Bolitics The New Condem Government

[tonyh29]

Will be a nice change for Balls , instead of being humiliated by Goves in the commons he can now be humilated by Osborne instead

Ed M has probably just swung the next election for the Tories with this move , keep up the good work Ed

[snowychap]

'Humiliated by Osborne'.

Only likely to happen if it turns out that Osborne has been having it away with Cooper and shows the pictures at the dispatch box.

[tonyh29]

Tbf this is Balls we are talking about , Even for Osborne OT should be like shooting fish in a barrel

Labour might just as well have stay with Brown and Darling for all the good the reshuffle has done them

[privateer]

Neither Balls not Ed are quite of the human race, are they? They're from the same planet as Redwood and Howard and IDS. Still he seems to know about sums n'that, so that's nice.

Yep, they are are a weird bunch.

Ed looks like he has had somebody else's mouth grafted onto his lower jaw but even if he looked normal he would still be a joke. It's worth checking out PMQs every Wednesday to watch him get clowned by Cameron. Week in, week out he gets owned. I can't imagine he has a long-term future as Labour leader.

As for Balls, he will never be accepted by the electorate. He keeps saying "Look" and "Listen" as the start of his sentences which never goes down well. The other thing that weirds me out about him is he looks like he has Down's Syndrome.

I do see this as an opportunity for the Coalition, though. They can do a campaign based on "All Labour Chancellors are mongs, want another?"

That should get them another 5 years.

[Bazdavies79]

I don't think Blandy was referring to physical appearance. I think your post reveals some serious floors in your character.

[privateer]

I don't think Blandy was referring to physical appearance. I think your post reveals some serious floors in your character.

Lino floors? Carpet? Parquet? A highly decorative terrazzo? Or does your post reveal some serious flaws in your spelling?

I'm ready for moor insults if u r.

[drat01]

It's worth checking out PMQs every Wednesday to watch him get clowned by Cameron. Week in, week out he gets owned. I can't imagine he has a long-term future as Labour leader.

what utter nonsense. Cameron in the past few weeks especially has been totally knocked back in PMQ's not answering questions, having to resort to pre-arranged fawning points from his own backbenchers and by numerous pundits own admission resorting to being "rattled" and abuse.

As the above poster points out, interesting that you go down the route of comments re physical appearance as your criteria for determining their worth

[Bazdavies79]

^^Sorry, character flaw. I'm not insulted.

I was pointing out your concern for physical appearance may be regarded as rather superficial.

Anyway, this is going OT, this is not an arena for personal ding dongs, but a place to discuss political policy etc.

[Jon]

Will be a nice change for Balls , instead of being humiliated by Goves in the commons he can now be humilated by Osborne instead

Ed M has probably just swung the next election for the Tories with this move , keep up the good work Ed

"Ground control to Major Tom ...."

[Jon]

Neither Balls not Ed are quite of the human race, are they? They're from the same planet as Redwood and Howard and IDS. Still he seems to know about sums n'that, so that's nice.

Yep, they are are a weird bunch.

Ed looks like he has had somebody else's mouth grafted onto his lower jaw but even if he looked normal he would still be a joke. It's worth checking out PMQs every Wednesday to watch him get clowned by Cameron. Week in, week out he gets owned. I can't imagine he has a long-term future as Labour leader.

As for Balls, he will never be accepted by the electorate. He keeps saying "Look" and "Listen" as the start of his sentences which never goes down well. The other thing that weirds me out about him is he looks like he has Down's Syndrome.

I do see this as an opportunity for the Coalition, though. They can do a campaign based on "All Labour Chancellors are mongs, want another?"

That should get them another 5 years.

I don't think Blandy was referring to physical appearance. I think your post reveals some serious flaws in your character.

Those flaws have been evident for some time, Baz. We don't need banal, childish posts like this one from him to reveal that, just to confirm it.

[blandy]

I wasn't refering to their physical appearance so much as their manner, which just comes across as sort of "automaton programmed to recount statistics" totally lacking in warmth or empathy when in interviews, or in parliament. I'm sure in their normal lives they are different, but they just don't portray any kind of humanity in their jobs when on TV

[peterms]

I wouldn't try and argue for a moment that GS are anything but as rotten as any of the others, but in a thread on the Gov't of the moment, I still don't see how or why they (our Gov't) have any role in the bonuses paid by a US Bank to its employees. Neither Labour nor the current lot has lent them money or supported them in any way.

Why do we, and our government, have any locus in this? Several reasons.

First, we have to get away from the idea that there are UK banks and US banks and other banks, when we're dealing with these multinationals. Organisations like Airdrie Building Society are UK institutions, pure and simple. Organisations like Goldman Sachs and the rest don't see themselves as national entities. They describe themselves as a "global franchise", and act to evade the regulations of nation states.

We see for example that Barclays alone have over 300 subsidiaries operating in tax havens. We learn that German banks send staff to Dublin to conduct business through subsidiaries to evade scrutiny from the German regulator, doing deals which go outwith what they could do in Germany. And all the rest of them are at it as well. It's a global, interconnected, networked system.

The second thing is it's all dependent on each other. Goldman Sachs, like the rest, have multiple interests in many other financial institutions, and a default would hit all of them. When the US government bailed out AIG, Goldman directly benefitted. When the Irish government bailed out its bondholders (partly using our £7bn), Goldman directly benefitted. And when we bailed out Lloyds, Goldman directly benefitted, in a manner seemingly being investigated for fraud:

Yesterday it emerged that Goldman acted on two sides of the £23.5billion fund-raising deal to put Lloyds on a sounder financial footing last autumn. The bank apparently did not know this.

