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When should a point of principle give way to common sense?
Today in Parliament a proposed 'upskirting' law was blocked by well meaning Conservative MP Sir Christopher Chope.
Basically a bill, making it illegal to take pictures up women's skirts (men's to I suppose if they are out and about wearing one) was blocked by Sir Christopher but why?
Apparently he has this bee in his bonnet that as Friday afternoons are usually very sparsely attended at the House of Commons that it is his job to block any attempts to make 'laws' without the full House having the right to debate them first.
He's been doing this every Friday afternoon the House sits for the last twenty years apparently to ALL bills seeking to be 'nodded' through to the next stage.
Even to good bills like this and one planning to give police dogs and horses extra legal protections from attack.
Very commendable it one sense and highly stupid in another way.
I guess he's sort of painted himself into a corner in a way, as if he had not objected to this bill (and the police dog one) then he couldn't claim to be 'fighting' for ALL bills to be discussed - and thus (in a way) made his last 20 years of Friday's in the House, completely meaningless.
There's an old saying that 'anything to excess is bad for you'. If Sir Christopher had used his common sense at the times it was needed - such as in this instance - then life would have been so much simpler for the women potentially being harassed in future, the police being able to take appropriate action, the House of Commons having to find time to keep a bill alive that everybody wants (including no doubt Sir Christopher), the Conservative Party being perceived to be upper-class out of touch nit-wits, and Sir C himself who will now widely be the target of ridicule.
Shame when all he did was to fight for transparent legislative rule making.
But sometimes you have to swallow your principles if it means doing the right thing.
Pity he doesn't seem to have know about that.
Good write up about things here -
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-44496427
Today in Parliament a proposed 'upskirting' law was blocked by well meaning Conservative MP Sir Christopher Chope.
Basically a bill, making it illegal to take pictures up women's skirts (men's to I suppose if they are out and about wearing one) was blocked by Sir Christopher but why?
Apparently he has this bee in his bonnet that as Friday afternoons are usually very sparsely attended at the House of Commons that it is his job to block any attempts to make 'laws' without the full House having the right to debate them first.
He's been doing this every Friday afternoon the House sits for the last twenty years apparently to ALL bills seeking to be 'nodded' through to the next stage.
Even to good bills like this and one planning to give police dogs and horses extra legal protections from attack.
Very commendable it one sense and highly stupid in another way.
I guess he's sort of painted himself into a corner in a way, as if he had not objected to this bill (and the police dog one) then he couldn't claim to be 'fighting' for ALL bills to be discussed - and thus (in a way) made his last 20 years of Friday's in the House, completely meaningless.
There's an old saying that 'anything to excess is bad for you'. If Sir Christopher had used his common sense at the times it was needed - such as in this instance - then life would have been so much simpler for the women potentially being harassed in future, the police being able to take appropriate action, the House of Commons having to find time to keep a bill alive that everybody wants (including no doubt Sir Christopher), the Conservative Party being perceived to be upper-class out of touch nit-wits, and Sir C himself who will now widely be the target of ridicule.
Shame when all he did was to fight for transparent legislative rule making.
But sometimes you have to swallow your principles if it means doing the right thing.
Pity he doesn't seem to have know about that.
Good write up about things here -
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-44496427
