This One's Not Worth The Effort

Our news media are climbing all over the British politician, Godfrey Bloom, who congratulated the French for sinking the Rainbow Warrior in 1985.

He appears to have been unaware when he made his comments that the bombing claimed the life of one person, Fernando Pereira.

He clearly does not regret the words he used. He was given the opportunity this morning on Morning Report to apologise for the offence, but instead he said this:

I am very very sorry, my belated deep condolences to him and his family. I think it's a great shame that you lose any innocent lives in something like this, I deeply regret that

There's a "sorry" in there, but it's not clear what he's sorry for. So it hardly counts as an apology. And given that he spent the rest of his interview going off about the evils of the environmental movement, it's clear he's not sorry the Rainbow Warrior was sunk.

It is easy to get worked up over the giving of offence, especially when the person doing the offending should know better. But Bloom is a member of the UK Independence Party, a political party not known for sensible policies (as one of many examples of this I could cite, when potty peer and climate change denial Viscount Monckton recently joined the party it was worthy of a press release), and some of his comments on other issues show him to be at best an eccentric crank and at worst a reactionary.

From the Times:

The newly-elected UK Independence Party MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber has gone on television to say that no businessman in his right mind would employ a woman of child-bearing age.

Unfortunately, Mr Bloom chose the day that he was nominated to the women's rights committee of the European Parliament to make his remarks.

The new champion of equal opportunity told an interviewer in Strasbourg: "The more women's rights you have, it's actually a bar to their employment.

"No self-respecting small businessman with a brain in the right place would ever employ a lady of child-bearing age.

"That isn't politically correct, is it? But it's a fact of life. I know, because I am a businessman."

The investment fund manager opened his mouth to change feet when invited on television to justify remarks he made earlier to journalists, who were there to interview him about his new role.

He told them that he was keen to deal with women's issues "because I don't think they clean behind the fridge enough".

He continued: "I am here to represent Yorkshire women who always have dinner on the table when you get home. I am going to promote men's rights."

If his views on women show him to be out of date, then it should be no surprise that the environmental movement frightens him.

His past form does not excuse the latest remarks. But it reveals a man not known for sensible or temperate commentary.

So we could all offer obligatory outrage over the odious opinions expressed by Bloom. Or we could just ignore the fool. I intend to do just that (having already written more than I intended on this topic).