Friday Forecast - on a Friday shock!

Oh, this is hard. I don't think our boys will try the 'poor Mr Blair is being harrassed by shameless liberals in the Meeja, esp. the BBC, over loans for peerages, the Saudi deal, or indeed the government's own advice on Iraq.' It's possible that DA will go with the (sensible, IMO) feminist line that government policy on prostitution makes it possible for mad serial killers to operate, but that may be projection on my part. Nick may do torture and that Democratiya article - how we need a debate, it's only the truly closed-minded who are afraid to consider all sides, etc. I can't see how he can get the West End into this - perhaps he'll suggest a revised version of 'Death and the Maiden' where the torturer is revealed as a conscientious goodie. You know, like the Thomas Bowdler version of 'Lear' where Cordelia et al live.

Update Sunday 2:04 pm by DW. In the comments below Redpesto objected to my suggestion re Aaro I can't see how DA could do prostitution, as the New Labour line seems to be we'll allow two women to work together - then make it as difficult as possible for them to get punters because we disapprove of that sort of thing. Curiously, the Observer today argues that Downing Street blocked moves that would in effect have legalised prostitution because the Prime Minister was so concerned that hostile headlines would wreck plans to make sex workers' lives safer. and Katharine Raymond, a senior adviser to the former Home Secretary David Blunkett, reveals that he wanted to liberalise the law, allowing managed areas for prostitutes similar to those in mainland Europe. While the Redmond article indeed says that David Blunkett wanted what he called 'a grown-up debate', I really can't find any passage which could be interpreted as presenting Blair's objecting solely from fears of the censorious media. Indeed, she says In January this year the government finally came up with a watered-down series of proposals that took a small step in the right direction - a change of rules allowing prostitutes to work together, a crackdown on kerb crawlers and new methods to help women addicted to class-A drugs. Almost a year later, even these mild measures have not been enacted. which suggests to me that Blair (or others) shared the reaction they imputed to the press. However, I may be wrong in this reading. If so, then Red would be wrong: DA would have room for the argument that liberalisation is the New Labour line and only the media and the people, shameless, ignorant reactionaries all, stand in the way of sensible progress. However, I am now even less sure that this will be Dave's sermon of choice.