Barack Obama Sworn In

Too many hopes are resting on this man - what can he do to improve things - is it all hopeless. Will he be in the thrall of the pro-Israeli lobby in the US? The man needs to get the new Secretary of State over to the Middle East (maybe with her husband and the new Vice President who have some experience in foreign policy) to save the Palestinian crisis from generating permanent hatred for the West....
Also pleased to see that the new President wasn't able to repeat the Oath of Office properly.

New Challenges to Security

I seem to have got myself on the mailing list of the Smith Institute, a think tank founded in commemoration of the late Labour Party Leader John Smith. His death led to Tony Blair taking

over as Leader and subsequently becoming Prime Minister. A while ago I attended a talk by Margaret Beckett (then Foreign Secretary) at 11 Downing Street. This time Jacqui Smith was talking on security matters at a hotel just round the corner from New Scotland Yard. Politicians always look different in the flesh, and there is a steely gaze emanating from Ms Smith that fixes you and almost dares you to contradict, but it also gives you the impression that she is taking in what you say. I had an opportunity to fall under that gimlet eye after her fascinating talk, also attended by David Steel, Baroness Jay and allegedly wavering MP Keith Vaz whose acolyte insisted on answering her mobile phone whilst the Secretary of State was flawlessly delivering her lecture. This was ahead of the vote on 42 days detention - Keith ended up supporting the government - did this speech persuade him? I was glad Jacqui Smith didn't just bang on about combating terrorism with draconian powers, she delved into the nature and difficulties of dealing with al-heida and how Islamist undercurrents provide challenges to democracies. She praised the efforts of those within youthful Muslim groups who were developing leadership skills for the next generation to help them to work within and alongside British institutions. So not exactly what I had expected, and far more thought provoking than the usual soundbites beloved of the media.

Fairtrade & Tate & Lyle

Tate & Lyle announced today that all their retail sugar would be 'fairtrade' from the very near future & they hoped to convert all their wholsale sugar in the not too distant future. There is some debate about how significant the Fairtrade movement is, does all the premium price get transferred to the farmers in developing countries for example? However, I'd prefer to buy fairtrade bananas than having to buy those produced in Latin America on plantations subsidised by the American government or Colombian drug barons to launder money. The sugar produced by Tate & Lyle in Belize must be better than either the sugar from the European beet mountain, or sugar from the United States subsidised by the Federal Government. One question: why do I find it so hard to buy fairtrade bananas in my local Tesco's? Get buying more fairtrade supplies please Tesco's!

Elements of the Cold War

I was listening to a programme on Radio 4 earlier this evening about the role

of the BBC during the cold war. We were told that there was a plan in place to evacuate a core of staff to a secure bunker where they would continue (all 450 of them in 3 shifts of 150 people) to broadcast to the surviving population. Part of the instructions issued to the civil populace was to take a battery powered transistor radio into the space under the stairs where they were to hide once war began. The BBC also supplied the camera link between 10 Downing Street and the nuclear submarine to prove that it was Harold Wilson and the designated naval officer giving the order to launch the nuclear missiles and not some madman Dr Strangelove figure who had burst into the Cabinet Room. All this reminded me that my uncle, a village policeman in Hertfordshire at this time had installed in his office, a bizarre piece of equipment that emitted a continuous bleep. He was under instructions to open an envelope containing instructions should the tone of the bleep change. From time to time announcements came from this loudspeaker to check the equipment was in order. What one person in a tiny village could do should the warning be sounded I dread to think. What were the chances that my uncle wouldn't be out catching criminals or sleeping at the momentous time when the third world war began? Of course it didn't happen......

Ken takes a lead

With just over three months to go to the Mayor of London election a recent ITV/You Gov Poll has given Ken Livingstone a 4 point lead. This may come as a great surprise to many outside London but those of us who live in London have come to love this strange and slightly eccentric man. I personally embrace the congestion charge, I'm very impressed by the dramatic improvements to public transport - although
perhaps the buses are victims of the incredible success - usage has so dramatically increased that most are now overcrowded. They are so cheap - and the introduction of the Oyster Card
makes it so easy to travel by bus and train. I also applaud Ken's campaign to bring the Olympics

to London in 2012 - it is already transforming East London, and inspiring the young people living here. As a colleague of mine remarked 'Ken stands up for London, I'll vote Conservative in any other election - but Ken will get my vote'. God help us all if Boris gets elected - all the improvements will be thrown away.

