I said it before

all i can say is we are lucky chairman brown allowed one of his pet projects to be dropped.
what fool knighted mandelson? it seems standards are at an all time low under this government.
if only the people were allowed to elect a government that would represent the people.
well i am pleased the parliment act was not used to see the 42 day bill through.

The government and authorities could've been sharper with the policy and presentation but the usual ideologues and vested interests share some of the responsibility for its failure. I'm looking at the hard left living in the past and the opposition for oppositions sake brigade on the other side of the house.

Still, reverse gear is another way of going forwards. By dropping the bill the target of opportunity is taken away. The glittering prize that caused so many eyes to blaze with opportunism and recrimination has disappeared *thwup* into thin air. Any victory is merely transitory: just another dream. This is a little subtle but may just have done the government a favour in some ways.

May you get what you wish for, etcetera.

Sorry Nick, but this was predictable in June, nothing in my opinion to do with Mandelson or banks or Fannie Mae et al but all to do with the way we do things in this country. Narrow majority in the House, stuck in the Lords', gets dropped. Old as the hills.

Mind you I'm a bit surprised that they're not pushing it, what with Gordon's financial management making a big noise today across the pond. But then, has the Home Office (as was) survived New Labour as anything at all? Evidently not.

Nick,
Why do you not tell us that in 1986 you spent a year as national chairman of the Young Conservatives? Are you prepared to tell us and make a statement? How as a Journalist can you be neutral?

"what fool knighted mandelson?"

Did anyone?

Did I miss something?

All Gordon needs now is a terrorist incident to add to the financial crisis.

Just imagine - "I led the world" on the banking issue added to "I warned the country" on the 42 days"

What's a couple of national calamaties against a decisive boost to GB's personal position ?

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

Lib Dem peer Lord Carlile, the official reviewer of terror laws has been quoted as saying this law would only affect "maximum maybe of five or six people in the next four or five years"

Are these figures correct? Or are we having the wool pulled over our eyes?

All this who-ha over 5 or 6 people? I just can't shake the feeling that my BS detector has gone crazy, anyone else think this sounds suspect? (No pun intended!)

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Now that they have dropped the 42 day debacle I wonder when we can be given a full Prime Ministerial statement on the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq. To parliament, so that we can hear the cunning plan for admitting our retreat and total abject defeat. You think I'm joking, we are being prepared for the inevitable, look at the Prisoners Dilemma, who will blink first, America or Team GB.

Now all they also have to sort out with the sisterhood is the contentious issue of the Human Embryo Bill, some of haven't forgotten that little gem.

@2 Charles_E_Hardwidge

Charles you have outdone yourself this time, "reverse gear is another way of going forwards".

What a fabulous example of doublespeak, bravo!

4. Stormontspy

Actually I was asked when I went to an interview at the House of Commons if I had any affiliation to any political party. I said "no" but then added "well I was a member of the YC's once but just for the social scene". The interviewers visibly stiffened and their spokesman said quite sternly "well you would have to sever any connection s with any political party before you worked here".

YC's are for the under-30s. Nick will have left them years ago!

I don't think Nick is biased. He is an excellent reporter with quite a unique style. He manages to elicit some useful and informative responses from politicians.

42 days? Maybe its a political thing on Brown's part. Or it could be connected to the great scheme of events he is trying to pull off. I won't keep repeating it.

42 days detention for terror suspects? How cruel. Still, some of them at the end of this ordeal will find themselves housed, not by Her Majesty's pleasure in one of our grotty prisons, but at the tax payers expense in expensive, private housing.

Lib Dem peer Lord Carlile, the official reviewer of terror laws has been quoted as saying this law would only affect "maximum maybe of five or six people in the next four or five years"

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9. , T A Griffin (TAG)

Agree completely. Just one thing, how did this get past the terrible censors? It may upset some delicate luvvies, so bets on for how long this post remains!

It was always a non-starter. Britain already has the longest period of detention without charge in the world. It was only Brown's arrogance that kept the debate going. Neither the security chiefs nor the police wanted this latest proposal which everyone agreed was totally unworkable.

