Travelling companions

It would be comic if it were not so tragic. What a waste of Cabinet time.

Still, why not have the rest of Parliament convene on the 0815 to Birmingham New Street each weekday morning? The Speaker could double as ticket inspector!

After a hard day's work telling the CBI that globalism is a completely new thing that's never happened before, that all our problems are due to the Americans (but that anything good ever anywhere is all due to himself), I hope the PM reflects on his total lack of understanding of reality and resigns before he gets off the train.

With all the security and other staff, just how many return tickets did G.Brown have to queue for this morning.... And what was the total cost? (they weren't booked long in advance were they?)

Surely our Prime Minister would never do anything so impulsive as to 'pop to the gents'. He would initiate a prudently controlled liquidity drawdown consistent with the golden rule, maintaining a steady hand on the organs of state. Certainly no boom or bust.

As for the other guy, we'll no doubt see the whole thing on his blog.

The chances of these two characters 'meeting halfway' must be very low indeed.

Although the punters {thats us} should always remember these are professional politicians and as such, a lot of the 'political rage' is synthetic.

Brief encounter?

Now thats more like it.

4,

Brilliant. Just Brilliant

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

What the Tories and their silent partners in the media want is a head to head.

They changed their minds in the last year haven't they. It used to be Tony! Tony! Tony. They couldn't get enough of Labour.

It's all about ratings but nothing to do with good leadership

That's a stroke of luck for Gordon then. Because that's what we've been getting - nothing to do with good leadership.

Frankly I'm no longer bothered how Gordon Brown fills his time. At least while he's in Birmingham he's not passing another piece of ill-thought-out legislation at Westminster. I say send them all on a cruise for the next 18 months. Complete bargain.

More to the point why is Cameron shadowing Brown although I suspect it's to cause Brown more sleepless nights until his brain finally explodes. Looks like that point has long passed to be honest.

Oh, and there'll be no hope of the two of them meeting on the way to the bathroom unless Cameron goes in to Brown's carriage to tease him. We could end up with a John Prescott moment. Mind you, with Brown's depth perception all shot he might swing and miss and catch Hazel Blears one.

A man can dream.

If the Prime Minister has any sense he'll continue to be humble,

He does have much to be humble about.

and eschew competition and media favours.

Or avoid looking a complete arse as others might put it. Like his run away and hide tactic any time a genuine interview presents itself.

Oooo this sounds quite exciting! ... Gordon wants to punch Dave right in the middle of that large, round, cherubic face, doesn't he? ... yeah, you can just tell he does, and maybe a train corridor is the perfect place to land one!

If they get off at the same time, what a wonderful photo opportunity! Gordon's chronic hand gesticulations and cheesy grins will be in full swing.

I can't see Boxing. Look what happened the last time he played a man's game.

Can I suggest that the next Nu-Laba cabinet meeting is held in Ulan-Bator.

Frankly I'm no longer bothered how Gordon Brown fills his time. At least while he's in Birmingham he's not passing another piece of ill-thought-out legislation at Westminster. I say send them all on a cruise for the next 18 months. Complete bargain.

More to the point why is Cameron shadowing Brown although I suspect it's to cause Brown more sleepless nights until his brain finally explodes. Looks like that point has long passed to be honest.

mrcynict4 @14,

Or in Haiti. During hurricane season.

I'd like to see Brown and Cameron in a highly choreographed fight scene on top of the train. It would end with Brown giving up and just standing there doing nothing until he forgets to duck for the bridge.

The more time this lot spend on a train the happier I am.

Nick, bung the driver some licence fee and ask him to go around again.

Or better still get him to enter CERNs particle accelerator and Ill get the tech guys to bend time so we never hear from them again.

13. MaxSceptic

Hey Max, youre not Cherie Blair by any chance are you?

There's an ancient Chinese story about a young man called Han Xin who had a reputation as a skilled Kung-fu fighter. One day when Han was walking through the streets of his city, he was stopped by two men who had heard of this skill. The pair challenged him to a fight to the death. Han tried to decline the challenge, but the men would not let him walk away. They insisted he must either fight or crawl like a dog through the leader's outstretched legs. Although to the Chinese this is an unspeakable humiliation, Han Xin chose to crawl rather than fight.

