How The Americans See Duck-Gate...

Yes, it is official.

The situation at Westminister is so embarassing for this country, that even the Americans after the fiasco regarding hanging chads can afford to have a dig at us...

In the 1970s, Britain was seen by the world as 'The Sick Man Of Europe'. Times seem not to have changed much in the last 30 years....

with thanks to politicalbetting.com

Shadow Minister Arrested For Doing His Job...

Morning,

Just when you thought the world could not get more and more nutty, we have the unedifying picture of the Shadow Immigration Minister, Damian Green being arrested on Counter-Terrorism charges. The media have used the term "conspiracy to cause misconduct in public office".

You would have thought that the likes of Blair and Goldsmith would have been arrested for their part in taking us into an illegal war in Iraq, but I have not heard any news on that...

It is thought the arrest was centred on four Home Office documents allegedly obtained by the Conservatives, including a sensitive memorandum on likely crime rises during the economic downturn.

You would have thought that, that sort of information was in the public interest.

Speaking outside the House of Commons in the early hours of Friday morning, Mr Green said: "I was astonished to have spent more than nine hours today under arrest for doing my job.

"I emphatically deny I have done anything wrong.

"I have many times made public information that the Government wanted to keep secret - information that the public has a right to know.

"In a democracy, opposition politicians have a duty to hold the Government to account. I was elected to the House of Commons precisely to do that and I certainly intend to continue doing so."

In a democracy, absolutely Damien. Problem is, is Britain a democracy any more?

Guido makes some very interesting analogies between Chairman Brown and the leader of the most corrupt regime in the world. As a libertarian, if on the left compared to Guido's instinctive right-wing thoughts, I can not help but feel rather more insecure this morning, than I did yesterday...

Questions need to be asked, who sanctioned this arrest. Ian Blair's last day as commissioner of the Met is today, perhaps this is a parting shot to the Tories. Apparently the Home Secretary was not aware of such an arrest happening.

Considering that it is a matter of recourse for any arrest of an MP to be immediately reported to the Home Secretary, I think we can safely assume that, that is a load of bullshit.

Or perhaps it is that there are reports that there are British involvement in the Terror Attacks in Mumbai...

Beyond Contempt

For all the failings that he had, and let us be fair he had some pretty bad ones, Tony Blair had a way of capturing the mood of a country and as such, he was able to eloquently speak on such subjects delicately. The most discussed issue this morning in offices and workplaces across the country is not the unemployment figures; it is how could the savage beating to death of a seventeen-month old baby happen in the same borough as the equally sadistic death of Victoria Climbié.

This afternoon at Prime Minister's questions, Chairman Brown showed how retarded he truly is. He is inept in sensing the popular mood. Asked a straightforward question about the death of Baby P he went into a pitifully prepared response full of bureaucratic bullshit. His tone was truly off key and made shoddier when he made a cheap partisan accusation. Obviously, something is wrong in the Haringey Children's Services department in spite of the Victoria Climbié inquiry.

The thought of Haringey's own Children Director doing her own inquiry is unbelievable. There is only one thing she should be doing.

Resign and it can be argued that she should not be the only one to fall on her sword.

The list of people responsible for this murder could be argued to go to the very top. It is a Labour Authority after all, and Nu Labour has had a reputation of awarding people of failing authorities with comfortable jobs. One such person is Margaret Hodge, who was leader of Islington Council. Whilst at the helm, in 1985, Demetrious Panton complained about abuse that he had suffered while in the council's care in the 70s and 80s. He did not receive an official reply until 1989, in which the council denied responsibility.

In 2003, following Hodge's appointment as Minister for Children, Demetrious Panton went public with his allegation that he was abused in Islington Council care and had repeatedly raised this issue with no effect. He holds Margaret Hodge ultimately responsible for the abuse that he suffered. Following a media campaign conducted by several national newspapers calling for her to resign from her new post, she responded to Panton by letter, in which she referred to him as 'extremely disturbed'.

Panton then passed the letter to the press, which planned to publish it, only to be judicially restrained from doing so at the instruction of Hodge. The letter was eventually published, mainly because the blocking of the letter was seen as disproportionate. Hodge was forced to publicly apologize and offered to contribute to a charity of the man's choosing as recompense.

As the MP for Haringey, Lynne Featherstone has said this evening 'what society allows a BBC presenter to resign for some hoax call, and yet someone in authority is not held to account for the brutal death of someone in their area,'

Exactly, my point in one. On a separate point, it has to be fair that the way that the local MP has dealt with this has been exemplary in these shocking circumstances.

As for the perpetrators, I have thought long and hard on this one, as I have done after Soham and Sarah Payne and the many other shocking and disgusting acts of criminality by this country's lowlife. The hangman's noose is the first thing which comes to mind, when it comes to these sort of cases, however as an advocate for the abolition of the death penalty, I am very wary of going down that dark route for a number of reasons.

Something is for sure, something must happen.

Rob :(

Place Your Bets...

Just seen something on Guido, apparently Betfair are offering odds of 9/1 on Chairman Brown leaving office before the end of the year.

Reasonable odds that, considering that he could be gone before then if Nu Labour's fortunes don't change any time soon.

With the unions threatening a summer of discontent as well as Labour on the brink of bankruptcy. There is the thought that the unions could hold the cards of Labour's short term future.  The thoughts of many indicate that the unions want Alan Johnson to take over - a former union official.  Whereas Blairites and Labour's millionaire backers want David Milliband.

If Chairman Brown goes then, whoever comes in would have to get a mandate from the country. It was common knowledge when Bliar went to the electorate in 2005 that Chairman Brown was waiting in the wings to take over office.

There was nothing there for people to presume that within a year of being elected that Chairman Brown would be such a liability that his commissars would be lining up to give the Coup D'Grace to their leader.

What goes around, comes around.

Rob :)