The Poliblogs 17 January 2008

Northern Rock Progress?

I'm told there will be a meeting between Treasury staff and investment bankers Goldman Sachs (the firm tasked with looking into possible options for the beleaguered Northern Rock) either today or tomorrow. Does this signal that steps are about to be taken to nationalise the bank?

Boulton & Co.

Brown's nationalisation nightmare

Iain Martin’s column this morning on the political dangers to Gordon Brown of nationalising Northern Rock is essential reading. As Iain argues, the danger for Brown is that Northern Rock could destroy his reputation for economic competence and set in the public mind the idea that he—unlike that nice Mr. Blair—is too left wing for modern Britain. One senior shadow cabinet minister tells Iain that: "It's very him,"...” It’s what people think he came into politics to do all along: nationalise banks."

Coffee House

Is Hain being shown the exit?

Gordon Brown was quite specific on ITV: Hain's failing is not incompetence, it's an incompetence. By that he presumably means that in every other respect he's a top minister. Brown Central is lavish in its praise of the way he handles his brief, and other ministers report (with some bafflement) an atmosphere of keen support for him in No10.

Ben Brogan

80 Tory MP's reported to the electoral commission

I guess this goes to prove that the donations issue is a can of worms. I think, personally, that Labour are trying to up the ante, but in doing so are likely to put more pressure on themselves rather than easing the pressure on Peter Hain, Harriett Harman and the rest.

Norfolk Blogger

Labour should learn from Hain and Harman

I spent this morning leafletting in the Labour marginal seat of Westminster North, where Karen Buck is the MP. Thousands of leaflets were delivered in that marginal seat today, yet I can't help feeling that the work done by the grassroots on the ground has been more than offset by the politcal blow in the national media from Peter Hain's deputy leadership election arrangements.

Labour Home

It's time to defend public schools

I had the privilege of attending Tonbridge School. Without doubt I had access to a high quality of education as well as incredible opportunities in terms of sport, music, drama and other extracurricular activities on offer. For better or worse, Tonbridge is largely responsible for the man I am today (cue barrage of feeble and illiterate insults from anonymous trolls).

Blaney’s Blarney

What should be asked of the independent sector?

With the Charity Commission recommending that private schools should do more for the "public benefit", public school headmasters are at odds over whether or not they do enough already. As Melanie Phillips has already noted in a must-read Spectator blog post, the first shot was fired by the headmaster of Wellington College, Dr Anthony Seldon, in yesterday’s Independent. Seldon claims that the independent school system is helping to perpetuate "educational apartheid" (i.e. the inequality between the independent and state sectors):

Coffee House

Vote Clegg Get Brown

I have been exchanging views with Mr. Cicero`s songs , quite an erudite blog from a Liberal perspective but as partisan as Liberals usually are whilst holding their noses at the partisanship of others. In doing so I have synthesised some of my complaints about the Liberal Party( as Clegg now calls them). I find as we are all socially Liberal more or less the differences are stark only abroad especially on the EU. On domestic policy they are somewhat to the left old the Blairites in reality and cannot be taken seriously as Libertarian when they want to take all your money away and redistribute it to worthy causes of their own choosing.

Newmania

Tit for tat reporting damages politics

I can’t help but see the news that two Labour MPs have reported 80 Tory MPs for non-declaration of donations as just revenge for the Tories pursuing Peter Hain. Maybe there will be something in it, but from what I can see it all looks above board. All parties get money from unincorporated associations, which are completely innocuous not for profit bodies that receive lots of small contributions from loads of different people.

Anders Hanson

Evening Standard: “It’s no contest - Paddick must be Mayor”

There was a boost for Brian Paddick’s London mayoral campaign today, when Evening Standard columnist Nirpal Dhaliwal gave the Lib Dem candidate his whole-hearted endorsement:

Lib Dem Voice

Latest Scottish Voting Intention

Earlier in the week there was apparently a new YouGov poll of Scottish voting intentions in the Scottish Daily Express. The topline voting intention figures, with changes from the last YouGov poll, are - for the constituency vote - CON 14%(+2), LAB 29%(nc), LDEM 14%(+1), SNP 38%(-2) and for the regional vote, CON 13%(nc), LAB 27%(+1), LDEM 12%(-1), SNP 30%(-4).

