Former British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon thinks that MPs deserve more respect. It's a typical exercise in blaming the media, while overlooking the chief culprits: MPs themselves. Their spin and their lies - not to mention their ignoring of public opinion when it is overwhelmingly against them (as with Iraq) - displays nothing but contempt for the voters. Is it any wonder they reciprocate?
But more interesting is Hoon's attitude towards respect in general. While claiming to welcome the decline of deference in British society, he thinks that it is a bad thing when it leads to a lack of respect for authority and traditional institutions. Which I think makes it perfectly clear where New labour is coming from on this. Having stolen the Conservatives' economic policies, they're now stealing their ancien regime social attitudes as well. New Labour have become the new Tories.
2 comments:
As in NZ, you become what you are most against...it is called antinomy.
Posted by Anonymous : 6/04/2005 09:15:00 AM
CS: That depends. But regardless of what I think, the fact is that a representative body which pisses in the faces of its constituents is going to suffer a loss of mana. And for them to then turn around and demand respect based solely on their position (rather than, say, their actions) smacks more than a little of self-interest.
Posted by Idiot/Savant : 6/06/2005 05:46:00 PM
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