I think it's a real shame that all the effort that Michael, Annabel and others who were involved have gone to to arrange an informative, intelligent, public political discussion have come to nought because of one idiotic f***wit.

While I can understand that many of our local candidates don't wish to share a platform with such a d***head as the person from what is laughingly called Liberty GB (is there a ration on asterisks here?), the fact of the matter is that he is actually entitled to stand as a candidate.

It would be wrong to have a discussion platform that was (say for sake of argument) just made up of Labour, Tories, Lib Dem and 'Captain Moron for PM'. But if the platform comprises all candidates, then - as I rather jokingly said above - let such ridiculous views be exposed for what they are and treated with the contempt they deserve: derisive laughter. (Are we allowed to throw rotten tomatoes at politicians these days or was that outlawed by the most recent Representation of the Peoples Act?)

There's a saying that it's better to say nothing and look like a fool than to start talking and prove it. We've just lost the opportunity to let Liberty GB prove how foolish it is.

This upsets me because it's not many months since the 'Je suis Charlie' protests championed the right of freedom of speech even at the price of political incorrectness bordering on racism. Now our politicians are throwing away not only Liberty GB's right to speak (and thereby to prove its own stupidity) but they are also surrendering their own right - and indeed, their obligation - to free speech on the altar of political correctness. Voters in our constituency are the poorer for this.

But to reiterate, I'm sure we're all grateful to Michael and Annabel for doing everything they could to help democratic debate in our constituency.

This post was last modified: 22-04-2015 10:19 PM by Mr_Numbers.