The EU could be far more ambitious in leading the world in action on climate change, according to Dr Michaele Schreyer, former European Budget Commissioner and now teaching at Berlin's Free University. Speaking at a high-level seminar on 'Building the Low Carbon Future' held at the London branch of Deutsche Bank in the City this evening, [...]
Am not commenting on baby P because I can't even think about it without feeling sick. They just had pictures on This Week. I had to close my eyes. I can't cope with it. I certainly can't cope with seeing that smug self-righteous fucker Jon Gaunt comment on it, especially not when he's allowed to bring his personal hobby horses into it. Sorry, Andrew. Bad call.
Tonight's result in the Darlington Borough Council North Road Ward by-election was a convincing win for the Lib Dems, losing just a handful of votes to the Independent candidate, a former Lib Dem councillor in the ward. The result in full: Anne-Marie Curry (Lib Dem) 561 (50.8%) (-4.2%) Labour 262 (23.7%) (-0.0%) Conservative
Micahel Cross writes in The Guardian: The Netherlands, which in 2004 and 2006 enthusiastically promoted e-voting for overseas voters as a step towards an all-electronic election, will next year revert to paper ballots. The U-turn followed a successful campaign by a group opposed to all electronic polling machines: its tactics included buying a couple of machines [...]
A quick update on the story about Hackney Council banning a book launch from one of its libraries because the book contained "controversial or political opinions". Dave Hill has the details of how Hackney is now backing away from its original position, and talking about being happy to stock the book by Iain Sinclair in [...]
Huge relief all round at the news that the Government is cancelling the tender process for the Post Office Card Account, and will instead draw up a contract directly with Post Office Ltd. If the contract had been awarded to Pay Point - which seemed quite likely - then we would have pretty well seen the end of local post offices. So what was Mandelson up to yesterday? At the...
Having been away for a few days I caught up with the Lib Dem Blogosphere this evening and noticed the speculation about what next for Lembit. This following the day that I awoke to the news that Brian Paddick was to star in I'm a Celebrity. I scoured the posts, expecting them to be full of the news, but very few picked it up and with none of the vitriol clearly reserved for Lembit. Given the fuss about Lembit's alleged appearance in Big Brother and the concerns that his celebrity status somehow made him a joke, I had, it has ...
Thu 13th
22:43
A Glorious Nemi, some French Porn, New Planets, and the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards
padawanpooh, news of newly-discovered planets! Which one is the Klingon homeworld, do we reckon? Via Jonathan Calder, Vince has won The Spectator's Parliamentarian of the Year award. We'll not talk about the winner of the award voted for by the readers of the rag, though, eh? Especially not the bit about her selflessness and courage and honour...
The Government has announced it is giving into demands from the Lib Dems, among others, and saving the Post Office Card Account. This should save 3,000 post offices from closure, although too late for Goswell Road and the many other Islington branches closed under Labour. Liberal Democrats want the Post Office to be allowed [...]
'Our Shirl', Baroness Williams of Crosby, is the Lib Dem representative on tonight's BBC Question Time (BBC1 and online, 10.35 pm GMT), - a perpetual favourite of the QT producers, and always guaranteed to give a virtuoso performance. Shirley will be appearing alongside Labour's Housing Minister Margaret Beckett (still there, after all these years), [...]
Black History Month Launch The Sutton Black History Month Launch has acquired a reputation with Sutton Council staff as the event to find excellent food, so the Secombe Theatre was soon packed with hungry officers lured by the smell of exotic food and lively music. This year there were also displays of cultural clothing and artefacts supplied [...]
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has confirmed The Times's report that Haringey Council initially withheld information about the Baby P case from the police and lawyers: It has also emerged Haringey Council did not disclose all information surrounding the case of Baby P to police and prosecutors until ordered to do so by a judge. A [...]
There is a certain irony in the UK Government creating the post office card account as a stop gap measure to protect post offices from its own policy of taking Government services away from them, only to find that it may not be able to re-award the contract to the Post Office because of competition rules. In this sense, the UK Government was the creator of its own mess. Today's decision to cancel the procurement exercise and to award an extension of the contract to the Post Office until 2015 is a sensible way forward and demonstrates that the government ...
