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Without Prejudice: Brum Hall Green Come on Roger Keep it Clean
This is a simple and effective use of YouTube in campaigning. Posting this is in no way supporting Salma Yaqoob's candidacy in Birmingham Hall Green. In a parallel universe I think Salma would have made a great Labour activist, councillor and who knows PC. But that was not to be. Over wars that I myself opposed vehemently she is now an electoral opponent.
LOL would like to see Roger Godsiff hold this seat for Labour. He has been an idiot with an outrageous flier-nasty on Votes For Prisoners. But he's our idiot. He's no Dr Lynne Jones, and she is not effusive in her support for her would be successor, but if he wins this will be one more Labour seat holding back the blue and yellow floodgates. And Godsiff can be rehabilitated into decent society. Isn't that the point!! Vote Godsiff X. Is all.
I agree with Cllr Bob Piper Votes for Prisoners is a controversial cause. It is an easy dog whistle as it conjures up images of Ian Huntley and Peter Sutcliffe at the ballot box, not to mention enlightened EU law shining into some of the dark crevices of our sometimes more benighted (and often old and decrepit) law. EU interference! Are you thinking what I'm thinking © SameOldTories. Votes for Prisoners is however a cause which I personally support.
Even if it could mean a small proportion of prisoners guilty of extremely nasty crimes being eligible to vote, it would far more importantly allow voting by the multitude of less serious offenders. Their links to society should be maintained and nurtured if they are to "belong" and be successfully rehabilitated. And even some of the worst offenders can, evidence shows us, be rehabilitated. John Hirst, former lifer, is repeatedly stuffing the Government on this very issue.
As the law is supposed to say, the only prisoners whose voting rights should be taken from them are those guilty of election offences. Wasn't that Eric Pickles out campaigning with some of those only recently? UPDATE 11:52: at the link the Tory candidate calls Eric "the Minister" but indicates that Tory "public meetings" exclude anyone who might speak out.
Incidentally, when I tweeted early doors condemning this vile leaflet I had a Tory tweeter, and local government candidate in Liverpool, position on Votes For Prisoners unknown, and barrack room lawyer, not only smearing Labour as a whole for Godsiff's schoolboy error, but also calling me names as Labour had he claimed condemned the generic loveliness (not) of Tory campaigning.
Keep it Clean, Roger, Keep it Clean. And yes, You Tories, do Keep it Clean now won't you?
FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT: Clearly this is a Labour supporting blog. But although I'm a local government candidate I'm not using this blog to support my candidacy. It's satire and irreverence as usual. But in the generality I'm of course supporting all Labour candidates at all levels, and where we cannot possibly win reserve the right to support others against the Conservatives. But ABOVE ALL this is my personal blog and what I say here is my personal opinion and not that of Labour of any other body to which I am affiliated or with which I am associated in any way. Which goes for my tweets also.
2 comments:
That is a cool video though :) Now if Godsiff could do something creative like this instead of creative like he did, that would be something.
I think I will pinch the idea and do a YouTube "Come on Labour keep it clean!"
I would like George Galloway to come out and speak up on this issue.
I have taken the UK as a dangerous hostage to fortune in this legal/political battle. Sir Paul Kennedy, sitting as Lord Justice Kennedy, abdicated responsibilty when he used inappropriately deference to Parliament in the Prisoners Votes Case. It was a simple case of whether s.3 of RPA 1983 was incompatible with Article 3 of the First Protocol of the Convention. Hirst no.2 and now Frodl, plus Smith, have shown that it is incompatible with the HRA. There is no lawful authority for such an abdication of duty when UK law is subservient to international human rights law. Had a student submitted an essay and cited a case as authority when it had been overturned upon appeal, the student would quite rghtly have been marked down for this inexcusable error.
Following Hirst v UK(No2), Charles Falconer misled the public and Parliament as to the implications of the Court judgment. Blair and Straw also played their parts as did David Miliband in allowing this continued breach of human rights not to get remedied.
Frodl re-emphasised the judgment of Hirst, stipulating that all convicted prisoners must get the vote regardless of crime and length of sentence.
Besides Labour's violation, the Tories and Lib Dems conspired not to debate the issue. Eric Pickles exposed in an email to me a secret Tory party policy in relation to prisoners votes not in their manifesto. I emailed them upon request to Nick Clegg's Home and Foreign Affairs press officer. In the email, I stressed that Europe was about Democracy, Rule of Law, and Human Rights. I noted that Nick Clegg stole this for his opening speech on the debate last night.
What nobody has considered yet is what are the implications for the UK ignoring the Court decision in Hirst and Committee of Ministers dire warnings?
Prisoners will get £75M compo for loss of the vote. On the 1st of June 2010, the Council Of Europe's new powers come into force allowing it to deal severely with any Rogue State such as the UK. On that date the Committee of Ministers will judge how it will deal with the Hirst case. Some are suggesting suspension as in the case of Belarus guilty of the same offences as the UK. And, because of the Treaty of Lisbon, which provides for closer harmony of the two institutions, the UK could get kicked out of the EU. The other 46 States expect the UK to toe the line or get out of Europe. The UK needs Europe more than Europe needs the UK.
I thank all those who have supported the Prisoners Rights Movement campaign for prisoner enfranchisement. I have a sense of pride in just about answering a question posed by lawyers at a 1971 Prisoners Rights Conference. 'How does one get a court judgment enforced?'. With difficulty and perseverence, and a touch of Aspie attention to facts and details.
Vote for Gary McKinnon's mother as opposed to Jack Straw.
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