Editor:
In his recent bulk mail out, our Conservative MP John Weston asserts, "As an academic, Michael Ignatieff is used to being able to say anything he likes without consequences."
Is this just the latest in his seemingly never-ending round of cheap-shot political mailouts, or is there something much deeper and much more troublesome in play here?
If academics are truly able to say what they like without consequence, I suppose it follows that we really don't have to pay much heed to their warnings - say on environmental issues like climate change and habitat destruction - or to their recommendations - say on social policy issues regarding criminal law and addict harm reduction.
How convenient. That means the studied and peer-reviewed evidence brought forward by these babble-mouthed academics can be dismissed whenever it is at odds with the preconceived notions of the political elite.
So in one simplistic and ill-informed statement, Weston has dissed a political opponent as well as denigrated an important sector of society that generally has no political agenda in its quest to gain a richer and better understanding of the world.
Dreadful statement, John. Certainly it's your right to say anything you like, but hopefully with consequence come next election.
Ted Bentley
Madeira Park