I think its a shame. I think its a shame when our elected representatives demonstrate that there humanity is buried so deeply that its hard to see within them. What respect I held for Cameron and Brown was lost on Wednesday, when they took a tragic event and played political ping-pong with it, and not for a second did they think about what they were saying and how it would effect the situation. Instead the two jumped up and down to grab the attention of the press sit in the gallery above them They jumped up and down, ignoring the ...
Just finished the latest edition of eFocus, my email newsletter for constituents, and emailed it out to about 900 addresses. It is a little later than I wanted but I've had loads on recently. However, it does act as a good prompt to residents of my village of Sunniside for an event I am running on Saturday. We are cutting a ribbon to launch the cash machine installed in the village post office.
If you had £7.2m to improve services at your local hospital, how would you spend it? There's lots of good causes out there. For example, Guys has just spent £1.3m on a new centre for treating children with allergies, asthma and eczema. Meanwhile the Royal Free has been lumbered with £7.2m expense from the failures [...]
Yesterday I witnessed from the House of Commons Gallery, the debate to establish an historic Speakers Conference- a special cross-party Parliamentary inquiry, to look at how the House of Commons can be more reflective of the communities it serves, more diverse, and how more people can be encouraged to become more engaged in politics and to increase turnout at elections. The motion was supported by all sides, with very effective contributions from MPs from all parties. You can read the debate here. There have only ever been 5 Speakers Conferences in the last century. In 1916, the Speakers Conference agreed ...
... what with me being anti-religious and her having to go to a church school and all, but sometimes they do quite cool things. F'r'instance, just this minute she came into the room singing:Days of the week *click, click* Days of the week *click, click* Days of the week, days of the week, days of the week *click, click* It's Sunday and it's Monday It's Tuesday and it's Wednesday It's Thursday and it's Friday And then it's Saturday...... to the tune of the Addams Family theme. ♥ I approve of this method of teaching children the days of the week. ...
That was the subject of tonight's Environment Partnership meeting, and very interesting it was too. This particular partnership is one of very committed people, some of them appointed by the council and others from organisations large and small with an interest in the environment. So there are residents alongside representatives of industry and not-for-profit organisations, charities and council
The BBC don't seem to have read my original complaint about the complaints, judging by this response: We note your concerns regarding comments made by Jeremy Clarkson during 'Top Gear' on 02 November. This issue was raised with Executive Producer Andy Wilman who has made the following statement. "Top Gear is BBC Two's long-running motoring show and [...]
So, I won't tell anyone if you don't. It is remarkable to see the Tory getting itself tied up in knots over the economy. Iain Martin writes a most entertaining article in the Torygraph suggesting that little Georgie Osbourne should be moved to a role more in line with his skills. Like looking after the Shadow Cabinet tuck shop. The Martin article is full of quotable sentences from beginning to
Just seen Haringey's apology for what they did not do to save Baby P. It would have been so much better if they had made one on day one, and not had that defensive, arrogant - aggressive even - attitude initially. So that's something. However, it doesn't change the position on the senior politicians and councillors. Now Ed Balls has ordered an urgent investigation into what on earth is going on in Haringey then - if there are significant failings found (and how can there not be?) - at that point I would hope that those would do the decent ...
Well apparently I live in the Scottish council area with more missing books from its library service than any other. West Lothian has apparently got £51, 218 of missing stock. I would like to assure you dear readers that I personally have no outstanding library books, at the time of writing. It appears that the council in order to regain this missing stock are about to call in a debt recovery service. Now I've not seen any signs recently advertising a late returns amnesty or anything similar to attempt to draw in the missing stock (I may have missed it ...
Citizens Advice Bureau AGM I attended the Citizens Advice Bureau AGM to show my support for their work. I am aware how helpful they have been to carers by providing a regular benefit advice slot at the Carers Centre once a week. They also had an interesting speaker talking about how to engage with young people. The CAB [...]
I've spent a fair amount of time thinking about issues University-related this week. On Monday evening, Kirsten, Warren and I attended the University's bi-annual neighbourhood forum meeting. In the past I have been quite critical of the University's attempts to engage the local community , and I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised to hear more positive noises from University officers about ways in which relations between the University and its neighbours could be improved. Even as local councillors for the area we find it very difficult to find out what the University's plans are - we would like much more regular dialogue so ...
The American political site Talking Points Memo is 8 years old today.
