The "I'm Back" Roundup of the last few weeks

Having now returned from uni for Christmas, I thought I probably ought to get posting again. There's no great reason why I couldn't blog whilst at uni, but the motivation was a long time coming during the leadership bickering going on for the last few weeks, so I didn't.

Anyway, here are my thoughts for the last few weeks, condensed into a kind of roundup post:

* Free speech. The Oxford Union thing brought out for me the amazing number of people I had idle conversations with who have swallowed the complete doublethink that is the argument that there are "limits to free speech", or that the right to free speech can be divorced from allowing people platforms (is the right to free speech effectively just the right to talk to yourself? No? Then people with universally despised views actually will need special provision of platforms, surely?). Also, a side note about the "Oxbridge Union is a prestigious platform" argument: That's only so if you proclaim it to be so. Personally, as someone who attends a fair few debates at the Cambridge Union and sees the pitiful nature of many speeches, I accord very little respect to someone on the grounds of having spoken there. I imagine it is probably the same in Oxford.

* Leadership Election. Yes, I have voted. Yes, I voted for Nick. Yes, for the same reasons as I outlined at the start of the contest. Having said that, I was challenged constantly by Chris Huhne, who has run a very competitive campaign, not helped by the fact that Nick has seemed rather unimaginative in his, content to rest on his laurels as frontrunner. Ultimately, though, if we don't elect Nick now, we will next time, whenever it comes, which would always leave Huhne feeling like a stopgap. We can't do that. A third party must always look as if it's boldly heading upwards.

* Vince. Well done, sir!

* This Week. Is it me, or does Michael Portillo squeeze ever further down to Diane Abbot's end of the sofa each week. He now has a big gap to the other side of him. Budging up to make room for a Lib Dem, perhaps?!

* I was going to add something about the Christianophobia debate this week, but that went a bit long, so it will be a separate post.

And that's all I can remember about the last few weeks. If anyone has been on the edge of their seats to know what I think about any other issues, then do let me know, and I will add updates!