There are many of my friends reading this going OH MY GOD, stop now! Some of them are not fans of Dr Reid and to be honest lately I haven't been either, I believe that some of the rhetoric that he has been 'quoted' as saying has been too right wing for me. Let me clarify before anyone has a go at me, I mean right wing in the Labour sense not outright political sense.
In his speech to conference (which I didn't see due to Council duties) I noticed that he suggested that NO area of Britain should be a no go area for ANYONE!! I agree that 'it is the weak and vulnerable who suffer most in an insecure world' and recently at a policy forum I suggested that the reason we as party are different from the others is that we consider and try and help the most vulnerable, and that our policies should and do create an inclusive society where EVERY view matters.
And his points regarding illegal Labour are exactly what I was getting at in previous posts, it is not to a certain extent the fault of the immigrant who comes here, it is the fault of the unscrupulous employer who takes advantage of their poverty and status to exploit them and our Labour market!
The problem with terrorism is a big one and I know that we have a big issue with Iraq, my CLP was not for the war in Iraq, but what Tony Blair said earlier this week is true we are not in his position and most of us wouldn't be for toffee (old Scottish saying I think!). I have friends who are Muslim and they are law abiding and would NEVER think about taking innocent lives, yet some are scared to go to certain areas for fear of attack, when John Reid suggests that NO area in the UK shall be a NO GO AREA I agree but as he says it has to extend to everyone!
I agree with a lot of the statements in this speech and that pleasantly surprised me, I heard Dr Reid speaking at a Young Labour Conference some years ago and this speech was reminiscent of that, it WAS more substance, well done!
1 comment:
JR..... is one of my least favourite poeple in the labour party (along with Mandy, peter hain, milliband, lammy and on and on)..
But i think Reid excelled himself today, and he has a long way to go and a lot of mountains to climb, but i have the notion that he will create a world in which Micahel Howard will be looked upon as a nuanced Liberal.
Reid said the Tories had opposed tougher sentences on "murder, sexual offences, violent offences, dangerous driving, immigration, asylum" - up until today i didn't realise immigration and asylum were crimes!. Either he misspoke - bad..... or he deliberately lumped all opf those things intogether - catastrophic.
"John Reid.... teaching you something new everyday will be his campaign slogan".
The guy is not a progressive - he is authoritarian, and a mean one at that. His ideas of concilliation extend to punching the stomach instead of face, this isn't about personality the guy is a regressive man with tory instincts on law and order. He's probably more right wing than anyone in the Tory shadow cabinet.
If Reid becomes leader it will be the death of the labour party as a broad based coallition with a progressive vision.
W
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