WOT A RELIEF.......

I'm sad I was not in Brighton to see UNITE'S Tony Woodley tear up a copy of The Sun in disgust after Murdoch's grotty little rag ditched support for Labour in a three-page diatribe. Frankly, I'm delighted. Pandering to Murdoch's right-wing agenda was one of Labour's worst-ever moves.

MAGDALEN LAUNDRIES REVISITED........

At Brighton I was only able to blog pretty sporadically due to real time commitments. But I was pretty horrified to note in Brown's speech yesterday a reference to what sounded like souped-up workhouses for teenage mums.
The very idea of "correcting" the behaviour of youbg mothers by putting them into some sort of supervised housing is worrying and nastily authoritarian, too. Punishing girls for getting pregnant is the kind of mentality which in Ireland saw them banged up with nuns and lectured on their immoral behaviour. Still, at least Gordon isn't proposing to give the babies away.
But it's an issue which needs addressing with more than punitive measures.
Why do so many girls get pregnant in an age when it's never been so easy to get contraception? When sex is taught in schools. When sexual acts I never knew existed at a similar age are advertised and discussed in glossy mags read by 12-year-olds. Yes, it needs looking at . But these "houses of correction" seemingly dreamt up on the back of a fag packet are not the answer,

GORDON'S SPEECH- WHAT HE DID NOT SAY

I listened today with some care to Gordon Brown's speech. It was crafted meticulously - he is no Tony Blair ( thank God) but he did it well. If you listened to the rhetoric there was little anyone would disagree with. Much to applaud too. More aid to the developing world, past achievements like the cutting of NHS waiting lists, more nursery care, , scrapping of compulsory ID cards, and then the undoubted truth that a Labour Govt is better than a Tory one.
But,unlike Eddie Izzard, I was not in tears. Because you see good as things sound they could be so much better. Labour cuts because it has to, said Brown. The Tories because they want to. I do not doubt the latter statement. The end result, as far as the public sector is concerned, will however be the same. And Labour COULD make cuts which many of us would cheer to the rafters.
Cuts in tax to the low-paid, cuts in expenditure on Trident ( cut all of it) . Cuts in defence expenditure in Afghanistan ( by bringing the troops home).Cuts in subsidies to the private sector.
We could also reap rich rewards to the economy by cracking down seriously on the tax dodgers and bankers in the City, attract thousands of votes via a mass house-building programme. And maybe even more as winter beckons by stopping the rank profiteering of the private utilities. By taking them back into public ownership.
Couching what is a basic acceptance of the capitalist crisis bail-out - without radical solutions - and couching it in quasi-socialist rhetoric is clever strategy . It may even be sincere. But the British people ( to use a Gordon Brown phrase) see little difference between us and the Tories. Clear red water could only help in giving us a fighting chance at the Election.
And please in future years can we be spared Leader's partners waxing lyrical at the rostrum. I do not doubt Sarah Brown adores her husband. It is very little to do with the business of running the country.It may have been lapped up by the Party faithful. The wider general electorate find such stunts rather manipulative......
As I pack my bags for Hebden Bridge I suppose my abiding memory of this conference will be its funereal ambience, the low-key security, the general air of resignation. And if, in 12 months time Labour has secured a jaw-dropping victory well yes I will be happy to be proved wrong. I think those who predict Labour will die at the next election are wrong, too. The truth, I suspect, will be somewhere in between. And we will battle on.......

HAS LABOUR LEARNED TO LOVE MANDY?

I was not in the conference hall for Mandelson's speech - not excactly on the top of my to do list yesterday. But according to reports I have had from those who were, he was received rapturously.
Delegates who have been missing Blair's bravura performances were no doubt entranced to see another great political vaudeville act. But thousands more in the Party continue to fight Mandelson's privatisation plans and "intensely relaxed" attitude towards the rich.
Tomorrow, the leadership will ty and quell hopes of making the elections to the National Policy Forum OMOV and are trying to pressurise the unions to cave in. Let's hope for once the unions stick to their guns - and their promises to the grassroots.
Mandelson's message may have been slick and assured. However, at last night's LRC rally MPs John McDonnell, Jeremy Corbyn and Katy Clark spelt out a rather starker message. Which is this - unless every MP goes out into their constituencies and holds true to the policies which help our core voters - and continues to fight within the Party for them - we face oblivion. My thanks too, to the young delegate from Brighton Pavilion, a staunch campaigner for Nancy Platts, who was so cheered up by the fact at last he'd bumped into some socialists here in Brighton. There are not, amid the suits and boots, many of us around.......

