Mr Kawczynski should apologise

phil

Melanie it looks to me that two friends of Israel should speak to one another and sort out this misunderstanding -we have enough enemies without falling out amongst ourselves -from Daniel,s statement it does seem obvious that his position was misunderstood and backing him into a corner is not going to help us -hope you will show your good sense and ring him .

David

No comment, Melanie, on the resumption of settlement building by Israel? How does that help the path to peace?

Rufus T. Flywheel

"On the basis of this travesty, Mr Kawczynski then published abusive and defamatory remarks about me on Centre Right. "

Then sue, or else try to develop an even thicker skin.

Dee Ranged

Clearly the man owes Melania an apology and not the other way round.

Roy

He looks like the rest of them, a young prick who doesnt know the facts and makes his mind up over his breakfast cereal and perhaps after consulting the flakes.

Rufus T. Flywheel

Dee Ranged: Melania?

Is this a psychological condition or a settlement in the basement of the Speccie?
Maybe both.

Bogdan Jodkowski

His name suggest that he is Polish. Unfortunately, Poles tend to be rather quarrelsome and irrational folks. When enslaved, they easily give their lives for freedom. When free, they fight among themselves. I know that, I'm one of them. Looks like he's inherited that nasty feature from his parents...

Chris M

If he dissents from the report's findings or has reservations about it - why on earth sign it?

He owes an apology - seems like he was shooting from the hip.

Byron in Wahroonga

Kawczynski went along with this disgraceful report. When that was quite calmly pointed out by Melanie Phillips, he started throwing hysterical and inaccurate abuse in her direction. He's a prima donna who can't take criticism. His overreaction will do him more harm than his poor conduct, on the committee.

Joshua

I note from a Wikipedia article that Kawczynski is "believed to be the tallest MP ever to sit in the Parliament of the United Kingdom". If this affair is anything to go by, and I'm sure it is, he is also one of the stupidest.

Cheeta

Absolutely outrageous action by this guy - reading the chronology makes my blood temp rise. Melanie is absolutely justified in her frustration.

Tiberius

While the intellectual polemics continue on this blog, it appears the courage of some souls is being overlooked.

Would you want to be charged with sabotage by The Revolutionary Guards?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/07/25/do2503.xml

A. McF.

If journalists don't hold politicians accountable, who will? Who can? So Melanie was justified and Kawczynski must apologise.

phil

Have I lost my ability to read (Mels link to the centre right above)or have none of you read it ,some of the comments about a sound supporter are pretty disgusting -this seems to me two good people having a spat over semantics -or maybe someone can explain to me where I am going wrong -I will be interested to see which of them is the biggest by offering their hand first.

tuppy

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Al Faturd

phil is right.

All this bloke needs is a back door left open.
We've all done it and turned things round having been given the chance.

Byron in Wahroonga

***maybe someone can explain to me where I am going wrong***

Will do. Read this carefully:

1. Kawczynski was on a committee that recommended Britain should talk to a terrorist group. He's supposedly a conservative;

2. only one of the three conservatives on the committee dissented from its findings. That person was Stephen Crabb, who has earned the gratitude and respect of us all;

3. Melanie wrote an article examining the findings and praising Crabb. There was no mention of Kawczynski other than his name on the committee list;

4. Kawczynski then wrote an hysterical and vituperative attack on Melanie without explaining why Britain should buddy up to Hamas, leading to

5. any right-thinking observer concluding that Kawczynski is a prima donna who won't stand up for conservatism when he should and goes into meltdown when his shortcomings are commented upon. This matter is not a storm in a teacup. Kawczynski doesn't have the right stuff.

Huw Thornton

Phil, I agree that Mr Kawczynski's heart may be in the right place, and there is no point in meaningless disputes with such a peraon - people with sensible opinions are at a premium and let's face it, life's too short.

But I'm with Melanie on this one. It seems to me that Mr Kawczynski's beef is that she did not read his mind. The moral here is that good opinions are not enough - a public figure needs to stand up and be counted to encourage others (as indeed do we all). There's no point in Mr Kawczynski casting groundless aspersions on Melanie. His heart may be in the right place, but where on earth is his head?

