I saw Ian Paisley at a public meeting when I was at university. One of the more imaginative hecklers shouted “Paisley! You’re a wanker!” Paisley replied, “Sir, my hands are on the table. Where are yours?” It still makes me laugh.

But just because the rampant old bigot is a good public speaker and sorted out wheelchair access to my aunt’s house is no reason to invite him to Labour Party conference.

Since the early 1960s this man has dedicated his life to sustaining a type of low intensity holy war against Catholics in the north of Ireland. Calling the Pope the Antichrist is only a simple statement of fact but every loyalist killer who ever shot or hacked a Fenian to death was, in part, driven by what Paisley said and did.

We know New Labour’s love of deranged, religious murdererous megalomaniacs is limitless though this invitation is truly surprising. It will be a good test of what remains of the Labour left. If the invite is allowed to stand he has to be greeted by abuse or a walkout.

Some other time I will write about the lessons of my one man walkout of the UCW conference when Princess Ann started speaking.

The links below are to the Observer article in case you don’t believe me and Paisley’s religious site which gives a glimpse of a universe best avoided. The good thing about being an atheist is that you know you won’t have to spend eternity with any variety of religious fruitcake.

http://www.ianpaisley.org/main.asp

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,,1869120,00.html