FIN DE SIECLE.....

The flags fluttering in the Brighton air are significantly devoid of the New Labour brand. Too late I fear. Two days into the Labour Party Conference and the mood is very much fin de siecle......there is much brave talk and yesterday new PPCs were rolled on stage and rightly applauded for their commitment to the battle ahead. But most sense it is already lost. However as a regional Party organiser said to me this morning we just have to fight on.
And I have a question for the SWP hordes who hijacked yesterdays trade union demo for "Jobs, Education and Peace" They brought their own banners, they " Ragesd against New Labour. They shouted "Labour Out".....What exactly do they think is going to be the scenario in a year's time......Do they really prefer the Tories?

CONVENTION OF THE LEFT - SATURDAY

Saturday 26th September 200910:30am to 5:00pm
The 2009 Convention of the Left will be held at the Brighthelm Centre, North Road, Brighton, BN1 1YD.
This is a free one-day conference, with contributors including Jeremy Corbyn MP, Robert Griffiths (Communist Party of Britain), John Haylett (Morning Star), Caroline Lucas MEP (Green Party), John Maguire (Unite Belfast Visteon Convenor), John McDonnell MP (LRC), Pete Murray (NUJ), Kay Phillips (Respect), Martin Smith (SWP), Matt Wrack (FBU) to discuss how we make the green, left, socialist and radical alternative a reality.
See www.conventionoftheleft.org for more details. Download the Convention of the Left 2009 flyer.
Last year the Convention ran successfully as the alternative to New Labour’s conference in Manchester. This year’s Convention event will continue the debates on the crisis of capitalism and Westminster politics and develop our ideas in response.
The wealth exists in society to pay for our essential needs - and the way the governments of the UK, EU and US have found trillions of Pounds, Dollars and Euros at the drop of a hat for the bankers proves what we have been saying all along.
And, as the continuing bloodshed in Afghanistan shows, there is still a limitless coffer for war and destruction.
The trouble is that our rulers want to use the wealth in society to prop up capitalism - which will inevitably lead to the same results all over again. They are buying themselves out of their crisis, but expecting the rest of us pay the price.
Recessions lead scape-goating, racism and the rise of the far right. The election of two BNP members to the European Parliament should be warning to us all.
Don’t blame the victims. The poor should not be punished for the crisis of capitalism. We must provide the alternative. We look forward to seeing you in Brighton on September 26th to discuss how we make the green, left, socialist and radical alternative a reality.

SCRAP THE LOT, GORDON

This week Gordon Brown said he would cut the Trident fleet from four to three. Scrap the lot, Gordon. If the C-word is now in fashion, surely cutting the nuclear weapons bill would be a great turn-around for Labour's chances. Do it.

LOCAL MP URGES RE-THINK ON ROCHDALE 7

A few days ago a chance encounter on a train led me to highlight the case of the Rochdale 7. They have now been expelled from the Labour Party after decades of foot-slogging and loyalty. One of the expelled is 78 years old and most have been in the Party for 30-odd years. Do they deserve this shabby treatment? Jim Dobbin MP, who I worked for as a press officer in the 1992 election, is said to be taking up their case. I ask this question. Why is the Labour Party treating ordinary members in this way? Why are they ensuring that support on the ground in places like Rochdale will be thin? Why are they shooting themselves in the foot? Why, even if they think these members have made a mistake , is the Witchfinder-General approach the only route? I am disgusted. And I will be writing to the NEC .I urge others to do the same.

LIB DEMS -LURCH TO THE RIGHT

Liberal Democrats are seemingly set to ditch their commitment to scrapping tuition fees as Nick Clegg talks of the need for "savage "cuts. Presumably in a bid to out-Cameron Cameron. Charlie Kennedy, the best asset the Libs ever had, whatever his issues with alcohol, has warned this will not go down at all well but my guess is Clegg will continue the Party's rightward drift whatever the grassroots think. At the next election, it will be a two-horse race and anyone who still thinks the Lib Dems are to the left of Labour should take a reality check.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/clegg-challenged-over-tuition-fees-uturn-1790709.html

LEFT EVENTS AT LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE

I will be heading off to Brighton at the end of the week for Labour Party Conference:
The following events are musts for activists:

Saturday September 26: Convention Of The Left, Brightelm Centre, Brighton:
10.30am-5pm Speakers include Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell, and Prem Sikka from LEAP.

