Labour has to lose its Momentum
THE Labour leadership contest is a depressing affair, with most of the candidates as left-wing as Jeremy Corbyn.
Keir Starmer is of course the exception but one should not forget his Remain antics nor that he was the head of the Crown Prosecution Service who initiated the changes of policy that had such terrible consequences for innocent men in cases of rape or sexual assault.
Whoever wins is going to have to deal with Momentum as surely as Neil Kinnock dealt with Militant and to recognise what Tony Blair understood: Britain does not want Marxism or Communism by any other name.
I have a feeling they are going to have to lose a few more elections before facing up to that.
THE Church of England does not deserve the egg which has been thrown (largely by atheists) at its face over its pronouncements about sex in heterosexual civil partnerships.
It could hardly fail to comment on the issue of civil partnerships between straight couples as such arrangements have only recently entered our law and the C of E is the established church in this country.
What was it supposed to say? That the deliberate rejection of the sacrament of marriage is OK? That the Church does not care whether sex takes place inside or outside marriage?
I do not suppose the bishops expect for a fleeting millisecond that couples who have rejected marriage will stay celibate but that does not mean they should take no view on the matter.
SORRY, but I think that the mother of poor Harry Dunn should accept the decision of the USA not to extradite Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a US diplomat, who killed him after carelessly driving on the right-hand side of the road. It is time for Mrs Charles to rebuild her shattered life. I say this for several reasons.
First, prolonging what is unsuccessful fight against the delay the healing process.
We have in recent years refused at least two extradition requests from the United States, when in separate incidents two young people hacked into US defence establishments. Our own record is unlikely to persuade the USA to take a different line.
I have a friend who killed a motorcyclist in Italy by driving on the left. He did exactly what Mrs Sacoolas did: called the police, stayed by the body, told the truth. The Italian courts reacted proportionately, recognising that he has a life sentence in that he will never be able to forget what he did.The moment of impact, the body in the road, the pictures of grieving relatives will never go away from his memory.
BRITISH justice is not always so restrained and some newspapers were talking about penalties of 14 years (extremely unlikely but certain to have scared the Americans). There but for the grace of God go I is not a sentiment which characterises most of the commentary. One can understand why the mother of small children decided not to risk standing trial in vengeful Britain.
One can also understand the anguish of Mrs Charles who has lost a beloved son but she should now ask herself if Harry would want her to pursue her present course or if he might have said “Mum, leave it. You have both been through hell enough. You won’t ever forget me and that is all I need.”
What this situation really requires is for these two mothers to meet, talk and cry together.
THE omens for post-Brexit life look good. In the end if Boris Johnson is sufficiently resolute, then there is nothing that the EU can do to stop us becoming a competitor on its very doorstep. Some diehard Remainers predict that in time the UK will rejoin. Rejoin what? How much of the current EU will be left? likely to decision is be an also to
THANK heaven for the Duchess of Cambridge. Down to earth, dignified, dutiful and beautiful, the future of the monarchy is safe in her hands.
Unlike Diana, Kate has never been carried away by the media attention. Unlike Meghan she has never decried it. She balances perfectly royal life with normal family life at Anmer Hall.
What a blessing she is to us all.
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A POPULAR lollipop man has been banned from high-fiving schoolchildren after just one complaint.
Jim Hewitson has been doing the job for 10 years but now the children’s school, Galston Primary in East Ayrshire, has told parents that pupils must desist from such activity.
Why didn’t the council tell the complainant to get a life?
Why didn’t the school tell the council to grow up?
Apparently, both kids and lollipop man are defying the cretinous order.
That is just one small victory for common sense and kindness.