Good Breeding

Doubtless purely on principle, all four holders of the sinecures formerly known as the Great Offices of State have consistently voted against women's reproductive rights. Fishy Rishi, Jeremy Chunt, the Minister for Wogs and Misnomer and the Minister for Wog Disposal all share with the new minister for women a clear dislike for the idea of women having control over their own health. Between a quarter and a third of this week's Cabinet have also voted against measures to increase women's autonomy and in favour of emotional blackmail outside abortion clinics: a stance which might be more convincing as a defence of free speech if Government and opposition were not united in favour of lengthy prison sentences for peaceful protest on other issues. The fact that Fishy Rishi, Jeremy Chunt, the Minister for Wogs and Misnomer, and the Minister for Wog Disposal themselves constitute four of the best arguments in favour of abortion on demand at any stage before, during or after birth is, of course, neither here nor there.