Behind the Speaker's Chair: Freedom of speech.

Byline: Chris Moncrieff

THE conduct of the Home Office over the case of the Egyptian cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi has been a disgrace. During Commons exchanges the other day, the Prime Minister and Home Secretary, David Blunkett, gave the impression they were unsure whether he had even arrived.

Here we have a man who defends Palestinian suicide bombers on the grounds that these are ``martyrdom operations''. He has suggested the death penalty for homosexual acts and fornication, and said that rape victims should be punished if they were dressed immodestly.

Compare all that with the case of the little old man with a placard bearing a Biblical text who was marched off Trafalgar Square by police the other day during a ``Gay Pride'' rally. It was said that this might offend those who were ``celebrating their sexuality''.

We all believe in freedom of speech. But why should this little old man be accused of going over the mark while, so far, Dr Qaradawi has got away scot free? Is it possibly because the Government are frightened of upsetting Muslims, in relation to a man who is already barred from entering the United States?

ICHAEL Howard, the Tory leader, spelled out his vision of a Britain under a Conservative Government in an important speech to newspapermen and women the other day.

It all sounded very rosy. The trouble is that the Conservatives are not yet making the headway in the opinion polls which would guarantee them an overall majority.

They should be miles ahead by now, especially with the present Government going through a sticky patch and with Tony Blair's leadership an incessant topic of conversation.

The next General Election could well beless than a year away, so the Tories will have to pull out some stops or risk facing another humiliation, the third in a row. What they need and what they lack is the killer instinct of Labour in the last years of the John Major administration. CLICHE it may be, but an Englishman's home is gradually ceasing to be his castle. Under proposed new legislation, busybody inspectors from the RSPCA would be able to enter your home without a warrant if they suspected you were ill-treating an animal.

You will not need to switch on your television to watch Big Brother any more. He will be right there on your doorstep.

And, according to some interpretations of this imminent new law, you could be arrested and prosecuted for owning a depressed dog. It will be a blessing when Parliament closes down for the summer holidays so that we will be spared, at least temporarily, from any more