Want to change a political policy? Threaten to top yourself...

It seems that threatening to starve yourself to death is back in fashion as a method of changing government policy.  Several Palestine Action protesters on remand have taken to hunger strikes in order to challenge the government for not letting them out on bail and various other demands that are rather convoluted.  The government says it can do nothing due to the separation of powers.  However, I seem to remember that when the Suffragettes went on hunger strikes the Asquith government responded with the "Cat and Mouse Act" (see here).  It was later repealed by section 54(2) of, and Part I of the Fourth Schedule to, the Prison Act 1952 but presumably could be activated again. 

Historically hunger strikes have seldom been politically effective - although the Suffragettes got lots of publicity out of the horrors of force feeding.  You'd think force feeding would have died out but apparently many of the Guantanamo Bay detainees were force fed during waves of multiple hunger strikes.  This was even filmed and there was a court case about trying to get the tapes released.  Richard Reid tried it at one point but was also force fed by the US.  Bobby Sands starving himself to death never endeared me to his cause.  I'm still with Mrs Thatcher on that one - more fool you.  The ANC toyed with hunger strikes as a tactic but Nelson Mandela called it off because he didn't see the point.  The most famous proponent of the tactic was Ghandi who used to use the tactic as part of his philosophy of Ahimsa (non violent direct action) but even Ghandi stopped at approximately 21 days max ... and effectively used it as a political stunt without actually endangering his own life.

So my advice is it's Christmas so ... Have a break, have a KitKat.

In other news the farmers have bullied the government into raising the inheritance tax threshold by threatening to top themselves ... so maybe there's something in this emotional blackmail thing ... Don't like a policy? Threaten to top yourself.