The Pro Choice demonstration- called by the Abortion Rights Campaign:

 http://www.abortionrights.org.uk/

-numbered up to 1,000 and was mostly young women aged between 16 and 40. In other words exactly the people most likely to be affected by any change in the law that could see a return to coat hanger abortions. The demonstration was loud and proud becoming visibly more upbeat and celebratory as the amendments were defeated one after the other.

Meanwhile further down the pavement the grotesque circus sideshow that is Britain’s Christian right had their own less than vibrant intervention. These people are not what you would describe as a good advert for the love of God. Firstly they are even more full of hate and bitterness than they are full of shit (and that’s saying something). Most of them look so pale and miserable that you could be forgiven for thinking that they had just been released from Mr Fritzel’s cellar. They were nearly all middle aged and half of them were men. Not exactly people whom a change in the law would affect. There were no more 100 of them.

At one point barking mad Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski addressed the merry throng to announce that he had voted for the legal limit to be cut in half to 12 weeks. He then went on to say that it was a disgrace that the Police had ordered the Pro-Life demonstration to remain silent so as not to provoke the larger Pro Choice demo. This of course was completely untrue and the assembled journalists present who really had nothing better to do set upon Mr Kawczynski for an explanation. He looked decidedly uncomfortable with the questioning and also a little shocked that a mere journalist would dare to question someone as important as the MP for Shrewsbury. In the end he made his excuses and left. It was unclear whether he was told this by the organisers of the pro life rally or he just made it up on the spot to try and impress them.

Another surreal intervention was made by a Catholic nun who proclaimed that the Police and the media were in a conspiracy against Christians and they were also vehemently pro Muslim??!!+!

Myself I had never realised how pro Muslim the Police and media were. I must have been hallucinating when I saw all those Muslim youths and motorists being stopped and searched by the Police for no apparent reason. I have also clearly missed all those positive stories about Muslims adorning the front pages of the Sun, Express, Daily Mail ect. I wish I had the same powers of observation as demonstrated by the average convent inmate…

Another thing I find slightly odd is that the last time this lot were here there was over 1,000 of them demonstrating against the Human Rights Act being extended to gay people. See:

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/01/359629.html

So if there was ten times more of them here on that occasion; does that mean that discriminating against gay people is ten times more important for the average Christian fundamentalist than protecting unborn babies? Interesting priorities these people have?

Though every bit of reactionary lunacy was defeated in Parliament this could well be back on the agenda before long. A landslide victory by the Tories at the next general election (which is looking pretty likely after last night) could well swing things in the favour of the Pro Life lobby. It should also be remembered that it is not just the Tories who support this shite. Front bench Labour MPs like Opus Dei headcase Ruth Kelly also voted for a 12 week limit. So this is far from over.