Oh What a World It Seems We Live In...

Sometimes you can really start to wish you didn’t read the newspapers.

Today in the Independent on page 2 we have David “call me Dave mate!” Cameron espousing his ill-thought through, muddled and ultimately substance-free call to rescind the Human Rights Act (the Act that enshrines the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law).

He is quoted as saying that “It is practically an invitation for terrorists and would be terrorists to come to Britain…”.

Which would seem to suggest that it is making Britain particularly attractive, which seems to be a bit of bizarre logic for turning your back on an international convention.

Ah well if nothing else, it’s reminded us that Tory Boys are Tory Boys no matter how good their spin. Jonathan Ross’ mistake it would seem was merely one of crossing the line by enquiring exactly what ‘kind’ of wanker he is…

Still perhaps we shouldn’t lose heart in our political systems too easily eh?

So let’s turn to page 16, where we see how Claire Curtis-Thomas (who I met once at an Eng1neering do – she seemed a reasonably sensible sort…for a politician) is getting on in her bid to suggest that certain lad’s mags are now more pornographic than Playboy and the like and hence need to similarly stocked on the top shelf.

Apparently she has been banned from reading quotes from Zoo magazine and she will be expelled from the Commons for a week if she doesn’t comply.

Without taking any particular angle on the rights or wrong of her campaign, I think one has to acknowledge that if you can’t as grown adults and legislators discuss the full text in this, but you’re happy to have it stocked next to the Beano, then there’s a bit of a double standard at play.

I guess Mervyn Griffith-Jones, the prosecutor in the 1960 Lady Chatterley’s Lover trial* might see the irony. Nowadays it appears that one can be quite happy for the ‘servants’ and young to read it, just as long as the legislators don’t have to cope with any naughty words eh?


* In a google search for the infamous last sentence, I found the full quote. Oh it is quite splendid! Ladies and gentlemen I give you Mr Mervyn Griffith-Jones (oh, but ladies, if you need help with any of the longer words, do shout...):

You may think that one of the ways in which you can test this book [Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence], and test it from the most liberal outlook, is to ask yourselves the question when you have read it through: "Would you approve of your young sons and daughters--because girls can read as well as boys--reading this book?" Is it a book you would have lying
around in your own house? Is it a book you would even wish your wife or your servants to read?