Bolitics The New Condem Government

[tonyh29]

Gvmt while these accusations are still open. Cameron wanting him to remain within the Gvmt is a weak act from him

or is it loyalty to a colleague who as far as the law or anyone else is concerned is not currently guilty of any crime

but maybe it is weakness to show loyalty , perhaps you can point me to the post you made where you've attacked Brown ,Millband , Blair etc for weakness in not sacking a deputy leader involved in street brawling , a shadow chancellor who flipped his home 3 times ,leaking Dr Kellys name to the media resulting in his suicide etc etc

or is it only weak when a Tory does it ?

[drat01]

Tony no, Cameron has a duty to the country not to look after his "chums". Coulson has some pretty serious allegations over him and as such needs to resign or take gardening leave to either clear his name or take the consequences. Cameron has been weak in trying to protect his mate, someone who is being talked about being involved in some pretty serious crimes.

Your attempt to deflect to Labour is silly.

[tonyh29]

Your attempt to deflect to Labour is silly.

as is your attempt to attack Cameron / the tories

the thing nowadays is that allegations are made all the time , i guess Randy ought to be sacking someone today in light of the allegations made by Sunderland ?

No?

oh that would be because at this moment in time they are just allegations with no base of truth behind them

so , when if / when Coulsen gets found guilty of something then Cameron can be questioned about his lack of judgement but meanwhile nothing to see her , move on

[blandy]

i guess Randy ought to be sacking someone today in light of the allegations made by Sunderland ?..

He should have taken action after the Man City game IMO

[drat01]

Tony your automatic defence of the Tory party is clouding your judgement here.

Coulson has some pretty serious charges being made about him. As part of the Gvmt, by hos own admission he cannot do his job. Cameron is failing in his duty as PM trying to cling on to him and should have forced him to step down. If he is innocent then he can come back to carry on working at the Tory part help desk if not then he can suffer the consequences. Cameron is very weak and its not a move on situation because Cameron wanted him to remain, a serious error on his part.

As many have said before and more are saying now, there is a hell of a lot of smoke here for there to be no fire. The interesting thing now is how much political information was gathered by this. The links with Murdoch will ensure that this will not be allowed to be swept under the carpet like you are suggesting.

A major embarrassment for Cameron and the Tory party - I bet Hilton is pissing himself now

[peterms]

Your attempt to deflect to Labour is silly.

as is your attempt to attack Cameron / the tories

the thing nowadays is that allegations are made all the time , i guess Randy ought to be sacking someone today in light of the allegations made by Sunderland ?

No?

oh that would be because at this moment in time they are just allegations with no base of truth behind them

so , when if / when Coulsen gets found guilty of something then Cameron can be questioned about his lack of judgement but meanwhile nothing to see her , move on

Have you been following this, Tony?

It's a sequence of us being lied to about who was involved, with News International paying off litigants at the point when they were able to require disclosure of more information about what was going on, the payoffs having the effect of preventing the court appearance which would have allowed this information to surface publicly.

Coulson's resignation follows action against Ian Edmondson, who was apparently going to turn him in.

Each new disclosure has followed a series of attempts by the Met and the PCC to claim there's nothing in it, with things emerging only after digging by lawyers acting for the victims using legal powers to require access to documents held for several years by the police, but not acted on.

It's a little different from a wild accusation. It's the slow uncovering of information, each new disclosure showing that the people at News International had lied about their illegal actions. Along the way, we have heard from a former NoW journo that Coulson actively encouraged hacking, from a former NoW executive that Coulson must have known, and now that his former deputy is about to shop him, in the face of legal action.

And all this is involving the most powerful news outfit on the planet, and our PM's right hand man, together with unexplained and startling inaction by the police. But your view is there's nothing to see here.

[Gringo]

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

And one can only assume that is why coulson got such an easy ride at the initial parliamentary investigation - no one wanted to upset rupert, and why everyone was quite happy for the judges to try and bury all the evidence (well all the evidence the police could be bothered digging up). The behaviour of the establishment in this matter is wholly reprehensible. Shamocracy in action.

[blandy]

The behaviour of the establishment in this matter is wholly reprehensible. Shamocracy in action.

Yes. and "shamocracy" to go with "bollitics" - you deserve some kind of medal

[drat01]

Cash for honours eh Pete?

[peterms]

And now Edmondson's lawyers are saying it's not the case that he was about to turn Coulson in, and any such statement would be defamatory. As in defame-a Tory, I suppose.

[peterms]

I see the Torygraph's chief political commentator is questioning Cameron's judgement.

