It’s unfair how Nadine Dorries was treated for her opinion!

Posted 8 Sep 2011 by Walaa Idris

Twice before I blogged on the ‘essential’ advice proposed for women considering a termination. My take was and still remains – in principle, Dorries’s proposal was a good idea that was executed badly. Because giving people (pregnant women in this case) a choice and allowing them to make an informed decision is at the heart of Conservatism. Therefore, it was not a surprise that it came from a Tory Member of Parliament – and because of that Nadine Dorries deserves our respect and support. But where her project fell apart was on the details and its implementation – her proposal wasn’t tight and precise enough to keep at bay those with their own agenda from hijacking it, then twist and confuse it into something else.

That type of thing, especially in sensitive polarizing issues such as abortion, is expected and the Dorries Field team should have been better prepared for it with strong counter responses and tireless rebuttals.

However, what I found disturbingly appalling and never at all expected to see in this day and age, is the furious, aggressive and personal abuse thrown at Ms. Dorries! That’s not us, and should never have happened. We are still a civilised and tolerant nation – threats, hate mail, irrational tweets and personal hostile blogposts are all uncalled for.

People don’t always see eye to eye on everything and that’s just life, but treating those we disagree with as pariahs, is uncivil and short sighted. In a diverse, liberal and open society like ours, the expected thing to do is to use every opportunity to learn something new and different about the other side. And what can be more different than opposite views to ours? We must also, always respect others opinions regardless of how we think or feel about them. Those kind of barbaric narrow minded attacks like the ones Ms. Dorries was showered with in the past weeks are unacceptable regardless of why. Scare tactics might temporarily stifle debate but only briefly!

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7 comment(s)

Tim Ireland

Tim Ireland
8 Sep, 13:38

The hostility towards Dorries stems from the dishonesty with which she formulates and presents her campaigns. The talk of removing her from office centres on this issue of conduct. Opinions, she’s welcome to. False allegations against those she doesn’t agree with… not on.

Robin

Robin
8 Sep, 13:45

I haven’t seen Nadine Dorries treated terribly badly for her opinion. Her blog however is full of really quite vile abuse towards those she disagrees with.

Jonathan Westwood

Jonathan Westwood
8 Sep, 13:59

I couldn’t agree more: everybody SHOULD be civil, tolerant and respectful towards others; there should be no place in this world for threats, irrational tweets and personally hostile blogposts.

Will you therefore join me in calling on Ms. Dorries to behave civilly, tolerantly and respectfully towards people who disagree with her and not – take a random example – use the cloak of Parliamentary privilege to accuse someone of the criminal act of blackmail?

And will you join me in calling on Ms. Dorries to stop publishing personally hostile blogposts? (I would have included ‘irrational tweets’, for she has issued a few of those, but she’s currently in one of her ‘I don’t do Twitter’ phases.)

If Ms. Dorries behaved in this manner herself, I would be very happy to listen respectfully to anything she has to say and then refute it in a civil manner, backed by things like evidence and logic. And I suspect the same would be true of the overwhelming majority of those who currently feel that the way in which she chooses to conduct herself makes her unfit to hold public office.

Alastair Sutherland

Alastair Sutherland
8 Sep, 14:13

The question is: should a self-confessed liar (Nadine Dorries has admitted to her blog being 70% fiction) and fantasist (her cavalier regard for facts being a matter of public record) be permitted to sit in parliament?

As far as I can see she brings our parliamentary democracy into disrepute whenever she opens her mouth.

If MPs were to pass a bill making it a criminal offence for public servants to knowingly lie to the electorate then maybe the reputation of parliament might be salvaged, but I have never known a time when our elected representatives were held in such utter contempt as they are (quite rightly) today.

Floyd Codlin

Floyd Codlin
8 Sep, 17:12

Walaa, I know that you feel honour bound to defend a fellow right-wing Tory, but this is poor gruel your trying to feed us and you know it. Dorries has gone on record as being anti-abortion, yet according to you on this issue she wants to give women “choice”?

No, what she’s trying to do is whittle down womens access to safe abortion with this “counselling” amendment. In her proposals she makes a number of assertions that have no basis in fact and she has been called out on it. In my opinion rightly so..

Nick pratt

Nick pratt
8 Sep, 19:55

bump- Floyd. Spot on.

jim thornton

jim thornton
10 Sep, 21:31

I’m coming to this late, but I’m with Dorries. I’m a doctor who actually does abortions but i still think there are far too many. The counselling issue (actually non-counselling, let’s just get on with the abortion) is real, and needs sorting. Ditto the govt subsidising abortion. Read more here ripe-tomato.org

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