Physicians heal thyselves!

Ex-criminal lawyer and banker Francis Maude gave his practised smooth performance again on breakfast TV this morning as the public sector continues to be the government's whipping boy, or more likely girl these days, taking the blame for the spectacular failures of the private sector. Another MP and ex- minister paints a different picturehere.

The 'Millie Dowler' trial brought into sharp reality the role of the defence lawyer but fairness was thrown out of the window in the public sector pensions row when Danny Alexander announced the result of discussions with the unions while they were still taking place.

It was no surprise in this morning's interview that Mr Maude neatly side-stepped a question about MPs' rhodium plated pensions but then he is adept at avoiding tricky issues.

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Riots in England: the Prime Minister's response

In his statement to the Commons this morning the Prime Minister admitted what was obvious to anyone watching recent events unfold, that is, 'the police got it wrong'. MPs representing areas worst affected said that their constituents looked on in disbelief as the police simply 'observed' looters entering vandalised shops and walking off with stolen goods. This was the view witnessed by television viewers around the world.

Apparently the police viewed the situation as a "public order" issue rather than criminal activity!  The irony is that, as illustratedhere, the police are much swifter in dealing with 'public order' protesters than with criminals, often employing controversial 'kettling' procedures to restrict movement. Watch the BBC clip here and listen to what the then Metropolitan Police Commissioner had to say about containment to avoid trouble spreading.

Force needs to be met with force employing any lawful means to take control of a situation but in this instance the riotous looting was allowed to get so out of control  that the Prime Minister has since had to speak of 'fighting back'. Rubber bullets have been used elsewhere in the United Kingdom so why not in England? If the police fail to protect citizens it is inevitable that they will seek to protect themselves with all that implies.

The only good thing to come out of this shameful episode is the Prime Minister's stated determination to get to grips with the gang culture and other elements that have blighted our society for too long. It's a pity it comes at such a price.

Update

In the row that has blown up about whether the Government or the Metropolitan Police should take credit for bringing the London riots to a halt we have been treated to this statement by the Acting Commissioner Tim Godwin "As a result of that we were able to nip this in the bud after a few days."

The problem wasn't 'nipped in the bud', it was allowed to flower grotesquely for 'a few days' resulting in loss of life, homes and jobs with millions of pounds worth of damage. There was much talk on Question Time last night of the difficulties 'officers' face because of fear of further criticism for rough handling but the cases referred to arose as a result of lawful protest, not criminal behaviour involving riots and looting.

Neither the Government nor the Metropolitan Police should be looking to take credit for damping down the public disorder. The complacency in the interview is mind blowing - self praise is no recommendation!

If more trouble flares up 'nipping it in the bud after a few days' is entirely unacceptable. No wonder we are in such a mess.

Postscript

An American view here.

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Bedroom Farce

Pity poor David Laws, the latest victim of British stone throwing.

He sacrificed a lucrative career as a city banker for public service. In doing so has become the latest victim of the Thatcher government?S MPs Expenses scheme. The rules were open to interpretation and many MPs have already paid the price. In a statement Laws said "At no point did I consider myself to be in breach of the rules which in 2009 defined partner as "one of a couple ... Who although not married to each-other or civil partners are living together and treat each-other as spousesdanquot;.

Those with the great British gift of hindsight are already screaming for his scalp but here is a man with a Cambridge double first in economics and top level experience in the financial sector who was admired on both sides of the House for the mastery of his brief in the Queen?S Speech debate. In a time of severe national crisis should we sacrifice a highly competent Chief Secretary in response to another journalistic scoop by The Telegraph over a technicality? If the same attitude had prevailed during the war no doubt Churchill would have been ousted.

Any doubt over the interpretation of the rules could have been sorted out by having a quiet word to resolve the matter without its sensationalist accompaniment. In their exposure The Daily Telegraph claimed that there was no intention to disclose Mr Laws' sexuality, but in a statement issued in response to questions from this newspaper, the minister chose to disclose this fact?. How very noble of them.

Postscript

So David Laws has resigned with honour and humility, a lesson not just for the Telegraph but for us all:

http://news.Bbc.Co.Uk/1/hi/uk/10191673.Stm

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Harriet’s Half n Half

Acting Labour leader Harriet Harman told a Unite union conference in Manchester that Labour party rules should be changed so that half the shadow cabinet are women. She said the party had more women MPs than all other parties added together but still had twice as many male MPs; it was time for Labour women to step out of the shadows.

