POLITICS CORNER

[Bruff]

That would be Rustlings Road? I sold the house in Grenoside in '93 and moved to Onslow Road, first left off Rustlings Road.

Stanley - it's worth noting that following Orgreave, about 100 miners were charged with offenses ranging from violent conduct to riot. At court, after days of evidence, the prosecution abondoned its case. £500,000 was paid out in compensation.

Also, over the last 30-odd years almost 1500 people have lost their lives following contact with the police, either in cells, the back of a van, or in the street etc. Not one police officer has been prosecuted. The last police officer prosecuted was in 1978 (I think), in Southport following a death in police custody.

Richard Broughton

[Thomo]

The Hillsborough tragedy was at the end of the day due to a large body of people losing control, some but not all would have been drinking, and remember that this was football, so there would have been a great deal of passion involved. Anyone who has had to deal with situations such as this knows that it can be a recipe for disaster, and when that happens, common sense goes out of the door. When it all goes bad it is extremely difficult to get help to they who need it, there would be some in the crowd that have an inbuilt hatred of authority, not just the police, in the heat of the moment the fire brigade and ambulance service are all authority, Many of those people who lost their lives were probably innocent fans that were caught up in something beyond their control, this is often the case, and it often happens that the the original cause goes unnoticed when blame is apportioned. If there is guilt, it may well go beyond the authorities involved.

[Tardis]

Ranby Road, we left for Chelmsford in 1990 (?) after Mary's PhD time finished. Sara used to love playing in that park.

[Stanley]

Richard, you are right. My head filled with examples and I had to cut myself short. I remember the Menendez(?) case, why five bullets in the head? Never properly addressed even after it was admitted it was a cock-up. There is also the Lockerbie enquiry. That never occurred to me but it was mentioned in one discussion as a case where political interference almost certainly over-rode the evidence and the investigating authorities acquiesced to pressure.
Heard a radical but logical comment by an American security expert on attitudes to the US in the Middle East. He really pushed the boat out and pointed out that none of the wars entered into by the US since 1945 had resulted in a resolution that could be described as 'victory'. Therefore the Commanders in Chief had wasted lives unnecessarily. This has often struck me but is of course not something you say to Americans! Actually I'd quarrel with his assessment of who 'won' the Second World War. America's contribution was enormous but we would do well not to forget that it was the Russians who bled the Third Reich dry. What interests me is that opinions like this are current in the US. We don't hear them reported here.
I surprised myself yesterday when I found myself agreeing with Vince Cable when he was justifying the changes to Employment Law. I'm all for employment protection but have to agree that it has gone too far. In my working days a week's notice was sufficient and to the best of my knowledge employment tribunals didn't exist. If they did I never heard of them being used. In the 1970s I sacked a bum firebeater at Bancroft and had no problems, seemed the natural course to follow.

[Stanley]

I've been watching the education debate and evidently there are to be more announcements today. My problem is that I think they are starting at the wrong end. I have no objection to raising standards and encouraging better performance but to my mind the starting point is to improve the standards in the teaching itself, not using exam standards as a blunt instrument to gain advances. This is unfair to both the teachers and the students.
Meanwhile, in Europe, Barroso has come out of the closet and stated unequivocally that the aim is complete federation. This is a gift to those who are basically in favour of European integration but dead against loss of sovereignty, and this includes me. Faced with a straight yes or no choice in any referendum I would have to vote no. This is a shame because there is a middle way. Unfortunately what drives the EU now is the need to solve the Euro problem and it has become clear to the leaders that this can only be done by complete fiscal and political integration so this means a United States of Europe.

[Tardis]

Mixed whispers in local government, but it would appear that something which Cllr Whipp is closely involved with on the Borough Council may have already decided to close all of Pendle's Council Shop

Not entirely sure all the Lib Dems are actually behind the decision

If I discover anymore I'll let you know

[Tardis]

It's in the Lancashire Telegraph, I had wondered where the person had got the story from,

Council shops to close,

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/ne ... cil_shops/

[Stanley]

I note that they propose keeping the Council Shop nearest to the Town Hall open.
News that Mit Romney has been caught on tape saying that the disadvantaged aren't his problem. Talked to Martha and she says that the liberal press are saying this could be the tipping point. The Republicans seem to be in disarray. I sure hope so!
What a pity that Gove has sent a message to all the kids working in school that the qualifications they are working towards are useless. I get the feeling that this hasn't been very well thought out.....
Ossie has another cunning wheeze to make further cuts in benefits. He is proposing abolishing the automatic link with inflation, freezing benefits for two years and then linking them to average wage which is of course virtually stagnant at the moment and looks to remain so for at least ten years. Apart from the injustice of this it further reduces the amount of disposable income that is the main driver of GDP. This may be good Chicago School economics but it's bad news for recovery.

