Jackie Ashley on Gordon Brown: A Critique

Jackie Ashley rides to Gordon Brown’s defence in today’s Guardian.

Yet Ashley, rather than riding a white horse through fields of clover to the defence of the Prime Minister, comes across more as riding a tired, old donkey wading through the effluent of despair.

She starts by suggesting Alan Johnson’s “well-made” point that when it came to the big issues Gordon Brown’s government hadn’t done so badly.

Her argument is:

1) The budget has gone down relatively well. Hitting the rich may or may not “work” in raising revenue, but it’s popular

2) The response to swine flu has been prompt and sensible

3) The banking system hasn’t collapsed

4) The G20 was a success

Let’s take these one at a time.

1) The budget:

The budget went down relatively well? With whom?

Who cares if it’s popular?

I’d like to hope the Government, elected to represent everyone, is looking for solutions to the current problems not pandering to populist gesturing.

The budget was politically motivated and failed to address any key issues and only served to wrong-foot the Tories over the 50% tax rate.

Yet the Tories only needed to sit back and wait for the next self-inflicted crisis from the Government

With the public finances at the most perilous it seems hardly the time for petty politics that, as Ashley herself admits, may or may not work.

2) Swine Flu:

Fair enough. The Government didn’t panic. They didn’t do a Biden. They managed to keep their mouths shut. Well done.

3) The banking system hasn’t collapsed:

What?

That’s a success?

It may not have collapsed, yet the government has had to prop up what used to be some of the biggest banking institutions in the world, denting its credit rating irreconcilably, presiding over the first run on a bank in over 150 years which, in turn, shattered sterling on the world’s market meaning anyone wanting to get away from the misery to the continent is forced to pay 30% more than previously.

Oh, and don’t be too sure that Brown won’t be calling up the IMF anytime soon for some money.

4)The G20:

Yes, Gordon Brown managed to stage a photocall of the world leaders, finally hold a press conference with Barack Obama, and created some positive headlines, and not much else.

Come Jackie, pull your head of the sand. This Government dead.
They are being attacked from all sides – not just their complete lack of coherent policy (superbly summed up by Martin Ivens), but their political skull-duggery following McBride is seeping out as more and more hacks spill the beans of Whelan, Balls, McBride at co. (Read this excellent article from Nick Cohen).

Don’t be dragged down by the inner circle. They’re not worth it. You will end up contaminated with the same brush and their complete lack of credibility will soon rub off.

The partisan US media and some swine flu

This week I find myself across the pond living it large in New York doing some work experience for the Daily News.

As such, I have found myself indulging in the dark side of news: the US media.

And with swine flu rampant (a bit like SARS, Bird Flu and BSE before them – how many people died again?) in New York I find myself in the middle of a good-ol’ fashion “scare off”.

The US media has always been the best in the world at creating panic and fear and this story is no exception.

I’ve spent my days camped outside schools with suspected cases of swine flu, desperate to get that quote from “frightened parent” along with every other media outlet (I even bumped into a reporter from the (London) Times outside Ascension School).

But swine flu is not why I write this post.

In the four days I’ve been here I have developed a complete lack of respect, verging on fear, for the disgusting, offensive and shocking partisan politics  conducted through the US media.

It is summed up by this article I read in the Huffington Post which genuinely filled me with fright and left me gripping my seat (especially reading the comments).

The gist of the story is that the right-wing media is using the swine flu “pandemic” as a cause for blatant racism saying that illegal immigrants are to blame – and in some cases terrorists started it, possibly the most utterly ridiculous pile of steaming crap of an idea I’ve ever heard.

As Bonnie Fuller, the author, says:

“Michael Savage blares to his audience that he will protect himself by having “no contact anywhere with illegal aliens and that starts with the restaurants.” He calls people who dine out “morons who eat in restaurants with illegals all over the kitchen.” You could substitute the word “vermin” for “illegals” and he sounds frighteningly reminiscent of the Nazis talking about the Jews.”

I have no problem with media commentators having a rant, that’s their job and they are pretty good at it.

Charlie Brooker’s take on the US media

But there seems to have been a complete degreation in the level of debate in the US. Could you see, for example, Peter Hitchens – a usually vocal reactionary – ever say on Question Time or write in his Mail on Sunday column something like: “It’s clearly the illegal immigrants fault that swine flu is spreading”? He would be laughed at.

