Iriswatch

[hellison]

Yes, our new favourite MLA and MP, Iris Robinson is at it again.

Not content with declaring homosexuality an abomination - and one that can be cured by a lovely psychiatrist she knows - she's gone that little step further and now stated IN PARLIAMENT that homosexuality is more vile than child abuse -
“There can be no viler act, apart from homosexuality and sodomy, than sexually abusing innocent children.”

Tho of course it's not just Teh EVIL GAYS she has it in for, she's pretty keen to keep women back in the their place too, when tackled on why abortion remains illegal in N.Ireland. And why? Because GOD says so and it goverment is there to do what GOD wants. Not, you know, the people who voted for them.
“The government has a responsibility to uphold God’s laws morally.” .

Now, she's welcome to believe whatever the hell she wants in the privacy of her own insane head. But to be spouting such manic vitriol and insanity in her position as a public representive? Or using her beliefs or interpretation of 'morals' to control laws and services that could affect my life? That, not so much.

She does seem to be getting increasingly rabid tho, so maybe she's on her way out; it can't be making life easy for her (equally, but more quietly rabid) husband & First Minister.

She's not hatemongering tho! OH NO! She's saying it OUT OF LOVE.

So. Who DOES one write to these day to get rid of an MP?

ETA And the backpeddling begins"
She MAY have been misrepresented...

ETA 2 An exercise in comparison. Two quotes from the lovely Iris, one to the paper when they first got hold of this, the 2nd from her official press release on it all.
See if you can spot the difference...

1 - "I cannot think of anything more sickening than a child being abused. It is comparable to the act of homosexuality. I think they are all comparable. I feel totally repulsed by both ... I am trying to reach out to people."

2 - "...what I clearly intended to say was that child abuse was worse even than homosexuality and sodomy... At no point have I set out to suggest homosexuality was worse than child sex abuse. There can be no comparison between the two. "

Both taken from here

Comments

[lazy-hoor.livejournal.com]

Ugh. Just ugh.

So she goes by the Scriptures word for word does she? So she supports the death penalty for adultery then? And never wears clothes of mixed fibres? Such bullshit...

[hellison.livejournal.com]

There's so much urgh I don't know where to start. The sheer rabidness of her views is quite shocking. Except she's doing it with LOVE.

Her personal views on abortion wouldn't be relevant at all except she's CHAIR of the assembly health committee, so she's enforcing them on all of us.

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

So. Who DOES one write to these day to get rid of an MP?

You pretty much can't. Although there have been some court cases about some things to do with regulating MPs and their employment (e.g. Sinn Fein MPs being prevented from this, that and the other), long-standing tradition is that

• Parliament regulates itself, so far as possible
• Parliamentary privilege means that people can't be sued for things they say on the floor of Parliament
• parties can withdraw the Whip and the Speaker can suspend people's access to the Commons temporarily, but there's no formal mechanism for forcing someone to step down just because they're rubbish (there are some things for significant periods of ill health, mental health issues and, I think, jail time).

You could try to get her local party to choose someone else for the next general/Norn Iron/whatever election, though.

[adelpha.livejournal.com]

Or try to get her barred under the mental health thingy. I wonder if that nice psychiatrist she knows would be amenable to an envelope of used 50's.

[hellison.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there have already been a few comments from other MLA's about her 'fitness for responsibility'. I'm mostly hoping the bad press they get for this is SO massive she has to resign.
But, given that most of her party probably hold similar views (but just have the sense to keep shut about it), it's not a given.

[jin-shei.livejournal.com]

I could section her for a couple of hours?

[hellison.livejournal.com]

From a 2nd reading of the article I don't think she said it on the floor, but at a committee on policing & sex offenders.

I think the only recourse at the minute is probably to write to her own party. Which is currently run by her husband.
Either that or hope there's enough of a shitstorm following this that she has to resign...

[thesme-01.livejournal.com]

sources within the DUP believe she's being scapegoated and treated unfairly.

SURPRISE!

[thipe.livejournal.com]

...

That is incredibly special. In the head. Which, apparently, is quite far up her backside.

Does that make her special in the arse?

[adelpha.livejournal.com]

Naah. Althought she probably takes it there, and feels guilty about it ;)

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

That would be sodomy, surely?

