Friday, 8 January 2010

1855 The coldest on record, Fourth coup against PM fails and 725 MySpace Friends review completed

It was the coldest night of the year, last year and perhaps the decade with -22 in Scotland and still under - 10 in most places. The cold occurred in the early hour setting th conditions for the rest of the day. It is the coldest in the house since my arrival and oldest I can remember since before the installation of central heating at my form home in the mid 1970’s.

I have had a nose cold for more than week which is a nuisance but not debilitating although getting comfortable in bed at night is more difficult than usual. The weather conditions are the main subject of their media with outside broadcasts from reporters revealing he blanket of snow and ice covering the UK, including Cornwall, the southernmost area of England. An estimated 10000 schools closed across the UK closed with traffic only possible to move on the main roads and even here supplies of grit and salt are increasingly in short supply. There is much controversy over the closure of schools, especially those in towns and cities. The argument of the education authorities that the function of the schools is to teach and not to provide child care to enable parents to attempt to continue working. There is also the issue of health and safety, especially at secondary level where th sites are large and 1000 to 2000 pupils will be crossing open areas to attend classes through the day, with the risk of accidents as well wet clothing. There is concern for pupils getting to and from schools with the general instruction that people should avoid using their private cars unless essential. There is concern about energy supplies

There is no end in sight to the exceptional wintry conditions which I cannot recall for forty years with temperatures lower than before, and lower than Nordic countries and at the South Pole

There was one item which for a period of several hours took precedence over the weather. Two former members of the Government Patricia Hewitt and Geoffrey Hoon called for a secret ballot in which Members of Parliament could express their view as to whether Gordon Brown should lead the party into the next General Election previously anticipated to take place in late March. The announcement that the two had written to all members of the Parliamentary Labour Party was time for the start of Parliamentary Question Time and appears to have come as a surprise to many of their colleagues. Political commentators were quick to suggest that although the two denied having had contact with any Members of the Government, although this does not mean others did not have contact on their behalf, which Frank Dobson suggested as playing an important role, and six identified Members of the Cabinet were said to be sympathetic to their call including the deputy leader of the Party and Leader of the House of Commons, Harriet Harman, who is about to face a court case for use of a telephone while in control of a motor vehicle( she pleaded guilty later in the day and was fined with three endorsement points to her licence), and David Miliband, my Member of Parliament here in South Shields and who has been accused previously, three times no less, of being ready to stand against Mr Brown should a leadership election be called.

For several hours these individuals remained silent and indeed statements from other members of the Cabinet were slow in coming as the Parliamentary Whips assessed the reaction of the Parliamentary Party to the call. David Miliband was one of the last to issue a statement which was considered at best luke warm in support for Mr Brown. By the end of the day Number Ten could talk confidently that the revolt had fizzled out before it got started. So why had two distinguished and highly intelligent former Members of the Government taken the action and at this moment in time?

Obviously I can only speculate. Both are leaving frontline politics at the General Election and therefore were not hoping to revive their former political careers, although both might anticipate a Peerage if they wished to participate in the affairs of the House of Lords.

Patricia Hewitt has gone the full political circle in British politics. Born in Australia, her father was a senior civil servant and on emigrating to the UK she was educated at Newham College Cambridge and Nuffield College, the post Graduate Oxford College where she obtained two further degrees. He first political interest was on the right but she move into feminism and civil right issues becoming a distinguished chief executive of the National Council for Civil Liberties, Liberty, 1974 1982 and whose work there is said to have had the close of attention of homeland security, according to Wikipedia, because of her marriage, This is very odd as her husband progressed through the legal system as lawyer in the 1980‘s when they married, becoming Recorder in the 1990’s and then full time Judge. They have a son and a daughter with the son causing some political and social embarrassment when charged with cocaine possession in the late 1990’s.

Having joined the Labour Party in the 1970’s and losing her first attempt to become a Member of Parliament she became Press officer to Neil Kinnock, the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons having admitted that she wrote letters supporting both candidates, Roy Hattersley, the other, for the Labour Leadership. Having been elected to Parliament as Labour swept to power in 1997 she was appointed a Treasury Minister in 1998, a Minister for Trade in 1999 and Cabinet Member as Ministerial Chief in the same Department following the General Election in 2001 where she was also asked to take responsibility within the Cabinet for the Position of Women and Equality issues. In 2005 she was promoted to one of the great offices of State Chief Minister for Health where she ran into problems, yielding to pressure from General Practitioners for a massive increase in their salary. I attend a private Party consultation meeting which she presided and was struck by the extent to which she remained a quietly spoken academic natured individual without any of the usual political flamboyances and unappealing political characteristics. I believe her counsel will always be considered, honest and fair. I was not surprised when she was not offered a position in the Brown led government or that she announced her attention to leave the Commons and accept consultant and advisory positions. I would have expected she would have been created a Peer in the presently unreformed second chamber, which makes her recent attack on the present leader so interesting.

