I could hardly have put it better than Yvonne Roberts writing in the Guardian: ‘It's 2009. Joe Bloggs, 40, was made redundant a year ago. He has been out of work for eight months. After much effort, he's in the running for a job in which his rivals are a woman and a Bangladeshi male.His would-be employers tell him, regretfully, that although he's the right man for the job, it's going to the woman. Why? Because new equality legislation encourages such positive discrimination – and the company has extensive contracts with government.
Joe is outraged. How can such blatant social injustice come under the banner of equality? He has the backing of a large swath of public opinion.’
So far so good you might think, but she then describes the new proposed legislation as ‘very timid’ admits itis 'not fair' but, urges us, quite unconvincingly, to ‘turn the page’ and endorse these ‘modest changes’ in the name of progress. I have to say I once met Ms Roberts and found her intelligent, interesting, normal. I don’t know what has happened in the meantime.
Anyway Harriet Harman will soon start pushing through parliament her odious bill. I hope it will have a difficult legislative passage and would beg Conservative MPs to have no truck with it. Surely it can be no part of Conservative policy that such an illiberal measure be condoned?
To Labour MPs minded to support it I would say this: in the Henley by-election the BNP did better than Labour. This silly bill can only strengthen the BNP’s position, appealing as it does to white working class males. Consider further what might happen if the BNP ever formed part of a government. Once you have introduced the idea of government-sanctioned discrimination there is no telling what future governments will choose to discriminate against.
So far so good you might think, but she then describes the new proposed legislation as ‘very timid’ admits itis 'not fair' but, urges us, quite unconvincingly, to ‘turn the page’ and endorse these ‘modest changes’ in the name of progress. I have to say I once met Ms Roberts and found her intelligent, interesting, normal. I don’t know what has happened in the meantime.
Anyway Harriet Harman will soon start pushing through parliament her odious bill. I hope it will have a difficult legislative passage and would beg Conservative MPs to have no truck with it. Surely it can be no part of Conservative policy that such an illiberal measure be condoned?
To Labour MPs minded to support it I would say this: in the Henley by-election the BNP did better than Labour. This silly bill can only strengthen the BNP’s position, appealing as it does to white working class males. Consider further what might happen if the BNP ever formed part of a government. Once you have introduced the idea of government-sanctioned discrimination there is no telling what future governments will choose to discriminate against.
This is a stone far best left unturned.
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