Berlusconi a right-winger? Can't be, he agreed with New Labour...

The mind boggles at Tom Harris' explanation of why he shouldn't be considered a right-winger. Essentially he lists seven reasons typically given for suggesting he is one - and then says "er, yes, those are all true actually, but they're all things the New Labour government was keen on or that traditional Labour voters support". Well, a striking number of traditional Labour voters have been turning to the BNP in recent years, while the New Labour government always seemed remarkably comfortable in the company of American neocons, not to mention the Italian and Spanish right. By Tom's rather simplistic logic, does that mean Nick Griffin, George W Bush and Silvio Berlusconi can't possibly be considered right-wingers either?

Specifically, Tom ought to be careful about his smug assumption that he, rather than the left, is in tune with the core Labour vote on the issue of welfare - this poll indicates that the position is, at the very least, somewhat more nuanced than he imagines. Hardly surprising - the more likely you are to have been a benefit recipient at some point (or to know someone who has been) the more likely you are to appreciate that many, many claimants are not "scroungers" or "trying it on".

To be fair, the first commenter on Tom's piece hits the nail on the head by pointing out that a lot of the other questionable views his detractors point to aren't so much "right-wing" in the strictest sense as just very, very authoritarian. Hint - that doesn't actually make it any better, Tom. After all, it was the Chinese Communist Party that felt it was entirely appropriate to tell people when they should and shouldn't have children - just like the Labour MP for Glasgow South...

I know things are grim, Silvio, but...

Silvio Berlusconi reportedly now views himself, quite literally, as the most 'persecuted' man in the entire history of the world. Really? Perhaps someone ought to quietly introduce the billionaire Italian Prime Minister - who for years has been able to use his wealth and power to shield himself from the legal process in a way that no ordinary citizen ever could - to Mr. Gary McKinnon.