Over the years the government's regional governance strategy has been a complete and utter shambles. The Regional Development Agencies are QUANGOs unaccountable to anyone other than within what was then the Department of Local Government, Transport and the Regions. Then a layer of pseudo accountability was added in the form of not directly elected Regional Assemblies(most members were at least appointed by local authorities to which they had themselves been elected). Their attempt to give the regions more "autonomy" by setting up directly elected assemblies foundered at the first attempt in the North East referendum. And justifiably - there was ...
The Spectator's Coffee House blog has the full list of the winners of the Spectator/Threadneedle Parliamentarian Awards: Newcomer of the Year: Peter Mandelson Inquisitor of the Year: Rt Hon Frank Field Peer of the Year: Baroness Manningham-Buller Speech of the Year: Diane Abbott Resignation of the Year: Rt Hon David Davis Minister to Watch: Rt Hon Ed Miliband Campaigner of the Year: Ben Wallace Readers' Representative: Nadine Dorries Parliamentarian of the Year: Dr Vincent Cable Politician of the Year Mayor: Boris Johnson Congratulations to Vince. Coffee House also has Matthew D'Ancona's introductory address and comments on the winners. And you ...
The Second Congo War, was known as Africa's World War for a reason. 5.4 million have died as a result of it, making it the bloodiest war since WW2. It dragged in Neighbouring countries. Zimbabwe, Angola, Nambia and Chad backed the Congolese Government while Rwanda, Uguanda and Burundi backed Rebels. At times these countries were in direct fighting, it threatened to ingulf the continent in war. One main reason for these countries involvement was to exploit the vast wealth and resources of the Congo. Now the new Rebellion in North Kivu threatens to do the same again. It's been reported ...
An early start today - out of the house at 7am to get to Millbank studios to record the Anglia TV politics programme. The ITV regions now do their political recording in shared studios in London, rather than in their region like they used to. We heard today that 35 Anglia TV staff are losing their jobs, which is a large proportion of the diminishing staff employed in Norwich. Not only is this personally disastrous for the individuals, but it is a further erosion of genuine regional coverage in the East of England. The programme included a montage of film ...
I am sure everybody has been following these with baited breath...in any case, our very own Vince Cable picked up the Parliamentarian of the year award after receiving; "more support than a semi-nationalised bank." Congratulations to Vince and the Spectator for the earlier mentioned hilarity with Mandleson and Osborne who should have had the 'Odd Couple' theme playing in the background for their bit....
Every time I try to write a post about the current tax shenanigans I am distracted by something unspeakably dreadful. Sometimes it's another gem from the Osborne Boy's Book of 1950s Economic Homilies - "He didn't make the jam while the rug needed a stitch in time and now the house is on fire. Quick, [...]
I am pleased that Bath & North East Somerset Council's Trading Standards team is advising residents about new regulations that will help protect them from unscrupulous doorstep callers. The new regulations mean that people have up to seven days to change their mind about a contract for more than £35 that has been made at home during a visit by a trader. Furthermore, it is a criminal offence if...
Very briefly as rushing from interview to interview today - but wanted to blog that I welcome the announcement of an inquiry into Baby P's death. I think it's a good first move by the government - and a very swift response - though as I said in Parliament yesterday, I suspect it won't be enough to tell us all that we need to know about what went wrong. When this investigation reports, Ed Balls (the relevant Cabinet minister) has said if he is not satisfied he will put Haringey Council into what is essentially special measures. I think that ...
I have recently been investigating what makes a good Campaign Organiser and how to get the sufficient knowledge and how to get prepared to do the job of a Campaign Organiser but now I think I have found it. Not to be harsh on Mark Pack and his manuals but they is a post over at Total Politics that shows how team Obama campaigned and let me tell you it was bloody genius! Maybe we all who are interested in learning to become a campaign organiser need to visit that post as I certainly will be reading up on it. ...
{A British passport} Which one is the best value? You're currently required to go for a face-to-face passport interview, in a £115m scheme set up by the Government, and which helped push the price of your passport from £42 in 2005, up to £72. The Daily Mail reports that of the 216,581 people who were interviewed in the 12 months up to July, none were found to be applying fraudulently. Liberal Democrat Peer Lord Roberts of Llandudno, who obtained the figures, said the interviews "have not achieved what they were supposed to do. There have been over 200,000 interviews and ...