But while on the subject of combatting terrorism, I was appalled by the video being shown by the BBC where a would-be suicide bomber explains her intentions. She says "The Jews are scared when we just throw stones. Imagine what happens when body parts fly at them."

What on earth is the BBC doing giving a platform to terrorists to 'justify' their actions? Why is airtime being given to someone to express their racial hatred? This is grossly offensive.

Considering that the BBC is watched all around the world, this clip would seem to be aiding and abetting terrorism.

Shame on you!

Now that the banks are being nationalised to save the bankers how about The energy companies bing nationalised to protect th public? J.Bell

Nice - although we all knew it was headed that way anyway.

WOOHOOO!

#12

Hark, the young conservative,
with a strong objection to "tough on crime"
law.

Beware the prophet, offering false prophecies!


Tell us! does William Hague have a soft spot for crime.......................??????

In the party of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

Charles you have outdone yourself this time, "reverse gear is another way of going forwards".

What a fabulous example of doublespeak, bravo!

Very many thanks to all those vested interest groups that share some of the responsibility for its failure


And of course a big thank you to the upper house for such a decisive No.

He wants to be known as “plain Lord Mandelson

Was there ever a more nauseating ceremony.


Shameful

re: 14

Reasonable, of course; I mean it's not as if Labour have a track record of misusing terror laws, do they?

*cough* Walter Wolfgang *cough*

17. DistantTraveller

As a long-time viewer of BBC Middle East news reports, it has always been obvious that the BBC will not tolerate racial discrimination nor will it encourage terrorism. Unfortunately, however, they appear to have a mandate to allow excesses by Moslem extremists which would be completely unacceptable if they were demonstrated by Jews, Christians, Hindus or other people. The BBC have a number of veteran reporters who delight in giving the terrorists a platform to spew forth their messages of hate. Sad, but it is a fact.

All Gordon wants to do is stoke up a mega boom before the next election hence:-

1. Mega borrowing to prop up the banks and wasteful Goverment spending.

2. Back to 2007 levels of lending and private debt creation.

3. Mega interest rate cuts.

4. No regulation reform.

and wait for it:-

5. He'll borrow billions to make TAX CUTS disguised as a stimulus package in the Pre-Budget Report.

Borrow Borrow Borrow, Spend Spend Spend. Boom Boom Boom.

The bill for all of this profilgacy goes to HM taxpayer!

Let's hope the the electorate sees through it.................a mega bribe.............

Didn't agree with 42 days, however, if you relate terrorist acts, as an act of war, like the type of war in Afghanistan, then what is the procedure for detaining someone, who is deemed as a prisoner of war?

Is it longer than 42 days...........
Is it as long as the war continues?

Maybe Charles has the convention (Geneva)
answer?

Regardless of the merits or de-merits of the proposal, it is worth remembering that it has been defeated by an unelected, unaccountable, unrepresentative ermine clad clique. Are there still people in the country that think we live in a democracy?

Nick,

42 days is dead. Hooray!


All Icelandic bankers can breathe a sigh of relief (even though Labour would never, ever, ever abuse powers designed to fight terrorists).


The next thing we need to defeat the government on are ID Cards.........

Joe Public / Joe Six pack will be required to fund £6 billion pounds (before the estimates spiral out of control) for ID cards - whose security has already been broken by a newspaper - not that terrorists will bother applying for an ID Card in the first place.

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

25 carrots....
"..Was there ever a more nauseating ceremony."
Lord Archer of Weston Super Mare? That ceremony must have been pretty bad.

22 power_to_the_ppl
"In the party of the blind, the one-eyed man is king."

pfffff you are so funny!

#27 warning123

You raise an in interesting point about the about the apparent one-sidedness of the reporting.

I don't wish to say anything critical of any religion because I think we must find a way to make peace and live together without hatred.

Unfortunately, the process is not helped by the BBC broadcasting inflammatory comments fueled by race hatred.