Hillary pulls off a surprise

So a night of surprises in New Hampshire. Everyone had written off Hillary Clinton in her race to become the Democrat Candidate in this year's US presidential elections, but maybe the huge increase in voters, especially independent electors pushed her ahead of previous frontrunner Barack Obanna. Probably a good thing for Senator Obama to get a less easy run, but on the other hand there is a tremendous 'ANYONE BUT HILLARY' feeling in America and this may mean Republican John McCain (if he gets to be their candidate) might stand a chance of winning. It is an interesting contrast of candidates though to select from - youth, female, older, experienced, black (?) and the traditional Washington/not Washington conflict. Still a long way to go though.

Tony Blair becomes a Catholic

I suppose it isn't really a surprise to discover that Tony Blair has become a Catholic, but it still seems pretty incongrous considering his record in government. It also makes even more bizarre his current role as Middle East Envoy and negotiator. I wonder if the former Prime Minister will be jostling Ann Widdecombe for a space at the altar rail at Christmas morning mass at Westminster Cathedral?

Gordon Brown

OK so we all got worked up about the possibility of a general election. I personally wasn't enamoured of the idea of voting in November - even fewer people would have voted than usual. But the reality is that he's only been Prime Minister for about three months, and he's done pretty well so far, dealing with a series of crises without them becoming dramas. This Parliament has got nearly three years left before a general election is necessary, the Labour Party has a big majority, and we need to know what Gordon Brown intends to do with his majority. I know excellent poll ratings gave him a rush of blood to the head and a sense of euphoria but lets get a grip here and leave talking about elections for another year at least. Then the voters can really make a judgement. Can someone also tell me why it was so bad to announce the reduction in British troops whilst Gordon was visiting Iraq? A logical setting for this to be done surely. The Iraqi government would have been discontented to discover British intentions without warning. So shut up David Cameron, your opportunity to challenge the Labour Party at the polls will need to wait.
What would really be a good idea is to change to fixed term governments - a general election HAVING to take place at pre-determined intervals.

Inheritance Tax

Why are people so worked up about Inheritance Tax? It affects very few estates, and the estates have to be pretty large before they attract this tax. However, in the south of England (and especially London) the main problem is the cost of properties - so even a modest house will force an estate into attracting tax. Two things that I don't think are said enough: firstly (logically) the tax only applies when the house owner dies - which is often over 80 nowadays. Now the complaint about inheritance tax is that people can't leave money for their children, so this tax is a tax on young people setting out - a bequest helps children onto the property ladder. If someone is over 80 their children are likely to be at least 50. So they would need to be leaving their property to grandchildren or great grandchildren to achieve the aim of financing people as they set out on their careers. The second thing is a great taboo in modern life. Will someone tell me why rocketing house prices are a good thing? If you have a house costing £250,000 to sell this is only good if you can find another house to live in a £200,000. Reducing house prices would have the following bonuses: reduction in debt burden on young people, reducing private rents, less pressure on interest rates, allowing people to move instead of being stuck in houses that are no longer suitable. Lower house prices will avoid inheritance tax, stamp duty, reduce estate agents fees, legal fees, and will probably speed up transactions. So lets get building houses and start to see a stabilisation of house prices.

Diana - can we please let it go!

Now I know it's a tragedy how the former Princess of Wales and her friend/lover/fiance(?) died ten years ago. But for goodness sake it was a decade ago, there have been so many enquiries and investigations why do we have to have a six month inquest costing millions? Well the answer is that Mohammed Al-Fayed is obsessed by the fact that his son was killed on the orders of the Royal Family because he was a Muslim and outside the establishment. The real problem is he can't accept that if Dodi wasn't killed as part of a conspiracy, the alternatives are: driven to death by the paparazzi; killed by a drunken employee of the Ritz; or just a tragic accident. Now what will happen if the inquest verdict is one of those alternatives - will the owner of Harrods ever let it go? Nope - this is going to continue forever (just like the assassination of John F Kennedy).