Geoffrey Hoon has also struck me as an essentially honest and dedicated politician with an academic and legal background, but unlike Patricia Hewitt his parents were working class with his father a railway man, and he became the first member of his family to go to University. He lectured in law at Leeds University, and practiced at the Bar for 2 years and then served as a Member of the European Parliament for 10 years invited to attend a meeting of the Bilderberg Conference in the late 1990, always an indication of someone regarded by the International establishment as destined for High Office. He served for a time in the Ministerial team of the Lord Chancellor before becoming Cabinet Minister for Defence. He had served in the University Combined Cadet Force for three years. He also served as Minister for Transport and a Minister for Europe, has been Chief Whip within the House Commons and its Leader. He is one of the Ministers where significant concern was raised about his use of the official parliamentary expense allowances. It can be assumed his experience will be wanted by industry and international bodies and therefore again he is unlikely to have agreed to being a front for an attack on the Prime Minister without justification and considered judgement.

The great question is did they expect to win or was this intended as political manoeuvre as the Party prepares to launch its General Election campaign and with increasing prospects with the prospect of remaining the largest political party in the Commons but without an overall political majority to automatically form a government. Gordon Brown has become increasingly confident at the Despatch Box at Prime Minister’s Question Time and the Conservatives have started to wobble over their policies. The Chancellor has been able to show that the Conservatives are promising significantly more than they can show they will be able to pay without massive increases in taxation or massive reductions in existing services. There is also the Prime Minister effect so that even those who do not like him may prefer the Devil they know tot eh Devil in waiting. There is also no contest between safe hands Chancellor Darling and adventurous George Osborne. There was also no mechanism for holding the secret ballot as suggested by Hoon and Hewitt and no stomach for it within the Parliamentary Party and membership in general. The position of the Scottish Nationalists has weekend in relation to Labour which could be crucial and the political situation in Northern Ireland is looking more settled and positive despite the problems of the present first Minister.

I am therefore going to suggests that the initiative may not have been as disloyal and undermining of the Government relation to the General Election as it might seem. It forced the dissenters within the Cabinet to either put up or shut up. They bottled out and are shown not to have had the courage of their convictions or ambition. If Brown win the election, or at least commands sufficient seats in the Commons to form the next Government he can dispense with the half hearted and promote those who remained loyal.
The only way for the dissenters to gain power is for Brown to lose and resign as is the custom although this is not obligatory and I believe he would make an effective Opposition Leader in the absence of any other obvious candidate although Frank Dobson is one name which comes to mind along with Peter Mandelson, if he can get himself a seat in the Commons.

I missed the ending of the first Test Match in South Africa in which Collinwood and Onions battled to achieve a draw especially the last over which Graham Onions had to bat through. England’s victory in the second Test was emphatic and in hindsight the decision to put South Africa into bat on the first morning of the Third is open to question although had Swann not dropped that catch the wobble could have turned into the hoped for rout. In the event England were on the wrack with a day and half to get a world record fourth innings score of over 450 to win the game. With four wickets down and a lively wicket the task of avoiding defeat looked difficult until Collingwood and Bell came together and defended for hour upon hour. With one hour left to play it looked that with another half an hour played the game would be called off as a draw. Then Collingwood, Broad and Bell departed leaving Onions with Swann to withstand the final overs and Onions once more the last six balls. They did and with the series only four games, England can win if they do not lose the last game in week‘s time. The two sides are evenly matched and the game of test cricket has proved to be exciting once more, albeit nerve wracking.