Word of his humiliation and cowardice spread quickly through the city. He was laughed at openly, yet he never once offered any excuse or explanation for his seemingly spineless action. Later in his life, he revealed himself to be one of the most formidable and fearless warriors in the history of China. To him, the pair of unschooled ruffians had posed no threat. It was simply that they were unworthy adversaries. In his heart he knew himself to be a fearless warrior. He did not care what anyone else thought. Han's thick face was a meek and cowardly facade, adopted to save himself the bother of killing two such inconsequential hoodlums.

Thick Face, Black Heart -- Chin-Ning Chu

There's a modern equivalent by Dave Roger's in his Attention Deficit Nation essay on Groundhog Day.

15. Charles_E_Hardwidge

Charles No No No Please dont go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKITQ4qhXII

An Ode to Chuck upon his departure from this blog:

Can you not stay, just for one more day
Until the fall of Brown, and then
No matter how far you go, you'll know
That you've left us codswallop zen.

CarrotsneedaQUANGO2 @20,

No - LOL - I loath her more than all the other so-called Blair Babes!

But Cherie and I do have a common hatred of her erstwhile next-door neighbour.

Are they both in First Class or has Brown opted for standard in these economically sensitive times? More importantly, is the BBC in First Class?

There's an ancient Chinese story about a young man called Han Xin who had a reputation as a skilled Kung-fu fighter..........


.....In his heart he knew himself to be a fearless warrior. He did not care what anyone else thought. Han's thick face was a meek and cowardly facade, adopted to save himself the bother of killing two such inconsequential hoodlums.

Thick Face, Black Heart -- Chin-Ning Chu

S'cuse me? Ninja Brown doesn't bother to explain himself to the electorate because we are all mental pygmies? Yeah, that'll work. We're going to respect him for that.

It was this arrogance that first turned me against him in 2001. Prior to that I was enjoying the humiliation of the Tories as much as any man. The turning point came prior to the 2001 election when the Tories had somehow got wind he was going to increase National Insurance. He was challenged any number of times by reporters and I remember his disingenuous reply to this day. It was 'I won't answer that because then you'll just ask me a question about any of the other 200 taxes I could vary'. This to Paxman. In an interview. What did he think he was there for?

And of course the next week after re-election they increased National Insurance. Now here is a bloke who speaks with forked tongue I thought to myself. Everything I can bear to watch of him since just drives home that impression.

To him, avoiding being honest is just a great big joke. Meanwhile borrow and squander more money. He knew exactly what he was doing and the effect this was having on house prices and the knock-on effect of his 'miracle' consumer-based economy.

Only 18 more months of this hostage crisis and we can rid shot of him and the spineless Labour MPs who keep him in power.

Good.

12. At 6:35pm on 08 Sep 2008, toughtopperbrown wrote:
If they get off at the same time, what a wonderful photo opportunity! Gordon's chronic hand gesticulations and cheesy grins will be in full swing.



You could have phrased that better.......

or maybe it was intended :))

re: 23

O Charles you're full of hot air
And at most of your posts I despair,
I'm tired of your zen
(Time and time again)
Thank heavens you'll be blogging elsewhere!

If I was David Cameron I'd be seriously worried about how I was going to repair all the damage that the man in the other carriage has been doing to the country - and especially to public finances.

29 JC

They already are, how could they not.


https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7603931.stm

Charles..

If only they knew!

If only I knew for sure.

Ill have to wait to ask "Dave" if my suspicion is correct. You know the Dave I mean.

No really please don't go not sarcastically from this time.

Knowledge is power.

Actually I might go as well.

Thanks bloggers.
Really had a good laugh at some of the comments especially the Hazel Blears one.
I've decided not to post 'cos some of you are just too good to follow.

dhwilkinson @32,

Don't forget to take grandauntiedolt with you.

Ciao.

Just hope they didn't all buy sandwiches on the train, otherwise the whole Cabinet and members of the Opposition would be meeting somewhere along the aisles.... :)

Charles has gone into the mists....

... before I could ask him if 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' would have been published at all in these benzene-challenged times... what a pity :)

Actually I might go as well.

