Thursday, August 02, 2007

Libdemologists Voice: Playing Straight Off the Bat


LOL have been following Lib Dem Voice with interest on their rather queer Alan Duncan-bashing exploits. Mark Pack is clinging on like a Leech to the idea that using the word "straight" about your own candidate or the choice ahead of the voters is not automatically "homphobic" (sic). The word seems to bother him so much that his normally impeccable spelling repeatedly stumbles on it.

LOL agree absolutely with this general point, while being concerned that Mark has got a bit manic, with a rising pitch of the Captain Ahab or Don Quixote wild goose chase.

Sometimes e.g. when against a known gay opponent banging on and on about "the straight choice" or even the coded "family man" can clearly be nasty and homophobic. The rest of the time it's perhaps just a bit quaint or mildly dog whistling. Best avoided full stop in all three scenarios.

Manically collecting examples of Tory, Labour and SNP use of the word "straight", where there was no complaint or suggestion of homophobia, does not excuse the Lib Dems from any case where there is such a complaint and it is well-founded. In fact in such a case Simon Hughes has apologised to Peter Tatchell and expressed profound regret at the iffy bits of his Bermondsey campaign.

If Mark's scattergun examples could be construed as homophobia he should explain why. Googling opponents for the word "straight" in any and all literature and throwing stones is I feel protesting too much.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Surely Mark (Mr Bean) Pack, Alan Duncan and Chris paul are all homosexuals? So what's the problem?

Chris Paul said...

Exactly we are. And you're the 'straight' choice in a two sock puppet race?

Anonymous said...

Five LDV posts in a day, including one by Mr Tall and four by Mr Pack, does look like a witch-hunt.

Anonymous said...

maybe there must be a Save Duncan from LD Voice campaign

Chris Paul said...

Perhaps! It has been a bizarre thing to behold. Even comments asking people to prove some of the obvious from Bermondsey. It's on the wiki. I drafted a long and winding post about all that but thought a few paras would do it instead.