Holiday Blogging

There will be no blogging during the holiday season. Hopefully the batteries will be recharged and things will return to normal in the new year.

Quick Apology

Met police assistant commissioner Bob Quick has apologised unreservedly to the Conservative Party which it has accepted for making unsubstantiated allegations against it.

I can’t see how Mr Quick can continue to lead the Damian Green investigation after this sorry episode. The whole Damian Green affair has portrayed the anti terror Police in a terrible light and has been an unmitigated PR disaster. The sooner the Police drop this investigation and move on to dealing with actual terror the better.

Spend Addict Gordon

‘It seems a little bit like the addict returning to the drug.’

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams commenting on Gordon Brown’s spending splurge. Ouch!

Elections To Police Authorities Scrapped

Only a month ago Vernon Coaker, the Policing Minister in support of direct elections to Police Authorities said that ‘only direct election, based on geographic constituencies, will deliver the strong connection to the public which is critical’ and dismissing fears from the Local Government Association and Association of Police Authorities of the BNP flooding authorities with its supporters he added, ‘The BNP has stood against many of the councillors on police authorities. They have stood against me. How have we beaten them? By persuasion; we have pointed out the racist nature of much of what they say.’

Presumably what Vernon Coaker said a month ago no longer applies as the Home Secretary has dropped plans for direct elections blaming the politicisation of the Police as a concern and the potential for BNP members to get elected. How odd that in an old and established democracy, people fear the outcome of a democratic result.

As far as politicisation is concerned, Jacqui Smith is talking utter nonsense. She seems to think that when Police chase targets and do what Ministers want them to do there’s no politicisation but when there’s a chance that the Police might end up doing what the public demands, they’re being politicised!

It is in the Labour Party’s genes to try and maintain state control over everything. Here, it flirted with local autonomy for Police Authorities albeit based on flawed plans but at the eleventh hour bottled it as it has previously in health and education with plans for Foundation Hospitals and School Academies. 

Labour Isn’t Working

All 800 odd Woolworths Stores will close on 5 January 2009. This will add 27 000 to the unemployment figures which have increased by 137 000 in the three months to October 2008. This is the biggest quarterly fall in jobs since December 1992. Total unemployment is at 1.86million, the highest figure since the three months to December 1997, with those claiming unemployment benefit passing the one million mark. We’re back to 1979, Labour isn’t working.

Are You Thinking What Branson’s Thinking?

Richard Branson has described the UK economy as ‘f***ed.’ His spokesman later explained that ‘He’s only saying what everyone’s thinking, in a more forthright way.’ Gordon Brown please note!

UK Troops to Leave Iraq in 2009

Gordon Brown has announced in Baghdad that all British troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by July 2009 as the forces ‘will have completed their tasks in the first half of 2009.’ Leaving aside the merits of the decision, he should have made this announcement to Parliament and properly thanked those who have lost their lives and been injured during the conflict but grandstanding on the international stage is what Brown is currently obsessed with and this announcement fits well into that obsession.

This announcement hasn’t come as a complete surprise. There was a great deal of uncertainty as to the exact role of UK troops in Basra and their effectiveness in maintaining law and order, and whether the Iraqi army has been trained sufficiently well to be able to control Basra. We’ll know for certain when they leave and how much control the Iraqi Government is able to exercise against the Shia militia in southern Iraq.

The timing of the withdrawal raises many questions and in particular whether this will lead to an increase in UK troops in Afghanistan or whether this is playing to a domestic audience in preparation of a 2009 general election. As with everything Gordon Brown announces, this isn’t as straightforward as it seems.

How Blair Would Have Responded To Shoe Attack

Muntadar al-Zaidi, the shoe throwing journalist has become a mini celebrity in Iraq and support for him is rising while he remains in custody. George Bush’s response to the shoes being hurled at him was to tell a pathetically weak joke about the size of the shoes which summed up his clumsiness in dealing with all matters relating to Iraq.

Had the shoes been thrown at Tony Blair, I suspect he would have responded by saying that it was only due to the removal of Saddam Hussein and his regime that a journalist could throw a shoe at a visiting head of state and not end up being killed by state police along with the rest of his family. He would have added that while many disagreed with the war in Iraq, at least there was enough freedom now for a journalist to attend a press conference and express his view regardless of the manner in which he chooses to do so. Blair would have called for al-Zaidi to be released immediately and in the best case scenario would have invited him to a meeting in front of the cameras to discuss his concerns with al-Zaidi probably ending up apologising for his actions.

Perhaps I am being too kind to Blair but he certainly would have had the nous to defuse this incident instead of the way Bush and the Iraqi Government have responded and allowed it to escalate with allegations now of al-Zaidi’s mistreatment by the security forces and thousands marching to demand his immediate release.

A Severe Recession!

We often hear that it is only after alcoholics and drug addicts admit to their addiction can they really be helped. Until they admit they have a very serious problem, a remedy that will effectively help cannot be provided.

I suppose the same principle applies to an economic crisis – until the Government admits to the scale of the problem, an effective solution cannot be found. It is therefore interesting to note that two Government Ministers have admitted that the recession is likely to affect us more severely than ever before and more than other countries.

Tessa Jowell, the Olympics Minister, expects the recession to be ‘deeper than any that we have known’ and Chancellor Alistair Darling notes that ‘…we are likely to be more severely affected as a result of the profitability being reduced and I’ve made that point on many occasions’ – which he actually hasn’t but one more fib by a Minister to go with the many Brown tells doesn’t make much difference.

Now we have these admissions is there any chance the Government might put forward policies that are likely to help people struggling to cope with the economic downturn instead of the ill thought out measures of the PBR and reckless plans of borrowing based on the premise that we are better placed than others to deal with the economic slump?

Bank Apology & Government To Blame?

John Varley, head of Barclays Bank responding to the economic slump has said that banks should apologise and show some humility for their role in the downturn and also pointed the finger at the role of ‘governments’ without specifically mentioning the Labour Government. He said:

‘I think if you look at the players who were involved in what’s happened to the world, I think there are quite a lot of players. They would include central banks, they would include governments — but they would certainly include the banks.’

Gordon Brown blames everyone except himself and will never apologise for his role in the recession – he’s simply too smug and too proud. But at least the head of one bank is belatedly recognising that his industry has to shoulder some of the blame for the mess the country’s finances are in which is a welcome first step.

This morning David Cameron has raised the issue of accountability of those who are at fault. He said:

Doctors who behave irresponsibly get struck off. Bankers who behave irresponsibly should face professional consequences. And, for sure, if anyone is found to have behaved criminally they must be prosecuted…Are the government seriously saying that nothing untoward could have happened over here? How can anyone believe that in the worst financial crisis of our lifetime no proper and thorough investigation needs to happen?…If we’re going to build a strong and fair society, individuals must carry the consequences of their own actions – regardless of who they are, where they come from, and what their background is.’

The Government won’t carry out an investigation into the financial turmoil as is being demanded. If it did, there would be several criticisms of Government economic policy of the last 12 years; and when Gordon Brown believes he is saving the world, criticism at home would be the last thing he would need.