Grassroots Umbrella Network: 4.45pm onwards, UMI hotel ( previously Belgrave) .A chance for Labour Left delegates and activists to get together and discuss contemporary issues, getting contemporary motions restored......and emergency motions on the agenda.

Sunday September 27: Labour Against The War: 7pm, Friends Meeting House, Brighton.Speakers Alan Simpson MP, Christine Shawcroft, NEC

Monday September 28. LRC "Not The Labour Party Conference" 7pm, Ramada Jarvis, Brighton.

CAN LABOUR SURVIVE IN THE CALDER VALLEY?

I was down in London yesterday for a meeting of the LRC's National Committee and discussing Parliamentary selections. A well-intentioned comrade said to me, if you put in the work, you will get selected. I disagree rather in the light of my own experiences but this was certainly true in the case of Calder Valley's Janet Oosthuysen, who was selected after a hard contest only to be unendorsed in the light of stories which appeared in the media which the NEC judged would harm Labour's chances at the General Election. We said they were wrong.
I've blogged at length about the reasons why, so I will not repeat them again. Suffice to say my Branch lobbied the NEC and several individuals also made complaints- to no avail.
Today, the Mail On Sunday is running a quite separate story about our current PPC , Steph Booth. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the matter, it should be investigated by the NEC as a matter of urgency.
Calder Branch Labour Party has a public meeting on Thursday at the Hole In The Wall pub in Hebden Bridge on the general topic of the General Election. I hope Party members and non-Party members locally will turn up and tell us what they think.

TUC BACKS PEOPLE'S CHARTER

Earlier this year the People's Charter was launched by Parliamentarians and trade unions including the RMT and FBU. Good news from the TUC where Congress overwhelmingly voted to back an RMT motion asking for support for the Charter's call for a fairer economy, decent housing and pensions, restoration of trade union rights, and bringing the private utilities into public ownership. More details on the LRC website

ROCHDALE PARTY MEMBERS FACE EXPULSION

Last night on the way home from Manchester I met a woman from the Labour Party who I have known for at least 25 years. She told me about the disgraceful victimisation of some long-standing Party members ( now threatened with expulsion) because they made an offiical complaint about their PPC Simon Danczuk. A former Mayor is now threatening to resign. My understanding is all the seven facing disciplinary action have been in the Labour Party for decades.
Danczuk has been PPC for a couple of years. He was selected over Manchester councillor Afzhal Khan, a former Lord Mayor of Manchester and someone who would have been a brilliant canddiate. The point at issue now is that Party members in Rochdale believe there are question-marks over Danczuk which require investigating. And have been brave enough to sign a letter saying so.
Have we now really reached the stage where any questioning of the New Labour clique who run the Party machine - and use it to get their candidates imposed often against the wishes of the local activists - is grounds for being thrown out?


http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/29600/former-mayor-threatens-to-quit-labour-party

WHAT RECOVERY?

Yes, I know. Any left blogger worth their salt should have been reporting the resolutions, the policies, the way ahead as proposed by TUC Congress. I haven't.
I haven't because this economic recession is no longer something to be debated, discussed, and argued against a backdrop of a meal out or dinner round at someone's house or a political meeting. It is real, it is me, and it is the prospect of earning less than I need to pay the bills. And it is frightening.
It keeps me awake at night, it means that maybe for the first time in a long time my solidarity with those similarly trying to survive is no mere intellectual discussion. Or opportunity for grandstanding. And it makes me angry beyond belief that in the space of two days I have been talking to exdcellent people in Leeds and Manchester who would want to do something to change the way things are, who would like to be our representatives, but who are blocked at the highest levels by those who don't want to see the troublesome, the awkward squad, the socialists in our Labour Party ever achieving what they should.
Over 2 million unemployed, swatheing cuts in the public sector, arrant nonsense about a "recovery" which has no impact on those I know who are seriously struggling. Columnists like Kevin Maguire say Gordon Brown is doing the best he can, so why day after day do people tell me they have had it with the Labour Party, that they can longer stay involved. Because there is no point. I would like to tell them they are wrong. But I seriously begin to wonder.

A LEGEND IN HIS LUNCHTIME.....

Sad to learn just now of the passing of Keith Floyd, a celebrity chef in the days when Gordon Ramsay was still tucking into boiled eggs with soldiers. Unlike today's super-hyped, slick breed of TV cooks, Floyd was utterly shambolic. He was never to be filmed without a glass of wine in hand and sometimes even a cigarette or two as well as he travelled the world in search of recipes from far-flung places. I still have one or two of his cookbooks and all the recipes were relatively simple - and they worked. Apart from the rare occasions when they didn't - and he didn't mind showing the results in his shows. I recall one exceptional disaster involving a fish cooked in salt.......