It beggars belief that Gordon Brown should think that this expensive and futile gimmick would endear him to the British people. It just shows how totally out of touch are he and his cabinet puppets. The more this lot stumble on towards electoral annihilation, the more the governance and administration of the United Kingdom looks like something akin to a cartoon republic. Oh boy, how the Labour Party is going to pay for its decade or so of unmitigated political vandalism.

Dave had his chance to mount a populist coup de etat on behalf of a grateful nation by transferring Crash Gordon onto to the Glasgow bound train at Watford Station and then carrying on to London to collect the keys to Downing Street which he shall surely get!

Instead Gordon's runaway train is still heading fast towards the buffers with the entire British nation on board.

34 septic max,We have a decent sort of chap leaving these blogs and mainly because of clowns like you.
Just have a look through this blog if you dare, at the foul absurd and offensive posts that have been put on here in the last few hours and many compiled by you.
I said in a earlier post that you are a dispicable character as I said a ambush predator with no courage just waiting to find some flaw in anyone that passes by.

A sort of shot in the back expert, the type that contribute nothing to life but hate spitefulness and ignorance.
I think that I read somewhere today that you were going away, I hope that where ever it is its wonderful, so wonderful that you never want to return.

I am not a religious man but I hope that God will grant us that wish so that we dont have to put up with your bile anymore.
I think that your post 13 just about sums you up. I very much doubt if you ever took part in a mans game, maybe hopscotch with the girls would have been your style.

The last two carriages have been diverted to Bournemouth. A warm welcome has been prepared Winter of discontent mark 2..

CEH thank you for you postings enjoy your life in the Karma world.

37 perhaps a few of us should leave for pastures new you know the people I mean and then what will they do, it might be fun to watch them turning on themselve or throwing themselves of cliffs like lemmings.

15 Charles E Hardwidge, I know that your not a man to be easily swayed but there are some of us on these blogs who really dont want you to leave.
There are others on here, who's interllect does'nt begin to approach yours that make feeble attempts to ridicule you.
They will be glad to see you go because they have not got the nous to begin to compete with you.
I know that its difficult to read some of the rubbish on here but if you leave for whatever reason they will consider that they drove you out. dont let them have that victory.

I went angling today with some colleagues. And I got to thinking.

What type of fisherman would GB be?
What type of fisherman would any of his underlings be?
and I thought that HH would be a tutting disapproving angler's widow, Millipede a rambunctious tweener who cannot keep quiet and asks questions and tells fishermans tales non stop.

Darling would be the fisherman who gets to the swim, only to realise the person who has just vacated the spot has cut down branches and cut new swims to make it easier to catch fish........

And GB? well, GB would be the local poacher!

re: grandantidote/ceh/dhwilkinson
I hope people like them stay around the blog. I often don't agree with some of what they say, but it's always a good thing to have someone who you don't agree with tell you the other side of the story and/or to give another viewpoint that you might not have properly thought out before.

Nobody's got all the answers, but by listening to as many different answers as you can it at least gives a bit of balance to what might otherwise just end up being a pointless spleen-venting exercise.

40 grand (f)arti bloke

you hold a flame to the CEH? He is no decent man, he spouts bile, venemous statements, coupled with his amazing ability to draw on ways of thinking all things Zen, and runs off when he has his nose tweaked by another poster?

Both him and yourseld need a reality check, so perhaps once you have removed your Testa dal suo arse, you would be so kid as to join him in Siberia?

grandantidote @40

No-one 'decent' could support and uphold the policies and character of Gordon Brown after his abysmal record of the past 11 years.

'Deluded', 'gullible', 'feeble-minded' - perhaps.

'Malevolent', 'ill-intentioned', 'twisted' - for sure

'Decent' - no way.

Until Brown and his team of incompetents leave government for all time you'll just put up with my 'bile' or take your reading and rambling pleasures elsewhere.

Meanwhile, as Chuck once wrote here:

"By constraining the world by your own understanding you limit potential within your own life. Nick see the world through Machivelli but there's other ways, like the Tao, Zen, and Bushido. This is not an outside or other thing, it's a personal thing. Treason? You're treasonous to yourself. Why do it? Be happy.

