James Forsyth is a cunt not Jeremy Hunt!

James Forsyth is a cunt not Jeremy Hunt!

Two rebellions ready to wreck Cameron's 2011

By James Forsyth

The other issue animating the Tory backbenchers is the idea of giving prisoners the vote.

The Government is proposing that all those serving fewer than four years in jail be allowed to cast a vote from prison.

Tory MPs hate this idea. One tells me: ‘I can’t think of a faster way to chuck away our reputation as the party of law and order.’

The Government’s defence is that it has no choice, that it is being compelled to do this by the European Court of Human Rights. But this isn’t true.

The court required the Government only to end the blanket ban on prisoners voting.

It was the Coalition’s own choice to pick four years – rather than, say, one year – as the cut-off point.

One MP involved in organising opposition to the measure is confident that if the Coalition goes ahead with this plan, it will face its biggest rebellion so far.

The Prime Minister would be well advised not to test his backbenchers’ loyalty over this measure. If he tries to force them to vote for it, he might find himself mugged by his own MPs.

"Tory MPs hate this idea", plural. "One tells me", singular,: ‘I can’t think of a faster way to chuck away our reputation as the party of law and order.’ Which constituency does this MP One represent? The anonymous constituency? And what reputation would that be, being the same old Nasty Party? The law is that all convicted prisoners must get the vote. Labour broke the law for 5 years and the Tory party did nothing and said nothing about it for 5 years, which makes them just as guilty under the law of joint enterprise.

"The court required the Government only to end the blanket ban on prisoners voting". The foremost authority in the country on Hirst v UK No2) is supposed to take some hack's advice on what my judgment states? Is the Daily Mail paying this prat to write this rubbish?

If "the last thing he [Cameron] needs is a row over Europe", then my advice is do not push me or Europe over prisoners votes because that is precisely what he will get. The reality is if the UK withdraws from Europe then the UK is sunk. No civilised country will trade with a rogue or pariah state like the UK which abuses human rights.