Andy Coulson’s resignation is very welcome: he should never have been appointed in the first place. But this is only the beginning and not the end of the News of the World phone hacking scandal, and we still need to know answers on the following vital points:

1. The News of the World claim, endorsed by Coulson himself, that the NoW Royal Correspondent Clive Goodman was just a ‘rogue reporter’ has been exploded: hence (I assume) Coulson’s decision to quit Downing Street. Quite right too: the story was risible and false. But exactly how extensive was the phone hacking scandal during the time Coulson was editor of the News of the World between 2003 and 2007? The evidence available so far suggests that thousands of people may have been hacked. Who were they? Why were they not informed at the time of the original police investigation?

2. Will Coulson continue to claim that he had no knowledge of the phone hacking in view of the fact that we are gradually learning that senior executives who reported directly to him seem to have been closely involved?

3. The key issue, however, is not what this episode tells us about Andy Coulson. It is what it says about David Cameron, and his decision to appoint him in the first place.

4. In particular Cameron’s judgment is under scrutiny. Cameron will at some stage need to come up with a full explanation of why he decided to appoint Coulson as Downing Street Director of Communications. What checks did he make? What enquiries did he make of Coulson himself? Did he discuss the matter further – for instance at one of his private meetings with Rebekah Brooks, the chief executive of News International (and Coulson’s predecessor at the News of the World)? The ‘rogue reporter’ account of events transparently did not add up to pretty well anyone who knew anything about how newspapers worked. Was David Cameron really naïve enough to believe it? But if he didn’t believe it, why on earth did he hire Coulson?

5. The House of Commons Media Culture and Sport Committee need to reopen their enquiry into the phone hacking affair. Some of the evidence presented by Coulson last time he appeared in front of it now makes no sense (for instance his claim to the MP Adam Price that ‘I am absolutely sure that Clive’s case was a very unfortunate rogue case’) now appears nonsensical.

6. There are also huge questions to be asked about the conduct of the Metropolitan Police in this affair, but that is a matter for another day.

7. Finally, did reporters from Coulson’s NOW hack into David Cameron and George Osborne’s phones when they were in opposition? I bet they did and I think we should be told.

[snowychap]

Oh dear, UK economy suffers 0.5% contraction.

The UK's economy suffered a shock contraction in the last three months of 2010, figures have shown.

The economy shrank by 0.5% in the October-to-December period, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The severe weather hit activity in the quarter, but the ONS said even if the weather impact had been excluded, activity would have been "flattish".

The contraction follows growth of 0.7% in the previous three months and 1.1% in the second quarter of 2010.

The figures are set to raise concerns over prospects for the economy, with large public spending cuts expected to come in this year.

But Chancellor George Osborne said the government would not change its austerity programme.

"These are obviously disappointing numbers, but the ONS has made it very clear that the fall in GDP was driven by the terrible weather in December," he said in a statement.

"There is no question of changing a fiscal plan that has established international credibility on the back of one very cold month. That would plunge Britain back into a financial crisis. We will not be blown off course by bad weather."

The release is a first estimate for the quarter from the ONS and is subject to revision. The statistics body will publish two further updates at monthly intervals.

And Osborne sounded like an even bigger numpty than normal when 'having a chat' with the BBC reporter (or repeating by rote the same three or four sentences - the ones at the end of the article).

[Gringo]

We will not be blown off course by bad weather

Speech writers earning their corn there.

[drat01]

This was following the damning of this Gvmt from the head of the CBI yesterday who admitted that their policy was built on ideology rather than business reasons.

So we have attacks on front line services such as the police and the NHS, attacks on defence budgets, economy hitting problems, more and more rises in fuel, VAT rises, Unemployment rising, scandals a plenty within the Gvmt. - and all that just in 25 days of 2011

[snowychap]

Not owt to do with the government but as some of the other 'fingers in the till' people were reported in here, I'd just like to point out the guilty verdict on Lord Taylor.

Will he get 18 months, too?

Blimey, they'll be able to get their own wing soon.

[Awol]

This was following the damning of this Gvmt from the head of the CBI yesterday who admitted that their policy was built on ideology rather than business reasons.

So we have attacks on front line services such as the police and the NHS, attacks on defence budgets, economy hitting problems, more and more rises in fuel, VAT rises, Unemployment rising, scandals a plenty within the Gvmt. - and all that just in 25 days of 2011

Yep, if only Gordon and the dynamic duo were still running/ruining the economy they could have kept on borrowing/printing money to infinity. Oh wait...