(Rubbish, right? And so it ever was).

Bon appetit!

#45 getrideofgordonnow

Agree with your sentiments, although CEH is the wild card in the pack. Not sure if he is for real, or is just bent on winding us all up.
If we all agreed with the other chap it would be a mutual admiration society and very dull.

#40 Grandantidote

Your posting hardly does you credit. It is not objective, but it an outraged response, not to a fellow blogger's comments as such, but because this person, like many on this board loathes Gordon Brown. It is your misfortune that Nu Labour hasn't retained the faith and trust many originally put into it when they voted for that party. Gordon Brown is probably the most unpopular prime minister since Neville Chamberlain and you find it hard to bear.
Your loyalty to a party, which isn't what it was in the '20s, '30s or in the '40s, when men such as Aneurin Bevan trod the political stage like giants, is admirable, but today sadly misplaced. You have become bitter and so are lashing out at bloggers who react to hard times with banter.
The Great Bard summed up the frailty of man putting his faith in kings, or political leaders. It is summed up thus:

Had I but served my God with half the zeal I served my king, he would not in mine age Have left me naked to mine enemies.


William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Source: King Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey in Act 3, scene 2.

37 Charles_E.. if your still here.


Very very very flattering. But maybe life is to short to bang your head against the wall, Plasterers are expensive.

Life Could be shorter than we think.

https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7543089.stm

Well said Phoenixarisen. Grandantidote sees the Labour party as it once was, rather than the twisted parody of itself it has become.

re: 50

Your nose is almost as brown as Ed Balls'.

Nick,
So the Liberals missed the train? Again.

We have a decent sort of chap leaving these blogs and mainly because of clowns like you.

Life Could be shorter than we think.

CEH

It would be shame if you disappeared.

Some of the Zen stuff makes sense.

Some of the elaborations appear more doubtful. That stuff about Han Xin. As I understand it, he was beheaded by his then leader, for whom he'd battled hard. Sounds a bit like Gordon.

Problem is that many of us don't really care about the background of leaders - just that they lead and are reasonably honest with themselves and us.

Brown never, ever, acknowledged that he inherited a fairly strong economy. He accepted it, by pledging to follow Ken Clarke's 2 year plans.

After those two years, ever effort seemed to be made to invent new stealth taxes, build dependency on the state and make citizens the supplicants of government, rather than being the folk in charge.

That's what annoys me the most.

Like the 10p tax-band fiasco.

A little thought would have allowed him to let people who needed it most take advantage of a lower tax rate. But he chose to make citizens crawl back to apply for their own money.

I frankly don't give a good goddamn which party is "in power". Just as long as they exercise it well.

Racking up debts for our kids is not exactly my idea of good governance.

Prudence disappeared, along with any claim to virtue, many years ago.

Just hope that, if you revert to Zen posting, you won't be as hard on fellow posters as you seem to have been in the past.

49 pheonixarisen, you obviously misunderstood my post, it was not intended to do me credit or to score me any brownie points[ pardon the pun] and the only object contained was to point out to this unpleasant individual what I thought of his thoroughly distastful remarks that he made about the PM which had nothing to do with politics.
You see I dont loath any man not even septic I dislike him intensely and he does me. And he especially hates and I mean hates anyone that supports the government and whether you agree or not GB is trying to do what he and many others think that he is doing his best for the country.
You of course and he have the absolute right to think about GB what you like and also to write what you like and I am sure that septic does that, dont you think.

I am quite sure that he doesn't give a damn about me and he certainly doesn't need you or anyone else to defend him, he has the most caustic mouth or should I say pen that I have ever come across whether on these blogs or off
If you think that his remarks are some form of banter then you would have considered Adolf as the greatest comedian of his day

You say about myself
"You have become bitter and so are lashing out at bloggers who react to hard times with banter."

If you think that he is lashing out at hard times with banter then check the last two blogs and see how many of his posts have been moderated and none by me I hasten to say.

If I have turned as you say on one or two of the bloggers on here its not because of their political views its because their spitefullness goes beyond politics and into personal attacks.

I had not thought that I would have found a use so soon for a post from carrots but I think its quite fitting in this instance.