Come on, admit it...you would have loved to have been at the Spectator Awards to see this; "Someone at The Speccie with a sense of humour has put Peter Mandelson and George Osborne on the same table. We'll let you know if bread rolls start being thrown... 2pm: George Osborne is presenting awards. Newcomer of year is Peter Mandelson. Mr O looks distinctly uncomfortable presenting it! "it's good to be back on board as they say in Corfu" says Lord M accepting. "For next year's holiday" replies Mr O "we'll be holidaying in the North Sea off Hartlepool - a ...
I attended a lecture given at LSE yesterday by the new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, on her first visit to Britain since her appointment. She started by saying that since the event was billed as a lecture, she would refrain from telling her usual anecdotes; I'm inclined to think that was a mistake. Her lecture seemed rather dry to me and consisting of statements it would be almost impossible for any human rights defender to disagree with: we need clear standards, Governments should sign up to the Optional Protocols, the insitutions are evolving, we need strong ...
A friend asked me last night why the US President does not take up office for 2.5 months, when a British PM takes over within about 12 hours of the election result. The historical answer seems to be down to the size of the country - it used to take weeks if not months to be clear about the result, (and they use an electoral college not direct counting of votes). Even today some results can take
The Government will allow the Post Office to keep the Post Office Card Account contract until at least 2015. The contract had previously been put out to tender, risking the loss of 3,000 Post Offices if a private firm won the contract. To cheers in the House of Commons, Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell announced [...]
The link is to Camilla Cavendish's article today where she argues a similar case to the one that I argue. I add concerns about the Integrated Childrens System and the fact that this drives social workers to make earlier decisions and remain in the office feeding the machine. The Family Court system then fails to challenge these wrongful decisions.
The AGM of St. John Ambulance, Chipping Sodbury and Yate, is being held on Wednesday 19th November in The Sixth Form Common Room, Brimsham Green School, Yate starting at 8.15 pm. Everyone is welcome, and refreshments will be provided. Please come and find out more about this very valuable organisation.
It's the latest meeting of the Prestwich Local Area Partnership tonight, at Prestwich Arts College, beginning at 18.30. We will be providing on update about the "Love Prestwich" Regeneration Plans including: * Number of responses to date * What people like about the plans * What people do not like about the plans * Highlighted concerns * The next steps As usual the meeting will be split into two parts. The formal meeting (including the above) from 18.30, with public question time on anything to do with the work of the partnership from 19.30. Rick
{Ming Campbell at Post Office} Sir Menzies Campbell has welcomed the news that the UK Government has renewed the pensions and benefits card account contract with the Post Office and hailed it as "an outbreak in common sense". Sir Menzies said: "Thank goodness for an outbreak in common sense on the part of the Government. "The Post Office network has taken too many blows in recent years and if the Card Account had gone elsewhere the consequences would have been dire. "This decision is a tribute to the pressure exercised by the public who have made their feelings known at ...
First Post reports; "Readers of the New York Times were treated to some startling news on Wednesday morning. A banner headline announced: "Iraq War Ends" This was accompanied by an admission from Condoleezza Rice (pictured) that the Bush administration had known all along that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction. It was, of course, a hoax. But the 14-page "special edition", which was circulated free in Manhattan, was such a brilliant facsimile that many NYT readers were intially fooled, especially as it was backed it up by an equally convincing website." If only it were true....
...oh and Yousuf. There is a Channel 4 Factcheck brilliamtly unearthed my Lib Dem blogger of the year Alix Mortimer that should be essential reading for Gordon Brown, Havering Yousuf and all other Labour politicos before they start/carry on [delete as applicable] of misrepresenting the truth, because they know they're unto a loser.
Politicians frequently complain about the coverage the media gives to politics (not enough of it, too superficial, too negative etc.) But what does the public make of it all? The Committee on Standards in Public Life this week published their third report into public attitudes towards standards of conduct in public life, which included this conclusion [...]
While my personal opinion is that it's daft to insist that girls need female role models - why can't girls aspire to be like David Attenborough, or Brian May, or Clement Atlee? - I do recognise the fact that having women to aspire to emulate is a good thing. Watching my little one grow up is a lesson in how this works. Obviously, with me being a sci-fi geek, there's been a certain sci-finess to a lot of the entertainment media we consume together. So we watch Star Trek (and she adores Captain Janeway) and we watch both old and ...
