Extreme rhetoric

In recent years the language of politics has been getting ever more overblown but of late it's reached rather worrying levels. Today it sinks to a new low with this, courtesy of Polly Toynbee:

(Hattip to ConservativeHome: Tories want "final solution" for the poor says Guardian's Polly Toynbee)

Has Toynbee lost the plot? Doesn't she realise just how offensive the use of such language as "final solution" is?

ZANU-PF - the new Nazis

There are few words available to describe the conditions in modern day Zimbabwe. But it seems that the situation is getting trivialised by the day.

There is a long standing tradition on the internet that the longer a discussion goes on, the more likely it is someone will make a comparison with Hitler and the Nazis, usually ridiculously overblown - see Godwin's Law for more information.

Now it seems that comparisons to Robert Mugabe and his party ZANU-PF are being made with the same level of casualness. Consider this comment on And another thing...: Your man at Westminster:

Zimbabwe UK! From Guido

UKIP are complaining that ballot papers are being handed out folded over and people don't realise their name is over the fold. Supporters are complaining to their party HQ that UKIP were not on the ballot paper...

Yes voters having to unfold the ballot paper (folded by a few helpful polling station officials because it's so long it's hard to get it in the box) is clearly comparable to the atrocities in Zimbabwe. Can anyone find more examples of these absurd over the top comparisons?

In more ways than one ZANU-PF are the new Nazis.

Young Liberals abandon students and democracy

It's official today. The Lib Dems' youth & students wing, Liberal Democrat Youth & Students, has relaunched itself under the new name "Liberal Youth". As I've blogged before (Young Lib Dems to become a lie?), both students and democracy have been dropped from the title. It also means the young Lib Dems are using a name that evokes a different party, the Liberal Party, so the Lib Dems can no longer whine about voters being confused by the other party.

Then there's the new Liberal Youth website. Yes that really is their website, not an imitation. What were they thinking?!

But, at the risk of triggering Godwin's Law, I'm surprised very few people have yet picked up that the name has a similarity to that of a rather famous youth movement from the last century. Well some have - see this comment on Liberal Democrat Voice. The excuse that "Youth" was in the old name just doesn't wash as it was watered down by other elements.

In the launch press release (see Liberal Democrat Voice: Nick Clegg launches Liberal Youth) Nick Clegg declared "Britain has a liberal youth. We'll make it Liberal Democrat." And if you believe that you'll believe pigs could fly. Or that there could be a Liberal Democrat government.

Oh and a Google search for "Liberal Youth" currently brings up the following as the top entry:

MySpace.com - LIBERAL YOUTH (not a f***in political party ...
MySpace music profile for LIBERAL YOUTH (not af***in political party) with tour dates, songs, videos, pictures, blogs, band information, downloads and more.
www.myspace.com/liberalyouthschc - 181k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

It's not the best start is it?