Goldman was helping Lloyds raise fresh funds from shareholders including the government, which owns 41 per cent.

At the same time, it apparently used its influence to persuade the bank to pay extra cash to investors holding its debt.

Goldman itself had purchased a large chunk of the debt so was in prime position-to line its own pockets.

The claim will increase the pressure on the Financial Services Authority to take action against the U.S. investment bank.

Goldman Sachs insisted last night: 'There was no conflict of interest. Our position has been seriously misrepresented.'

It's true that our government can't unilaterally control the abuses and excesses of these multinationals, or single-handedly hold them to account. It's absolutely not the case that what they do is none of our business and doesn't involve the direct and indirect subsidies we have given and continue to give.

[blandy]

Aye, as I've said previously, the system is rotten, ther banking industry is rotten, the behaviour of the banks is rotten...etc.

My comment was regarding the specific point about a US bank paying it's employees X amount of money. That's still none of the UK Govt's business IMO.

Yes national and international action should be taken, yes massive reform is needed. For me, concentration on the pay of a small number of people working for non British companies should be nowhere near the agenda of our Gov't given the mess things are in. Time wasted on trying to address how much Walt T. Cheeseburger IV earnt in bonuses last year is time that could be spent in more pressing matters. I said earlier as well that concentrating on the outrageous sums these folk "earn" suits both the Gov't and the banks well, because the deeper issues remain untouched.

[snowychap]

Coulson to make a statement later. A resignation?

[peterms]

Coulson to make a statement later. A resignation?

Yes it is. Too little, too late. More damage for Cameron.

[tonyh29]

Coulson to make a statement later.

Maybe Coulsen was tapping Johnsons wife as well ?

[drat01]

About time too - this is from C4

Am told suspended NoW news editor Ian Edmondson was about to turn Coulson in...hence the personal statement coming soon...

If Coulson is innocent he can now prove it without worrying about his paymasters. Cameron really does look even weaker over all of this

I wonder how many non Tory MP's were listened to via these calls and then the info used by opponents? Maybe one day the full story will be told

Of course it is pure coincidence that today when Blair is up talking about Iraq and AJ fall out in all the papers is the day he comes out with this news :-)

[blandy]

Didn't it start when Murdoch was a Labour supporter?

[drat01]

Absolutely it did Pete - Coulson though has only ever had ties with one party ..... its basically all a seedy mess whichever party is in power and has the support of Rupert Murdoch and people like Coulson cannot be part of any Gvmt while these accusations are still open. Cameron wanting him to remain within the Gvmt is a weak act from him

[peterms]

Interesting view from the Torygraph from a few days ago, on how important Coulson was to Cameron.

The waters of the News of the World phone hacking affair are lapping at the door of Number 10. But inside, the view is even more resolute than the impression the Prime Minister gave yesterday. In conversations in the past few days it’s been made clear to me that Andy Coulson commands an extraordinary hold on David Cameron and the government machine. His lucidity and calm have secured him widespread admiration in the Cabinet, where previously sceptical ministers have been impressed by his contributions. Those finding themselves in difficulty have appreciated the way he has helped them. While some may not like it, the way he has put a lid on Downing Street communications by closing off channels and keeping himself in the background, has been effective – he runs a tight ship, and is now contemplating changes to make it more efficient. Similarly, a number of government departments judged to be under-selling their political message are going to find themselves scrutinised by his level gaze. His domination is such, I am told, that he is one of the few able to change Mr Cameron’s mind in the morning meeting. Those who work alongside him talk of the hold Mr Coulson has on his boss. It is this bond which explains why the PM shows no sign of being troubled by the difficulties News Corp is having with the Story That Won’t Go Away. To outsiders the portents look ominous for Mr Coulson, if only because the steady hacking away by the celebrities and their supporters pursuing legal action seems to be gaining ground. Privately, the police say the mood has changed and it’s getting serious.

So what are they saying internally? Two things. First, the point about Mr Coulson’s indispensability. I am told that he is viewed as one of the three most successful occupants of that post, the other two being Bernard Ingham and Alastair Campbell. If you want a measure of the esteem in which he is held by Dave and his Team, it is to hear them elevate Mr Coulson to membership of a trio with the other two recent big beasts to hold that role. He is considered, frankly, irreplaceable, even if those around him must know that no one is. His departure, they fear, would be a crushing blow to the work of the government at a critical time. This of course, is a way of saying that his departure would be a crushing blow to the credibility of Mr Cameron and George Osborne, who have championed him. Second, they argue that controversy is one thing, but there is no evidence that this saga is doing damage to the Conservatives or the Coalition. By that they mean that this is an issue the public are largely indifferent to – this is a Westminster process story and nothing more. They may be right, but it takes nerves of steel to argue that line.

What happens next is anyone’s guess. I had always imagined that having decided to enter Number 10 with Dave, Mr Coulson would give it a year and then move on to even greater things. A statement between now and Easter, say, confirming that he will move on after the May elections for example would not have surprised me. Now it’s not so easy. As is always the case in these situations, finding a quiet moment when such a move can be announced without appearing to be a reaction to headlines is tricky. Mr Coulson has shown that one of his greatest skills is loyalty, so it may be that he will know better than his boss when the time has come to make that announcement.

Next step, take a close look at why the Met tried to cover this up, and what links exist between News International and the upper tiers of the Met. And I suppose Coulson will be investigated for perjury.