Ann

Oh, for goodness' sake, Phil, do give it a rest. We know by now that you are a veritable saint, always keen to make everyone play nice together and make yourself appear all saintly in the process. Fine. We get the point. Now let's get back to the more important business of holding our elected servants and paid employees to account. They have become far too big for their boots. I am with Roy on this: DK is clearly a snotty, dumb nonentity. If he doesn't understand how committees work, he shouldn't be on one; he should find a job he could actually be any good at, for example sweeping streets.

Frank Pulley

Huw Thornton

>"His heart may be in the right place, but where on earth is his head?"<

Up his ass!

Bob Grant

Mr Kawczynski's first problem is that he is, by general cross-party agreement, the stupidest MP in the present House of Commons, arguably the stupidest ever. His second problem is that, unlike many stupid people, he doesn't appreciate how stupid he is. In fact, he thinks he's rather smart.

Melanie Phillips should forget about Mr Kawczynski. To pursue such a dolt for an apology, worse still to pursue him through the courts, would be a waste of her valuable time. Nobody sensible takes this silly man remotely seriously.

phil

Thanks guys for responding to my question -it seems I am in the minority here -

Ann you make your point as usual but please start to understand that nobody knows who we are so it matters nada what anyone thinks of us does it?(logic-try it )-I say what I believe is right without the use of gratuitous insults to emphasise my opinions -If posters think I am good guy all well and good -if not so what ?.I am sure by now you know what their opinion is of you -do you think it helps to get your opinions across or do you even care ?

As you know many times I agree with your point but then it is lost by the pointless invective -I have even defended your opinion on a number of occasions but even "nice phil" can get fed up to the teeth with your inevitable attacks on even your" friends "

For those who agree with Melanie on every point without question , there is not a lot of point in these threads -we discuss here without fear or favour and if one has a different point to her I think she is big enough to listen .We obviously agree with most of her agenda otherwise we would not be here ,but sometimes the other side of an argument should be put, and in this case I do not see the purpose in falling out with someone who pursues the same cause ,so I hope they will resolve their differences.

field

Kawczynski should apologise for not clearly opposing this egregious policy of tea, talks and terror.

I think Melanie was right to focus on this issue. His hysterical reaction has simply made him an object of ridicule.

London Calling

I heard the buzzing, it came from Melanie’s Blog...It got louder and louder, Was it Anne on the Attack? Nooooo, Was it Phil under attack? Noooo....

It was a Man called...
Kawczzzzzzzzzzzzzynski

Mr Kawczynski should have commented on Melanie’s Blog instead of blowing a fuse, he made himself look rather silly instead by having a tantrum.

What is it with Melanie and Hornets nests?

By the way Melanie, I Love the new colourful you in your profile, it sure beats the Black and white in this post. ;0

Phil...Blessed are the peacemakers...your wise words do not fall on deafened ears, but may hit solid walls from time to time. :)

Ann

Ooooh, a 'lesson in logic' from pompous Phil ... LOL.
Get it through our skull, dear boy: I will continue to post my own opinions, however much you huff and puff. You don't like my approach? Well, you know what, tough cheese!
You really are one pretentious chap, darling. You think you know what all the posters think of me, do you? Maybe you even think that everyone must share your opinion of me, right? Look up big-headed.
The fact is that many posters agree with me on a variety of points, and have said so. So stick that in your pipe, dear boy.

phil

nice one- ann nothing changes -and you only have to answer to the moderator .but I do think you really care what we think -just be nice ,not to hard you know ..,,,:)

paul hill

"Ann" you comment "Get it through OUR skull ,dear boy"

Is your mental apparatus sufficiently underdeveloped that it shares a (small)part of Phil's cranial space?

Is skull sharing desirable?

What are the medical/ethical implications?

I think the "Lancet" should be told

john mcdonald

posted this to the man :

You did NOT PUBLICLY distance yourself from this report - private correspondence between you and the committee DOES NOT count - you know this - stop trying to weasel out of it and by the way you DO owe Melanie, one of the best British journalists, an apology . I know nothing of you my man but you come across as morally bankrupt

Rover

Commondog
June 28th, 2008 8:08pm

Note to regulator.

I must admit that I'm quite prepared when the need arises, to trade e-spittle just as much as the next middle aged, under acheiving ne'er do well.
But it would be nice just now and again, to come to a thread and not find it being reduced by Ann to nothing else but a playground fist-fight.

