The more I see of Dominic Raab ...

... the more I like the chap.

A REVOLT against giving prisoners the vote put ministers under growing pressure
from Tory MPs last night.

The controversial measure demanded by a European court faces a crucial Commons debate next week.

Two backbenchers yesterday called for the Government to ignore rulings from
Strasbourg that denying inmates the right to take part in elections breaches their human rights. Rising Tory star Dominic Raab, MP for Esher and Walton, insisted that the European court did not have the power to order Britain to give the vote to prisoners.

And Anne Main, MP for St Albans, urged the Government to refuse to pay any compensation.

Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke has argued that the Government has to overhaul the voting rules or risk paying out millions.

But in an article, Mr Raab wrote: “It is time Britain drew a line in the sand. We can pay due deference to the European Court of Human Rights by having the Parliamentary debate it called for. But if Parliament then votes to maintain the current ban and MPs have been given a free vote Strasbourg will have to respect it.”

Spot on.

Source

Populism - a Bad Thing

Further to my recent post about democracy and the way that the Left assume that because something is popular it is also bad ("the Government are pandering to mere populism"), Obnoxio has a good take on the subject, which I will steal without a second thought:

1. The Krays extorted money and used violence against people.
2. The Krays also did a lot of good things, or used the PR campaign that they did some good things with the money they extorted.
3. The Krays decided entirely unaccountably what "good things" they would spend the money they extorted on, and also who they would use violence against.

4. Governments extort money and use violence against people.
5. Governments also do a lot of good things, or us the PR campaign that they do some good things with the money they extort.
6. Governments decide entirely unaccountably what "good things" they spend the money they extort on, and also who they use violence against.

The difference between the Krays and the government is the fig leaf of
democracy.

Go and read the rest.