Tory, John Redwood, says date rape might just be a 'disagreement' between lovers

[Honey]

John Redwood: His controversial comments were written on his website blog


Date rape should be treated differently from attacks on women by strangers, John Redwood has said.

The former cabinet minister - now a senior Tory party adviser - suggested rape accusations made by women against their partners should be treated as "disagreements" between lovers.
Labour ministers seized on the remarks, which were made in the wake of Tory leader David Cameron's pledge to toughen up rape laws.

Mr Redwood wrote on his website blog: "They [Labour] decided to set date rape alongside stranger rape.

"None of us want men to rape women, but there is a difference between a man using unreasonable force to assault a woman on the street, and a disagreement between two lovers over whether there was consent on one particular occasion.

"Labour's doctrine of equivalence has led to jury scepticism about many rape claims, in situations where it is the man's word against the woman's and where they had agreed to spend the evening or night together."


Last month Mr Cameron promised to toughen up Britain's rape laws after unveiling research showing that just one in 20 cases reported to the police ends in a guilty verdict - down from one in three in 1977.

It has also been suggested that around three-quarters of rape victims do not report the crime to the police.

Mr Cameron told the Conservative Women's Organisation that this meant only 15 out of 1,000 victims see justice done.

He said: "We have a situation where rapists think they can get away with it, while victims fear not being believed and wonder what's the point of pursuing the criminal process.

"How can any civilised country, that sees the sanctity of consent to sex as a vital right for every woman, accept these facts?"

Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker, who is in charge of rape policy, said yesterday: "It is just a month since David Cameron said that too many men were committing rape because they think they can get away with it.
"Now one of his closest advisors is trying to create an artificial difference between stranger and date rape. I have made it clear that rape is rape, wherever it happens. It does not matter who commits it or what the circumstances are.

"In fact, almost 90 per cent of rapes are committed by men who know their victims, so this type of rape is the biggest problem we have to deal with - not something to be dismissed as a lesser crime.

"If David Cameron is truly serious about this issue, he should immediately apologise for these remarks and call on John Redwood to issue a retraction.

"If he does not, then every person in Britain will know that his speech last month was just another cynical exercise in spin."
Mr Redwood served in John Major's cabinet as Welsh Secretary. He is a prominent Eurosceptic and stood against Mr Major when he resigned the leadership in 1995.

Last year Mr Cameron appointed him co-chairman of the Tories' policy review group on economic competitiveness.

Mr Redwood said last night: "I will not be retracting my statement. I've not said anything David would disagree with.
"It is the courts that are making this distinction."

Top Tory says date rape might just be a 'disagreement' between lovers | the Daily Mail

[yanna]

Well, if this asshole agrees to have sex with me, I can tie him up and inflict some cock and ball torture on him, right? He did agree to have sex with me!!

[sputnik]

of course he had to be a tory.

[Aella]

I bet if it were his sister or daughter getting date-raped, he'd be calling for the rapist to be drawn and quartered.

Misunderstanding, my ass! Motherfucker.

[queenb3577]

What a fuckin asshole.