Finchley and Golders Green MP Mike Freer, clearly believes that brown nosing the boss (David Cameron) is far more important than representing the people who elected him. I was genuinely surprised to see him insulting the large Jewish community in his constituency. The Jewish Chronicle has a rather interesting report on the reaction to David Camerons comments regard Gaza being a prison camp.
http://www.thejc.com/node/36319
What did Mr Freer have to say :-
"David Cameron remains a friend of Israel, but friends can still criticise if and when they feel they get things wrong. Governments have disagreements. That's grown-up politics. The community needs to be mature enough not to take his comments out of context."
So according to Mr Freer if members of the Jewish community, many of whom have strong family ties with Israel and some of whom have lost family members as a result of terrorism inspired by Hamas get up set at Mr Camerons comments, they are being immature. It seems that the Barnet Conservatives are having a competition to see who can seem most out of touch with the people who elected them. I just hope that whenever the next election comes, members of the Jewish community remember what Mike Freer said and make a mature decision as to whether he is a suitable MP.
Rog
ReplyDeleteIt is typical of the patronising and condescending political classes when they talk to us, the great unwashed, about “grown up” politics. We’re too thick to understand the issues, so why don’t we just leave it to them. They’re the professionals, don’t you know?
Freer says that friends can disagree if they think they are wrong, which of course is correct. And if Freer was a friend of Cameron, he would be able to tell the Prime Minister that he is completely wrong on this issue.
Last week in America, Cameron sucked up to Obama by claiming that we were the junior partner in WWII - a most terrible insult to British and Commonwealth forces. Then in Turkey, he pulls the same stunt again by describing Gaza as a prison camp. How many other prison camps are there where the inmates are armed to the teeth and spend their time lobbing lethal missiles at the surrounding country?
I don’t mind an objective debate about Gaza, but why do people only talk about the Israeli blockade? Why is there never any mention of the Egyptian blockade? Egypt are just as sick of Hamas as Israel. These double standards are positively nauseating.
And if the Prime Minister says he is doing what he believes is right, perhaps he could explain why Turkey should be allowed to join the EU when it has been illegally occupying Northern Cyprus since 1974? Oh of course, I forgot. You are allowed to occupy someone else’s land as long as you are not Israel.
I think David Cameron has proven himself to be either incredibly ignorant or simply duplicitous.
It seems to me sane diplomacy has had its days stupidty is now order of the day
ReplyDeleteApologies, a bit got missed off the end:
ReplyDeleteI think David Cameron has proven himself to be either incredibly ignorant or simply duplicitous. If Mike Freer wants to be taken seriously as an MP, he needs to stand up for himself and say what he knows to be right, rather than go along with whatever rubbish the leader says in the hope of early promotion.
My suspicion is that, on an historical timescale, Mike Freer and Matthew Offord may have peaked at Barnet Council, and have now "risen without trace" as MPs.
ReplyDeleteFair Roger T. would probably say that was far too cynical, so let us reserve judgment.
Have they given Mike a desk yet?
He may not be brown-nosing Mr Cameron. He is elected to represent his constituents, not another country, after all.
Regarding Gaza, is it fair to say that Hamas achieved a tipping point with the Gaza (rather secular) population, because Fatah was so corrupt, and it was the only credible opposition?
Just noticed the page
ReplyDeletehttp://www.barnet.gov.uk/meet-your-members.pdf
is from before the election.
Surely Shome Mishtake by the council, bless them!
Baarnett,
ReplyDeleteThe point regarding Freer and his comments as far as I'm concerned is nothing really to do with the situation in Gaza. It is the fact that Mike Freer insulted a large swathe of people who he previously courted mercilessly prior to the election. I'm by no means in agreement with everything the Israeli government does, but to call the Jewish population immature because they take umbrage at something Cameron said is really quite offensive. It is not the same as saying they were missing the point Cameron was making, it was just downright offensive. It wasn't a reasoned argument defending Camerons position, it was just saying that they were too immature to respond rationally.
Shafique,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. It seems Mr Cameron has taken great delight in putting his foot in it with regard to sensitive issues around the world. I really don't think this sort of public grandstanding helps. Comments such as these should be made in private. It seems Cameron doesn't really understand diplomacy.
Cameron's statements bring to mind that well known Machiavellian concept of "keep your friends close and your enemies even closer". he may have failed to understand the mechanics of the concept. no surprise there then........
ReplyDeleteI have reflected on the comments I wrote yesterday wondering on whether I was being too harsh on Mike Freer. After all, if you read the full article in the Jewish Chronicle he says that he doesn’t believe Gaza is a prison camp. But I think what I really found offensive was the way that he tried to play two audiences at once for his own benefit making it impossible for us to know what he really thinks on this issue.
ReplyDeleteSaying that David Cameron’s comments should be read in context, was clearly his way of being seen to be loyal to the leader. But as we know from his time as Brian Salinger’s deputy in Barnet, Mike Freer doesn’t really do loyalty.
It seems as if Freer is saying “I don’t believe Gaza is a prison camp” to a Jewish audience and “David Cameron was right” to everyone else. Well you simply can’t hold both positions at the same time. David Cameron appears to be adopting Tony Blair’s annoying habit of changing his message according to the audience.
Mike Freer should have stood up and said what he really believed, and if he really believes that Gaza isn’t a prison camp he should have said so without then trying to qualify his leader’s comments and implying that we were too immature to understand.
This is just further proof that politicians treat us with total contempt.