POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

The Tories wind up Plebgate. Andrew Mitchell is demanding an enquiry. He should keep stum. He's already admitted to being objectionable and swearing at officers when they refused to open the main gates for him. Whether he said the toxic word 'pleb' doesn't matter. The worse thing about this is the fact that it demonstrates once again the dire state of the relationship between the government and the police. This is neither productive or good politics.

[Tardis]

The arrest of a police man on the diplomatic protection squad for talking to the papers during the Andrew Mitchell incident which led to his resignation has a whiff of 'pay-back' about it.

Except it would appear that he fabricated the evidence and pretended to be something other than what he actually was

[Tardis]

The Tories wind up Plebgate. Andrew Mitchell is demanding an enquiry. He should keep stum. He's already admitted to being objectionable and swearing at officers when they refused to open the main gates for him. Whether he said the toxic word 'pleb' doesn't matter. The worse thing about this is the fact that it demonstrates once again the dire state of the relationship between the government and the police. This is neither productive or good politics.

Everyone swears, only a police officer can arrest you for it.

This could be the first jobs for the PCC's to clear up

The Police is always going to be a reflection of wider society. It only displeases me that it does mean that there may be some very rotten apples in a supposedly non political organisation. It undermines one of the very tenets of society and calls into question many of their operations.

[Tripps]

" pretended to be something other than what he actually was "

He has been widely described this morning as - "masquerading as a member of the public" Is that an offence now?

[Tripps]

Having a browse back I found - "I accused Prince Charles recently of being the last man in England to be wearing a double breasted suit. I was wrong. I note today during PMQ's that Jacob Rees Mogg does so also. I rest my case."

A new recruit to the double breasted suit persuasion is Bradley Wiggins in his immaculately tailored blue velvet job at the Sports Personality of the Year, awards bash. It is now "cool". I will get my navy blue Barathea blazer dry cleaned immediately.

[Tardis]

" pretended to be something other than what he actually was "

He has been widely described this morning as - "masquerading as a member of the public" Is that an offence now?

I would say that it would depend upon whether you have a possibly compromising interest in the material

So if you were commenting on educational policy as a 'school governor' it would be difficult to understand why you did not declare that you were a party member and activist for the opposition during any debate

[Stanley]

Mitchell now says he 'has no confidence' in the Met Commissioner. That'll help relationships between the government and the police....

[Tardis]

Strange stuff from all those back pedalling Police Federations who were calling for Mitchell to resign because his position was "untenable"

I wonder if those bully boys will now resign because their words were forthright and rather light on caveats?

I also wonder if, just like the NUM, they have failed their members by picking the wrong fight because they wish to oppose the changes to the police service?

[Stanley]

There's a conspiracy against Andrew Mitchell.... and Jeremy Hunt is 'appalled' by reports of bad treatment of elderly patients. So that's all right then.....

[PanBiker]

If that Andrew Mitchell is so innocent why did he resign? Any decent bloke would have stuck to his guns and argued his corner. More important things in the news than his hissy fitting, waste of time, waste of space.

[Tizer]

..reports of bad treatment of elderly patients...

This strikes a chord with me after my Dad's recent experience in hospital. In many respects he was well-treated but in some others perhaps not, and it can be difficult finding out what went on (especially when you haven't been able to visit the relative due to floods and closed wards due to a norovirus outbreak). My dad's weight has dropped from about 9.5 stone to 7.5 and he looks gaunt but we don't know what has caused it - was it a direct effect of the op or a lack of food or what? He says he wasn't being given all his medication every day, at the correct times and in correct amounts, but if he was confused could he be wrong? We don't know but I'm sure he was right when he said they sometimes tried to make him use his eye drops only once a day when he's supposed to use them 6 times day (and it says on the dispenser's label on the box `6 times day'). Mrs Tiz's father wasn't given his Parkinson's drugs at the correct times and frequency when he was in hospital and that meant he was confused a lot of the time.

[Stanley]

It all sounds so familiar doesn't it. I am a simple minded old bugger and think that short staffing by competent nurses caused by under-funding of core functions on the ward is at the bottom of this. But what the hell do I know.....

[Nolic]

The government has announced today its intention to legislate to speed up the adoption process. Coincidentally I saw a former colleague from 25 years ago over the weekend. She now works in a post adoption support scheme "with families who regret adopting because things go so wrong". Adoption works out fine for some like Michael Gove but local authorities having specialist teams to support those where adoption goes wrong ???? Suggests to me we need to look carefully at the current process and pressures before marching headlong in to providing less time for families and children to adapt to strange new situations.
When I was in practice in adoption work I used to help couples try to understand the process by comparing it with pregnancy. Deciding to adopt was the decision to have a child. Trying to get on an adoption list was like trying to conceive - sometimes happens quickly, sometimes not. Acceptance and approval to become adopters was confirmation of pregnancy. The important bit to me was the waiting for a placement was like the pregnancy where the couple adapt to the expectations of a child and start to make those adjustments in life to accommodate a new part to their family.
This waiting period is crucial to adoption success and many of those adoptions that go horribly wrong have often been as a result of children being placed soon after approval. When will we start to learn form these experiences????? Nolic

[Stanley]

Comrade. When the powers that be start to listen to people like you who have such wide experience.