Polling Report

PMQs 16 January 2008

Cameron, Brown and Erskine May

Far be it from me to tell the Speaker his job, but he needs to grab Dave and Gord by the scruff of the neck and give them both a good shake about their unparliamentary habits. The Prime Minister has taken not just to asking Mr Cameron questions, but to shouting "why won't he answer?", when he know it's PMQs, not Leader of the Opposition Questions.

Ben Brogan

Cameron gets the better of Brown in clash over Northern Rock

Great fireworks today over Northern Rock. Cameron started with sombre questions about taxpayers’ money involved - Can Brown guarantee the safe return of the taxpayers’ money given Northern Rock? Was he advised the liability could rise so high? Could it rise higher than £55bn? No answer. Brown tried his trick of last week of asking Cameron a question so often that Michael Martin intervened. “He doesn’t have to answer the Prime Minister’s question,” says Michael Martin. Not until the next general election, at any rate.

Coffee House

PMQs - The Verdict

As is now traditional at prime minister's questions, proceedings began with a whips' planted enquiry designed to give Gordon Brown a friendly warm up and use as much time as possible. This week Stoke-on-Trent North's Robert Flello obliged, praising the economy and allowing the PM to trot out the usual list "proving" the health of the UK's finances. Unfortunately Flello had not learnt his lines and Conservative backbenchers enjoyed themselves chanting that he was "reading" every time he glanced at his notes - which he did every other word. Reading from notes is of course against Parliamentary convention.

ePolitix

Live blog of PMQs

Editorial verdict: Forgive the capitals but WHY DOES THE SPEAKER ALLOW THE PM TO QUESTION DAVID CAMERON AGAIN AND AGAIN? It's bad enough that Brown doesn't answer the questions that are put to him but he's abusing what is Prime Minister's Questions, not Leader of the Opposition's Questions.

Conservative Home

Today's PMQs

I could hardly belioeve my ears at the beginning of PMQs when a Labour MP, Robert Fello, read out a list of government economic achievements. There was an interruption and the Speaker stood up and said: "Let the honourable Gentleman continue with the good news"!!!

Iain Dale

Prime Minister's Questions - Live (almost!)

I've just been sitting in the House of Commons for the weekly Prime Minister's Questions, and have come 'hot foot' to the HoC library to report back on what happened. The way PMQs work is that the first question is always asked by a backbencher who has come first out of the hat. Today it was a loyal Labour backbencher who had clearly been 'lent on' by the whips. He asked a toadying question which enabled Gordon Brown to list the Government's achievements on the economy. MPs on all sides groan when we go through this charade.

The Webb Log

PMQs becomes OQs… Again

Just as he did last week, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has avoided difficult questions from David Cameron (this time on Northern Rock) by asking him a question. Surely the Speaker can’t hold this in order for much longer? It is, after all, Questions to the Prime Minister, not to the Opposition’s Questions.

Gavin’s Gaily Gigest

The Verdict

First, let’s get the gripes out the way. I am not the first one to pick up that Gordon Brown is just starting to look a little ridiculous by refusing to answer questions and also turn the whole thing round and start to ask Cameron questions.

Secondly, the Speaker really needs to get a grip. Incredibly, when Brown persisted to ask the questions, he felt it necessary to call order and say:

“Let the Leader of the Opposition answer in the way he wants to answer”

He quickly realised that the reason he had to call order was because the Tory benches were going apoplectic because Brown was asking the questions in the first place! So he covered his tracks with:

“Order. He does not have to answer the Prime Minister’s question.”

Well thanks for the clarification Michael Martin! He then described Robert Fello’s list of Labour achievement in the form of a question as “Good news”. His tongue was firmly in his cheek I hope...

On a plus side Cameron has finally learned to stick to the main issue rather than flick between one issue and another. Unfortunately he chose Brown’s specialist subject – economics. It was one of those days where the left would score it a Brown win, the right a Cameron win. Despite Brown’s poor start, he actually finished off much the stronger. Given the potential hypocrisy that Cameron faced if he went full on about Hain, he had to stick to Northern Rock and he just couldn’t break the PM down. I’m going to have to sit on the fence this week and score it a draw – but only just. If anyone was to take the points I would have to say it was Brown, even he can’t answer the question! Cameron just didn't land any big blows. Again.

