Wednesday 7 September 2011

State 'Bullying' Can Be Fun

Today is an apt time to re-post this letter from a former MP in response to a challenge to her abandonment of the smoking ban exemption for private members' clubs.

Sean is a lifelong Labour voter. On 28 October 2008 [Margaret] Moran wrote to him as follows:

Dear Sean Spillane,

I refer to your most recent letter regarding the smoking ban. The contents are noted, however I refer you to my previous reply on this subject, particularly the evidenced health benefits of the ban.

As MPs we are elected to weigh in the balance the greater good for our constituents, and it is for this reason that I wholly support the current policy. No amount of public bullying of the sort you indulge in will change my position.

I also understand that the constitution for working men's clubs mandates that they are not party political. I therefore understand that your public statements have been referred to the relevant governing bodies.

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Moran MP
Labour MP for Luton South
The reference to "public bullying" seems to relate to a number of readers' letters written by Sean and published in his local paper, the Luton News. So, it's all right to ignore an election manifesto commitment and support a far more draconian piece of legislation, but when constituents fight back it's called "public bullying".
Hey, Margaret, love. That ain't bullying ... this is. Deservedly.

Moran, the last politician to be investigated over the scandal, faces 21 charges relating to more than £60,000 worth of parliamentary claims.

Keir Starmer QC, the director of public prosecutions, said there was ‘sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest’ to bring the charges.
As I've said before about those responsible for the Health Act 2006:

Each time one of these odious, anti-social, community vandals gets their comeuppance, I always feel someone up above is enjoying a hearty chuckle.
I know I certainly did on reading the good news today.

Enjoy that smokefree cell, Maggie.


7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sweet...

P T Barnum said...

Aren't prisoners allowed to smoke in their cells? And aren't prisons very overcrowded? Is it too much to hope for those two things to combine in a fitting manner?

Bill Sticker said...

Public bullying? Wonder how she'll enjoy the sort that routinely goes on in prison?

alanx said...

"public bullying" just about fits my definition of the smoking ban, or if not, then bullying publicans into being smokefrei police certainly does.

Anybody else noticed the crap politician's smokescreen trick of accusing the opposition of precisely the same tactic they themselves use?

Angry Exile said...

What P T Barnum said, except I'm also hoping that if she goes away as well as being a smoker her cellmate will be a terrifying bull dyke who's built like bouncer and was put away for something violent.

Mark Wadsworth said...

Splendid.

Also what Angry Exile says.

Twenty_Rothmans said...

Each time one of these odious, anti-social, community vandals gets their comeuppance, I always feel someone up above is enjoying a hearty chuckle

The thought of Margaret (Moron) Moran being held to account makes me turgid, to be honest.

No amount of pubic bullying will change my position.