So I reach the final 100 myspace friends as the January 2010 review ends with T to Z, 725 in total with 855 Blogs and 144 Friends departed. Bringing the Friends and Blogs into matching is a challenge I will defer although two additions agreed yesterday is a good start

T

624 Tom original My Space Feb 17th

625 The Mars before May 2007 accepted

The Mongrel 2008 not at review 115

626 The Rolling Stones nov dec 2008

627 Tracey Jane Before May 2007 added

628 Thomas Hardy nov dec 2008

629 The Spells 7 July 2007 Accepted

630 The Hostiles before May 2007 accepted

631 The Invisibles nov dec 2008

632 The 4th Dimension October 2008 T 40

633 TS Elliot Before May 2007 T 40

634 Theo 2008

635 The official Bruce Springsteen 2007

636 Team Plastique April 2008

637 Theo nov dec 2008

638 The Jive before August 2007 accepted

639 Tori Haynes Before May 2007Accepted

640 Tino Rodriquez 2008

T B 2008 nar 116

Tasty Treats before May 2007 added NAR 117

641 Tee added 2009

642 Tate before May 2007 added

643 Tommy Inferno 20July 2007 Accepted

644 The Loved one added 2009

645Trentemoller added 2009

646Toumani nov dec 2008

647 The cave summer 2008

648 Think Swing nov 2007

649 Teddy Wayne added 2009

650 The Rock and roll July 2007 Accepted

651 The Heathers before May 2007

652 Tanis before May 2007 added

Tony July 2007 118

653 The Last nov dec 2008

654 The Rhodes added 2009



655 Toulouse Lautrec nov dec 2008

656 The Poetry July 2007 accepted

657 The no Tomorrow accepted autumn 2007


The Circus before May 2007 dep (119
The Daze before May 2007 dep (120)

658 The Deathlance before May 2007 accepted

659 Tzigart nov dec 2008


660 The Four before May 2007 accepted

The Lubins before August 2007 accepted dep (121)

The Rocks Winter 2008 accepted 122
The Role Player Before May 2007 added dep 123
The Sugar Spun Sister August 2007 dep (124
The three flusher productions 2007 dep (125

661 The Thought Police Before august 2007

Tiger accepted autumn 2007 dep (126

662 The amphitheatre south shields summer 2007

663 The single mother accepted Jan 2008 T40

664 The Police nov dec 2008

665 Tyneside Cinema added January 2008

666 Tanja added 2009532

667 Tamara 2008

668 The Journal added January 2008

669 The Hippie Love Gods added 2009

670The Other side speaks added 2009

671 Tomatito added 2009

672 Tamara de Lempicka added 2008

673 The Arusha late 2007 accepted

674 Thilo Martinho added 2009

675 The Caledonians added 2009

676 The Hand that added January 2008

677 This Broadcast 2008-11-21

678 The Lady & The Colours nov dec 2008

679 Two Creative Roses added 2009

The Might by April 2007 NAR 127

680- The Constant Father nov dec 2008

681 Tito Alcedo added 2009

682 The Official Bo Diddley added 2009

683 The 112 Stars nov dec 2008

684 Troupe ranym added 2009

685 The California Mods added 2009

686 The Dirty Strangers added 2009

687 Tilly Trotter added 2009 T 40

688 The Truth and Poetry added 2009




U

Uptownboy February 2008 accepted NAR 129

689 U2 by April 2008

690 Unexploded added 2009

Unlocal by April 2008 NAR 130

691 Upscale 2008

692 UNICEF added 2009

693 Up all Night 2007

694 Under Sanction added 2009

695 Undefeated and Unchained added 2009

696 Unchor added 2009

697 Unevullunpo added 2009


V

698 Vertigo autumn 2008

699 Voltaire autumn 2008

700 VIX July 13 2007 Accepted

701 Vincent July2007 added top 40

Virgina W Before May 2007 131

702 Vladivojna added 2009

703 Venus Blue February 2008 accepted

Vergine summer 2008 NAR 132

704 Veli Cassini nov dec 2008

705 Vince Kline added 2009


W


706 Wendy Colonna autumn 2008

707 Wiser Time February 2008 added

708 Wendy Starland added 2009

709 Willie Dixon added 2009

710 Wake Up added before May 2007

711 William Shakes before May 2007 added

712 Wind of Change accept 2007

713 WWW art brother accept 2007

714 Willie Pheonix added 2009

715 World War 11 added 2008

716 Writers cafe autumn 2008

717 Worship in the city by april 2008


718 William Blake nov dec 2008


719 William Wright added 2009

Yana added 2007 133

Zitronemn accepted 2007 134

720 xsean added 2009

721 Yadam added 2009

722 Ziaff added before May 2007

723 Zietgeist accept nov 2007

724 Zen Lemonade added 2009

725 Zut Alors nov dec 2008


Zoe Zara 2007 dep 135
Emerald Sky 136
Frances 137
FU 138
Insides Out 139
Innoy 140
Lupe Lue 141
Myrto 142
Penelope 143
We miss you 144

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