Clarke won't be stoppedr

Anyone willing to take an award from Fred Nile and his cronies can't expect anything but to be labelled as an extremist. Clarke is either very naive or he believes the public are stupid. Perhaps there's a bit of truth in both explanations.

Conservative MP vows not to be silenced
NineMSN/AAP, 15 Sep 2005

Conservative NSW powerbroker David Clarke has hit back at media criticism of his views on abortion and homosexuality, saying he is not going to be silenced by his critics.

Mr Clarke has also been accused in recent times by some members of his own party of being an extremist and a religious zealot.

On Wednesday night, he received an award for "Parliamentary Service" from Christian Democrat MP and morals crusader Fred Nile's Festival of Light Organisation.

Mr Clarke, a Liberal member of the NSW upper house, played a key role in Peter Debnam's rise to the NSW Liberal leadership following the resignation and subsequent apparent suicide bid by former leader John Brogden.

Mr Clarke, a supporter of the Catholic Opus Dei movement, attacked the media for reporting what he said were anonymous and false claims about him, including that he had said women who have abortions should be charged with murder and that homosexuality should be outlawed.

He said he would continue to argue for the values he believed in.

"I want to tell you good people that I'm not going to be cowed by these types," he told about 100 Festival of Light Members at Parliament House in Sydney.

"I came into parliament to speak out on issues and that's what I'm going to continue to do.

"I'm not going to be stopped, I'm not going to be slowed down, I'm just going to continue to keep going on."

Some members of the audience, which included Nationals leader Andrew Stoner and Liberal MP Malcolm Kerr, responded with comments such as "That's right," and "Amen".

Mr Clarke praised the Festival of Light, which has staged protests against the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in recent years.

"I'm going to try and live up to the good values for which the Festival of Light stands," he said.

Mr Clarke outlined his political philosophy, saying he was a conservative, pro-life and supports the Christian constitutional monarchy and Australia's current flag, but rejected claims he was an extremist.

"I find myself in the mainstream," he said.

"There's nothing extreme about that."

He also supported the rights of non-Christians and people who did not believe in God.