It's been a bad week for agriculture minister Jim Fitzpatrick. As if the damning report on England's uniquely complicated and expensive farm payments system wasn't bad enough, poor Jim also had to appear before a bizarre Muslim-only press conference to prove that he isn't an Islamophobe.
Trying to appease farmers' leaders goes with the minister's job but, in the same week, he had to hot-foot it over to his constituency to grovel before another group of aggrieved middle-aged men.
His crime, it appears, was to refuse to attend a segregated Muslim wedding because he objects to the segregation of men and women at marriage ceremonies. Mr Fitzpatrick claims that this practice is fairly recent in his constituency and that it has been imposed on local Muslims by the Islamic Forum of Europe, a predominantly Bangladeshi Islamist group based in Tower Hamlets.
Depending on your point of view, Jim Fitzpatrick is either a brave man sticking to his principles or, given the number of Muslims in his constituency, a foolish man asking for trouble.
And trouble is certainly what he got. Complaining about segregation at Muslim weddings is enough to get you branded as an Islamophobe in the Muslim areas of east London, regardless of how much you may have done to help Bangladeshi people in the past.
The press conference was the MP's attempt to regain favour with the Bangladeshi media in his constituency and refute the charge of Islamophobia. The journalists were shown photos of Mr Fitzpatrick and his wife working in Bangladesh at an HIV/AIDS centre and were given a list of all the mosques he has helped during his time as an MP.
"I've been trying to learn Sylheti," protested the MP before going on to talk about all the times he has demonstrated against the horrid NF and BNP.
Why is he so worried? Because in about eight months time he will have to defend his seat against George Galloway, the main architect of the shameless alliance between elements of the hard left and reactionary Muslim groups. You'd never see George doing anything as stupid as challenging chauvinist behaviour among Muslims. Among anyone else, perhaps, but not among Muslims. There's no way Mr Galloway would let whatever socialist principles he might have left endanger his relationship with the Muslims who keep him in power. On Friday, he turned up the heat by challenging Jim Fitzpatrick to a live debate on Bengali TV.
With Labour's vote collapsing, if enough Muslim votes shift to Galloway's Respect party, Jim Fitzpatrick could find himself without a seat. Hence last week's farcical press conference.
Has he done enough to recover his position? He will find out soon enough. Jim Fitzpatrick is in for a tough fight. If the election in Poplar and Limehouse does come down to a game of dhimmitude-poker, I wouldn't want to bet against George Galloway. When it comes to appeasing Muslim fanatics, he was there way before anyone else.
You wouldn't believe what a pile of shite the subsidies system is- read "The Killing Of The Countryside" if you've got a few hours to spare, to see how our money is going towards paying for our environment to be degraded.
These farms are so exhausted they can only be kept in business by a massive dose of chemicals, constantly repeated, & GUESS WHO'S PAYING for said chemicals, eh?
As for the rest- needn't bother repeating what I've said before, you can guess what my views are.
Posted by: asquith | 18 October 2009 at 08:41 PM
HA HA HA HA HA HA
So Saddam Hussein was a Muslim fanatic, was he Stevie? Next you'll be telling us Joe Stalin was a Christian fundamentalist...
Posted by: Haw Haw Harry | 19 October 2009 at 10:43 PM
I will read time to time that
Posted by: Syed Qaim Ali Shah | 14 December 2009 at 08:08 AM