Thursday 20 September 2007

To hell with the truth

And I use these words advisedly!
The real problem with elections is that there are winners and there are losers. And it is 'winner takes all' -this would not be the case with proper proportional representation but that is a story for another day-
So the trouble with the fact that there is only one prize, is that often the truth or the strict truth is a casualty.
So it was pretty inevitable what was going to happen when a truculent questioner tried to get at former Army Officer Mike Kelly over his participation in the Iraq war, which he now publicly condemns. "Why did you do it" said the questioner who was dressed like a lefty, "when you know the war was immoral, and unjustifiable".
I could see the road to Nuremberg opening up. The questioner, no doubt sensing the blood of victory, pushed when Kelly said .."I was an Australian soldier acting under authority"...as an arguer from way back I could see what the next logical step was. "Ohhhh rather like the guards of Belsen!"
Well you could hear the audience groan. He had gone too far. Whilst he had taken a logical leap, it was not entirely truthful. Certainly not fair. "So you use the Nuremberg defence" the little terrier continued, and did I hear him say that war was immoral and wrong!
So surprise, surprise when the terrier turned out to be not so nasty little lefty but the chief of staff of the sitting Liberal member(here).
Minister Nairn, has distanced himself from this attack on an army officer. He does nto appear to have commented on the fact that the staffer appeared to criticise Liberal Party policy. But I imagine by the time you read this (although it has not happened yet!) terrier Phelps will have been sacked!
All a lot of fun, not a lot of truth. And, I fear, more to come!

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