Brown 0.5


Cameron 0.5

The Late Lunch Briefing

You know who your friends are...

If I were in a sticky situation I’d want all the backing from my corner I could get. Well, Peter Hain got that yesterday from the Prime Minister. Unfortunately for him, Gordon Brown decided to go about it in a very strange way indeed. On the one hand he was praising the Work & Pensions Secretary and then on the other hand he was complaining of him taking his eye of the ball. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised by this; Gordon Brown gave with one hand and took with the other for ten years as Chancellor. But then came from Brown what will probably go down as Peter Hain’s epithet...

Hain the Incompetent

What made Gordon Brown think that saying Peter Hain presided over "an incompetence" in the way he handled the funding for deputy leadership campaign, only he will ever know. It is as though Brown wants him to get as much stick as possible so that he decides to end it all and fall on his own sword. Such is the level of Hain’s incompetence right now, he’d probably miss though. Thanks a bunch Gordon, Hain must have thought on hearing this appraisal. For the rest of Hain’s career he’ll be “Peter The Incompetent” and it’s all thanks to that special backing from his chum Gordon.

It gets worse!

However, the fact is Brown will not sack this incompetent buffoon and his future rests with the Electoral Commission and Commons standards watchdog. But just to make certain that his position is untenable, just in case Brown’s double handed compliments, his incompetence, the vast list of unanswered questions and a potential police investigation weren’t enough, Hain has now been caught up in what is fast becoming a classic Brown Premiership style cock up. Good old Incompetent Pete’s department kindly finished off the job Jacqui Smith started by handing out 6,653 illegal immigrants (who the home secretary admitted before Christmas were working in the security industry) national insurance numbers. What a plonker.

Hain has to go

Gordon Brown has said all Hain need do is apologise. Everyone else, including members of the Labour party, think he should go and go now. I just cannot see how he can continue in this role. It is above and beyond the scandals that Darling (though Northern Rock isn’t over by a long shot!) or even Harman faced late last year. This one has all the ingredients for a sacking – sleeze, scandal and incompetence at the job. Hain must go. The question now is how much longer can he last..?

Coming later today... The End of Hain?

The Late Lunch Briefing where I will be wishing Peter Hain all the best for the future as a backbencher. Posting at 2pm.


The PMQs Battle round up and scores - can David Cameron land some haymakers on Brown about his "incompetent" Work & Pensions secretary? Northern Rock should be back on the agenda too... Should be a good'un today. Posting at 5pm.

Politics Decoded: A Boris Banana Skin? A Tory Tester? A Knighthood Now!

Here is this week's Politics Decoded column from the Wardman Wire. You can read it first at The Wardman Wire from about 11:30am every Tuesday.

Some big announcements from the Boris camp expected?

Iain Dale has suggested that Boris’ camp will make one or two major personnel announcements in the coming weeks. He made the comments at a debate on whether Boris can become Mayor last week. While Iain did not go as far as to tell the story as a definite, he did say that he was expecting some announcements with a bit of a “wink, wink, nudge, nudge”. In short, in the coming weeks Boris may well be announcing some high profile figures to take over from the GLA group’s current heads. This includes people such as TfL commissioner, Peter Hendy, and London Underground MD, Tim O’Toole. Iain even touted David Davis as TfL’s new commissioner. It is all part of what Iain called “clearing the house” – an Americanism often used by newly elected Mayors in the US, apparently.

