Quote of the week

Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett speaking about the recent Knighthood Salmon Rushdie is quoted as follows "Obviously, we are sorry if there are people who have taken very much to heart this honour, which is after all for a life-long body of literary work."

Now presumably as Margaret Beckett is speaking on behalf of the British government, it just makes you think how cowardly, the Labour administration has become, this country prides itself or a least used to on our freedom of speech and now the Foreign Secretary has kiss goodbye to that illusion.

Whether you agree or disagree with any point of view, thought and creativity are what make us human, so to have a government minister grovel to extremists who would with their bigotry deny basic humanity is beyond belief.

I say what I think and anyone is entitled to challenge it, lets face the facts the vast majority of British people from whatever their backgrounds are heartily sick of politicians bending over backwards to please or be polite to barbaric extremists.

If nothing else this half arsed apology which presumably is intended to appease foreign governments like Iran and Pakistan is an insult to Sir Salmon Rushdie (suggesting a mistake has been made) , an insult to the British people (inferring that we come second to foreign politicians), and finally an insult to the Queen(whose birthday honours are to be devalued, just to keep some foreign governments happy).

I think it would be a little more dignified if British ministers didn’t comment on this matter. Plain and simple Salmon Rushdie is a British citizen end of story!