From the BBC News website (assorted excerpts):The government has signalled that it will bring forward plans to repeal the law of blasphemy, in an effort to head off a rebellion by Labour MPs. Labour MP Keith Vaz told BBC Radio 4's World at One: "A lot of MPs, including myself, would have voted for it - because this is a pretty archaic law."
Is it a sign o' the times that Keith Vaz has seemed to have changed his tune? In March 1989, he led a protest in Leicester against Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses. At this event, Vaz addressed 3,000 Muslim demonstrators, stating "today we celebrate one of the great days in the history of Islam and Great Britain" and attacked the Labour Party as a "godless party". In February 1990, he wrote in The Guardian newspaper urging Salman Rushdie not to publish the book in paperback because "there is no such thing as absolute freedom of speech". Some British Muslims called for Rushdie to be tried under English law for blasphemy, but no charges were laid, as the English legal system recognises blasphemy only against the Christian faith.
Keith Vaz, a Roman Catholic Labour "Godless Party" MP who campaigned on behalf of Muslim's against Rushdie's apostasy now wants to do away with this type of law. Would it seem that he now wants to encourage a godless society? Does anyone know wether he has had a genuine change of heart?
Say whatever's the trendy thing to say. I'm not out to call the bloke a hypocrite, but it worries me that some politicians seem to think that they can get away with talking bullshit just for the purpose of raising their profile.
I wonder if Keith's on MySpace?