Margaret Thatcher once said, I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left.

That is the case with many on here and that being the case one can only treat them in kind, and there you have the reason for my post to septic he has no political argument so he uses hate and spite against GB.and his supporters
It would be better if you were to keep your council as I will undoubtable hear from septic and I guarantee he will be far more offensive than I. Good night my misguided friend.

The prequel to the Glasgow East bunker video can be found here. It's very amusing.

I don't think that many people realise exactly what has happened with regard to the implications on the world economy after the fatally flawed decision to rescue Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae.

These were not like US Treasury Bonds, equivalent of our Gilts, but were just ordinary Mortgage Backed. Now, if you knew company law you would know that there is an hierarchy of debt, so a Mortgage Debenture would rank above an Unsecured Loan Stock. But you can only raise funds (mortgage) against the property once, or you should.

This appears to me a bit like the wine salesman who would say that he has a fantastic old wine which he will sell you for $500. You buy it but then he says it needs to be stored in the best wine cellar, and he has that cellar, and will look after it for you. You trust him.

The trouble is he says the same story 1,000 times, only trouble is he only has one bottle of wine which he is selling 1,000 times. The problem comes when somebody actually wants their bottle of wine. It ain't there, it never was.

So, either the wine merchant has to go and buy some wine so he can meet his contractual obligations, or he is exposed and has to go to jail. Either that or the government doesn't want the market in wine to collapse and bails him out.

For wine, its fine art, its gold, its property. It is all based on shifting sands.

As for countries which hold dollars in their reserves, well they won't be worth much as the dollar collapses, which it will. This is why there is a contagion. We are I afraid doomed.

I am reminded of the story of how the banks will bankrupt you for a debt of a few hundred dollars, but if you owe millions!

As you wake up you will be hearing the news that the American withdrawal from Iraq has started because the 'surge' has been so succesful. The troops being withdrawn will, however probably have to go to Afghanistan, a brilliant exercise in how not to win hearts and minds.

There will also have to be more air attacks on another sovereign territory, namely Pakistan.

I wonder if Britain will also soon be announcing the formal withdrawal of our troops from Iraq, maybe just in time for the labour party conference, now that will stop all the 'stop the war' demonstrators in their tracks won't it? I mean the war in Afghanistan is going so well that we are just about to announce the classic military mistake, we and the Americans are going to reinforce defeat. Wow, this is the end game!

I think that George Bush is aiming to get bin Laden before the American Presidential election. He wants his head on a platter, to show to the American people.

The problems are getting worse, Russia/Georgia, America/Iran, Turkey/Northern Iraq, Sunni/Shi'ite, Dafur/Chad Cameroon, Sudan, Russia/Ukraine, and where exactly are the British Special Forces operating?

And the world economies! Now there is the serious problem of the collapse of the oil price and the dollar. The Great Depression is just a foretaste of what we can expect. Britain and America are being bankrupted by these wars, why do think that Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac were sold off in the forst place, the Vietnam war, which was also bankrupting America, only Britain wasn't in that one.

This is like watching a train crash in slow motion.

I figure, after reading the story about Han Xin, Cameron and his Blackberry wielding satellites probably took a piss in their coffee flasks for the rest of the journey.


Yeah. No doubt. The fear of meeting Gordon 'Ghost Dog' Brown had them paralysed in their seats from fear. That'll be it.

Meanwhile back on Earth....

dhwilkinson and Charles, may I call you that? I hope you both stick around, in amongst all the twaddle, you both have educated minds and the place will poorer without you. I don't suppose you know any proponents of Nick Clegg do you? Just to make the place even spicier.

Kind regards

Max's posts are always very short, aren't they? ... and they always seem to say the same thing ... "referred to moderators"

When you skim down through a whole blog chain, read it like dialogue in a play, it looks quite funny ... comes over like there's this drunk in the corner raving away to himself but with only the occasional fruity word bursting through.

... "idiots!" ... "despicable!" ..."appalling!"

Nick,

Following this little trip we are treated in the mornings papers to yet more photos of "Gordon smiling".... OK - so he can smile - but where is the plan? What is the vision?

.......... plus we've got some new quotes from the odious coward Milliband - who 2 months later now backs his boss.