Labour knocked the economy to the floor and the Coaliton are kicking it in the balls as it tries to get up. It's all just rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic now because no political party will make the seemingly counter intuitive move of cutting business and personal income taxes. Austerity is necessary to a point but the only real way to tackle the debt is growth.

About 20 pages ago someone suggested a land tax. If there was a way of structuring that which didn't involve bankrupting the already skint farmng community then it's the kind of radical systemic restructuring of the tax regime that is long overdue.

[drat01]

This Gvmt are now being questioned on the principles of their policies by the CBI FFS, even as an ardent Tory supporter you cannot start to question as to why this is, maybe they are wrong. We are on a downward spiral again, because of this Gvmt, the next few months are going to be extremely tough and the fanciful ideas of "big society" are not going to fix that.

King is predicting higher inflation which will people hard, again though the policies that this Gvmt have forced upon us will mean that wwe are less able to cope. The petrol costs were a favourite of the Tory party before getting elected but their VAT rise mean that a 1p rise will probably be more like 5p per litre in a couple of months, amazing how their attitudes have changed there. For Gideon to blame the snow for the problems - 16 times in a interview yesterday - shows either the utter contempt the man has for the UK public or his crass stupidity - probably a mixture of both. Maybe his luxury holiday over Xmas skiing has confused the poor old soul

And while all this burns around us the sleaze that the Tory party tried to say was a one party thing, continues to ooze out.

The LibDems are still claiming that they are making a difference and stopping the extreme Tory policies, if that was the case and IMO it's not, then really god help us, because some of these are disgusting. The attacks on all front line services, again another lie from the Tory party only a couple of months back, are idealogical led and encouraging privatisation of these core services. something that conveniently their biggest donations would love as they just happen to provide those services and could do so at a nice tidy cost / profit

Basically this lot for all their Ashcroft millions spent on marketing and spin have not got a clue. Cameron is being shown daily to be a weak leader, Gideon is not up to the job of chancellor and the Libdem leadership really are nothing more that poodles for the Tory leadership. Why don't some of them grow a pair and actually state what they want to do and why

[Awol]

This Gvmt are now being questioned on the principles of their policies by the CBI FFS, even as an ardent Tory supporter you cannot start to question as to why this is

Oh dear.

King is predicting higher inflation which will people hard, again though the policies that this Gvmt have forced upon us will mean that wwe are less able to cope.

Inflation is a growing problem because we'ver had ultra low interest rates for years combined with a devalued currency - thanks in large part to the policy of priniting money. Is that all down to the Coalition, or are we paying the piper for the policies of that genius Gordon Brown and his advisors (now Labour leader and shadow chancellor..lol)?

Clearly the VAT rise doesn't make things easier but you're kidding yourself if you think the other lot wouldn't have done the same. As I said above, the Coalition are kicking the economy that Labour dropped to the canvas and there are no points to be scored here by pretending otherwise.

What do you think about my proposal on lowering business and income taxes to promote growth?

Forgive me if I don't reply to the rest of the party political broadcast but I don't really see the point.

[tonyh29]

For Gideon to blame the snow for the problems - 16 times in a interview yesterday - shows either the utter contempt the man has for the UK public or his crass stupidity

learning from the master ?

[blandy]

"The reason that growth has been slow is you remember what happened in January and February," the prime minister said.

"Retail sales were very slow because the VAT reduction was withdrawn.

"Then we had a terrible month of weather which hindered transport and communications in business in the country.

"Obviously it has been a difficult few months. But that just shows just how fragile the recovery is."

With electoral arguments raging about Labour's plans for a rise in VAT, called a 'job tax' by the Tories, the evidence of growth was seized on by Labour to back up their argument that severe cuts would damage recovery from recession.

Mr Brown said government measures like the car scrappage scheme, the future jobs fund and guarantees for young people was "what's making the difference between recession and recovery".

Quarterly figures released this week saw unemployment hit a 15-year high and inflation rise to 3.4%.

Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable said the news was not good: "These figures show that the promised recovery is barely visible. There is a real danger of the UK going into a double dip recession. As people deal with their own debts and as the banks continue to strangle good British businesses by starving them of credit the recovery will remain fragile.

"The British economy has had a massive heart attack - it has just emerged from the intensive care unit into the recovery ward. The worst possible action is the Tory proposal to pull out the drip-feed when the patient is still in a critical condition."

Conservative shadow chancellor George Osborne said the figures were "below expectations".

He added: "They come on a week when unemployment went up again and the government borrowed more than ever before. That is a reminder that Britain's deep economic problems remain."

just shows how they all reverse their positions, make the same mistakes and are not so different on so many areas of running the country