Tuesday 13 April 2010

why vote Labour?

here is Norm


David Hare invites Neil Kinnock to explain 'why on earth I, or anyone like me, should vote Labour next month'. What defence can Kinnock offer to people 'like [him]self' disillusioned over Labour's support for the Iraq war? In the course of answering Hare, Kinnock says:
And remember, the constitution has been changed. No prime minister in Britain will ever be able to go to war without the endorsement of a majority of the House of Commons.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Tony Blair had such an endorsement. But for 'anyone like' Hare, that parliament voted on the war wasn't good enough; it should have voted as 'anyone like' him demanded.
In any case, if being 'anyone like' David Hare means thinking the invasion of Iraq was a major war crime, I'd say they shouldn't be voting Labour. Perpetrating major war crimes is a serious matter, and if you believe that governments should be answerable for what they do, you ought to hold them answerable for that at least. Consequently, 'anyone like' Hare who does nevertheless vote Labour reveals that his or her talk of war crimes or of bringing Tony Blair before a court somewhere is just so much hot air.
Not being 'anyone like' David Hare, I for my part will be voting Labour, as always.
Me too.  And let's all remember, as we elect our new MPs, that an MP is not a delegate but a representative.  There is a difference.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I seet that according to the BBC, Richard McKenzie is once again the Labour candidate for henley. I wonder what Norm, David Hare and Neil Kinnock would say about that.

janestheone said...

I'd be surprised if any of them were remotely interested

Anonymous said...

Well, they are in good company, as the voters of Henley certainly weren't interested last time he presented himself to them!

Anonymous said...

Neil Kinnock would have made a good Prime Minister. I don't think that he would agree -indeed, he does not! with the stance of David Hare.

Incidentally, Hare's recent plays have been complete drivel - just re-hashing whatever is in the news and milking in the money. Gethsemane was an absolute case in point.
His last decent play was Absence of War starring John Thaw at The National. It looked at what was wrong with the 1992 campaign and did it with some empathy and style.
I wonder who will write the dramatised obit on the 21020 campaign.
A shame Harold Pinter is no longer with us.