This entry was posted on
Monday, January 31st, 2005 at
8:48 am and is filed
under UK General Election 2005.

Let me make it clear that I’m sure this would not be a major issue without the Tories jumping on the opportunity they saw following Mr Lowest Common Denominator’s win on ITV’s Vote For Me….

Independent – Labour plays its own race card to trump Tory migration plan: The Prime Minister and Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, spent this weekend finalising a “five-year-plan” for migration and asylum. It will include a points system, which a Conservative government would introduce, but which Labour will “adapt to UK conditions”, according to a government source.

Compare and contrast with…

Sunday Mercury – BNP to fight 22 Midland seats: Tom Watson, Labour MP for West Bromwich East, faces a fight from the BNP’s Carl Butler in his constituency. “They play on people’s fears and do nothing to help local communities,” he said. “I’m sure they will be rejected by the voters.”

Yes. We must fight those who play on people’s fears.

On the Iraq elections, I have very little to say at the moment, as we still don’t know how many people actually voted, what the likely outcome might be, or how Iraqis will react to the outcome…. but I would like to point out that:

1. The ’60-80%of Iraqis voted’ sub-header you’ll see a lot of today should be phrased ‘an estimated 60-80%f Iraqis who registered to vote voted’.

2. It’s widely recognised that this is the first step in a long and difficult journey for Iraq. Except by George ‘Mission Accomplished’ Bush, who has already declared it to be ‘a resounding success’.

3. The words ‘gift of democracy’ should be used with great caution… this ‘gift’ comes at a cash-money price. And at great cost.

4. Of course, me pointing such things out means that I’m causing a general shortage of the pixie-dust required to make this election work. Which means that I’m fully aligned with the terrorists.

5. I think we can expect an announcement regarding the UK General Election within the next few days.

UPDATE – Chicken Yoghurt – The Labour Voters Who Walk Into Doors

UPDATE – Iraq: World’s news channels play to prejudices. Read some reasonable, balanced, informed and carefully-considered comments here and here.

UPDATE – Via Honourable Fiend; a headline from 1967…
U.S. ENCOURAGED BY VIETNAM VOTE; Officials Cite 83% Turnout Despite Vietcong Terror (article can be read in full here).