Now this is something I wondered about posting, but I think in the "Spirit Of Fairness" - something labour politicians have scant idea about - i think this deserves a mention.
Over on the website of The Independent I tripped over a fascinating insight into the mind of our newest Home Sectretary, Alan Johnson. It seems The Man Some - including himself see as Brown's Replacement has hit on a wizard wheeze to propel himself to favour and fame.
According to the article, it seems Johnson has decided that to ape George Bush's "if you are not with us you are against us" attitude. Believing it the best way to curry favour with the electorate, he is supposedly voicing the view that "Immigrants who do not support our wars will have problems getting citizenship and all the luvverley benefits it brings".
Now he might be forgiven for thinking he has hit upon a wizard wheeze to expose the vocal group of islamists who stand on steet corders as our troops come home and heckle and spit on them. But his problem is that a rather large number of Existing British Passport Holders think Blair's military belligerences which have continued under Brown are a vile corruption of everything this country's leaders political, religious and ethical , used to say were absolute prerequisites for fighting "a just war".
And more to the point a rather large number of British Passport Holders have used the rapidly diminishing freedoms this country used to hold dear to stand and march in the streets to protest that Blair's Belligerence was "Not In My Name". Myself included. Not that it did a lot of good mind you. The bastard Blair used the anti-terrorism laws against those who sought to peacefully proclaim the illegality of his acts and their opposition to them.
So while many of those who already hold citizenship of my country - regardless of the path by which they came to acquire it have both the right, AND the desire to protest against this ongoing belligerence, one must surely question the ethics of a government prepared to deny those same rights of peaceful protest to those who aspire to gain those same rights and duties of citizenship.
Over on the website of The Independent I tripped over a fascinating insight into the mind of our newest Home Sectretary, Alan Johnson. It seems The Man Some - including himself see as Brown's Replacement has hit on a wizard wheeze to propel himself to favour and fame.
According to the article, it seems Johnson has decided that to ape George Bush's "if you are not with us you are against us" attitude. Believing it the best way to curry favour with the electorate, he is supposedly voicing the view that "Immigrants who do not support our wars will have problems getting citizenship and all the luvverley benefits it brings".
Now he might be forgiven for thinking he has hit upon a wizard wheeze to expose the vocal group of islamists who stand on steet corders as our troops come home and heckle and spit on them. But his problem is that a rather large number of Existing British Passport Holders think Blair's military belligerences which have continued under Brown are a vile corruption of everything this country's leaders political, religious and ethical , used to say were absolute prerequisites for fighting "a just war".
And more to the point a rather large number of British Passport Holders have used the rapidly diminishing freedoms this country used to hold dear to stand and march in the streets to protest that Blair's Belligerence was "Not In My Name". Myself included. Not that it did a lot of good mind you. The bastard Blair used the anti-terrorism laws against those who sought to peacefully proclaim the illegality of his acts and their opposition to them.
So while many of those who already hold citizenship of my country - regardless of the path by which they came to acquire it have both the right, AND the desire to protest against this ongoing belligerence, one must surely question the ethics of a government prepared to deny those same rights of peaceful protest to those who aspire to gain those same rights and duties of citizenship.