Lib Dem candidate admits to unnatural vice

The political blogosphere is getting itself all lathered up about the orientation of adult film producer and Lib Dem parliamentary hopeful, Anna Arrowsmith, aka Anna Span. No, not that sort of orientation. Unfortunately for Anna, an old and now defunct page on an old and defunct website has her down as supporting the Labour …

[Anonymous Coward]

Makes sense she's moved to Liberal

Bearing in mind Zanu Labour's attitude to Pron lies somewhere between the American Christian Wrong and that of the Taliban........

[EdwardP]

No...

...it shows that she's human and can be swayed by facts/reasoned argument.

Fuck me it'd be a disaster for our political system of more of these humanoids got involved.

[the spectacularly refined chap]

Does any remember...

...John Redwood's (first) Conservative leadership campaign. There was a press conference where he introduced his wife. However he was very scrupulous about what questions could be put to her. When asked "What party do you support", surely a soft ball in ordinary circumstances, Redwood intercepted the question "I'm the politician, so I answer the political questions..."

Next to that which party Mrs Cameron may once have voted for in the past seems irrelevant.

[James 51]

One of the problems with politics

God forbid that anyone should change their minds, particularly if circumstances change.

[jake]

It's gonna get worse ...

Mark my words ... Cobweb pages are going to bite people in the ass for a long time to come, until TheGreatUnwashed[tm] realize that once it's been released to the world, the cat has been released from the can of worms.

If you wouldn't yell it from your roof-top, don't put it online. This includes email.

[LaeMing]

Shock!

People change their views over significant amounts of time! Who would have guessed!

Of course the parties and their affiliates in the press prefer the 'traditional' voter who votes for them because that is how his dad and granddad voted and the fact that the major parties now stand for almost the exact opposite of what they did 50 years ago is irrelevant.

[Anonymous Coward]

That is actually good press

So she has demonstrated that she has principles and left Nu Labour in opposition for the war? My first reaction is - applause. Second reaction is that this needs to be added to the "you know that the world has gone mad" list.

The original list was: “You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the U.S. of arrogance, Germany doesn't want to go to war, and the three most powerful men in America are named 'Bush', 'Dick', and 'Colon.'

We can now change the "three most powerful men in America" bit with a "British politician has principles".

[Anonymous Coward]

There's nothing new in Lib Dems being ex-Labourites

what with its origins in the merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party, this latter being entirely composed of disaffected Labour grandees. Admittedly, this was all long enough ago that The Two Ronnies did a topical joke about Shirley Williams' brassiere arrangements, but it's not exactly passing out of living memory.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sad excuse

Not good enough in my opinion. Once Labour, always Labour.

And why are we supposed to take her word that she was opposed to the Iraq invasion?

A lot more going on here than meets the eye I think.

[I. Aproveofitspendingonspecificprojects 1]

Quite right

To be suspicious of a political motivation is the mark of an honest man.

What do you make of Winston Churchill's political career? If ever there was a man with a poor track record...

Whilst "Arch-Tory blogger Iain Dale is cock-a-hoop about this supposedly embarrassing discovery – as well as pouring gentle scorn on the very idea that someone who has worked in the adult film industry can have anything to offer the electorate." might have a point, one might ask if her services have been used by members members.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, you're quite right

undying loyalty is infinitely more preferable than critical thinking and the ability to admit that your previous conclusions are no longer valid

[Cameron Colley]

RE: Once Labour, always Labour.

That is a joke, right? Please tell me it's a wind-up?

It's attitudes like that which have let Tony and Gordon's current "Labour" party get into power and stay there. Political parties change their goals and policies and people can change their views as they become older and wiser.

[Anonymous Coward]

Betrayal

She's already betrayed one party. Who's to say she won't betray this one as well?

[Anonymous Coward]

So what?

Desperation or what? Is this the best thing the Tories could dig up? On a porn producer?

I am a member of the Labour Party and once voted Lib Dem (It was a second choice on a Scottish Parliament PR ballot).

John Prescott was a member of the Communist Party, Tony Blair was a Tory when at Uni, David Cameron once voted Labour, and I am certain I once seen Nick Clegg (who he?) wearing a red tie. The great thing about democracy is that we are all entitled to change our minds every now and then. Who knows? I may even vote for the SNP one day (if they master the art of jet propelled pig aviation, have a sunday during the week and/or paint the moon blue!).

Paris, because... well, do I really need to point out the connection?