Yet somehow taking ultra extreme views in the media in the US is rewarded and encouraged. Glenn Beck of Fox News is currently raking in $18m a year, according to Business Insider.

The only problem is, the media is turning in on itself and the fight is between a minority of the extreme left and the extreme right, leaving the majority disenfranchised or, more worryingly, easily herded, making the actual issues of the day obsolete.

McBride, Draper and the self-congratulations of Guido Fawkes

Yesterday was a great day for Sunday newspapers.

They all had a genuine political scandal that struck right at the heart of Government and Downing Street.

This tale of deceit, abuse of position and insulting language and behaviour from the greased up cogs deep within Number 10 from one of Gordon Brown’s most trusted advisors is truly riveting and for the man who broke it, Paul “Guido Fawkes” Staines, it maintains his impressive achievements.

He is the only British political blogger to bring down a man from within Number 10, to add to his previous scalp of Peter Hain after his disastrous deputy leadership campaign.

Martin Bright calls Gordon Brown’s lieutenants “thuggish company”, Iain Dale likened the whole scandal to the goings on in Richard Nixon’s regime, while broadsheets and tabloids, blogs to the left and blogs to the right, and MPs of all sides have roundly castigated Damian McBride and Derek Draper.

Indeed, a lobby journalist would tell me of the intimidating tactics played out by the spin doctors of Downing Street every time he published a story the machine didn’t like, showing me the emails filled with anger and bile.

Yet, if anything, this episode has reinforced my belief that newspapers still have a role to play.

A few weeks back I watched Draper and Guido battle it out on the Daily Politics. After watching I insisted on my colleague, Alex Ralph, to have a gander whereby we both agreed if this was the level of abuse bloggers will hurl at each other whilst basking in their own arrogance and self-importance then newspapers have nothing to fear.

Draper’s high pitch whining (at one point Andrew Neil tells him to “shut up”) and Paul Staines’ arrogant demeanour cannot surely be the face of journalism to come? (watch the whole thing – McBride is brought up at the end and Draper is physically squirming)

Today the traditional press had a great day: they got to (rightly) rip the Government apart, but next Sunday they will be writing about someone different. The political reporters whose bylines appeared on the story will move on and in time another scandal will break.

Editorials were written condemning McBride’s behaviour and various columnists gave their take on matters. None of whom were self-congratulatory on a job well done – because they will have to do it all again tomorrow and, after all, it’s their job.

Meanwhile, Guido Fawkes has written 11 posts in 2 days on the saga, many of which are self-congratulatory, condescending and egotistical.

This self-styled congratulatory style of journalism will not wash with the public outside the Westminster bubble, and will inevitably lead to the press bypassing what the bloggers are saying – claiming the scoop as their own.

McBride and Draper have dug their own graves over this, and more scalps may fall. Guido et al need to be careful not to fall into the same holes. Right now Guido can afford to be floating on a cloud, but he should not expect his new inflated ego to be the only device holding him upright.

Recycling being dumped and the arrogance of the councils

This week I worked on a story about how Islington council have sent over 2000 tonnes of recycling to landfill over the past three years.

A shocking figure I think you’ll agree.

I also did a similar story to this for the Daily Telegraph at Christmas, looking at dumped recycling nationwide, where over 200,000 tonnes were dumped by councils across England and Wales (although, personally, I think the figure is actually much higher…)

The problem I have found is that when councils collate figures to show how “green” they are around recycling they give a figure of how much “recycling” they have collected and take no account of how much of that “recycling” is sent to landfill and never re-used.

I spoke to a series of people who work for recycling contractors and for councils and there are two sides to every story.  Firstly, residents should be more careful putting the correct materials out for recycling, but then councils should also be more careful to only take the recycling.

Some councils are doing this and separating out recycling at the curbside, leaving anything that cannot be recycled behind for residents with an explanatory note.  Others just take it all and, as a result, inflate their recycling figures.

One contractor I spoke to told me that the councils need to be investing in recycling because it will cost them in the long-term.  Landfill tax will soon be £40 per tonne, and, rather than wasting cash on this tax, councils should be investing in ensuring that only recyclable products are collected.