Time to break another extended blog silence with some trivia. Mark Pack, through an intriguing Facebook status, pointed me to Total Politics's Daily Politico looking at Lib Dem MP Norman Baker. I liked this. Lot's of interesting facts about cool dude Norman, including that he collects jukeboxes. I confess that scene in Casablanca always gets me blubbing too. Also thought this was very astute; "
Good old Channel 4. They've done a Factcheck on Brown's claim, repeated (twice) at every PMQs session that (for example yesterday): "If we'd listened to Liberal party advice we'd be cutting public expenditure by £20bn this year." Now, I think it would be fair to say that Channel 4 Factcheck, marvellous though it and the Snowman are, [...]
The news that HMS Cumberland attacked and captured a Somali pirate vessel in the Gulf of Yemen was one of those slightly quaint pieces of news that is somehow rather cheering. On the one hand while we know how desperate the situation is in Somalia and the autonomous Puntland, Pirates, by definition, are the bad guys. The seizure of the Ukrainian ship "Faima" and its cargo of weapons was clearly the last straw for the international community. The fact is that we can not allow global logistics chains to be disrupted like this. On the other hand, there is not ...
According to Albert Henderson the head of schools for Inverclyde council that is the stark decision he will have to make. He cannot fully fund both if he is to meet the SNP's free school meals for all P1-3 pupils under the current budget he is facing. He told the education committee at Holyrood yesterday that there was £368,000, over and above the extra resourses made available, he would need to find to implement the scheme: "If you were converting that into teaching staff, we're talking about ten teaching staff, so we may be faced with stark choices. We might ...
If the BBC is right then an major impasse has developed within the Labour Plaid Cymru One Wales Government over the Affordable Housing Legislative Competence Order. They claim that Rhodri Morgan has agreed to the emasculation of this order in line with the Welsh Affairs Select Committee report without clearing it with Plaid Cymru Ministers first, including the Deputy Housing Minister. It is reported that Plaid are refusing to accept this decision. No doubt some compromise will be reached but it will involve one side having to accept a humiliating climbdown and if it is Plaid who have to give ...
I thought it would be useful to highlight the very useful www.dundeeadvice.org site - an extremely useful way for people to find details on the various agencies - including the City Council - offering benefits and money advice as well as contact details and the services they offer. It is good to see a co-ordinated approach to letting Dundonians have access to information about new and existing services using a straightforward search facility.
A very clear perspective from John Major - though it may need a bit of alteration - ie how the Tories laid the egg of recession that Labour hatched!
As a corporate parent, a role some people forget when they are elected to a social services authority, I feel I should know which are my looked after children in my division are. I should be able to ask when the social worker last had contact with the child. I should be given their school reports. I am their corporate parent, why should I treat them any differently to my own child. I...
The details about Baby P's death have shocked all of us but are they really the only council failing children? Councils face the most stupid targets set by central government. They have a target of how many children are in care and how many children are on the 'at risk' register. The problem arises when say your target for looked after children is 173, you are already 3 over...
The BBC is carrying the results of a poll which shows; "More than two-thirds of Britons think UK troops should leave Afghanistan within a year". It found that 68% of respondents felt this was the correct way forward. ICM conducted the poll in advance of a program on Radio 4 asking if troops should be brought home. Coming on the same day as news of more fatalities, I believe the poll reflects two things; a growing weariness with the 'war on terror' and a growing recognition that the military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq simply are not delivering results. Since ...
What to make of Tessa Jowell's pronouncement that Britain would not have bid to host the 2012 Olympics if the Government had known that a recession was approaching? Is this code for we would not have bid if we had realised that Government incompetence would see the costs spiralling out of control to nearly four times the original estimate? The fact is that the infrastructure work involved in staging the Olympics is precisely the sort of government capital expenditure we need to help the construction industry survive this depression and enable employment figures to be kept down. The problem is ...
Over at Tory councillor Iain Lindley's blog there's been some criticism levelled at MPs misusing parliamentary communications allowances. I agree with the broad thrust of Iain's point: that the allowance is misused to campaign by many MPs and thus gives incumbents an unfair advantage at the tax-payers expense. Iain does of course make sure that no [...]
Just seen the latest line up for 'I'm a Celebrity get me out of here' and much relieved at the absence of certain names. I note that Robert Kilroy-Silk will be on the programme and that there is a bit of a fuss about him neglecting his duties as an MEP. I had not even realised he was still an MEP!
