Police Chiefs are apparently calling on the government to enact new legislation on demonstration which would include making flag burning illegal, stopping demonstrators for covering their faces, and others measures to prevent "inflaming tensions".

Firstly I must object against the obvious 'political nature' in the intent, in that the idea is fuelled not be any necessity but by spin and damage control. Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur told Radio 4: "There appears to be a growing public perception that policing of demonstrations is unduly lenient". Thus the driving force for the law is to nullify a percieved (I think wrongly percieved) grievance against the government. This is akin to making public policy via opinion poll. My view here is supported by this glaring paradox: Ghaffur wishes to target extremist demonstrators, obviously with Islamists in mind, yet plans an exemption in the prohibiting of concealing your face from police to wearers of the Muslim head scarf! It is clear that there is no real desire to actually make the new measures effective, and we can see that the whole thing is nothing more than a publicity stunt.

The more fundamental objection must address itself to the severe civil liberty implications. Flag burning is an act of political expression, and it is completely outrageous that anyone should think the State has any right to legislate against it. Those who squeal "it is disrespectful to all those who have died for Queen and Country" badly miss the point, indeed, it is highly unlikely that the Queen would have been in danger of personal harm or that the country of Great Britain - a convienient national organisation - would have been dissoved had Hitler marched through the streets to Westminister. I'd actually think it would have been in his interest to protect 'Queen and Country'. Rather, they fought for freedom from arbitary government, and it is lunacy to say it is you who are upholding their honour by trying to impose on us exactly that.

As Chairman of Aber CF I would like to reflect on what has been an amazing first month for our society. The hard work of everyone at freshers fair paid off with the society in a position to have well over 100 members by the end of the year. I would like to thank everyone involved and especially those who signed up to take us to be the largest Conservative Future Branch in Wales.

Our membership has put us in a position to have weekly socials, the committee felt this was best to encourage members to get more involved, get to know the committee better and it also creates a rotation in attendance so that each week there are different people to get to know. It has created an active membership which we can only build upon. I would like to pay tribute to our deputy Chair Membership and Finance, Anna Booth who is still encouraging interest among students and many of these are now attending socials and wanting to get more involved.

The National CF Wales Dinner last year with Cheryl Gillan Shadow Secretary of State for Wales has clearly put Aber CF on the map and we are now able to offer a wide range of political events for our members due to the fundraising efforts of last years committee. Members have already had oppourtunities to attend events across Wales including Conservative Policy Forums, the fothcoming drinks reception with leader David Cameron in Cardiff and the lecture at the National Library on the Conservative Party in Wales pre 1998.

So where next? We have our Christmas meal with Nick Bourne in a months time, and next years National CF Dinner with Justine Greening MP (Vice Party Chair for the Youth). I would like to pay tribute to our former committee especially Rob Burgess and Richard Minshull who laid the foundations for us to already offer our membership the oppourtunity to get more involved with the party. With the website already under development as well as an Aber CF newsletter all I can say is that Aber CF will once again be on the map - Watch this Space! Paul (Chairman)

I have just come across an article about CF in the Telegraph which is definately worth a read. The author discusses how the image of the Tories has completely changed under Cameron, particularly appealing to the under 30s. Furthermore, a little fact is mentioned, which you may find interesting; it certainly brought a smile to my face:

Just to let everyone know that there will be a lecture, The Conservative Party in Wales, 1888-1998, by Lord Crickhowell, Nicholas Edwards, on Friday 3rd November in the National Library of Wales, here in Aber!! It starts at 5.30pm, lasting for an hour. Tickets are free from the shop inside the library.

Lets hope this is the first of many Conservative events held in Aberystwyth this year!!

I see that UKIP are considering putting Talksport presenter James Whale up for the London Mayor elections. Host of a mixed and often bizarre radio show he would certainly add something new to the UKIP voice. Whilst I doubt that Ken is too worried I think from a Conservative position this is very bad news. James already has a strong cult following for being straight with his views and if chosen to run for London Mayor would undoubtedly take away Conservative votes.

P.s. I demand a photo added, seems like my work computer will not allow me so if anyone would be so kind.....

On this day, last year, former chairman Rob made the first ever post on the blog. We're one year old today!

Much thanks to my Californian friend - The Myth, The Legend, The Man... Tetracide (pbuh) - for the great new look we have here.

Further to the obvious changes to bring us in line with the party's theme change, we have acted upon feedback which we've had from users: the background is now white so the text is clearer to read, and the blog is now spread across the entire screen to make thorough use of avaliable space.

So now heres to a great new year of posting!

Hello all,

How's things? Good to see the blog is still up and running!

I assume by now that Freshers fair has been held, how did things go? How many people did you get, have you had any socials yet? I look forwards to hearing all the stories....stick responses here or alternatively e-mail me at my hotmail account....

Ace, hope all is good and best of luck for the year guys, you'll do great...

Rob

In an article for the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, Jack Straw MP has said he believes that women who wear veils that cover the face can make relations between communities "more difficult" and revealed his has asked women visiting his surgery to consider removing it. His opinions on this matter seems to me self-evidently true, and applaud his contribution to the debate and his personal actions.

This leads me into my wider discussion of Islamic dress: I see no merits in it, and furthermore, think its most extreme manifestations, such as the burqa, incredibly degrading to women.



The Koran - allegedly the literal word of God - tells women that they must "dress modestly". There is nothing wrong with this in itself, as long as one is relatvely sane in his defintion of modestly. Needless to say, any definition that requires the covering of the head or face is completely over the top, and begins to become something quite different. As we see in Afghanistan, such clothing has been part of class and tribal traditions, and have been ingrained so that they have been interpreted as part of Islam when they really should not be. That such garments are unnecessary to be a proper Muslim is my first point.

Secondly is what these things represent, chiefly, female subjugation and slavery (for ease I am concentrating on the burqa). They prevent other males from seeing any part whatsoever of a women's body when she is in public, and many claim that such dress is to prevent the female being seen in a purely physical sense rather than personal or spiritual sense. Yet it is forgotten the burqa is removed in the home in the presence of the husband. It must then be clear to us then that such clothing is designed to assert the husbands ownership of his wife in said physical sense, as that is the sense of her being that is being denied from others in the first place. It is in the very essence of what it is to be human to take physical form, since we are nothing else. This practice is then, precisely, slavery.

It is a complete mystery to me why wearing such extreme islamic dress, such as the burqa, is not infinitely more degrading than being, say, a pornographic film star: the latter is a freely chosen career, usually well paid, containing no allusions of grandeur, yet degrading the body in the regard that its specialness is taken away, as anyone may enjoy it and no one owns it; while the former come about through slavery (either literal or from what i deem ""mental slavery"), is often much hampering to fiscal reward, done in the belief that it will please a make-believe God, and degrades the body in the regard that it is property to which only the owner may enjoy. If we take the pursuit of greater female dignity seriously, then this debate is a key battleground.

_____________________

NB: That I firmly believe Islam is the misguided pursuit of anachronistic and superstitious teaching from a much more barbaric time must be seen in the context that I am an agnostic (albeit a relatively new one) and take the same view with all religions


Also it is worth remembering that my comments in no way necessarily reflect those of Aber CF, Conservative Future generally, of the Conservative Party

I have just finished watching David Cameron's speech online from the BBC website. Overrall, the conference was low key and uneventful, yet solid and I think reasonably successful.

Okay, I did cringe at his speech in places - the NHS being a "great achievement", Al Gore's film being in any way less than ridiculous - but I must respect the obvious force of his conviction. Project Cameron, for what it is and what it claims to be, is working.