Just now and then?

phil

ROVER AM I NOT ALONE :)

Ben-Tsiyon (ha rishon)

I think that the reason why some posters don't like Ann is the same reason why some don't like Melanie. Both ladies dish it out straight from the shoulder, and the dislikers can't cope with that! Truth hurts!

Phil, I don't think you're a bad guy (I'm sure that makes you feel better!); you just waste a lot of time preaching to the never-will-be-converted!

phil

Ben-Tsiyon (ha rishon)- I am sure you will know our expression "if you save one life you have saved the world" so if I can change one persons views for the better I will be satisfied ,and I know I have already achieved that .There is a big difference between Mel and Ann ,Mel says what she thinks using scholarship, and Ann hurls out invective -do you really think she will change anyone to our way of thinking by doing that ?It is not my ambition to be know as the "good guy" here either ,particularly as no one knows who I am anyway.I will continue to write wherever I can in a courteous way and I hope with common sense .I will also defend Anne,s views from those that attack her for reasons of which we are well aware ,but not from the gratuitous insults that harm our message .Best regards Phil

Roland

Phil - no you are not alone! Though unlike you I disagree with, oh I'd say, just about evrything that Melanie says, but am constantly astonished by the crude insults which get hurled around here - nothing to do with 'telling the truth' - it seems more like some kind of bizarre personality disorder. Still, it makes for endless entertainment - the best laugh on the web!

phil

roland :)

Ben-Tsiyon (ha rishon)

Phil, with respect, I think that you delude yourself when you talk about changing people to "our way of thinking". That's something I gave up on as far back as my days among the bigots at my grammar school.

Ann's calling a spade a spade may fall within the definition of "invective" (strong verbal attack) but that is often the only effective response to some of the very twisted, bigoted and slanderous postings that appear on this site.

phil

Ben-Tsiyon (ha rishon)"with respect" was a phrase I used during my professional life quite a lot -it usually meant I did not agree :) --nevertheless I also went to grammar school and gave and received a number of bloody noses early on .,,but when they saw the colour was the same and it hurt them as much as me we often became friends ,not always, and as you will have noticed I deal with them in a rather different way here .

My point here to get to the nub is that many have never come in direct contact with us and only "know" what they have heard-I just believe in giving people a chance and do not appreciate launching into name calling at the earliest opportunity-invective even though it was my choice of word is not strong enough for the ladies,s attacks on those offering a different opinion -We are greatly privileged here to be able to offer our views ,as we are doing without rudeness ,and I cant remember you resorting to the tirades emanating from that source

.I am privileged also to spend my time amongst many different nationalities and creeds and many of us have been surprised that the stereotypes that we are weaned on have been proven wrong -one indelible moment is imprinted on me ,that is when I unthinkingly arranged a game of golf which included two strangers ,one of whom was an Auswitch survivor and the other a German friend ,when I realised what I had done I wished for the floor to open up for me .but when they met they hugged each other and spent all day in the same car or golf buggy -that is the quality of forgiveness and we must never forget it -dont give up- my judgement says you are worth more than that -regards

Ben-Tsiyon (ha rishon)

Phil, sounds to me as though we both belong(ed) to the same profession!

Your approach is, of course, the ideal one. Those are the principles to adhere to whenever possible (very rarely, I'm afraid), but the vast majority of the bigots I've come across over the years are incurable. Their bigotry is set in concrete, and no matter how one would try to reason with them, it is immovable. In my experience (including professionally), the most intractable ones are often found among the more educated and articulate. Nevertheless, and like you, I have an open mind when dealing with individuals, and give the benefit of any doubt, whoever they are and wherever they're from, until such time as I'm given cause to review the situation. If I become seriously disappointed, then that's "the end of the affair", and I won't waste any more time on it!

phil

Ben-Tsiyon (ha rishon)-I know we will never change the real bigots the lady on a broomstick does not want to hear anything good about us and SI n is beyond reason so I treat him as such ,but as I live in a really mixed community it has become apparent that many non Jewish people have not really been exposed to us other than "glimpses" -I know they are often surprised that I am not what they expected and quite a number have become very interested in our way of life ,customs and practices .`please believe me that many have changed their attitudes as they have come to realise that we are not that "different"-I am sure that the more we all mix together and respect each others ethnicity the less fear of each other there will be -i dont want to bore you with all my thoughts but perhaps now you will better understand why I deplore the slanging that passes here on occasion for debate .-shalom chaver