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

[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!