Melanie Phillips is not my kind of person. She is not libertarian, or even liberal, by nature. Like most British journalists, she cannot usually distinguish between having and mandating an opinion.
On this occasion however, she makes a telling point. We all know people like the Burtons. It's ironic they should be criticised on this occasion by the representatives of a Government which is riddled with them.
For a time, I was like them. At Kate Burton's age, I would have refused to cooperate with the authorities too. Come to that, there are many ways in which I would refuse to cooperate now. After all, giving information to intelligence services with a black record of twisting it for political ends is not an obvious thing for an intelligent Briton to do.
At Kate's age, I sympathised with the Palestinians. I was suspended from school for selling "Free Palestine" (the Al Fatah newspaper) on school grounds. I remember the worst thing about being a supporter of the Palestinians was the company one kept. Fascists, anti-semites, primitive Middle Eastern rulers, communists - those of every foul persuasion were to be found lined up behind them. It made me feel increasingly uneasy. But I was too young to understand the importance of such feelings.
I retained some sympathy for the Palestinian cause until 9/11 when they made perfectly clear on the streets that they have lost because they are lost. Injustice is not a licence to be foul. It is a test of humanity. The Palestinians failed.
While we can debate the rights and wrongs of the foundation of Israel, it is a better nation than the Palestinians or their black band of supporters would ever have built. Israel exists, it is democratic, it is friendly and its people are instinctively on the right side of every international debate. Two wrongs do not make a right, but neither do three.
Melanie Phillips's Diary
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Ah, you follow Ms Phillips' train of stupidity too huh. It truly is the 8th wonder of the modern World.
"I remember the worst thing about being a supporter of the Palestinians was the company one kept. Fascists, anti-semites, primitive Middle Eastern rulers, communists - those of every foul persuasion were to be found lined up behind them. It made me feel increasingly uneasy."
-Succumbing to peer pressure. Must feel good to leave your individual development behind and adopt the opinions of your community.
"I retained some sympathy for the Palestinian cause until 9/11 when they made perfectly clear on the streets that they have lost because they are lost."
-And then justifying it(poorly).
-You are lost.
It's interesting that you assume any change in opinions is "succumbing to peer pressure". I can't remember any of my peers expressing an opinion, actually, still less pressuring me. If I were vulnerable to peer pressure, I rather suspect I would be a muddle-headed socialist/eco-fascist like most of my friends.
Of course, as you don't give any reasons in support of your view, I can't tell if you are making a reasoned point or just adopting the opinions of a "community" (I wonder which "community" you think I belong to?) or succumbing to "peer pressure"
I will pay you the compliment of assuming you have reasons for your opinions. Care to share them?
Post a Comment