Outside the kitchen his personal life was an absolute shambles too and he married four times, went bankrupt, and in the end of course his love of a snifter and a fag killed him prematurely at the age of 65. He looked 20 years older. But in his heyday on TV he was charismatic and funny. I daresay foodies all over the UK will be raising a glass to him today.

RMT CALL FOR RENATIONALISATION - WITH MASSIVE PUBLIC SUPPORT

Clear evidence it's time for policy change by the Govt - six years after Labour Party Conference agreed


http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/britain/Most-people-want-rail-privateers-to-go

SCRAP TRIDENT CALL AT TUC

One of the issues which saved the Calder Valley seat for Chris McCafferty ( ask anyone who spent every day at the Trades Club phone bank during the last General Election campaign) was her strong opposition to Trident.
Despite the rebellion of over 100 Labour MPs, including Chris, Gordon Brown and the Government pressed ahead with plans for a new generation of nuclear weapons. As Kate Hudson points out over Socialist Unity, a reversal of this policy which is neither financially nor morally viable , would be a vote-winner. There is also a CND fringe meeting at the TUC Congress. Details are in the post.

http://www.socialistunity.com/

THE PARROT ISN'T DEAD

Derek Simpson asserts that New Labour is as dead as Monty Python's parrot. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Far from it. Indeed he is as guilty as anyone else in colluding with the right-wing machine which is still very much in control of the Labour Party.

The rhetoric Simpson cranks up every year at Conference time, however amusing and astute it may be, only translates in real terms into unconditional support for the Brownite wing of the Party. Ed Miliband is touted by Simpson as the best hope for Labour. Who will it be next year.......

Far from backing the Left, UNITE and its 'political officer, Charlie Whelan, runs a tight Parliamentary ship which backs candidates who are often as far from "old Labour" as you can possibly imagine. And, according to my contacts in the union, it also does its best to scupper the Parliamentary hopes of even its own left activists.

Six years ago in Bournemouth, I recall being greatly cheered at an angry meeting of the "Big Four" union leaders with the rousing theme of Get Labour Back.

Simpson and Woodley, who despite their personal animosity to each other share great public speaking skills, were cheered to the rafters as they pledged to re-claim the Party and do their damndest to bring it about. In my innocence, I believed every word.

In the years since, their stated opposition to Blairism has gone very little beyond jokes ( at which Simpson excels) about the" Blair witch project." In 2007, despite the talk of "not doing coronations in the Labour Party" Simpson 100 per cent backed Gordon Brown becoming Leader without a contest. Both Woodley and Simpson's calls for radical policy changes have largely been ignored.

Berating Mandelson and the other Miliband and making pointless pleas for Old Labour to return is playing to an increasingly empty gallery as Party members give in to apathy or despair at the prospect of annihilation at the General Election.

Yet, in Brighton in a couple of weeks' time, we will be treated to the same of script - with the same result.

In previous years, I've looked forward to the fringe gatherings, late-night arguments, and general bonhomie which almost cancels out the fact that Conference itself is a stage-managed farce.

This year, I expect there to be even less opposition , less Left delegates, and less reason for actually being there. The results of UNITE's supine support for the New Labour establishment will be seen at the General Election and in Manchester in 12 months' time we will be surveying the subsequent political wreckage. Maybe by then the parrot really will be dead - but it will be squawking all the way to the hustings. And how many Labour Party members will be around to witness its final demise?

BIT LATE IN THE DAY, CRUDDAS

Jon Cruddas, Great Red Hope of the Islington dinner party circuit, is reported in the Mirror as saying it's time for Labour to turn left. The time for Labour to turn left and away from neo-liberalism was in June 2007 when Gordon Brown became Leader.
Of course, it was Cruddas and his comrades in Compass who aided the coronation of Brown, which made it so easy for Brown NOT to change tack and claim an overwhelming mandate in the PLP for same old, same old. So I'm afraid as far as I'm concerned it's a case of too little and probably too late. Cruddas is right to say the Party is in despair - however he is one of the chief architects of the despondency which is driving so many Party members to the point of walking away. And a significant number of others, sadly in my locality, to hand in their Party cards.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/09/09/turn-left-gord-115875-21658866/