A bad move, Boris

I have to say, if this does turn out to be the case Londoners should be worried and so should the Boris camp. Why get rid of Peter Hendy and start again at TfL? The very bottom line is it will cost a small fortune to start again at TfL and the other GLA functional bodies. Even more importantly, however, is getting rid of some real talent solely for political reasons is a mistake. Hendy is very popular at TfL having worked his way up through the ranks all the way from bus conductor. He knows his onions and is, publically at least, non-political. Why would we want a politician running our capital’s transport system? Tim O’Toole is every bit as capable and popular as Hendy and both have done fantastic jobs at TfL. Hendy started as MD at London Buses and ask any Londoner and they will tell you that the buses in London today are a world away from what they were ten years ago. OK, so we have bendy buses and lost the route-master, but this is small fry compared to the overall improvement. Tim O’Toole has overseen a period of massive improvement on the underground and at a time when the Metronet contracts are up in the air the last thing LUL and its passengers need is change at the top.

Boris needs pros not just big names

Most worryingly, however, is talk of David Davis becoming TfL’s commissioner. I should emphasise that Iain did not say this explicitly, but Davis was one of the options he floated. Why would London want a man who has failed to be elected as Mayor then be appointed as the head of the biggest part of the Mayoral Empire? What does Davis know about running the world largest transport authority? Very little compared to Hendy and O’Toole I would imagine.

I understand that Boris wants to put some distance between himself and the Livingstone era, but as a man who lacks the skills and should be aiming to put the best team around him (rather like Reagan and Bush have done in the US when they were aware of their failings) I do not think that sacking the two best jewels in the Livingstone crown is the wisest of moves.

Remember the act treason?

At the end of last year Gordon Brown did the dirty and put his signature to the EU Reform Treaty in a back room in Lisbon. It caused outrage in the blogosphere, in the tabloid press, the grown up press and television media. I even went on BBC World news to talk about! It was as though this was the final act of treachery from Brown and nothing less than sending him to the gallows was good enough for him. So why has it gone so quiet?

Unfortunately, and Gordon realised this after much bumbling and indecision, that as a voting issue Europe is still a big turn off for the electorate and a difficult one for the opposition to keep up the offensive on. In fact, it’s quite the opposite for the Tories. The Treaty is done and dusted for Labour. Now the spot light is on the Tories and we all know where internal debates on Europe end up when the Tories get going…

Tories to tear themselves apart?

The problem for the Tories is at least Labour are united (or showing a united front) when it comes to Europe. Brown wanted to sign the treaty (he saw little other option) and did so. It was farcical and had more spin about it than an evening with Alastair Campbell, but he did it and cries of treason rang out until the Christmas bells drowned them out and all has been forgotten. Cameron tried to get those cries going again with his appearance on the Andrew Marr show last Sunday. But it only served to highlight the Tories problem in this area.

What is the Tory position on Europe?

I was left baffled as to what the Tory position on Europe is. On the one hand he is saying he will hold a referendum. On the other he saying there will be no point because by the time the Tories even get a chance to be in power the treaty will be ratified. In other words, Cameron is towing the line that he is against the treaty but cannot and therefore will not do anything about it. It is clearly an attempt to appease both sides of his party on this most destructive of issues for the Tories. The problem with this approach is that is actually appeases neither side.

The first real, serious tester of the New Conservative Party

The pro-Europeans want Cameron to be more positive about Britain’s role in Europe. The antis want him to promise a referendum even after the treaty has been ratified by the rest of the EU. This would mean that Britain would pretty much be holding a referendum on whether it remained in Europe or not – something Cameron would never commit to. As the months go on I expect Europe, far from being an issue for the government, to actually start to take its toll on the Tories. This will be the first real test as to whether the Tories have changed. Despite the problems over the past decade that Labour has faced, they have always kept it together as a party. If the Tories are going to take that next step to power, they too will have to prove that they are united as a party – especially on issues like Europe.

Arise Sir Ringo!

While we’re on the subject of Iain Dale, he took up a story that does the rounds every year or so – should Ringo be knighted like the rest of the Beatles? Iain believes that the reason Ringo never got the knighthood is because “as a singer he’s a bit rubbish and as a drummer he’s very rubbish”. A bit harsh Iain! Of course I am sure his comments were written with his tongue firmly in his cheek (not sure that metaphor works with the written word…) as he then goes on to say “The only singer from the 1960s to actually deserve his knighthood was, of course… Sir Clifford Richard.” The only singer from the sixties!? Needless to say I am not a Cliff Richard fan!

The best damn drummer in the world!

