Lib Dem matters for the Thunderer...
But whether or not there was such a deal, I think in retrospect it is clear that Chris Huhne made the right decision in asking Sir Menzies to release him from it.
The implosion of Mark Oaten's campaign, and the subsequent revelations about Simon Hughes, have left Huhne as the only credible alternative and a Campbell coronation would only have served the interests of Nick Clegg and Co, not the interests of the party.
As Huhne himself has said, appointing a "caretaker" leader who would stand down after the next election would effectively be like appointing "the chairman of an ongoing leadership campaign among the younger candidates."
The Lib Dems deserve a bit better than that, in my view.
Pukka choice!
One or two fellow bloggers seem to be a trifle narked about Jamie Oliver scooping a Channel 4 politics award for being the "most inspirational political figure."
To make matters worse, the great David Cameron - one of the Top 100 sexiest men in the world apparently - was pushed down into fifth place, behind Oliver, Shami Chakrabarti, George Galloway and Bob Geldof.
I can't quite understand what the fuss is about. What Jamie Oliver did was to succeed in taking an important but moreorless forgotten area of policy - namely what our children were being fed in schools - highlighting its inadequacy, and actually bringing about a change.
The fact that it is people like Oliver, Chakrabati and Geldof, operating outside of "mainstream" politics, who are changing hearts and minds over issues of vital concern to ordinary people is not a sign of "dumbing down," more an indication that "mainstream" politics is completely failing to address them.
To make matters worse, the great David Cameron - one of the Top 100 sexiest men in the world apparently - was pushed down into fifth place, behind Oliver, Shami Chakrabarti, George Galloway and Bob Geldof.
I can't quite understand what the fuss is about. What Jamie Oliver did was to succeed in taking an important but moreorless forgotten area of policy - namely what our children were being fed in schools - highlighting its inadequacy, and actually bringing about a change.
The fact that it is people like Oliver, Chakrabati and Geldof, operating outside of "mainstream" politics, who are changing hearts and minds over issues of vital concern to ordinary people is not a sign of "dumbing down," more an indication that "mainstream" politics is completely failing to address them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)