... there are also uncomfortable noises coming from the Trade Unions who seem to want to return the UK to the 1970's.

The death of Labour is just so slow and painful. Can't somebody speed things up a little?!


If Labour don't do Gordon in at their September conference - then October 31st - Halloween - would make a good day for the people to march on London.

Charles_E_Hardwidge

I'm not sure Zen or Tao have anything relevant to teach Gordon Brown at the moment.

.... if, however, Gordon were to become a student of the 'Flying Spaghetti Monster' - then I think he would find that he could turn his fortunes around if he were to lose the suit and dress as a pirate.

(Whilst GB is at it he could ask the FSM to use his noodly-appendage on the British public and cause us to forget GB's mis-management of the UK finances over the last 10 years.)


For further enlightenment - follow this link:


https://www.venganza.org/


Gordon is going to need divine intervention - the short term gimmicks just aren't working.

Ramen.

#15
"I'm not paying much attention to Nick's blog or the newspapers anymore. Folks know what I think, and I'm not going stick around just to moan, so I doubt you'll see much of me after today. I just figure my time will be better spent on something else."

Missing you already

Even Alistair Darling is at now, chuntering on about "achievements over the past eleven years"

Have I missed something?
Can anyone explain what exactly the achievements are?

56 Grandantidote

Good morning,
A new day dawns - or rains (reigns) - lousy joke!
Let's see what it brings forth.
In the meantime, all bloggers, keep calm and have a really good day!

66 Ilicipolero

The achievements....... I've asked this question before.

I'd give the following as 'gold plated' achievements for Labour:

1. Peace in Northern Ireland

2. Bank of England Independence

3.

# 66 (Polero)

Schools and hospitals are better now than they were 10 years ago. Just about all measurements indicate that. We voted for the improvements and, to a large extent, we've got them.

Plus the minimum wage is a good thing, don't you think?

Few other things as well although no way are they "world's best government" or anything like that.

Tons better than the Tories though!

ref my comments at 68 - some 'glitch' with new Google Chrome - and my posting was submitted mid draft...!

I was struggling to think of a 3rd solid achievement for Labour - I like the 'millenium wheel' - can Labour take credit for that?!

4. Actually..... I'll also give credit for Kosovo and Sierra Leone


........ but that is it isn't it? We just have seen value for money from Labour.

sagamix @62,

I warm to the idea of being like 'Father Jack'. He was, after all, succinct and to the point.

Cheers!

# 68 jonathon_cook

I sort of half started a debate with grandantidote elsewhere on this same subject and tried to compile a mental list.

Even being scrupulously fair, I abandoned the thought process because it was starting to look very lop sided.

I couldn't even prioritise the negative aspects of the Bliar/El Gordo years because there were so many things that aggravated....

jonathan_cook @70 wrote:
"I'll also give credit for Kosovo and Sierra Leone".

An independent Kosovo is far from a 'good thing'.

But then, we reap what we sow.

@70

Ah yes kosovo, the intervention that has directly led to the Russians little coup in Georgia.

For every action there is an equal and oposite reaction, except in this case we need russian energy and they no longer need anything from Bankrupt Britain

#69 sagamix

The Ilicipolero jury is still out on Hospitals/NHS, I say that having had experience of overseas systems. Still far too much waste, and I remain to be convinced about the work of NICE.

Foreign Policy, whilst not enviable, is considerably better than that foisted upon the world by George Bush.

I won't go too deeply into the domestic things that trouble me because we could here a while and I'll need to get some work done at some point today
---

#70 jonathon_cook
Google Chrome is okay but only a Beta version presently.

Agreed, nobody has seen value for money and for the foreseeable future that will certainly get worse



Education, improving but, as my old school report back in the day frequently mentioned, must to better.

I agree with Ilicipolero regarding the NHS.

One should be vary wary of statitstics and 'indicators' especially when it is easy to be in a situation where you are not comparing like with like. For instance I remember that, when pressed, it was admitted that the hospitals were leaving people in the corridors on trolleys so that they could meet their targets of a specific number of people getting a 'hospital bed'.

My old stats teacher used to say to me that you could have two people with the same data and they could draw opposite conclusions.

