Unlike Blair I can admit when I'm wrong
I am pleased to say that I was totally wrong in my prediction for the vote today. I apologise to those 49 Labour MPs who had the strength of character to defy the whip on a matter of principle.
As ever the Labour spin machine has leapt in to action, rounding on those who have the nerve to stand against them instead of doing the navel gazing to examine exactly why they failed. All of the Labour spokesmen tonight have criticised their opponents for not supporting the police, despite totally failing to provide anything like a convincing argument as to why it was necessary to support them. Just to say the police want it is not acceptable, especially when that same spin machine has totally failed to even consider legitimate arguments about how such a policy could become another Government created recruiting sergeant for terrorists, especially when they have failed to explain how this policy would not and could not totally disillusion communities where members had been detained for 90 days and then not charged.
It is not acceptable for Blair to just speak passionately in Parliament and expect people to follow – he has to win the arguments – not least because the last time he spoke so passionately, he was shown to have lied (45 minutes and all that). On this occasion he was found to have been wanting and even his bully-boy whips were not able to rescue him.
It is no surprise that this is the biggest margin of defeat for any Government since the War.
As ever the Labour spin machine has leapt in to action, rounding on those who have the nerve to stand against them instead of doing the navel gazing to examine exactly why they failed. All of the Labour spokesmen tonight have criticised their opponents for not supporting the police, despite totally failing to provide anything like a convincing argument as to why it was necessary to support them. Just to say the police want it is not acceptable, especially when that same spin machine has totally failed to even consider legitimate arguments about how such a policy could become another Government created recruiting sergeant for terrorists, especially when they have failed to explain how this policy would not and could not totally disillusion communities where members had been detained for 90 days and then not charged.
It is not acceptable for Blair to just speak passionately in Parliament and expect people to follow – he has to win the arguments – not least because the last time he spoke so passionately, he was shown to have lied (45 minutes and all that). On this occasion he was found to have been wanting and even his bully-boy whips were not able to rescue him.
It is no surprise that this is the biggest margin of defeat for any Government since the War.
posted by Martin Curtis at 11:03 PM
3 Comments:
I am waiting for your apology for the poll tax, rail privatisation, 15% interest rates, 250,000 repossessions, cutting taxes for the rich in the same week that you cut taxes for the poor... well, I could go on but that will do for an inital list of apologies
same week that you cut taxes for the poor..
Benefits, obviously - April 1989 since you ask
I could demand apologies for many things the Labour have done, for instance running the country in hte ground through weak leadership in the run up to 1997, but I recognise that an obsession with old arguments doesn't help us move forwards based on today's issues.
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