[Graham Marsden]

Now I am six...

So, six years ago, she supported Labour. Big deal.

Perhaps we could see some comments about Edward McMillan-Scott who was once the leader of the Conservative MEPs in the European Parliament, who has recently defected to the Lib Dems...?

Oh, but of course, people there are too interested in sniggering like like school boys.

Pathetic.

[The Indomitable Gall]

In another shocking revelation...

I can exclusively reveal that Winston Churchill was a member of the Liberal Party before joining the Conservatives.

Won't somebody think of the children!

[heyrick]

EPIC non-story

So she left a party she didn't feel trust in and went to one she did. More ought to do that. So all this blog-dross hoo-ha relates to something discovered on a woefully out of date page. And? This, at most, shows that old content should be taken down (though bear in mind some way-back archive might have grabbed a copy forevermore). In the terms of a politician, if this is the best bit of mud they can throw at her, she's doing okay...

[bexley]

quite a lot of lib dem smear going onat the moment

Everyday something new appears in the news about the lib dems. Usually nobody cares or reports anything about them, election comming up where lots of people are looking at them as an alternative to red and blue for the first time in 30 years and oh look.

Who cares if she used to be labour, she is hardly the first person to have switched sides in politcs.

think that she used to be a porn director is more of a story.

I'd still vote for her though. AT least she has character.

[YARR]

LibDems did *NOT* oppose Iraq war

Anyone can change their views, but basing her defection to the LibDems on her opposition to the Iraq war is nonsensical - the LibDems never opposed the invasion of Iraq!

On fundamental issues like the invasion of Iraq, EU membership and immigration, polls repeatedly show that the majority disagree with the policy of the big three parties. Nevertheless they continue to vote for them out of ignorance due to media bias, inherited bias from a different political era, and the sense that voting for anyone else is a wasted vote.

If you really want to change the direction of politics in this country, you have to be radical and vote for the party that genuinely wants the best future for you, your family and your community. Politics is about energy, if you start a small change in the right direction now, it can pick up momentum and produce a seismic shift years down the line.

[Jim Hague]

LibDems never opposed the invasion of Iraq

Oh dear. I've been duped by a biased media into believing the LibDems whole-heartedly supported the Iraq war. I was mislead by their cunning tactic of indicating wholehearted support by voting 'no' on the relevant parliamentary division.

http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2003-03-18&number=118&display=allvotes

Of course, I'm a complete political simpleton, lacking the sophisticated understanding of such matters in Parliamentary circles. Now I see that when my local Labour MP voted consistently in favour of Post Office closures, he was actually doing what his publicity plastered over the local rags and junk mail claimed, and opposing them.

It's scary that I'm allowed to vote, really.

[Anonymous Coward]

Former porn producer ...

Get ready for a well-hung Parliament

... I'm already out the door ....

[mhenriday]

Three cheers for Anna !

«However, she objected strenuously to the UK government’s decision to invade Iraq, marched with the opposition to that war, and left the party at about the same time.» Let us hope that she will maintain her principles and work to make the UK something other than a cheerleader for and participant in the US Empire's continual wars of aggression !...

Henri

[seanj]

Refreshing...

So, she's someone who's seen a niche market, appealed directly to it, and ran a successful business. Makes a change from the professional politicians you usually get to choose from - the failed lawyers and PR managers...

If she were standing in my constituency, I'd vote for her on that basis alone!

[Robert Carnegie]

Charles Kennedy was anti war

And wasn't a drunk when they fired him. They put up with him when he was, they fired him when he wasn't drinking any more.

(According to for instance IRON MAN comics, once you're an alcoholic you.stay an alcoholic even if you don't drink for the rest of your life. Except for ULTIMATE IRON MAN which is a re-interpretation of the character who doesn't consider drinking to be a problem.)

The Lib Dems were anti war till Menzies Campbell was leader. I think I heard him on BBC Radio Scotland a while before he got the big job saying that a secure oil supply was a valid reason for a programme of Anglo-U.S. conquest in the Middle East but in his opinion the plan was insufficiently ambitious and too few countries were being invaded. Obviously that makes him sound like a loony, and it's possible that I've mistaken the speaker or the opinion. Perhaps he was being sarcastic. But the party did flip to support our war. Now I'm voting Scottish National Party because I think the destruction - well, dissolution - of the United Kingdom is a concept whose time has come and will give me peace of mind and London something to think about, and incidentally put the Tories in a much stronger electoral position - and serve you right.