[Tardis]

It all sounds so familiar doesn't it. I am a simple minded old bugger and think that short staffing by competent nurses caused by under-funding of core functions on the ward is at the bottom of this. But what the hell do I know.....

Very wide of the mark from my understanding

[Stanley]

Cameron announces a 'new initiative' to construct a database that will enable children at risk to be identified more easily when they present at A&E. Could this be the same database they cancelled in 2010, the one instituted by New Labour?
Much talk about the US 'Fiscal Cliff'. More a matter of politics than finance. The Republicans campaigned against Obama on a slate of lower taxes and politically they stand to lose support if they back Obama's plan of raising taxes and instituting some cuts to bolster the fight against the deficit. The irony is that the measures that come to an end at midnight on December 31st were put in place by Dubya to kick a big problem into the long grass. This has now caught up with them and it remains to be seen how much damage they are prepared to countenance in order to retain political credibility. Not an edifying sight..... They will go to the wire and do damage but in the end they will have to come to an accommodation with the Democrats, Observers say that the core of the problem lies with the extremists of the Tea Party. This is no time for extremists of any colour and be sure that if the US economy staggers it will affect us and Europe. As Harold used to say, "Events Dear Boy!"

[Tardis]

With regard to the database

If clinical staff are allowing old folk to die from starvation, what makes you think that they'll report any abuse?

It is not the databases that will protect the children

State control is never the answer

[Tardis]

The Cameroon was waxing lyrical on International Development aid on Today this morning, interviewed by the guest editor

He actually sounded quite impassioned by the whole set up. I was surprised

[Stanley]

I note Cameron telling the nation in his New Year message that 'we are heading in the right direction'. I suppose it all depends on what your version of the right direction is. There are a lot of poor electors who would disagree with him, and the police, and the NHS staff, and..........

[Stanley]

There are a lot of very angry voters in the US this morning and with good reason. Despite knowing that the so-called 'Fiscal Cliff' was coming the politicians have left it till the last minute to do something about it. In a well-ordered business the problem would have been addressed and solved in good time so as not to engender uncertainty in the economy but what did they actually do? They turned it into a three-ring circus so that they could attract the maximum of public attention. In the Republican's case to mollify there voters, the Tea Party contingent being the most vocal. In the Democrat's case to try to get the best deal possible for the ordinary voter. The Republicans are the bad guys here, they knew that in the end they would have to compromise but exerted political pressure to protect, as far as possible, their electoral promise of no tax rises. This is gutter politics at its worst and the electorate is smart enough to know this. Our coalition should take note of what is happening in the US. The economy is too important to be the subject of entrenched and outmoded party political DNA. It is high time all politicans got together and acted in the best interests of the country, not electoral advantage the next time the voters get their say.

[Stanley]

Obama scores a partial victory and gets legislation through Congress to partially avert the 'fiscal cliff'. However, they have to decide on public service cuts inside two months and then there is a big battle looming over the budget deficit because the States are very close to their borrowing limit. This highlights the basic problem facing the US and most other developed economies, including the UK. If they were commercial enterprises the accountants would refuse to pass the accounts and declare them insolvent. Nobody has addressed the problem of increasing debt caused by over-spending, both public and private. In the long term, this is what has to be addressed, we have lived in a fool's paradise for far too long and the bottom line is that both the government and the public have to accept a lower level of spending. Problem is that at the moment this burden is falling mainly on the poorest people. We will not see any improvement until the burden is spread across the whole of society.

[EileenDavid]

What's Nick Clegg got against pensioners? There was also an article pointing out that public services workers pensions are mostly paid buy the public. I don't see why for every pound they put in to the pension scheme the public pay three pounds towards it. My works pension was matched pound for pound but what about the self employed who have to pay everything in themselves. I don't mean the large businesses but the likes of my hairdresser a one man band. Eileen

[Stanley]

Eileen, once you get into pensions you are in a minefield! Possibly one of the worst legislated areas in the last 40 years. Mind you, I can see the sense in means-testing benefits like winter fuel allowances. Why should we be paying it to retirees living in Marbella?

[Tardis]

Balls rolls out his 'Guaranteed work' tax on pensions

Without pointing out that more people are now employed in the UK than were under Brown

[Tardis]

Balls car crash interview on the World at One on Radio 4 for his work policy