From an email sent to me this morning:
I've just read your piece on Bunting. You may be interested to know that last night I was at an employer awards dinner in Manchester, sponsored by a number of organizations but ultimately a product of the local offshoot of the National Employment Panel. The final award goes to the 'most inspiring individual'. These are usually moving stories of (for instance) single parents who started a succesful business, people who have overcome literacy problems to have a successful career etc. Last night the winner was a woman - S - whose husband was a doctor in Iraq and was asked to participate in a death squad that would kill soldiers refusing to fight. He refused and had his ears cut off. S and her husband then smuggled the family to Holland. They could not earn enough to support a family of six, so S came to Manchester with her three youngest children. She is a qualified teacher. She would not claim benefit and after 40 rejected job applications secured herself a job as industrial cleaner, proving herself to be reliable, dedicated and hard-working. In her halting, accented English she expressed her happiness at being here in the UK, and in our city too. (Last night's event is expected to get coverage in the Manchester Evening News, but the organizers are not sure when.)Imagine - a regime where people's ears can be cut off for not following orders. My point is if 'liberals' want to defend the status quo ante in Iraq, just what are they defending?
