Britain's Conservative Party reaches out to anti-gay Islamists by appointing the British Muslim's equivalent of Anita Bryant to his "shadow cabinet." Oh, and she also supports Hamas.
Now there's a conservative strategy for you-soft on Islamofascism, but awake to the threat posed by too much tolerance toward gays and Zionists. Is this the future of a Europe that seems increasingly in denial?
10 Comments for “A Glance Overseas”
posted by Brian Miller on
I lived in the UK for several years, and the politics there are utterly incomprehensible. Basically, the Conservative Party is co-opting the Labour Party’s “Third Way” politics and attempting to appeal to everyone over everything, without having to take an actual policy stand on anything.
As a result, the Conservatives are busy supporting civil partnership legislation ala Labour, but are also busy supporting anti-gay religionists with new laws that ban criticism of religious doctrines (also ala Labour). They don’t see the contradiction because they’re seeking to build a coalition of various pieces of the British polity big enough to pull off a Parliamentary victory in the next election.
In a way, though the various socio-cultural players are different, the situation is quite similar to the United States. Just like America’s Democrats and Republicans, the British Labour and Tory parties don’t really stand for anything, agree more than they disagree (and usually agree on the worst policies), and are more about one’s region/class/path to power than one’s actual core principles.
posted by ETJB on
I doubt that the UK is in denial about the threat of terrorists, no matter what creed they may claim to support.
It seems to me that many conservatives are in denial about what works and does not work in fighting terrorists and promoting human rights, justice, freedom and liberal democracy
posted by Brian Miller on
It seems to me that many conservatives are in denial about what works and does not work in fighting terrorists and promoting human rights, justice, freedom and liberal democracy
Yes, because Tony Blair’s tax-and-spend, prison-for-bad-speech, video-cameras-filming-you-300-times-a-day police state is just a bastion of human rights, justice and freedom that is threatened by the Tory menace.
posted by Bobby on
England is just a fucked up place where free speech doesn’t exist, anyone can be charged for hate speech, people can complain to an advertising authority and have politically incorrect ads removed, and if you’re lucky enough to own a gun and shoot a burglar in self-defense, bury the body or you’ll go to jail like farmer Tony Martin did.
And what do they get for appeasing muslims extremists? More bombs. Seriously, I’ve never seen such self-destructive people in my life.
posted by Craig2 on
Have you heard of Anne Widdicombe? She’s an immense fundamentalist Christian zealot who has squated on the front bench of the Tories for as long as I can remember. Largely due to the malignant Maggie Thatcher, whom she idolises.
Occurs to me that the Tories already have a Christian Anita Bryant on their front bench…
Craig2
Wellington,
NZ
posted by Antaeus on
I agree with Steve about the Wet Tories. Europeans should get their nerve back and imitate a stalwart champion much stronger than La Thatcher: Isabella of Spain.
posted by Craig2 on
Isabella of Spain was a rabid anti-Semite, though… irony, much?
Craig2
Wellington, NZ
posted by Xeno on
Antaeus, forget Isabella. Only dutch men and woman such as the Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Geert Wilders, and the late Pim Fortuyn are the new stalwart champions of Europe. The only other leader I can think of that has potential is Sarkozy, but his party stinks.
posted by Craig2 on
No, sorry, Pim Fortuyn’s party was otherwise full of conspiracy theory nutters.
Insofar as Muslim MPs go, though, trust the Tories to get it wrong. New Zealand’s Labour Party has had one, Ashraf Choudhary, for the last five years, and he has an excellent social liberal voting record*
(and is criticised by social
conservatives within NZ’s
Federation of Islamic Assns for that!)
Craig2
Wellington, NZ
*He voted for civil unions and relationship equality omnibus
legislation.
posted by ETJB on
“Yes, because Tony Blair’s”
You mean the Prime Minister who had to resign (in large part) due to the Iraq War bungle?
“Tax-and-spend”
Well, The UK Libertarians are more then free to try and persuade their fellow citizens follow their right-wing anarchy.
“prison-for-bad-speech”
Do you mean speech that threatens the rights of others? Endorse violence action?
The UK is certainly a ‘bastion’ of human rights, justice, liberal democracy and freedom compared to most of the Middle East.
Most UK voters prefer a center-left government. Their is no that prevents UK Conservatives or Libertarians from trying to persuade people to vote on a new government, in fact UK voters have more political freedom then in the US.