But surely as one quarter of the biggest band that ever was, Ringo deserves the gong?! If Paul Collingwood can get his gong for playing a bit part in 2005 ashes victory, then surely Ringo deserves his?! All this rubbish about him being a terrible drummer is unfair and all comes from Lennon’s flippant quip that he wasn’t even the best drummer in the band. A comment that he regretted. Paul later claimed he was the best drummer in the world. I’m joining The Fink on this one – you all should too!

The Poliblogs 16 January 2008

Roll up for Welsh questions

For once, PMQs is not the main attraction on a Wednesday. The hot ticket today is Welsh Questions where Peter Hain faces the House for the first time since his latest funding troubles hit the headlines. Westminster watchers are intrigued to see how, Hain who is not beloved by his fellow MPs, is treated by his colleagues on the Labour side. Things have not got any easier for Hain with the Prime Minister’s intervention to describe Hain’s funding errors as “an incompetence.”

Coffee House

False Comfort

A National Insurance number is a turnkey. Once you've got one you can find legal employment, you can access a whole raft of state welfare benefits, and you can "prove" who you are. So you'd expect the government to take the utmost care over dishing them out. Well, no. You wouldn't really expect that because you know the government is totally incapable of taking the utmost care over anything.

Burning Our Money

Brown will regret calling Hain incompetent

US President Lyndon Johnson was a masterful political manipulator. Those of you interested in the pursuit of power should read Robert Caro's masterful biography of LBJ, spread over three volumes. It makes Machiavelli's The Prince look like an Enid Blyton story.

Blaney’s Blarney

The Real Reason Why Hain's Finished

Peter Hain's problem today is much the same as it was during the deputy leadership contest. Few people in the Labour Party really like him. This has become all to apparent in the last few days as several Labour MPs have called for him to go. On Friday it was Peter Kilfoyle, yesterday it was John Spellar. Today it is Ian Gibson.

Iain Dale

This story may still have some mileage left in it

It is interesting that whilst the media seem hell bent on securing Peter Hain's resignation, and Conservative backbenchers and the Tory blogging puppets howl for his head on a platter, and Labour backbenchers seem reluctant to rush to Hain's defence... there seems to be little enthusiasm for the call amongst the leadership of Her Majesty's so-called official opposition. They appear to have confined there remarks pretty much along the same lines as Gordon Brown.... if the inquiries find Hain guilty, then he may well have to go.

Bob Piper

Iain Dale: Will Never Get a Conviction Out of Peter Hain!

Sad to say Iain Dale is again barking up the wrong damned tree. He will never get a conviction out of Peter Hain. The Electoral Commission are bound to refer matters to the police if they think there is a reasonable chance (who knows what the test for that would be) of some illegality worthy of a £5000 fine or a suspension. So they've a choice to make.

Chris Paul

What Would Nationalisation Mean?

When Northern Rock is nationalised (I say when because "if" seems implausible), the immediate political fallout will be our immediate concern. So before we get caught up in the anticipated finger pointing and recrimination, it is worth considering what the future implications for Northern Rock are.

Boulton & Co.

Don't bank on it

The government has nationalised Northern Rock's liabilities but not its assets. Will the taxpayers' risks be rewarded?

Vince Cable

Brown insults public sector workers....getting the message yet?

Despite inflation currently at 4% (using the retail price index) the Government has once again insulted public sector workers with a pay cut.

Jo’s Jottings

Big Brother

Those who might still think that a National identity database is a good idea, despite the Government's inability to keep secure the data it already holds, may be given cause to think again by this article. The Times reports that the FBI is enlisting British law enforcement agencies to set up an international database containing the biometric details of thousands of people. The paper says that the programme, known as Server in the Sky, could result in an unprecedented transatlantic exchange of personal information. Biometric measurements, irises or palm prints as well as fingerprints could be exchanged.

Peter Black AM

A Parcel of Rogues

Wendy Alexander, Annabel Goldie and Nicol Stephen, the respective leaders of the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties at Holyrood, are meeting at Westminster today to consult with their London-based parties on how to undermine the SNP Scottish government. Its highly successful rule in Scotland since Labour lost the last Scottish elections has led to repeated defeats of the Labour regime's Westminster policies - the latest being the prevention of the siting of nuclear power stations anywhere in Scotland.