[Tripps]

Paul Flynn MP - a fully paid up member of the awkward squad, has just accused Ministers of lying in the House of Commons, and despite the intervention of the Speaker, refused to withdraw the remarks. He has been thrown out, for the day. Flynn was close to Gordon Prentice in the last parliament. There's a lot to like about the man.

[Tizer]

The Republicans seem to be in disarray.

Nick Robinson on the BBC News agrees with you. The secret Romney video seems to have helped...http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19637631

[Stanley]

Tripps, I noted that as well. He's right of course and we need more interventions like that to shake the Commons out of what looks like a deep sleep.
I wrote to my American contacts this morning to ask if Mit Romney had stopped taking the pills. His latest pronouncements on Iran and the impossibility of a two state solution in Israel look like political suicide. Apart from the fact the man isn't fit to hold office he now appears to have gone into full gaffe mode.
What's so surprising about a 0.1% drop in inflation when retailers are price-cutting to survive and the amount of money available for goods is falling?

[Stanley]

My American friends responded:

He is a spoiled, country-club guy, who thought it was enough to get elected if he were just not Obama. There are more gaffs than you are hearing about. He gave a speech the other day and mentioned smart bombs as though they were atom bombs. He didn't know the difference. Sarah Palin with a better tailor. Obama is 5% ahead now in the polls ( Wall Street Journal poll) and leading in 7 of the 9 "swing states". God, let this last. The thing that scares me is that ANYBODY thinks he would be a good president besides his wife and Netanyahu!

Dear Puzzled,

I think the problem is that they haven't yet perfected a pill which can disguise the condition of having one's head and putative heart on another planet from 99% of the rest of the population.

By the way, you did know that his real name is Willard? It seems somehow more suitable. It would have been helpful during the primaries when I kept getting the names mixed up and kept referring to "Newt Romney." I suppose that was because they both seemed vastly out of touch, although in slightly different directions.

Have a look at this LINK for the Washington Post view.

[Tardis]

Local politics may be a little quieter as Cllr Whipp appears to be due a coronary bipass after his recent blue light incident quite soon

[Stanley]

More feedback from the States. The general opinion seems to be that Mitt Romney is still digging his hole and many other Republican candidates are sharing the pain. Good!
Remember Scotty in Star Trek? "It's too quiet Jim, I don't like it!" I feel the same as I peer out into Europe. Not a good sign. Bit like a swan, serene on the surface but underwater lots of frantic paddling. We shall see....

[Stanley]

Mr Mitchell's outburst directed at a police woman during which he is reported as swearing and referring to her as a 'pleb' simply because he was asked to use the open pedestrian gate instead of the main gate into Downing Street may be seen as trivial by some but I think it's a small shaft of light into what seems to be the ethos inside the Cabinet. Leaving aside the fact that it also demonstrates his complete lack of political nous, how could anyone even contemplate abusing a police woman in the week when two have been murdered in Manchester, Where did 'pleb' come from? Do these people really believe they are a superior class and are allowed by right to ride roughshod over any member of the 'lower classes' who obstructs their wishes? Mr Mitchell has a reputation for being a 'political bruiser' in his post as Chief Whip to the Coalition but he must learn that while bad manners, intemperance and ignorance may be desirable attributes in the Westminster Village, those of us who live in the real world still value politeness and respect for anyone doing their job. We get too many inklings of this outmoded class thinking from the Cabinet. What was acceptable in the Bullingdon Club at Oxford is anathema to us 'lower class plebs'. That's why we are nicer people.

[Tardis]

I'm more concerned about who gave the information to The Sun

Police & politician only involved

Leveson should have a look to make sure it wasn't a brown envelope

#Classical meaning for a Pleb, is someone who could vote in Rome, so not as some would have you believe those who are not educated

[Stanley]

The point is that the modern usage of pleb is derogatory, similar to 'prole' from proletariat.