The Votes at 16 Coalition is issuing a call to action for everyone who supports the lowering of the voting age to respond to a new Youth Citizenship Commission consultation and make their views known.
{The Nissan Armada LE} Seeing this in the diary column of the Herald this morning about how one reader though the Nissan Armada LE was named the Nissan Armadale, and wondered whether a Nissan Bathgate or Whitburn were in the offing. Of course one of the newest housing developments on the old truck and tractor works in Bathgate (1961-86) does pay homage to that car heritage in West Lothian as there is a Leyland Road. Not so much named after the Lancastrian town to the south of Preston but to the company it formed one of the branches that made ...
I am astonished that Waterstones have capitulated to the narrow bigotry of Stephen Green's Christian Voice and cancelled a reading by Welsh Poet, Patrick Jones. Their actions amount to moral cowardice and censorship irrespective of whether they still have the book on sale or not. Stephen Green of course has every right to object to the contents of this book but he does not have the right to prevent other people reading it or listening to its author read from it. I have a good mind to buy a copy of this book as a show of solidarity but I ...
A Conservative MEP from the North West of England has been expelled from the Conservative Party by David Cameron, the MEP being Den Dover! This MEP had been paying family members to do secretarial work, I'm sure they were a few MEP's in the North West doing that maybe Cameron should have sacked them all and cleared up all the scum. You Can read more on the issue by following the link! This according to what I have read will move Sajjad Karim to being second on the list of Conservative candidates, SHIT is all I can say if I ...
What to make of Brian Paddick's decision to appear in I'm a Celebrity...? At the Lib Dem Conference a couple of months ago Brian was working the fringe hard and had a media adviser in tow. From which I conclude that he is serious about continuing his political career. From that I conclude that his appearance in ...Get Me Out of Here is not a sign that he is giving up his political career but an attempt to further it. It will be interesting to see if it works. Meanwhile, how am I going to contact one of my MEPs ...
We have been working with the council to secure at Woodhouse Park & Pennyquick Playing fields. please see www.readmyday.co.uk/twerton
Long ago - so long ago that this blog did not exist - I wrote a House Points column (the one for 27 June 2003) about abuse in children's homes: There is something voyeuristic about the media's emphasis on sexual matters. Reading the report of the 1992 inquiry into Leicestershire's children's homes, what comes through above is the squalor the children lived in and the inadequacies of those who regarded themselves as skilled therapists.But these points never make the headlines. Nor do the appalling outcomes for children brought up in public care.I thought of this today when it was announced ...
Via The Guardian: David Cameron yesterday expelled the Conservative party's former chief whip in the European parliament after the Strasbourg authorities ruled that he had breached its rules and demanded that he pay back just over £500,000. Den Dover, who resigned as chief whip in June over claims that he had siphoned off £758,000 of public money [...]
With World Aids Day approaching on December 1st comes the news that an HIV vaccine developed my Merck has failed a clinical trial in the US. The vaccine had been designed to trigger a protective response by "killer" cytotoxic T-cells, white blood cells that are a key element of the immune system. But while it proved sucessful in simian trials, the human trial was called off early in July, when MRKAd5 HIV-1 gag/pol/nef totally failed to protect against the virus in the 3000 strong human sample. While this is one set back on the "long road" to finding a solution ...
The Baltic Dry Index is not something to do with temperance movements in Lithuania - it is the measure of the cost of moving cargo around the world by sea. And it has collapsed by over 90% since May 2008. This is a measure of the downturn in world trade in raw materials, and an indication of the seriousness of the squeeze on the 'Real Economy' in the goods that can be produced from these raw materials. Put simply, the cost of shipping has dropped through the floor. Sending a tonne of iron ore from Brazil to China in early ...
After the horrific story of Baby P came out, where each detail seems to add yet another awful question (how can you get away with hiding injuries with chocolate smears? how can a doctor fail to notice that a baby's back is broken?), and then the desperately unseemly sight of MPs bawling at each other [...]
No doubt some people will instantly assume that I too am going to raise the spectre of "party politics" in the same way as Gordan Brown did today over PMQs, and they'd be right. But for once, I am not turning my fire on David Cameron. Instead I think Gordon Brown highlighted in one fell swoop why he is hopelessly out of his depth in the job as Prime Minister. Whilst on "home ground", discussing interest rates, the economy and the credit crunch, Gordon Brown appears to revel in the mess he shared in making. However, on any other subject, ...
