The conservativehome.com blog

I believe...

Do you remember Michael Howard’s January 2004 statement of beliefs? They were criticised at the time for their motherhood-and-apple-pie character but they did amount to an aborted CCO attempt to embrace positive politics. I recently came across a Canadian ex-blogger’s beliefs statement and I thought I’d try one of my own. I’ve outlined at least one belief for each of conservativehome.com’s main ten themes:

Some cartoons are worth a thousand words

This image was taken from the Indiananopolis Star. For background on embryonic stem cell research visit here.

The Germans are right on cloning - and Britain is wrong

Last week this blog discussed the institutional bias of the BBC. The Beeb’s coverage of last week’s cloning ‘breakthroughs’, in Korea and Newcastle, illustrated that bias. The ‘Ten’o’clock News’ referred to – but did not spell out - undefined ethical issues associated with cloning and then very specifically focused on the medical advances that embryonic stem cell research might bring. ‘We will all benefit’ was how Fergus Walsh, BBC Science Correspondent, ended his one-sided report.

Another organ of the mainstream media monopoly has come to the uninformed public’s rescue, however. The Guardian gave a platform for Nigel Cameron to highlight some of the ethical elephant traps associated with embryonic stem cell research.

Viewers have to pay a £126.50pa poll tax for the BBC’s ‘public service broadcasting’ but you had to read Dr Cameron’s column for a real ‘public service message’:

Being pro-life and pro-poor

Michael Howard's recent commitment to vote for a more restrictive abortion law illustrates the tendency of Tory politicians to do (a little) more to respect the sanctity of human life. Being pro-life isn't just about being anti-abortion or anti-euthanasia, however. It must be about active compassion, too.

The pro-life movement argues that all lives should be protected. Once some lives are deemed too expensive or too inconvenient to protect, then a fallen society inevitably starts deciding that more ‘substandard’ or ‘chronically-dependent’ lives can also be ended. The relative who wants to inherit the house or the taxpayer fed up with healthcare bills will accelerate those decisions.

In Britain today there are already many lives that are not protected. Unborn children only receive protection once they reach 24 weeks. This protection is removed if the foetus has a disability. Joanna Jepson’s high-profile legal action has shown that a cleft palate can qualify for such a discriminatory termination.

In Holland the right-to-life has been removed from severely disabled newborns (read this). Infanticide is now a medical option. British courts are also looking kindly on ‘mercy killing’ of chronically disabled children.

If we do not define a bright line around all human life, society will start deciding that more and more lives are too expensive or ‘not worth living’. We will be living in the world of ‘Animal Farm’ where ideas of equality are abandoned and some people are ‘more equal than others’ because of their age or mental and physical capacity.

Who is your favourite Labour MP?

Frank Field and Kate Hoey are probably the average Tory’s favourite Labour MPs. Both recently supported Conservative efforts to have Sinn Fein banished from the Houses of Parliament. Frank Field also supports the traditional family and is sceptical about the euro. Kate Hoey opposes Labour’s draconian hunting ban.

Claire Curtis-Thomas is another Labour MP who deserves respect. She recently led a backbench rebellion against Tony Blair’s Mental Capacity Bill (a backdoor attempt to introduce ‘Terri-Sciavo-style’ euthanasia).