[Stanley]

The evidence is that Mitchell did indeed use the word 'pleb', no surprise there but it makes me wonder in what category he places himself. Rugby School, Army and Cambridge. Reputed to be worth £2million. Any guesses?
Nick Clegg pedalling very hard. What struck me was that his latest scheme for making investment capital available to small businesses was one of the main themes in 'The Thick of It' on Saturday night......

[Tardis]

The point is that the modern usage of pleb is derogatory, similar to 'prole' from proletariat.

In the same vein, so is Posh, but that is banded about rather widely

Maybe it's because the Posh are only 1% of the Population but pay in more than 25% of all the tax take of the Treasury, whilst the bottom half of the Population pay in about 10%. According to government figures, this 10% does not even cover the Housing Benefit bill

I do not condone the usage of the words, but I marvel at the inappropriateness of the Police considering that we are almost post Leveson, and definitely beyond Hillsborough.

[Whyperion]

Lib Dem Vince Cable at conference , claimed to be a Pleb. I thought he owned property.

[Stanley]

Downing Street pedalling hard to play down the Mitchell affair. It has evidently struck a nerve. I was struck by the careful language he used in his denial. He said that he didn't use the language he was reported as using. Clever stuff, it isn't a direct denial of swearing or the use of 'pleb'. In effect the statement is meaningless because it doesn't specify what he is denying. Telegraph have got hold of the transcript of the police report (LINK) and it looks as though this one will run and run.
Mr Barossa in Germany trying to reassure the Germans that 'unlimited support' for the bail outs does not threaten Germany with inflation. After the trauma of the inter-war Weimar inflation they are very sensitive to any suggestion that there may be a repeat. Of course he is on a sticky wicket because even though it is on a smaller scale QE is code for devaluation.Meanwhile the money for Greece is held up and reports suggest that a crisis is looming. We haven't seen the end of the Euro problems yet but domestic news is keeping the latest reports off our radar. Some news management going on here I think.
Ossie's policies are looking increasingly inept as PB figure rises and it is almost certain he is going to miss his targets for debt reduction and borrowing. This is a major problem but again, we are not getting proper reports.The government can't bury the bad news forever and the crunch is cominmg as the government has to either announce further cuts or revised taxation on the wealthier elements of the UK economy. Guess which way they are going to go....

[Stanley]

The Mitchell affair. It is reported that the 'hard day' he used as an excuse for his intemperate language included an extended lunch at an expensive curry house. It is also reported this morning that he attempted to use the main gate again the day after the incident but managed to restrain his temper.
Reports of growing unrest in Spain and Greece against another round of spending cuts.
Nick Clegg tells the LibDems that we face 'many years' of austerity. Deep Joy!

[Tripps]

The meal was described yesterday as a "lunch", rather than a "long lunch". So that's Ok then.
It was then revealed what he ate, and it could not have cost less than £50 I'd say. More than most people spend on food ina week?
All together now... "we're all in this together"

[Thomo]

"All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others"

[Bruff]

I'd not The Sun's biggest fan, but their take on what was on the menu raised a smile.

Aloo Gobby, Argie Bhaji........

£50 is more than we spend a week on food, but not unusual for a meal out these days in restaurants up and down the land (not just London). I'm not sure we can hold this against him as it's just a question of where or how anyone chooses to spend their money. Fifty quid'd leave little change for a family trip to the pictures, and wouldn't be enough for a father and son to go to a footy match. We wouldn't say the millions who do this show we're not all in this together would we? Some might think I'm mad to spend £20 on my bottle of wine, when you can get a bottle for a fiver (or less). But I like wine, firmly believe you can tell the difference, and 3 rounds of drinks in a pub is knocking on 20 quid anyway......

Still, I want to know who the fibber is - Mr Mitchell or the police officers? And it'll be good fun when Parliament's back - cue MPs mimicking the ring of a bike bell when he's around and noting their proud status as a 'pleb'. Might seem childish, but I don't think it is. When a Government is held up to ridicule, it's rather toxic. The poor old PM had 'butch' chucked back at him following his frankly bizarre use of this word (which actually revealed, as a lot of his interventions do, a disturbing latent prejudice - 'frustrated' women anyone? People with Tourettes? Indian dance?).

Richard Broughton