Northern Rock - Total Insanity

These queues of people desperately trying to get their money out of Northern Rock is completely insane (the ones shown here are in my old home town, Chelmsford). Remarks heard include 'All these people can't be wrong - something is happening here, I don't want to lose my savings'; and most worrying of all 'There are no guarantees, I don't want to risk my money'. Alastair Darling and the FSA and the head of Northern Rock and the Bank of England have all said very clearly that there is enough money in the Northern Rock to repay all the money invested. Even if the bank goes broke (never going to happen - the government won't allow it) £2,000 is guaranteed, 90% of the next £33,000 is also guaranteed. How many of these people have more than £35,00 in the Bank? How many are going to take vast amounts of cash out and where will they put it? Under the mattress? The Chancellor said so many times that there is enough money in the Bank to cover all the savings. There is some truth in the old saying - AS SAFE AS THE BANK OF ENGLAND!!!
Now how do I invest in Northern Rock?

More Anti-Americanism?

Now British generals have started to publicly criticise the way in which the American military and former Secretary for Defence Donald Rumsfelt have handled the war in Iraq - especially the aftermath. Sir Mike Jackson (pictured here) has particularly been critical of the lack of realistic planning on the Americans' part. He especially pointed out that the US government's belief in Iraq changing in an instant from dictatorship and tyranny - a police/military state - into a freedom loving democracy was merely a pipedream.
In response the American government has (through inderict means) been extremely critical of the British behaviour in Basra - effectively claiming we've given up the South of Iraq to warlords and militia, and certain that the British will 'cut and run'. Oh - how different it was when Tony Blair was the only real supporter of George W and the neo cons of the US administration.

The Breakdown of Society?

David Cameron has recently announced that society is on the point (if not entirely beyond the point) of dissolving in the United Kingdom. My question really is: How do these incredibly young children get hold of the guns that they are using with such impunity at the moment? Is it so easy for someone to text a mate who will rent them an adapted gun to take out an enemy or if they are in need of protection? Where do they get the money from as well? Now as to the manors or zones that these young children are frightened to leave - they can't get on a bus that goes into the 'wrong' area.

Parents need to be providing a much more secure and structured environment for their children - they need to make sure that they know where their children are, who they are with and what they are doing.

I live in London, and so far I've not seen any trouble or evidence of it - but I'm assured it is out there.

Are we really anti-American?

Now I was drifting through some other blogs and came across one from an American visiting London who was complaining how aggressively anti-American the Londoners they were meeting turned out to be. Perhaps the arrangement of flags shown above has something to do with it. I think during the Blair years many people in Britain were appalled by the devoted way our Prime Minister followed George W in every aspect of his policies - especially in the Middle East. The way British forces were sucked into conflict has coloured the views of many Brits about Americans. As usual though perhaps we are confusing the people with the government.

I do think though that American Imperialism is at the back of some of the prejudices about Americans. Alot of Britons think American imperialism extends to every aspect of their lives - films, books, music, commerce, finance, business and politics. But then the British cannot really decide where they are - an independent country or part of Europe or the 51st state on the United States!

Foot & Mouth

It would seem that the latest outbreak of Foot & Mouth disease in Surrey stems from a nearby animal experimentation and research facility. I bet the farming community will get very worked up if that turns out to be the case. Five years ago things were very different. Maybe it is a feature of the new Prime Minister but the government seems so much more on the case - Gordon Brown & Hilary Benn returned from holidays, instant action about movements and isolation, and the farming community seem impressed. Just an aside - interesting that Gordon Brown was on holiday in Dorset - no trips to visit the Bee Gees or Cliff Richard for him! In 2002 some of the problems were down to farmers themselves moving animals around, continuing with markets and farm shows, and generally ignoring advice. Lets hope it doesn't come to huge pyres of burning animals this time.

Changes at the Top?