What is it about being a woman that entitles some to think they should have ‘equality’ by special privilege? Feminists have all but wrecked the Church of England with their false claims confusing vocations to the apostolic ministry with secular employment. They already have a short list of future women bishops expecting ultimate parity with men. How many male ministries must be lost for the sake of feminist ideology?

In the secular world, should a first-rate man be overlooked for a second-rate woman in the mistaken guise of equality? Men and women must compete on equal terms so that the best person wins. Using Ms Harman’ criteria the next calls will be for representation by minority groups as though office holders were incapable of seeing their needs.

'Half n half' completes a good curry but will only enhance the shadow cabinet if it occurs by natural selection.

Postscript

I read in The Independent that "Ed Miliband has strengthened his pledge to promote women to senior political jobs by supporting a plan to ensure half of the party’s new shadow Cabinet team is female". He previously advocated a third. Couldn't be anything to do with his bid for the leadership, could it? The same thing happened in the church. Once clergy saw which way the wind was blowing many 'saw the light' and had a change of conscience embracing the ordination of women contrary to the teaching and tradition of the universal church. Just look what's happened there.

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The Telegraph Fiddles while Britain Burns

How much more expenses poison will The Telegraph drip-feed in its attempt to kill off ministers and derail the coalition Government’s attempts to sort out our economic mess? Not satisfied with getting rid of possibly the best person for the job they are now after his successor. Who next? We must draw a line under the expenses saga.

If The Telegraph has evidence of wrong doing why have they held it back? We need to move on. If there are further stories which they think the public should know about, keep them until the economy is back on its feet. Then they can try to recoup the £110,000 they reportedly paid through a middle-man to the mole who illegally obtained the stolen data on MPs expenses.

Happy to profit from their stolen goods I heard one Telegraph columnist on Sky News suggest that they couldn’t not print a good story. Why? There are precedents, the Duke of Windsor’s affair and Churchill’s drinking to name but two. This is not to cover up wrong doing but to see the broader picture. We are at war with our financial crisis but the small minded in our midst continue to look at the minutia. Let’s have a sense of proportion please.

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Today's children tomorrow: Urgent PETITION

Since my previous blog on this subject there has been much criticism of Mr Gove's proposal to axe support for the School Sport Partnerships (SSPs).

There has been widespread anger in every walk of life including elite athletes and MP's with the Prime Minister being questionioned in the House.

Please sign the PETITION organised by the NUT to get this shabby treatment of our children reversed and encourage as many as you can to do the same.

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MPs Expenses - she was warned!

"Thatcher warned over MPs expenses scandaldanquot;

Well there's a surprise!

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Prisoner votes for profit

Prison vote vultures: No-win, no-fee lawyers line up thousands of convicts to claim compensation for being denied their polling rights

Bankers' bonuses, obscene football fees and now compensation for convicts. According the the Mail online article highlighted above, "lawyers have set up shop in dozens of prisons, encouraging inmates to claim compensation for not having the right to vote. They have already collected 2,500 clients seeking payouts at the European Court of Human Rights."

People go to prison for breaking the law which is what many Members of Parliament propose we should do. Others suggest we simply defy European Human Rights law. The Prime Minister reportedly felt physically ill at the prospect of giving prisoners the vote, so much so that it has caused impotency leaving MPs on the backbenches to put a motion before the Commons to do something about it.

Voters fed up with the 'ambulance chasing' culture that pollutes our justice system don't want to see it spread to aid convicts rip-off taxpayers. We are constantly told to tighten our belts while others get fat at our expense. Some problems simply can't be left to 'localism', the Big Society or simply laissez faire.

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An Englishman's word is his bond?

An Englishman's word is was (?) his bond.

Promises are in the news again, this time thepromises that were made in the winning of the 2012 Olympic Games for London - as if we need them with huge cuts in essential services plus the security implications but broken promises are my concern here.

Political pledges such as those given on tuition fees are often looked at with scepticism in the shifting ground of politics but what excuse can there be for the Church of England breaking its promise to traditionalist Anglicans as it ponders the question of women bishops? - A 'Broken Promises' summary was published inForward in Faith's "New Directions" last month (page 10).

