Saturday 13 March 2010

Nothing Changes

In 1913 Emily Davison fought and died for the right of universal suffrage. Here's what was said at the time after she died under a horse campaigning for women's right to vote (my emphasis through out):
The story of a brilliant career, marred with an ignominious death as its conclusion, was unfolded in the little red-brick police court at Epsom yesterday during the inquest on Miss Emily Wilding Davison, the Suffragette who stopped the King's horse during the Derby.
And:

The pathetic loneliness to which Miss Davison's career of militancy had brought her was illustrated by the evidence of a police sergeant named Frank Bunn. Describing his efforts to render assistance to the unconscious woman as she lay on the course after the accident, he said:-
" I called out among the crowd, ' Does any one know this woman?' But there was no reply."

And:

A verdict of "Death by Misadventure" was returned after Captain H. Jocelyn Davison, Miss Davison's half-brother, had given evidence showing how his sister's great attainments and brilliant record had withered like Dead Sea fruit under the malignant influence of militancy...

An Epsom doctor described the death as having been due to a fracture of the base of the skull, and in summing up the coroner said:-
"It is exceedingly sad - so it seems to me - that an educated lady should sacrifice her life in such a way".

As always, if in doubt smear anyone wishing democratic accountability. So how would Labour view the Albion Alliance which tries to campaign for better democracy, which is especially relevant in these post-expenses times? The Albion Alliance campaign states:

1. To address the democratic deficit in the current political system by ensuring that MPs place country before political party.

2. To ensure that MPs agree to actively sponsor, promote and support, a Bill in Parliament that allows a referendum of the British People on membership of the European Union.

Now what is wrong with that? Especially considering that most of our laws are passed in Brussels by a government we can neither vote for or against. Even the Labour Against the Odds video, used at the last conference, championed democracy by stating (wrongly) that; "when they told us women didn't deserve the vote, we fought and won".

Peter Hain it seems now disagrees:

…the aims of the extreme right-wing “Albion Alliance”, a dubious organisation whose Chief organiser, John Higham, has posted on his own blog this highly offensive diatribe against Muslims.

Wanting democracy is now 'extreme right-wing'. Nothing changes, our elected representatives always hate democracy.

And if you can't win the argument, according to Hain you smear.

hattip: Corrugated Soundbite


2 comments:

  1. Why is 'right wing' wrong?


    paulo

    ReplyDelete
  2. There's nothing wrong with being right wing as such, just Hain has expressed it with the terms 'extreme' and 'dubious'.

    The insinuation is clear, Hain might as well say you're all fascist, racist BNP supporters, but he's too cowardly to do so explicitly.

    ReplyDelete