Political prisoner, activist, journalist, hymn-writer, emerging thinktanker, aspiring novelist, "tribal elder", 2019 parliamentary candidate for North West Durham, Shadow Leader of the Opposition, "Speedboat", "The Cockroach", eagerly awaiting the second (or possibly third) attempt to murder me.
Thursday, 10 July 2014
Unvouched
The English NHS is to be replaced with a voucher scheme, and it is barely considered news.
If the Opposition wants to raise it, they're free to do so. Blame them. If it's not reported, it's because the parties are both the same and neither disagree on anything important, including this.
Many issues which matter to normal people face this problem; since there's no disagreement about them at Westminster, the media (which is trapped in the Westminster bubble) has no reason to cover them.
I, for example, wish there was a Parliamentary party that stood for the restoration of grammar schools, an end to mass divorce and mass abortion, an end to mass migration, the serious punishment of crime, serious cuts to taxation (particularly on the elderly who have worked all their lives, and the middle classes) withdrawing from the European Court of Human Rights and the EU, and so very many other things.
But many of these issues are rarely raised in the media, even though they matter immensely to the public, because there's no Parliamentary disagreement on them.
Blame our useless Parliament, not the media.
Like Peter Hitchens (who cares about all the same issues I listed) rightly blames Parliament.
Labour does have a very different health policy from the Government's. But it could not be reported without telling the public what the Government's health policy was. And that would never do. Oh, no. Oh no, indeed.
I'd be surprised if it passed the Lords, and it certainly won't pass the Commons. There has always been real parliamentary opposition to this, including from all four Prime Ministers, two of each party, since it first arose as much of an issue. It is like hanging from that point of view. Among so very many others.
I won't be at all surprised, like I wasn't surprised when gay marriage passed Parliament despite over half the Government voting against it.
Unlike this, hanging is supported by the vast majority of the public-has been ever since it was abolished.
The "anti death penalty" side are the ones compelled to defend things like the extrajudicial police execution of Mark Duggan and obviously have no ground to stand on.
No, this has more public support than hanging. (So has SSM, come to that.) But there have always been clear parliamentary majorities against it, and there is no reason to assume that that has changed.
If the Opposition wants to raise it, they're free to do so. Blame them. If it's not reported, it's because the parties are both the same and neither disagree on anything important, including this.
ReplyDeleteMany issues which matter to normal people face this problem; since there's no disagreement about them at Westminster, the media (which is trapped in the Westminster bubble) has no reason to cover them.
I, for example, wish there was a Parliamentary party that stood for the restoration of grammar schools, an end to mass divorce and mass abortion, an end to mass migration, the serious punishment of crime, serious cuts to taxation (particularly on the elderly who have worked all their lives, and the middle classes) withdrawing from the European Court of Human Rights and the EU, and so very many other things.
But many of these issues are rarely raised in the media, even though they matter immensely to the public, because there's no Parliamentary disagreement on them.
Blame our useless Parliament, not the media.
Like Peter Hitchens (who cares about all the same issues I listed) rightly blames Parliament.
Labour does have a very different health policy from the Government's. But it could not be reported without telling the public what the Government's health policy was. And that would never do. Oh, no. Oh no, indeed.
DeleteReading the Mail's editorial on the looming legalisation of assisted dying in Britain today.
ReplyDeleteHow sad that Catholic voters like my parents no longer have any parliamentary party they can vote for.
I'd be surprised if it passed the Lords, and it certainly won't pass the Commons. There has always been real parliamentary opposition to this, including from all four Prime Ministers, two of each party, since it first arose as much of an issue. It is like hanging from that point of view. Among so very many others.
DeleteIf they ever voted Labour, which they probably did, they still do. Catholic Labour voters are Catholic Labour voters. Nice try, son.
DeleteI won't be at all surprised, like I wasn't surprised when gay marriage passed Parliament despite over half the Government voting against it.
ReplyDeleteUnlike this, hanging is supported by the vast majority of the public-has been ever since it was abolished.
The "anti death penalty" side are the ones compelled to defend things like the extrajudicial police execution of Mark Duggan and obviously have no ground to stand on.
No, this has more public support than hanging. (So has SSM, come to that.) But there have always been clear parliamentary majorities against it, and there is no reason to assume that that has changed.
Delete