Yet, councils being councils look to their high collection figures as a way to vindicate their “green” credentials and refuse to take into consideration that the figures may be over-inflated – in some cases I looked at, by as much as 30%

Nick Cohen and Martin Bright

Poor Nick Cohen,

Desperate to try and contact Martin Bright of the Spectator (one of my teachers) Cohen has left a post on the comments of Brighty’s latest article about Gordon Brown being unable to get to grips with the issues at hand.

Cohen, stuggling himself with the issue of the post pleads:

Martin, it is easier to secure an audience with the Pope than get hold of you. Give me a call on home land line when you can

Nick Cohen: pretty cover

Don’t worry Nick - Brighty was keen to point out that the two of you are friends last Friday!

He was also showing off your new book to us students.  I don’t think anyone bought a copy but we all agreed we liked the front cover. 

If you want to come to the class and give us some of your time I’m sure Martin will give you some of his in return – as long as you then take us on one of your legendary liquid lunches. 

Come down to City at 10am on Friday.  We’ve got Kevin Maguire coming down from the Mirror, so should provide for much amusement.

Ryanair charge to use the loos – see them in court over it

We all know that budget airlines try to squeeze every last penny out of paying customers but this is taking the metaphor one step too far.

Today budget airline Ryanair have announced they are considering introducing a charge of £1 for people to use the toilets on their planes.

Chief Exec Michael O’Leary said:

Michael O'Leary: Taking the piss

“One thing we have looked at in the past and are looking at again is the possibility of maybe putting a coin slot on the toilet door so that people might actually have to spend a pound to spend a penny in future.”

The Evening Hernault suggest that, according to the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, it’s perfectly legal.

How can it possibly be legal?  I would argue that it would be in contravention of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), a law Ryanair has had problems comprehending in the past when they tried to charge customers to use their airport wheelchairs.

They were taken to court under DDA legislation in 2004 where they were found guilty and forced to pay £1,000 in compensation to Mr Ross who brought the case.

If they introduced a charge for toilets I can see them in court again in the not too distant future.

What about all those passengers who have chronic illnesses and need access to the toilets more regularly than others?  Why should they be forced to pay for the privilege of having to squeeze themselves into a tiny excuse of a toilet, while desperately trying to not throw up the £4 sandwich they recently purchased?

I know they’re a budget airline, but maybe their should invest in a copy of the DDA because clearly it’s been a struggle so far.

Sir Fred Goodwin is a complete disgrace

Am I missing something here? Why aren’t people out on the street in protest against this?  How can the man who ran RBS into the ground and wrack up the biggest losses of any British company ever, a staggering £24.1bn, dare to claim a £650k a year pension at the age of just 50? And on the day £13bn more money was pumped into RBS by the Government.

How dare he say in his response to the Government’s request to give up  part of his pension “I hope you can understand my rationale for declining your request to voluntarily reduce my pension entitlement.”  Rationale?!  Where was his rationale when he bought ABN Ambro?  In the letter he is not remotely repentant, if anything it’s angry, and it’s sickening.

Fred the Shred: money grabber

He shouldn’t be getting a pension, he should be arrested.  As Vince Cable said: “This is fraud at the taxpayers expense”.

Fred the Shred even had the audacity to double his pension on the quiet before the news broke yesterday of his enormous pension.

Yet the Government have their heads in the sand, pandering to these charlatans. Gordon Brown is having his reputation utterly ripped to shreds as he tries to distance himself from these nasty characters.  No need for friends and enemies alike to stab Brown in the back, it seems most days he’s being stabbed in the front. 

This latest shoddy episode has exposed his fiscal policies for the shambles they are.

By deregulating and creating a British economy built on banking and speculators he has seen his house of cards come crashing to the ground.

The difference between Gordon and Fred is Gordon pretends he wasn’t the architect while Fred has grabbed every last penny he can get his grubby hands on as the cards come crashing down around him.

Fred couldn’t be found at his Edinburgh house today.  I wouldn’t be surprised.  If I was him I’d get out the country and stay there until the shame has worn off.

Having said that because he doesn’t have any he won’t stay away for long.

On a separate note Lord Mandelson wants to sell off part of the Royal Mail to the private sector.  How ironic.