Rentoul on the Ban Blair-Baiting petition (& caring & apathy)

Original Home Page

All Contents of Site – Index

“Ban Blair-Baiting” petition – please sign

Comment at end

UPDATE – TOM HARRIS BECOMES THE FIRST MP TO SIGN THIS PETITION

Number 139 here

18th September, 2009

The dogs of anti-war and anti-Blair salivate as the Iraq Inquiry gets underway.

As one of the early signatories of the Ban Blair Baiting petition (sign here) I’d like to post a quick thank you to John Rentoul for this over at his Independent blog. Another Blair supporter, Julie thanked Mr Rentoul for an earlier mention.  But in this world of too much criticism, too little thanks, I’m sure he won’t mind if I renew the thanks.

John Rentoul mentions petitions and the trouble with petitions referencing this post on MP Tom Harris’s site, interestingly on ‘the triumph of apathy’.

He alludes to the fact that when it comes to getting sign-ups, “caring” comes into it.

Quote, Rentoul:

“He should compare it with the online petition to Ban Blair Baiting. That’s got 137 signatures, and these are people who really care.”

It’s gone up one since then, but who cares?

DO WE … SHOULD WE CARE?

Mr Rentoul is obviously too polite to say it, but “not caring” comes into it too.

Petitions have often been a tool of protest, and are thus usually intruments of negative protest, though not invariably. They have been used to support institutions of which people are fond, for instance the NHS, especially when perceived as being under threat. But even then it is invariably a politican, party or policy which is under attack as the instigator of the perceived criticism. These petitioners are often self-selecting party/organisation members.

But you’d be hard pushed to find too many petitions in support of a person.

The Ban Blair-Baiting petition is such a rare animal. It has a subtext though, which many may have failed to grasp.

Banning or in this “freedom of the press” era at least limiting trial or judgement by press/public opinion.

Let that pre-judgement fate befall Tony Blair and you might be next in the firing line.

That reminds me – I wonder if Tom Harris, a self-confessed and proud Blairite, will dare to be the first Labour MP willing to sign THIS petition, without using “anon”?

Or will ‘apathy’ win, again?

If this petition does not inspire Tom’s support or prick his conscience, why not?

Over to you, Tom.

UPDATE – Thank you, Tom Harris, MP. Your signature has also been noted here

---

Visit the Iraq war Inquiry website

---

PREVIOUS POSTS AT THIS SITE ON THE ‘BAN BLAIR-BAITING’ PETITION

• New YouTube video by Julie
  
• Petition signed by Afghans, Iraqis, Iranians and more
• Ban Blair-Baiting petition on  California’s ‘Modesto Bee’
• Petition launched to Ban Blair-Baiting at the Iraq Inquiry

---

---

Tags: ban blair baiting, Iraq inquiry, John Rentoul, petition, Tom Harris MP blog