Tom Harris, MP. What a disappointment.Many of you will be aware of the Libertarian Party's 1984 campaign. Some of you will be aware that Tom Harris, Labour MP for Glasgow South received his early and that he has commented on the receipt of this here. Following a fairly robust comments thread he responded (sort of) here. I was under the impression that he was going to pen a proper, considered response on Sunday afternoon. This came and can be seen here.
Well, I'm sorry Tom. That simply isn't good enough. I will give you credit for the dissention you have permitted on your blog, and it is your blog so I would have little problem with you refusing to post such comments. However I can't help feeling that you've let us down by refusing to enter into a proper debate on this subject. There are only three conclusions from which one, or a combination thereof, can be permed.
1. You really do hold people in such contempt that anyone holding an opinion contrary to yours is unworthy of being listened to, or agued with. (I would happily agree to disagree with you, if only there were some qualification of your point of view.)
2. You realise that you cannot justify the encroachments of the last eleven years, and thus do not attempt to do so. (Here's a subversive idea, could it be that you actually agree with us and this has tempered your response that must toe the party line?)
3. You have been 'got at' by the party who have instructed you to leave well alone, lest any controversy blow up. (Perhaps not totally unrelated to point 2.)
Whichever way you look at it, this (lack of) response marks you out either as a control-freak authoritarian, an individual lacking foresight enough to see where this is going, or a servile lap-dog who will say, or not say, whatever his party wants irrespective of his own views.
I expected more. Perhaps that was a foolish mistake on my part, I suppose I should have known better. However, the offer of a drink after PMQ's on Wednesday 5th is still extant.
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