"Alan Bennett has been accused of ‘madness’ for claiming that closing libraries was akin to ‘child abuse’," puffs the Daily Mail."The playwright condemned the closure of hundreds of libraries, saying that many children do not have computers and books at home.
"Mr Bennett is supporting a campaign to save Kensal Rise library, one of six earmarked for closure by Labour-run Brent Council in north London—half the libraries in the borough..."
"The 77-year-old Yorkshire-born humourist told a 400-strong public meeting: ‘Closing libraries is child abuse... Libraries have to be local. They have to be handy. They shouldn’t need an expedition. But that early period in a child’s reading life is vital. Interfere with that, hinder a child’s access to books in whatever form and you damage that child, probably for life.'"
You have to read on quite a bit to find out who the Mail could find to accuse Mr Bennett of "madness"...
Mark Littlewood, director general of the Institute of Economic Affairs - a scarily right wing "free market" thinktank.
"What an unbelievably extreme thing for an extremely intelligent man to say," Littlewood said.
"To equate an analysis that libraries are an increasingly anachronistic way of getting reading matter into the hands of children with paedophilia is madness."
But he didn't equate it with paedpohilia, he said it was "child abuse... hinder a child’s access to books in whatever form and you damage that child, probably for life."
Madness!
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The daily mail there trying to have their cake and eat it implying that Bennett was referring specifically to paedophilia without having to say it themselves. I suppose it's beacuse he's a big old gayer.
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