My favourite was seeing Gordon after his month long holiday looking so calm and relaxed. It's good to know he's well rested and up for the coming few weeks - by-election, conference etc etc.
Then hopefully it will be the back benches for him before the general election and then looking for a new job.

Wha....sorry I drifted off for a second then!

I would like to congratulate the government, and in particular the MoD for keeping any former soldier from airing their opinions about the war against Iraq.

They have achieved this in two ways.

They have forced soldiers to sign confidentialit contracts. Forced in the sense that they will not be sent on operations, or serve in certain units unless they do sign.

Then, based on those contracts, theMoD are then able to prevent public debate by the use of court injunctions as any soldier who signed the confidentiality contract, will then be taken to the courts and have injunctions taken out against them.

The house rules of Nicks blog then prevent publication where there is contempt of court, or breaks a court injunction. Isn't freedom of speech brilliant.

Furthermore, I think that you will find that injured soldiers, or the families of those killed, will put any compensation at risk if they go public without any comments being thoroughly vetted.

66- 72 Polero if your not aware of the many achievements brought about by Labour over the last eleven years then you have apparently been in a coma.
Or alternatively you are so far in denial that you are in danger of seriously damaging your health
As you suggest you find it difficult to compile a mental list, that should tell you something, lay down and have a nice long rest perhaps your brain may catch up with the events of the last eleven years.

72 What happened my friend is that you threatened with a list of bad things that Labour had done and I accepted the challenge with my list of the good things that labour had done and accompanied by all the bad things that the Tories had done. you declined the offer!.

75 polero, So now your trying to tell us that someone employs you.
"as my old school report back in the day frequently mentioned, must to better."
No improvement there then.

It's probably been said elsewhere, if so I apologise for repetition, but if El Gordo can find time to welcome home Team GB from Peking and bathe in their glory, why not wait on the tarmac at Brize Norton or Lyneham, is it? to welcome home young men and women who gave their lives in overseas conflicts. To the best of my knowledge this hasn't happened.

62 Sagamix Now thats not very nice thing to suggest about ppl is it, a little unkind I thought.

@68

1. 1993: Anglo-Irish pact paves way for peace
The British and Irish prime ministers have signed The Joint Declaration of Peace which they hope will end 25 years of bombing and murder in Northern Ireland.
After nearly two years' negotiation the two leaders, John Major and Albert Reynolds, today stood united on the steps of 10 Downing Street.

Labour werent the government in 1993 and John Major has never been a labour politician to the best of my knowledge

#79 grandantidote

Simmer !!

Nothing like announcing your presence in the calm, measured manner we associate with you heh?

For the past eleven years I certainly haven't been sleeping, neither do I have selective amnesia. On the contrary I have been wide awake through a period of avoidable and monumental misery wreaked upon the country by Messrs Blair, Brown and others.

I cannot recall ever threatening you with anything, notwithstanding, had I, would not our efficacious moderators had an input?

The exchange we had was last thing at night if memory serves and I might have signed off wishing you a cheery good night.

It's only 1235, your foul mood doesn't bode too well for your afternoon does it? Can I respectfully suggest you take your own advice? Perhaps take a little sleep for a short time.

78 TAG you seem to be incredible well informed of everything in all departments of the government, are you the member of some under cover think tank.
Or is it just that you have a over imaginative brain that somehow allows you above all others the power to see things that are denied to the rest of us.
ie the assassination of Barrack Obahma making way for Hilary Clinton and of course armageddon early in the new year
Can you tell us, were the servicemen forced at gunpoint to sign these confidential contracts, or was it simply a hand behind there backs sort of force.
Or is that a secret that even you dare not reveal.

Clearly it's my turn with grandantidotes bullseye on my back today. Bring it on Grandad Dotes x

Grandantidote - a typical New Labourite. Having read (and contributed to) this blog over a number of months, I can say with confidence that your postings are HEAVILY weighted towards scorn and insult - the very thing you spend most of your time complaining about in others - and only have a very light sprinkling of occasionally valid points.

On the NHS, it is interesting to note that, whilst the longest waiting times have disappeared, the AVERAGE waiting time has actually increased. So, in classic NuLab fashion the headline is good, but the everyday experience is worse.