For some MPs it is not faith butpolitical correctness that counts as they attempt a fix regardless of the wishes of the new Synod.  If honour means nothing at the highest levels of government in Church and State with promises continually broken, as the question goes to dioceses for discussion it will be interesting to see if, for the grass roots, still "An Englishman's word IS his bond".

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World Water Day 2013

Down in the dumps with rain, rain, rain and flood alerts or, as friends in New Zealand tell me, no rain and water restrictions? Caught between these extremes are hundreds of millions of people without access to clean water and proper sanitation, a problem for Everyone, everywhere.

Today, 22 March 2013 is World Water Day. WaterAid's goals are set out in this short film

As WaterAid says, "this is our best chance in 15 years to put water and sanitation at the heart of global efforts to tackle poverty — so please email your MP today and ask them to urge David Cameron to read WaterAid's Everyone, everywhere report".

Our support can make a difference.

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A fit person?

Mirror picture: Getty

Listening to the evidence given by James and Rupert Murdoch to the Culture Select Committee and under oath to the Leveson Inquiry their grasp of detail and ability to recollect facts was extraordinary, until their own integrity was in the spotlight. Only then did amnesia set in. The term "wilful blindnessdanquot; has been used to explain how Rupert Murdoch knew all that was going on, except what went on under his own nose.

In its damning report, the Culture Select Committee split on party lines in its majority judgement that Rupert Murdoch is not a fit person to run an international company. Coming so soon after the Prime Minister'sdefence of his Culture Secretary yesterday following his dealings with the Murdoch empire, the explanation given by the Tory members that such a conclusion was beyond their remit may leave many wondering if Rupert Murdoch still has immediate access.

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Water Aid: please email you MP

A Water Worksupdate in April detailed how the International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell MP announced that the UK is to double its targets on water and sanitation. An extra 30 Million people will now be reached by 2015 through UK aid – at least 60 million in total.

Supporters of WaterAid's work are being asked to encourage their MPs to attend. UK residents can easily do so by following the simple instructions here.

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A sense of proportion

Most of the 32 gay MPs and peers managed to get to the IoS photocall Teri Pengilley/Independent

In February 2016 the Independent published this picture of 28 MPs and peers. It was reported to be the largest number of publicly out parliamentarians photographed together at one time.

On the BBC Breakfast show this morning [advance to 2:13:00] it was reported that there are now 45 LGBT MPs (7%), an increase of 40% since 2015. A record 208 women MPs were elected but they "still make up only 32% of the total number of MPsdanquot;, the implication being that well short of parity, the latest buzz for women clergy, women are under represented

The Office for National Statistics' bulletin: 'Sexual identity, UK: 2015' shows that in 2015, 1.7% of the UK population identified themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) so similarly LGB people are over represented.

The Church of England (CofE) LGBTI networkChanging attitude estimates that about 10% of clergy are LGBT, almost six times the national average, indicating a level of influence which has resulted in the CofEsoftening its stance on LGBT issues.

In 2015 theTelegraph reported that the House of Commons had more gay MPs than any other parliament in the world, up to 32 from 26 in the previous parliament indicating from the latest figure that the trend is upwards. In the CofE there is growing acceptance of same sex marriage with the possibility that the CofE will follow thelead of the Scottish Episcopal Church. In Wales the bench of bishops came out strongly in favour of same sex marriage but were defeated. The two new women bishops are strong LGBT advocates.

As an indication of how little the Bible informs CofE thinking, 'Gay rock star' Vicky Beeching has been given the Thomas Cranmer Award for Worship by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Compare that with the number of former worshippers who have been deprived of the opportunity to worship because their church has left them.

Archbishop Justin Welby has also been 'honoured' in joining Muslims breaking their daily Ramadan fast. No doubt his halal experience will have been convivial. He tweeted: "@JustinWelby at @AlKhoei for a Big Iftar with friends of various faiths. Through hosting an #iftar we find out more we have in common. 10:14 PM - 12 Jun 2017".

There is nothing in common with the orthodox faith of Christians especially in Muslim countries where homosexuals are killed and Christians are slaughtered in countries such asEgypt simply for not being Muslims.

Small wonder that the GAFCON Primates have asked the Anglican Church in North America to take on the task of providing a missionary bishop for Scotland. Long overdue in Wales and now increasingly likely in England on current trends.

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