Walter Wolfgang, a party member for 57 years, was bundled out of the conference hall by stewards after shouting "nonsense" as Mr Straw, the Foreign Secretary, defended Britain's role in Iraq. He was later stopped under anti-terrorist powers as he tried to re-enter the hall.How worrisome is that? A lot if you ask me. No wonder the Labour party representatives were compared to communists in Russia and China. My friend Fabrizio is right, the terrorists have already won. They have fundamentally altered how we behave and how we respond to each other's behavior. They have essentially restricted the liberties we enjoyed as a "modern" society.
How can a simple expression of disagreement by an 82-year-old be viewed as such a threat to national security, that he is forcibly removed from the room and is not allowed back in by invoking anti-terrorism powers? That, by the way, is what the Patriot Act has done to America: it has severely restricted our liberties and rights, and it can turn our lives upside down for a simple disagreement with government policies or for checking out the wrong book at the local library. That's why we should revise it instead of making it permanent.
Apparently, Blair is facing increased pressure to bring British troops back home, just as Bush is being pressured here in the US. This does not, however, justify stifling an opinion expressed without a hint of violence by an old man who just so happens to disagree with his party's leaders.
How much worse is the situation going to get before it gets better? Worse yet, is it ever going to get better again?
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