Recent experience of both my father and a work colleague is that the current NHS policy is to bounce you between a series of different waiting lists so that your actual time on any one list is no more than 4 weeks, but you wait for a lot more than that in total.

77gthe bouncer,
We are sorry to inform you old chap but it may have seemed like a second to you but unfortunately you've been out for eleven years and you have missed all the wonderful things that Labour have done for you during that time.

re: 82

It's alright grandy, I forgive you. Labour are pulling your strings; you don't know what you're saying.

#85 grandantidote

"Or is it just that you have a(n) over imaginative brain........."

Surely better to have one of these than the redundant one inside El Gordo's head. With a brain put to use, (policy) ideas can be discounted and one or two put into practice, a concept El Gordo seems only loosely familiar with, especially discounting the unworkable ones.

I've certainly missed allthe grand things Labour have done ineleven years. Anyone can spend money but not everyone can get a return.

More doctors and a higher minmum wage are just a drain on resources.

Where is the NewLabour Nissan factory in Sunderland or Toyota factory in Derby or Alyamama contract for British Aerospace? Where is the Newlabour high speed rail link, or channel tunnel, or M6 toll road, or terminal 5, or St Pancras Station or Millenium Dome or new power station or Eden Project.

What have they doen except spend our money on ways that have caused higher taxes and inflation?

re: 90

And the corrupt ones, such as the 10p tax band disaster.

Nu-LyingBore will go to any lengths to fill its coffers.

Markets are going up today! ... here's me assuring all and sundry that we're in for the Big Crash and then that goes and happens.

Anyone'd think (if they didn't know any better) that I don't 100% know what I'm talking about.

It's all gone quiet from our Welsh correspondent. You asleep then grandanidote?

grandantidote

back in the hold days - when chuck hardwidge used to blog he would come out with a point - people like me would ask him politely to substantiate - but he enjoyed being elusive and controversial - so there was never a satisfactory answer.


you say that there have been some fantastic achievements - although they are not that visible to me.

if I ask nicely - and I am - could you please provide the list of achievements?

was it miliband - who in recent weeks said - "we must start (the fight back) by defending our record"

miliband is correct - in the sense that a large number of the population can see little in the way of large scale achievement.

the city editor of the evening standard yesterday critiscised labour for giving up financial control to the bank of england - on that point I disagree with him. to me that is one of the achievements of labour - to separate an element of financials management from short term political motivations.

please - in your view what are the other achievements of the last 11 years?

#71 (Max)

One of my favourite characters, FJ!

Seriously though, New Labour's achievements ... quite a few, aren't there?

Let's think ...

- higher living standards
- low inflation
- low jobless
- indy Bank
- min wage
- better schools, better hospitals
- slightly fairer tax

And on the debit side, not that much really ...

- economic "success" based on spivery
- zero regulation of banking sector
- wider gap between rich and poor
- illegal and immoral foreign wars
- tax and benefit system all complexed up

Oh yes, and the "River of Fire" down the Thames, remember that? ... supposed to be the highlight of Millenium night, that was, but it never even caught alight!. That was a real low point.

grandantidote

If you take the trouble to respond to
#95 jonathan_cook, please would you, in your view, explain what you believe Blair/Brown between them, could or should have done better?

All very interesting stuff Nick. Very 'brief encounterish' if you don't mind me saying so. The one common factor in all of these goings-on is you Nick. Are you the BBC's version of Goldfinger, minipulating the news and world events from a seemingly innocent looking train? Who are you Nick? What exactly is your role in A: The current crisis with Russia, B: Global Warming, C: the credit crunch? Some answers please Nick. I'm not the only one on here that feels that somehow you and the BBC are responsible for everthing bad that's going on.

68 J Cook

Bank of England Independence was a very good idea.

Northern Island was not just down to Nu Labour, it was a result of decades of work and much of it cross party.

Im thinking about 3 .... still thinking.... Ill have to get back to you

Oh hold on, hold on. Reform of the house of Lords, they made a start in the right direction.

Im also going to credit brown with his work to persuade the west to write off third world debt.

He did this unilaterally hoping the other G8 countires would follow and they did.