Angels in Marble

The cost of reviewing MPs' salaries

Now I know that MPs salaries are a hot topic, and I know that many people will think "low life, good for nothing scumbags, why should they get so much money?". To be fair, in many cases you would of course be right.

Dizzy Thinks

Big trouble for Tories over donations

The Conservatives really are having an unfortunate time with donations/declarations and the like. First there was news of Cameron breaking fundraising rules. Then there was a donation to Cameron's constituency association in Witney which shouldn't have been accepted.

Liberal Burblings

Conservatives admit breaking the law over David Cameron’s free flight

As Newsnight has reported, the Conservatives have admitted failing to declare to the Electoral Commission a free flight David Cameron received in 2005. Edward Llewellyn, his Chief of Staff, wrote to the Commission stating that:

Lib Dem Voice

Can the Tories be trusted on the economy if they offer no solutions ?

The Northern Rock's problems, and those of the Treasury, and by proxy taxpayers, continue to rumble, and with each new day the looming fear of nationalisation being the only way taxpayers will get their money, in the long term, looks more inevitable.

Norfolk Blogger

Goodbye Peter Hain

A View Across the Pond

Keen readers of The Poliblogs will know that every Tuesday I write the Politics Decoded column at The Wardman Wire. This is rather like a longer version of my daily Late Lunch Briefing post that I write here at the Poliblogs. As a result, there seems little point me doing a Late Lunch Briefing on a Tuesday as you can read all I have to say on British politics on the Wardman Wire.

However, do not be alarmed! Starting today I will be writing my weekly Tuesday column – “A View Across the Pond”. This will be my take on the American election from the safe distance of the UK. I hope you enjoy...

There are two things that have struck me most about the US presidential election:

Firstly, it takes them a year to actually get to the polls proper. While in the UK we are usually absolutely fed up with elections after the month of high energy, high profile campaigning, in America it appears to be treated more like a national sport. The media, the public, the candidates love it. They whoop and holler when their preferred candidate enters the room, usually accompanied by some patriotic soundtrack like Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA”. In the UK the closest we got to that was Prescott dancing to D:Ream’s “Things can only get better” or the embarrassing scene of the South coast’s finest granny parade waving Tory and British flags at their annual conference. Like most things, the Americans just like to do things bigger and better than the Brits. Imagine one of prospective PMs got up on stage and started crying like Hilary Clinton did a couple of weeks ago? We’d have laughed them off stage and the thought of voting for them ever again just would not be an option. Yet when an American does it, it just somehow seems ok.

Secondly, it is the candidates themselves. We have Cameron, Brown and Clegg. A public school boy career politician, a Presbyterian economist and another public school boy career politician. The most exciting these three get is that one of them may or may not have dabbled in drugs as a teenager. Big deal. The US on the other hand can boast a Vietnam War veteran who turned down release from a prisoner of war camp for the sake of his men only to be tortured for five years; they have the Brooklyn boy who took on the Mafia and won then went on to become a national hero at 9/11. They have one of the most charismatic men in politics who wants to defy the odds to become the first black president. They have the ordained Southern Baptist minister who is in a rock band called Capitol Offense – and yes, he does support the death penalty. The list goes on. Some are brilliant; some, quite frankly, scare the hell out of me. But as a set of politicians, you have a range of characters all vying to be the most powerful man in the world. It is fascinating to watch, which is probably why it is getting so much coverage in the UK – more so than in previous years.

The question is, while it is great to watch would we really want UK politics to head down the same route? I suspect not. As with Clinton’s tears, the Americans can pull this sort of thing off. We Brits just end up looking like your dad when he’s had a few too many and starts dancing. Kinnock tried it at the Sheffield rally back in 1992 and he was last person to try it for a reason. It was one of the main factors in him losing the election. Can you imagine Brown holding a rally like the Republicans or Democrats have done in Iowa or New Hampshire? His fake smile is creepy enough for me thanks. I am not criticising the American way of doing things – in fact I love the way the Americans do it - I just don’t think it is what we want in the UK.