reply: Hansard is the best source – my source is listening to the Comons debates

“Then wasn’t the time. Now’s the time. Now we’re gonna get ‘em–every ****ing one of ‘em.”

Steven Seagal–”Hard to Kill”

Yes, the Leader of the House is in the same ambiguous position vis vis MPs and the executive that the Lord Chancellor used to be vis a vis the law and the government. No reason the two horses can’t be straddled with skill and integrity, and a pity the Lord Chancellor’s office was reformed.

Smoke, mirrors and media spin/buckpassing does not eradicate the ‘Mugabe’ style mindset which instigated the atrocity. It serves to confirm Nulabor’s utter contempt for British law and democratic procedures.

I would love to know what Her Maj was thinking when she read the, so called, Queen’s Speech. It was her least enthusiastic delivery I can remember. Did we actually have our third budget statement of the year; a sort of post pre-budget report on mortgage protection?

For those of us who can only sit and watch, the parliamentary process looks a bit of a mess, even if it is a very lucrative mess for those chosen to be chosen by an increasingly dissatisfied taxpayers. This nation has moved on from the days of the forty shilling freeholders but unfortunately our parliament hasn’t; the franchise just costs a lot more now and is funded by proxies. There is a lot to be said for putting a time limit on an MP’s tenure; two four year parliaments possibly? The same for a separately elected Prime Minister and his appointed Cabinet. The profile of the Commons may then get closer to the profile of the nation.

If things stop working on this computer, I can call up Task Manager and close it down. If it has a serious mental breakdown, I can hit Restart. Does Her Maj still have access to the restart button; if so, now would be a good time to press it? Now that would be a hell of a Queen’s Speech!

I sincerely hope that on Monday MPs will not simply let this matter slide until the next election. Neither of the individuals concern appear fit to hold their respective offices and it really is time that individuals were held accountable for their actions. In a sense it is no different to the situation regarding Ms Shoesmith. In all three cases, the individuals have failed to competently exercise the judgment required of their positions and such failure should not be rewarded.

The honorable option for all three is to resign, at least that would demonstrate some courage and that they take responsibility for their own inaction. If they are not prepared to take the honorable route, then in all case they should be removed from office for gross incompetence. It really is time to start raising the standards in the public sector – this is not a party political issue it simply about good management – people do not learn lessons unless there is a real accountability.

To call it a shambles understates the case. First she announced that the top eight banks had agreed, only to be told that Nationwide had issued a press release saying the looked forward to seeing the details of the proposals. There seems to be no budget for the scheme and (from what I could make of it, the ‘explanation’ was confused) banks will have to roll-up interest payments for up to two years and not foreclose on mortgages if you stop paying, with the government, finally underwriting costs if they do repossess.

I could not imagine a scheme more likely to drive fragile banks into bankruptcy than one which freezes their principal cashflow, and God alone knows what the final bill for this might be. Mrs Beckett certainly doesn’t.

It’s like we are living in the pages of Atlas Shrugged!

http://www.lettersfromatory.com

Miss Harman said she was “very concerned” at the arrest of the Tory immigration spokesman and the way police had raided his Parliamentary and constituency bases.

There were “very big constitutional principles” that needed to be safeguarded, Miss Harman said, including the rights of MPs to get on with their job without interference from the law.

And she said Speaker Michael Martin should look at how police are able to enter the Palace of Westminster……….

I then felt like a deflated balloon when the end of her sentences said……….”once the investigation into Home Office leaks is concluded”.

She WAS scoring point until she put her foot back in it !!

On the issue of speaking up for the house, I don’t think her position as cabinet minister is in any way commensurate with her ability to be unbiased and favourable to all parties and Gordon Brown would do well to appoint another in her place or otherwise give her this a full time role.

Personally, I’d favour someone else in the position which doesn’t carry any Brown luggage with her/him.