Questions Of The Day (Politics)

[Mick Harper]

Getting a movie of him getting into the car with the weapon was a coup. But presumably the call didn't go out to all forces: "Please inspect all CCT for axe handles." So they must have gone through Ann Widdecombe's computer for abusive messages. "Please inspect all CCT for the following 1,417 people." They've even made a song about it

Tom Pearce, Tom Pearce, lend me your grey mare.
All along, down along, out along lea.
For I want for to go to Widecombe Fair,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.

[Mick Harper]

The Foreign Office has just released a safely bulletin for Britons thinking of going on one of these increasingly popular 'Visit America and see how ICE does it' tours.

1. If you are in your car watching an alien being arrested, you'll be shot for 'aiding a felon'
2. If you get out of your car to take photos of an alien being arrested, you'll be shot for 'hindering federal officers'
3. If you drive away in your car you'll be shot for 'weaponising your car'
4. If you do nothing you'll be shot because 'you weren't the person they were pursuing'
5. Full consular support will be provided if your loved ones want to bring your body home.

[Mick Harper]

The Hillsborough Law was passed yesterday, thirty-seven years after Hillsborough. The irony is, when eventually everything came to light, the police hadn't done anything wrong, there was no need for the cover-up. The bloke in charge took a sensible step in the circumstances which turned into a tragedy because of an unfortunate sequence of events.

But if legislators think they can stop officials covering up their mistakes by passing laws against it, they should be looking for a different day job. Elsewhere....

[Mick Harper]

So, we've got five people in the Thames Valley who are wanted for sexual offences committed 'more than twenty years ago' and which have been under investigation for the last seven years. The five are middle aged, apparently (otherwise) law-abiding people, living peaceably at the home they have always resided at with their families.

Under normal circumstances, they would be asked to attend a police station with their solicitors to be charged. If this was thought inappropriate, two policeman in a car would be sufficient.

[Wile E. Coyote]

Not sure.

Didnt they do something similar with Cliff Richard? True he wasnt arrested but the BBC showed helicopter footage of his home being raided, by Police without his permission.

The BEEB then reported all this as an investigation into a historical sexual assault claim against the then 77-year-old singer.

Webb only learnt about the raid from his friends, as he was not present, and was never arrested or charged at all.

BTW Harry just took the Police and BEEB to court for damages...... and won.

[Mick Harper]

I'm not sure I entirely agree with Andy Burnham that his accession to power is the most important thing to have happened in British politics in the last forty years but I warm to his request for an end to 'factionalism' in the party. No matter how entertaining it is, the country must come first.

He is wise to emphasise the matter since factionalism has already started over cabinet appointments before anyone knows what they are. The 'fundamentalist soft left' are in an uproar because their candidate for Number Eleven, Ed Miliband, is going to be overlooked in favour of 'hard right' bruiser, Shabana Mahmood.

The 'pragmatic soft left' are equally indignant because that means she will no longer be at the Home Office pursuing anti-migrant policies which they hate but which they recognise is (a) necessary if Labour is going to have any chance and (b) would have ruled out Shabana having any chance of leading the Labour Party.

Meanwhile, the 'hard left (Corbynites)' are caucusing with the 'hard left (Trotskyites)' to scupper the entire Burnham project. But it's only Day One. No, wait, Day One is Monday.

[Wile E. Coyote]

There is a lot of folks whose jobs are at risk.

Ministers and Cabinet ministers? Dont be silly......

No Sir Keir might not have been very good at governance, but in one area he was clearly the best ever....he is the record holder.

As of March there were 159 special advisors (Spads) working across government, up from 130 the year before. This figure represented a 22% year-on-year hike and was the highest ever.

John Major's government had between 34 and 38 spads at any one time.

Tony Blair's had between 70 and 84 spads.

Sir Keir wins easily.

Now all SPADs are spinning away, to save thier jobs.

Self interest will always beat factionalism......in the Modern Labour Party......

[Mick Harper]

You're such an idealist, Wiley.

[Mick Harper]

So the Messiah has arrived and set out his stall. It's not looking good. The Prime Minister of Manchester decided his first act must be to ensure the Welfaristists in the party are onside by visiting the homeless of St Pancras. On a list of priorities waiting for him in the Number Ten in-tray, I would have placed this just ahead of 'feed Humphrey, the Downing Street cat'.

If Andy doesn't know by now that homelessness is a mental health issue not a matter for national governmental action plans, he should have looked at the Manchester figures where he has been equally keen on 'cracking down' on the problem. Homeless numbers there have been been steadily rising for the last four years.

But that's just politics--and probably good ones too. Everyone's a bit silly when it comes to rough sleepers. What really terrifies me is his appointment of John Healey as Chancellor. Why so? Well, Healey just resigned because Keir'n'Rachel refused to fall in with his plans to increase defence spending to 3.6% of GNP, so that will be at the top of the Number Eleven in-tray. That means

* a doubling of the normal 1.8% devoted to defence
* is completely pointless now we know Russia is a busted flush
* has an almost nil effect on the productive parts of the economy
* but will take care of n billion pounds a year that should be spent on those bits
* and there ain't any more in the kitty so it'll be borrow, borrow, borrow
* and the return of Liz Trussonomics.

[Mick Harper]

By far the boldest thing our Recycled Broom has done is to sweep nine Starmerite loyalists from cabinet power into the dustbin of the back benches. As one of them said, 'I hope your ministers will be more loyal to you than they were to Keir.'

But was it wise? When someone says, 'We must end factionalism in the party' and in his first day in office sets up a ready-made faction sitting behind him with nothing to do but sharpen their daggers, it's a fair question. And while we're on the subject, was it wise appointing