ED MILIBAND IN BRIGHOUSE

I believe Ed Miliband is going to be in Brighouse. Don't ask me where or when because, as the Branch Secretary of the largest Branch in the Calder Valley, clearly I'm not entitled to know, And neither are my pals on the left who have complained loudly and long about the debacle which has been the Calder Valley Parliamentary selection.
It heartens me to know that some of them are continuing to complain and making their views known to the powers-that-be in charge of doling out the tickets to the favoured few.
Mind you, here in Hebden Bridge we're no strangers to being the excluderati.
At the last election, there was a big shindig with Tony Blair in Huddersfield and those of us who, shall we say, had expressed our displeasure with the PM over Iraq were not told when or given tickets to attend. Hopefuly, I will bump into Ed and a few members of the NEC when I go to Brighton in a couple of weeks time........

DIVERSIFICATION - NOT ALWAYS PLAIN SAILING

Back home from London today to find my bi-monthly copy of The Journalist on the doormat. On the train I was having a conversation with a colleague who is taking a job in a hotel to survive so it was with some irritation that I read an article in the latest edition on how marvellously liberating life could be after redundancy. The last word is of some importance because most freelance journalists are NOT " made redundant." They just don't have their contracts renewed so there is no financial safety net or recompence at all for what can be years and years of service. You are just Out On Your Ear

Yes, there are those who have the skills to set themselves up as Susan Press International Media or some such equivalent and good luck to them. The reality is that such projects require money and that in order to survive a lot of freelance journalists who lose their core income simply have to pack it in entirely. And that, for the freelance sector in the north, things have never been worse. The market is crowded and, over 50, you're not going to be top of the pile.

I don't mind diversifying. My initial foray into bookselling has been a bit of a minefield and I've made some mistakes , as I was bound to, but I'm confident it can earn me a couple of hundred a month in time. What writing work I have left pays the bills ( for now) so in theory I just need another 15 or 20 hours a week work to keep head above water.

But that means accepting the reality that the halcyon days of regional journalism are over, and that in order to make up the shortfall I'm likely to have to take on work I would never have considered before. And I think The Journalist should make room for such stories in future editions. It really isn't that easy..........ask my friends.

NUJ BACKS DEMO AT LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE

See details on link below

http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=1333

TROOPS OUT CALL AT LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE

One for Brighton delegates to watch........


http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/sep/06/gordon-brown-afghanistan-pullout-motion

NO PLATFORM FOR FASCISTS

NO, they should NOT be given airtime

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6823364.ece

BETWEEN THE LINES

The proposition of selling books on-line seemed pretty straightforward. It is not, as I have learned the hard way. Now going through catalogue of 400 books for umpteenth time to sort out errors. So just in case anyone out there is thinking of doing similar. Some tips.
1. Never describe a book as " as new" unless it's absolutely pristine.
2.Every scrap of wear must be described or else it may wend its way back home
3. Forget best-sellers. You will be competing with thousands of others with little chance of sale.
4. You will need to upload pics of your books.
5. Buyers are either readers or dealers. The latter are VERY picky.
6. Photography and art are the best hope of sales along with literature and poetry.

And after a month of hard work how much have I earned? About £100. Not exactly Waterstone's........but as said books are all on-line now I will persevere.

A CONSUMMATE LIAR

Journalists' journalist Keith Waterhouse has died and with his demise another final nail in the coffin of Great British scribes.

With writing partner Willis Hall, KW penned the iconic Billy Liar, filmed just a few miles from here in Bradford circa 1961.

Like many of his generation, Waterhouse moved from his early radicalism and Daily Mirror column espousing Labour's cause to the Mail and growing reactionary politics. I found his later stuff tedious. But in his heyday he was a champion of wonderful writing- his book on Daily Mirror style was a classic for all aspiring journos who wanted to express themselves clearly and well. And his famous advice about fish and chips still holds true today.

There are only two possible accompaniments, he said, to the Great British Dish and they are either a steaming pot of tea or champagne.

When I go to Brighton in a couple of weeks' time, might well throw financial penury to the winds and have a bottle of the latter in his memory...........

