Has the Left Stopped Thinking? Part 5: Peter Hitchens

To mark the announcement of the 2008 Shortlists, the Orwell Prize hosted a debate (sponsored by Reuters) entitled 'Has the Left Stopped Thinking?'. The panellists were Matthew Parris (former Conservative MP, Times columnist and former Orwell Prize winner), Jean Seaton (Chair of the Orwell Prize, professor of media history at the University of Westminster), Greg Clark MP (Conservative, Shadow Cabinet Office Minister), Dr Denis MacShane MP (Labour, former Europe Minister), Peter Hitchens (columnist, The Mail on Sunday) and Will Hutton (chief executive of the Work Foundation, and Observer columnist and former editor). The debate was chaired by Sean Maguire (Editor -- Political and General News, Reuters). Filmed by Jack Lancaster, edited by Jack Lancaster and Amy Downes. Further editing by Gavin Freeguard.

Category:

News & Politics

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• George
• Orwell
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• Peter
• Hitchens
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• labour
• debate

[worcesterwombat]

PH is right - marriage has been destroyed and that's been engineered by Labour. He's also right that the queer agenda has gone way beyond tolerance and that promotion of bent lifestyle over the family is another Labour idea. And he's right that IVF for single women and lesbians also undermined the family. So there's no doubt about it the destruction of the married family is all down to Labour and its twisted and perverse social engineering. Not to mention Harperson's general attacks on men.

[Zen0xious]

It's not about what he looks like it's about what he's saying, and what he's saying is true. Personally I don't care how he came to these conclusion, but the accuracy of those conclusions is enough for me.

[darkfox85]

@kzearo I do imply that the successes of Blair\Brown are due to being to the Right as much as the failures (which outweigh.) You seem to think this is unintentional. But I definitely feel that it’s bile and should be undone.

And the trend towards our “moral bankruptcy” did indeed begin before Thatcherism. It’s always been with us and it’s played for scares– like what this evolution denying fool bangs on about.

The only thing I disagree with is the implication that my grammar is poor.

[kzearo]

@darkfox85

Pay more attention to your grammar, sir.

You imply that the successes of Blair\Brown are also due to what you -ignorantly- call "Thatcherite bile".

And you should think more carefully about what you mock before seeking its erasure.

An incalculably large store of social capital rests on the "family" and every time it takes a blow you can be sure that a rise in entropy soon follows.

Oh, and the trends towards our present moral bankruptcy began long before the bogey era of Thatcherism.

[darkfox85]

Hitchens dragged down the entire panel (some of which are already very low) with this drivel. Many of the others have directly or indirectly pointed out (correctly) that whatever successes or failures Blair/Brown delivered, have not been the result of the Left but a continuation of Thatcherite bile that is the real cause of most of our problems – and the correlation is crystal clear! A cursory glance at the continent and then the USA can tell you that much! But no, it’s all about the “family.”

[yington]

Peter Hitchens is such a dork

[jaimeanna1412]

Hey Peter, your brother is great, unlike god!

[spurscab]

uses these grievances as a cop-out & distort morality. So what have we got....More lawyers, more copensation pay outs & a frightend majority that are to scared to speak there minds for fear accusation. With out honest debate we can not move forward... New Labour in short have been a disarster! The sad thing is we are going to have five more years of this shit because the Tories are fucking pathetic.

Peter Hitchins for PM.Well we can dream!We are still free to do that.

[spurscab]

New Labour the current ruling liberal elite are traitorous in there efforts to nation bust! They have enginered through the rise of political correctness the sense that the mojority are an oppressive jackboot that crushes the minority underfoot. We have been conditioned in self flagellation with sadistic implementation!

We must feel guilt about what our ancestors have done & we must apologize continually for this.

This victim culture has fueld a chip on shoulder mentality where everyone with..

[drusillalaughs]

peter is too good for the 'orwell' prize. as he says orwell would turn over in his grave. labour has hijacked orwellian theology, they are a disgrace, they've ruined the country, yet somehow the people want this! well of course they're supposed to receive the benefits of a fantastical society that will come into being with voting labour....the west is a mess. better it should fail and start over