Tuesday 20 September 2011

Nice Work Agent Harris

Not the sharpest knife in the picnic hamper is he, that Evan Harris?

As the Lib Dems attempt to close the stable door on the stampede that is their ever-shrinking support, his idea of smart political manoeuvring is to attack page 3.

Photos of topless women could be banned from newspapers under plans backed by the Liberal Democrat conference.

Former MP Evan Harris held up pictures of Page 3 girls in The Sun yesterday as he issued his call for newspapers and magazines to be subject to the same restrictions as pre-watershed television.

Dr Harris told the conference, in Birmingham: "Tabloid newspapers in particular, which call themselves family newspapers, should not be able to portray women in a sexualised way, in a way that the broadcast media would not be able to do in soap operas and children's television programmes before the watershed."
Unsurprisingly, it hasn't gone down well with the tabloids concerned, who think he is worth a much more prominent berth than the ladies in question ... the masthead.

Oh dear, Harris must have forgotten the power of these newspapers. For much of today, his face would have decorated the front dash of thousands of white vans, while in transport caffs up and down the country, forks would have hit crockery all morning accompanied by gasps of anger as brickies, decorators and roadworkers read of his plans and wondered how best to rip off his head and shout down the hole.

This is the same Harris, remember, who lost his Oxford West and Abingdon seat by just 176 votes in May last year. A narrow margin which could arguably have had something to do with The Sun's page 3 story (with pictorial scrumptiousness) on the morning of the election.

SIXTEEN Page 3 Girls in all their glory represent the very image of freedom in this country.

But if Labour or the Lib Dems win the election, this could be the last time they are allowed to pose together.

MPs Harriet Harman and Lynne Featherstone will move swiftly to change the law and ban Page 3 forever.
As far as many of those readers are concerned, the Lib Dem conference is as relevant to them as the weather on Jupiter, but Harris got their attention all right. They'll know about Clegg, of course, he's the one that Bert - the old geezer who knows a bit about that politics gubbins - says is a right tool. So, obviously the party is full of 'em.

It'll matter not a jot what any of his colleagues say this week in Birmingham now, to readers of two of the most prevalent newspapers bought by working class people, the Lib Dems are a bunch of muppets completely detached from the ordinary lives of people they expect to vote for them.

Great work, Evan, I'm sure other Lib Dem MPs with small majorities will be right chuffed with your shaving a few hundred votes off of their tally next time round.

Now then, about this 'liberal' bit in your party name ...


11 comments:

Pat Nurse MA said...

Hmmmm - not sure about the "Democratic" part either. I dunno why they don't just go back to their roots and stop messing about. They are Comrade Labour in all but name.

Mark Wadsworth said...

They is mad.

On the one hand, they stick up for freedom on the internet, hooray, and on the other, they want to discourage any sort of celebration of womanhood, just like in Iran or something.

Anonymous said...

What a Tit.

Anonymous said...

There is only one thing sicker than
a LibDem,those dreadfull pink
fringies who vote for them.
Most of them are luke warm Bolshies
who have'nt the bollocks or fannies to wave a red flag.
Just look at the jobs they have and where live and what they read
an embarrassing disgrace to the
English Nation.
Deviants,degenerates,weirdos and
freeloaders
For Britains sake and future
......GET RID........

Sachsische SonnenaufGang

Anonymous said...

When you say 'shout' you surely mean 'shit' do you not?

Theresa

TheBoilingFrog said...

Nice post DP, I like the Star's editorial on this as well

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/starsays/view/211877/Leave-our-girls-alone/

Would query though the reason that Harris lost his seat. I was a candidate in that seat and there were other reasons Harris lost his seat not least boundary changes which meant a core of Harris' supporters ended up in the Oxford East constituency next door

Anonymous said...

According to the Sun, this is the argument which sealed Evan's fate - made by P3 girl, Poppy.

But our Poppy said: "The basis of Lockean thought is his theory of the Contract of Government, under which all political power is a trust for the benefit of the people.

"His thinking underpins our ideas of national identity and society. Please don't let those who seek to ban our beauty win. Vote to save Page 3!"

I don't think Trevor Kavanagh could have put it better.

Dick Puddlecote said...

TBF: Yeah, I'm sure there were many other factors, but the Sun couldn't have helped. Judging from his comments on this issue, plus what he said about the smoking in films story yesterday, we're belessed to be rid of him. :)

Theresa: Yes, that works better. ;)

Dr Evil said...

As a fan of the great red spot and banding on Jupiter I would say that the lib dem conference has less relevance than the weather on Jupiter to most people. Just as it should be, IMO.

Ian Thorpe said...

I don't think this one will fly - but they could go for a composite motion next time and demand that transexual poage 3 girls don't have to admit they used to be blokes.

Anonymous said...

Jesus he must be desperate.