One interesting 'new' feature of the Brown government is that announcements of government policy appear to be now being made directly to Parliament. Why is this new? Well for many years the habit had developed that a new policy would be heavily trailed in the press on TV and radio. This would be followed by the 'speech' being released to the media. There would be inevitable appearance of the appropriate minister or spokesman on the 'Today' programme, GMTV, all channels for Breakfast news programmes, 'Woman's Hour', 'The World At One', The Jeremy Vine Programme, The Daily Politics, and then by the time everyone had gone through the entire thing it would be announced in the House of Commons to about three MPs. John Denham made a statement to MPs without this usual preliminary distribution, and now ministers are telling John Humphreys 'I can't discuss this before I make the announcement to Parliament'. Excellent stuff. Gordon Brown then made a summer statement outlining what may well go into the Queen's Speech to allow some discussion before the Bills are drawn up. Sounds like a step forward to me. I'm also pleased to hear that the idea of the Supercasino may well be dead. Good for you Gordon. He's not likely to be so chummy with George Bush either.

Floods in Hull

Now there is something very strange about this summer's weather. Hull has been especially badly hit by floods, and it seems like it will take months for things to get back to almost normal. There is talk about schools being unable to open for six months or more. I find this very strange - there were terrible floods in Carlisle last year and they seemed to recover fairly quickly. I suspect there will be fundamental difficulties with repairs and construction work, lack of proper insurance cover, and costs of course. However, constant bleating over lack of government money isn't going to help anyone. What is required is a bit more organisation and leadership.

The New Leadership

I have to say I'm immensely pleased that Harriet Harman is to be the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party - my votes obviously made the difference!

On the other hand it now seems very unlikely that she will be Deputy Prime Minister - a job made unique and filled uniquely by John Prescott, who will also stand down on Wednesday. I think Harriet will be the real link to the Labour Party and will help Gordon Brown to get the kind of support from activists that might just about win Labour another term of office. Harriet's campaign was interesting - supporting the achievements of Blair government but admitting the failures - especially over Iraq. She might just about have convinced the hardcore Labour membership that things will get even better over the next couple of years - and without these people to pound the streets to get the vote out then we will end up with a Conservative government.

Gordon Brown needs to do one or two dramatic things in the next month - rather like the liberation of the Bank of England, to quickly stamp his individual mark on the country's consciousness.

The Bizarre World of Anthony Steen MP

The Totnes MP was in a hurry to catch a train recently and couldn't find a parking space, so he parked in a bay set aside for blue badge holders. He left his car there for THREE DAYS.

Mr Steen was fined for the illegal use of this facility. He is now complaining that the 'handicapped' are given far too many perks, and there shouldn't be so many spaces left for blue badge holders. As a blue badge holder I am really annoyed by the widespread misuse of the badges and the bays set aside for drivers with disabilities. I quite regularly turn up at a shopping centre or town centre car park to find most or all spaces taken - including the 'disabled' bays - and those occupying these bays often do not display a blue badge. I find walking very hard, and often I see people with wheelchairs unable to go to a blue badge bay because they are occupied by seemingly able bodied drivers without a blue badge. Mr Steen is really not setting a very good example - he clearly doesn't realise how hard it is to obtain a legitimate blue badge.

The Wickedest of Cargoes

I recently went to see an exhibition put on by Newham Council at Stratford Town Hall about the slave trade. I should perhaps, before too long, do a blog about Stratford Old Town Hall - it is a building that is a work of art in itself. The picture shows elected Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales visiting the exhibition when it opened. I was interested to discover how many local notables from East Ham and West Ham were connected with the campaign to abolish the trade in slaves two hundred years ago, and slavery itself. These include MPs who aided Wilberforce in passing the Abolition Act in 1807, and various campaigners, including Elisabeth Fry, Samuel Gurney, and Buxton. Of course the Borough has other links of a more unsavoury nature - Tate & Lyle have their biggest sugar refinery in Silvertown. I was impressed by the exhibition - it included a wide variety of artefacts and a good narrative outlining the history of slavery from ancient times to the present day. Slavery (in a variety of forms) exists throughout the world today.