[hellison.livejournal.com]

Not if she's doing it to herself? Tho that's probably Disallowed too.

OTOH 'Special In the Arse' may be my new favourite phrase.

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

Well, historically, sodomy just meant unnatural sexual practises. In the past, it could mean things like oral sex and stuff too (and this is the root of some very silly laws in some of the stupider American states). I think auto-erotic-head-fisting would probably count.

[thipe.livejournal.com]

AHF was one combination of words I did not expect to read today.

Also, yeah I was wondering about that. Obviously she only does things only to create children.

[adelpha.livejournal.com]

Is it Paisley she's married to? That may explain the whole anti-sex thing.

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

No, she's married to Peter Robinson, the new First Minister. He replaced the good Doctor.

[hellison.livejournal.com]

Ah, see we'd come to the conclusion in work that what they meant was No Bottom Fun for Anyone.
Frontal Different Gendered Fun = Permissable; Bottomnal Enjoyment = BADWRONG

So I guess auto-erotic-head-fisting (or, heading?) would be out. Unless she stuck it up her FRONT bottom. Or would that make her a lesbian?

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

Ah, is it time to bring out A Hand in the Bush: The Fine Art of Vaginal Fisting?

[hellison.livejournal.com]

And THAT would be a link I'm not clicking at work!

Does that come under the heading of 'gentle activities for ladies'?

[thipe.livejournal.com]

It's kind of like stroking kittens, only... not.

[adelpha.livejournal.com]

I read that as stoking kittens. Is that where the head comes in?

[thesme-01.livejournal.com]

WAH! CEASE AND DESIST IMMEDIATELY!

Edit 2

[adelpha.livejournal.com]

Wow! Smell that burning rubber as she changes direction. That's impressive, even for a politician.

Re: Edit 2

[hellison.livejournal.com]

It's like she hasn't come across the concept that people in the media RECORD WHAT YOU SAY and will REPEAT IT so you can't pretend you never said it.
Apparently now members of her party are complaining she's being 'persecuted' and 'hounded by the press'. The poor love.

Re: Edit 2

[thipe.livejournal.com]

More to the point, she hasn't come to the concept that what you say during official parliamentary business tends to be, you know, recorded and kept as public record :p

Re: Edit 2

[jin-shei.livejournal.com]

Aww bless, Poor little dear. Are the nasty press people being mean to her?

Re: Edit 2

[hellison.livejournal.com]

Yes indeed they are outrageously using their freedom of speech to disgree with her rabid vitriol, and to record and publish it.

Which is somehow persecution and an attack on HER freedom of speech.

The logic is not strong in this one...

Re: Edit 2

[jin-shei.livejournal.com]

How dare they take out pens and paper and quote her precise words!!!!!!

Re: Edit 2

[adelpha.livejournal.com]

Especially when the tripe she's coming out with is better than what they could have made up anyway :P

[repton-infinity.livejournal.com]

Not quite in the same league, but —

A local politician (who will probably be the next prime minister) gave an interview to a journalist at some kind of business forum, and said, on the topic of wages, "we would like them to come down". This was reported in a regional paper, and went over like a lead balloon once the bigger press got wind of it (wage disparity between NZ and Aus is a big issue here). Politician insisted he'd been misquoted, or was talking about something else; local paper printed an unedited transcript so people could see for themselves.

A couple of days later, a big city newspaper (which owned, or was in the same group as, the small paper) printed a retraction on behalf of the regional paper. Yeah, no pressure being applied there..

(meanwhile, a group named Family First is petitioning the government, with the support of fundamentalist christian groups, to reinstate the right of parents to beat their children..)

[hellison.livejournal.com]

One theory here (which is entirely plausible) is that they're *letting* her loose because the press will focus on that and ignore what ever crap they are - or more likely *aren't* doing as a government.

In this case it's hard to deny the official transcription of the meeting made by professional transcribers (is that what they're called?), which is public record.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_unhurt_/]

ARGH.

*loses more faith in humanity*

*writes the stupid fucking woman a letter*

[hellison.livejournal.com]

I too am Moved to Write. But I'm not sure who *to* exactly. I doubt writing to her would do any actual good (other than making me feel better), but I'm equally unconvinced writing to the DUP office would make any more difference...