November 2009 Archives

What a difference one opinion poll seems to make. A slow news day on Sunday meant The Observer's latest poll, which had the gap between the Tories and Labour down to just eight points, was dismissed by many as just a blip.

Almost a week on, and is it too soon to suggest that the poll has sent the Tories into a bit of a flap?

With the whiff of sleaze returning to the party thanks to Tory MP David Currie's amazing ability to combine expenses scandal with marital affair and a position on the committee meant to be cutting out foul play, and more signs that the economy is improving, Cameron needed something to grab headlines at PMQs this week.

The obvious target would have been bank charges. The Supreme Court bounced the issue of bank charges straight back at the Government, pointing out only ministers could change the law so the Office of Fair Trading could decide whether bank charges were fair.

Remember when former Met Police senior cop Bob Quick let the whole world know an anti-terror raid was due to take place - after he walked down Downing Street with confidential documents on display?

Those anti-terror raids were brought forward and a whole bunch of people arrested - none of who were subsequently charged with anything.

Lord Carlile was appointed to make suggestions to stop such things happening again.

He might sound, and indeed look, like a train spotter and therefore someone to avoid in a train station pub, but you've got to hand it to Lord Adonis.

He's transforming the way politics is done, probably without even being aware of it.

Tony Blair swept into Downing Street talking about changing politics with his notion of "big tent politics." David Cameron talks of creating a more open and accountable political system if he wins office next year, while continuing to confirm or deny allegations that he dabbled with strong drugs during his university days.

But like most train spotters, Lord Adonis has opted not to make a big fuss, and get on making his own changes.

Remember when Nick Griffin grabbed the last MEP place in the North West thanks to a handful of votes and electoral system which seems to reward the wacky, the fringed and the racist with a legitimacy they don't deserve?

He promised to fight for the people of the North West on a whole manner of issues. And off he went, only to pop up again when announcing that European war ships should sink boats with immigrants aboard as they crossed the Med. But he's not racist.

The other week, he appeared on North West Tonight upset about the fact BNFL, who run the Sellafield nuclear plant in Cumbria, wouldn't let him come in and speak to their nuclear experts. He's on a panel in the EU looking at the future of nuclear.

Every now and again, a comment in defence of a Government policy inadvertently tells us a whole lot more than a highly-paid spin doctor intended.

Take, for example, today's story than bonuses worth £47million have been paid out to Ministry of Defence staff.

The Daily Telegraph reports:

An MoD spokesman said the pay awards were met from within salary budget and would have "no impact on the operational or equipment budget".

The vast majority of these awards were paid in August as part of previously agreed pay deals, so we are not expecting this year's total to increase significantly," he said.

Just when I thought anyone would struggle to stoop lower than The Sun when it comes to taking advantage of the families of grieving the loss of loved ones in Afghanistan...

Step forward Nick Griffin, the leader of the BNP who clings to the notion that he's now a mainstream politician after he clambered through the elections catflap that makes up the European poll to take the North West's last available seat.

When our latest six soldiers to be killed in Afghanistan were repatriated to the UK this week, the usual Wootton Bassett memorial service took place. The story of the Wootton Bassett memorial is one which sums up all that is great about Britain.

It started when a handful of former servicemen saw hearses passing through the town and stood to salute. They then decided to salute all future hearses passing through with the brave fallen on board. It snowballed from there.

Politicans, in the main, have stayed away from this service. Sadly, though, Nick Griffin simply couldn't resist turning up to "pay his respects" this week.

Nobody in Liverpool needs reminding about the sick irony involved when The Sun decides to have a pop at somebody for being insensitive.

Today's front page story, headlined "Bloody Shameful" only warrants mention because of how particularly spiteful it was.

For anyone who missed it, the mother of killed soldier Jamie Janes was the subject of the story. Still grieving, she was very upset about the fact Gordon Brown's hand-written letter to her in the wake of her son's death appeared to spell his surname wrong and appeared to have spelling errors in it.

As it happens, Brown probably did spell Jamie's name wrong - it looks as though he called him James at first but then wrote over it - and comfort appears to have been spelt "cumfort" although the incorrect vowel could just be poor hand-writing.

But here's what I don't get. Why is this front page news. Yes, Jamie Jane's mother is angry, but is the responsible thing really to splash her across the front of a national newspaper? Is this not the sort of story a responsible newspaper would have solved in a more low-key manner?

In short, is using the grief and anger of a killed soldier's mother to mount a personal attack on the prime minister just weeks after hopping into bed with the Tories, really acceptable behaviour from a newspaper which still believes it has political influence?

Shock of shocks, the Lisbon Treaty is signed, sealed and delivered from a small country in Eastern Europe and off of a sudden everyone is talking about the Conservative Party being in disarray.

Yes, David Cameron made a "cast iron" promise (his words, not mine) to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty back in 2007.

But things change, times change, and for the Tories to have pushed on with a referendum if/when they are elected on something they realistically couldn't change would have been daft, wouldn't it?

So while having to change tack on the Lisbon Treaty shouldn't be a bad thing for the Tories, many of the issues around the ways the Tories have handled Europe should be cause for concern:

So, to Professor Nutt, and the need for a headline which involves "The Nutty Professor."

He's the expert scientist, if you've been under a rock for the last week, who makes loud announcements about cannabis being less dangerous than alcohol, and ecstasy being safer than horse-riding (although, to be frank, both are pretty daft past-times).

He had a job as chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, although when I say job, I should point out it was a voluntary one.

Then he was sacked by home secretary Alan Johnson because Mr Johnson had lost confidence in him. Not, says Mr Johnson, because his views differ from Professor Nutt, but because Professor Nutt sought to proactively campaign against government policy after his views were ignored.

And so the "scientific community" is suddenly up in arms, apparently angry at the fact someone who spoke as he found has been binned off for not conforming with government opinion.

Meanwhile, Alan Johnson is roundly applauded by his party and the Tories for standing by the Margaret Thatcher rule: "advisors advise, ministers decide."

To me, this issue raises several key issues. First off, for the scientific community to be up in arms suggests they aren't as good at analysing facts in politics as they are bits of fluff under a microscope.