Oh, fuck off
Jul. 14th, 2010 02:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
I'm furious about this story.
It's ot up to the Prime Minister, or anyone else, to tell people how they should feel about something. It's not up to him to tell us who we should, or shouldn't, feel sympathy for.
Do I feel a huge amount of sympathy for Raoul Moat? No. Do I feel a small amount, as I would feel for any other human being who was clearly deeply unhappy? Yes. Do I feel more for his victims and their families? Absolutely. Do I expect everyone else to share my feelings? Hell, no!
If David Cameron wants to announce that he feels no sympathy for Raoul Moat then that's his choice. But he shouldn't claim to speak for me, and he sure as hell shouldn't be telling me what I should feel.
It's ot up to the Prime Minister, or anyone else, to tell people how they should feel about something. It's not up to him to tell us who we should, or shouldn't, feel sympathy for.
Do I feel a huge amount of sympathy for Raoul Moat? No. Do I feel a small amount, as I would feel for any other human being who was clearly deeply unhappy? Yes. Do I feel more for his victims and their families? Absolutely. Do I expect everyone else to share my feelings? Hell, no!
If David Cameron wants to announce that he feels no sympathy for Raoul Moat then that's his choice. But he shouldn't claim to speak for me, and he sure as hell shouldn't be telling me what I should feel.
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Date: 2010-07-14 02:16 pm (UTC)Yes, completely agree. He didn't seem very callous to me.
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Date: 2010-07-14 02:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-14 02:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-14 02:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-15 05:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-14 02:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-14 06:03 pm (UTC)The Tory that called for the FB group to be shut down is one of The Idiots. He exercises his freedom, we interfere with his freedom, terrorists (etc) deserve no freedom, etc...
The full text (below) of the exchange reveals Cameron didn't actually agree with the damn fool, but answered in a way that keeps the idiot thinking he does...
I hate our political system.
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Date: 2010-07-14 03:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-14 04:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-14 04:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-14 05:18 pm (UTC)http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm/cmtoday/cmdebate/02.htm#d2e817
Chris Heaton-Harris (Daventry) (Con): Will the Prime Minister consider having another conference call with Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook, whose site is currently hosting the group “RIP Raoul Moat”, where a whole host of anti-police statements are posted? Can the Prime Minister have a conversation with Mark Zuckerberg about removing this group?
The Prime Minister: My hon. Friend makes a very good point. As far as I can see, it is absolutely clear that Raoul Moat was a callous murderer—full stop, end of story—and I cannot understand any wave, however small, of public sympathy for this man. There should be sympathy for his victims, and for the havoc he wreaked in that community; there should be no sympathy for him.
The 'As far as I can see' does seem to qualify it as a personal opinion. Also there is no indication that the government will make any attempt to close the Facebook page - in fact it seems to be a deliberate omission.
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Date: 2010-07-14 05:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-14 09:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-14 09:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-15 12:23 am (UTC)My biggest problem with all of this tbh, is that, because Moat shot himself, "innocent until proven guilty" has gone out of the window. Now that there will never be a trial, he's a convicted murderer in everyone's eyes, even the PM who should know better.
I know the evidence on display is overwhelming but who knows, it may have come to light in a trial that, however unlikely, he had a plausible insanity defence....
On the plus side, kudos to Facebook for standing their ground.
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Date: 2010-07-15 06:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-15 08:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-17 01:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-15 02:46 am (UTC)