RE: JOYCE

Some years ago, I think it was Brighton 2004, I met Major Eric Joyce late one night in the Grand Hotel at the Labour Party Confererence. Unlike many of the Blairite coterie, he was an affable sort of bloke and I recall myself and a comrade from CLPD having a heated debate with him over Iraq.
Joyce, you may recall, was the one they used to drag on to Newsnight to defend Tony Blair's foreign policy when no-one else could stomach it. On the TV, he was "loyal" to the point of embarrassing sycophancy. In person, and after a couple of single malts, he was prepared to admit the left of the Party and the MPs who had opposed the war were possibly right.
Five years on I was, however, still rather gobsmacked to see he had resigned as a Parliamentary aide to the execrable Minister Ainsworth.
It says something when a man with a long track-record in the Army, one who has consistently defended the Government line for years and years, says it's time for a re-think. Isn't it time Gordon Brown started to have a re-think too.

CAN LABOUR SURVIVE?

Calder Branch Labour Party - now affiliated to the LRC - is organising an event on Thursday September 24 at the Hole In The Wall pub , Hebden Bridge, on the topic of the General Election and Labour's prospects.
Participants include former Halifax MP and tireless campaigner Alice Mahon (pictured with me on an NUJ picket line a couple of months ago) , Janet Oosthuysen, our original PPC for Calder Valley, and I will be chairing..........hope to see you there if you are in the vicinity.

DOWN......BUT NOT OUT

I am nothing if not honest and it would be a fib to say I'm not a little bit miffed I only scraped into this year's top 100 left-of-centre blogs. To tell the truth, this year has been a bit difficult for me blogwise. I have often felt uninspired, also conscious that I have to be circumspect due to the rigours of standing in two Parliamentary fights (lost) and more and more mindful of the fact that it is very difficult to avoid sounding repetitive.
My congratulations, though, to Dave Osler, Harpymarx, Stroppyblog, the Bickerstaffe Record, and Though Cowards Flinch for performing extremely well and gaining a fillip for their serious dedication to the blogging cause. Something, I have found personally, which can wane in the light of events which have not proved positive for the Labour Left. In short, it's been a rough 12 months in Calder Valley.
In a year's time, who knows where any of us will be and in what state the Labour Party will find itself. But I hope the socialist voice in the blogosphere will continue to grow. And that, even if my energies are somewhat dissipated, I will continue to let people know there are still socialists left in the Party who have something to say. We need more of you to join us.

BRING BACK CONTEMPORARY RESOLUTIONS!

How time flies. It's now two years since Gordon Brown persuaded the Big 4 unions to back the extraordinary step of abolishing the contemporary resolutions which were the last bastion of the old days when we actually used to debate and vote on Party policy.
I found it hard to fathom that people like Tony Woodley and Paul Kenny would support such a step but in the end they did - and were deservedly lambasted at that year's LRC rally in Bournemouth.
Two years on and moves are afoot to reverse that stupid step. See the Tribune story below. Anyone who knows a delegate going to Brighton should try and persuade them to vote for the restoration of this last scrap of democracy at Conference. But as we know the decision rests in the hands of the unions. It is possibly a mark of how disillusioned I have become in the last two years that I do not necessarily believe UNITE, GMB and UNISON will deliver on the day in Brighton. I hope I am wrong.
http://www.tribunemagazine.co.uk/2009/08/14/unions-and-clps-ready-to-reverse-brown%e2%80%99s-reforms/

WHY DIDN'T GORDON COME CLEAN?

It's my belief along with many on the left that Kenny McAskill made the right decision to release the Lockerbie bomber ( alleged) to die at home. Now it seems it was also the view of the Gordon Brown. Not, I agree, a popular or populist view but at least the Scottish administration had the courage of its convictions.Why didn't Brown express his view rather than doing his usual Macavity impression? Labour is now in the worst of all worlds. With many MPs condemning a move which it seems Number 10 backed all along.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/Lockerbie-Bomber-David-Miliband-Says-He-Did-Not-Want-Megrahi-To-Die-In-Prison/Article/200909115373036?lpos=Politics_First_Home_Article_Teaser_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15373036_Lockerbie_Bomber%3A_David_Miliband_Says_He_Did_Not_Want_Megrahi_To_Die_In_Prison

OUT OF THE LOOP AND INTO THE FRAY

I haven't been blogging as I haven't been here. And it has been kindly pointed out to me that it is not always wise to announce the fact of an absence from home to the world wide web.
I spent the weekend with other councillors in Hebden Bridge's twin town of St Pol sur Ternoise and endured an 11-hour journey back by coach yesterday via Calais - where as UK citizens we were fast-tracked through Passport Control. Not so everyone- and today's on-line Morning Star has a story on those who are treated to rather more draconian rigours by the Border Agency.


http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/britain/Border-agents-jail-500-foreign-kids