Why is Parliament debating a petition written by ‘total bigots’?
Shortly after MPs return from the conference recess, they will debate a petition that orders the government to ‘close all borders and prevent more immigrants from entering Britain’ because ‘foreign citizens are taking all our benefits’ and ‘many of them are trying to change UK into a Muslim country’. It then adds that ‘there is footage of foreigners destroying British soldiers [sic] graves, which is a huge disrespect to us’. The petition has sailed past the 100,000 signature threshold and has over 185,000 names on it, which means it must be considered for debate in Parliament. MPs on the Petitions Committee have given it a Westminster Hall debate on 19 October.
My lobby colleague Jon Walker of the Birmingham Mail covers this petition here, with an angry quote from Labour’s Steve McCabe, who thinks that Parliament should not ‘dignify the views of total bigots with a Commons debate’.
People are entitled to worry about the islamification of Europe. If the politicians managed immigration properly there would not be so much anxiety. If their response is just to label people bigots it only makes them more convinced they are right.
People are entitled to worry about the islamification of Europe. If the politicians managed immigration properly there would not be so much anxiety. If their response is just to label people bigots it only makes them more convinced they are right.
Labelling people as bigots is perfectly understandable if they actually are bigots, as the author of this petition certainly appears to be. And if a petition contains untruths, as this one does, it should be rejected rather than given the dignity of a debate.
Comments
and I hope someone manages to widen those fractures to the point where the whole pointless exercise falls apart permanently!
183,319 and still going up.
far from it but I actually understand what 'hard left' means...and it doesn't mean the Guardian.
People are entitled to worry about the islamification of Europe. If the politicians managed immigration properly there would not be so much anxiety. If their response is just to label people bigots it only makes them more convinced they are right.
Labelling people as bigots is perfectly understandable if they actually are bigots, as the author of this petition certainly appears to be. And if a petition contains untruths, as this one does, it should be rejected rather than given the dignity of a debate.