Oh, fuck off

[andrewducker]

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.

Comments

[broin.livejournal.com]

I was going to make a joke about a Moat facebook page, but there is one.

Yes, completely agree. He didn't seem very callous to me.

[meaningrequired.livejournal.com]

I'm not surprized that the Tories are fond of the word "should".

[anef.livejournal.com]

That's what free speech is for, isn't it? So that people can say things that people in the government disagree with?

[captainlucy.livejournal.com]

Edging close to Thoughtcrime territory there.

[palmer1984.livejournal.com]

I agree completely.

[momentsmusicaux.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I'm not even sure it's for the PM to say he's a 'callous murderer'. I didn't follow it all too closely, but what I read seemed to suggest he was having a mental breakdown. That's not something I associate with callousness.

[pete stevens (from livejournal.com)]

Full exchange

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.

[luckylove.livejournal.com]

Hear hear!