I do wonder if the comments made by the trainee suicide bomber would have been deemed acceptable by the BBC had she been talking about killing anyone other than Jews? (She mentions Jews specifically).

I really think given the volatile nature of things, showing a terrorist 'justifying' her actions could indeed act as an incitement to other extremists.

BBC News has really sunk to an all time low with this offensive clip.

Didn't agree with 42 days, however, if you relate terrorist acts, as an act of war, like the type of war in Afghanistan, then what is the procedure for detaining someone, who is deemed as a prisoner of war?

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

Is it me being cynical, or does the dropping off this bill, (supposedly so 'crucial' to national security), demonstrate much of the motivation laying behind it was merely the need to create suitable bogeymen?

Now the world financial crisis has gone and uncovered all those 'sinisterly' selfish fat cats and bankers, (financial terrorists, if you will), the need to cow the electorate into line with Islamic bogeymen becomes redundant.

So with everything else you've let be put into place (DNA database, ID cards, Phorm, "Enhanced" record checks, more CCTV per head than there were KGB informants per head in the old Soviet Union, etc), you all actually think you've somehow saved democracy and the British Way of Life?

Another old saying that I like. "Out of some evil comes some good." Took what little savings I've accrued after a lifetime of hard work before it vanishes, and booked a cruise for my wife and myself.
Yet another profound thought: Attlee appeared as a colourless unattractive man, yet compared to GB he was bloomin' George Clooney!

The end of 42 days?

Just like the "end of boom and bust".

It'll be back...

After a consistent stream of predicting the opposite... you're NOW crowing about this!!!!!!

Shouldn't these self-congratulatory back slaps belong on you're ISP free page along with your enthralling stories of what you did in your holidays when you were a kid...?

In dropping 42 days Gordon has avoided a potential "poll tax moment".

The public would surely have taken to the streets if he had tried to force that through using the parliament act.

42 days was only ever introduced because brown wanted a pat on the head as being 'tough' and 'decisive'.

Now that brown has got his pat on the head from various parties regarding the banking bailout, the whole bogus 42 days was irrelevant to him.

How much did this disasterous legislation cost the taxpayer in wasted parliamentry time etc??

It was just another example of how he is addicted to spending money he hasn't got (our money) to try to cheer himself up.

Given the price of his last 'fix', once he comes back down he is never going to be able to afford to be happy again - although it will probably not stop him trying - god help us.

The mendacious one has been at it again:


https://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2217311/hes-just-making-it-up-now.thtml



2010 is such a long time to wait......!

33. dhwilkinson



Good point and quite right, but I didnt watch that one so it didnt make me feel quite so ill.

At least he did porridge though.

For me the whole 42 days issue boils down to one thing - TRUST.

If the bill was passed, I couldn't say with a good conscience that ANY party wouldn't abuse it at some point.

That the higher House of unelected, unrepresentative and unaccountable stiffs had to move to block it is, frankly scandalous.

@23 Charles_E_Hardwidge

What are you talking about? It's not Chinese Doaist thinking, it's claptrap. Reserve is going forward?

Hardwidge, you old rogue! Still peddaling the tripe about this having been opposed and finally scuppered by 'ideologues and vested interests'? For shame, still - your hackery is premised on a wilful blindness. Those who opposed the legislation, you say above, are composed the hard left living in the past and the opposition for oppositions sake brigade on the other side of the house.

Speak to me of Lord Goldsmith (former Attorney General, who described the proposed legislation as 'not only unnecessary but also dangerous') or of Eilish Anglioni, (Labour party member and Procurator Fiscal in Scotland), of Baron Dear (cross-bench peer and former Inspector of Constabulary), or Andy Hayman (the Met's former head of counter-terrorism), or Sir Ken McDonald (Director of Public Prosecutions) - each and every one of whom has opposed this odious bill.

Are they 'the hard left living in the past' or 'the opposition for opposition's sake brigade'. I think we should be told.

I also assume you group these renegades (Tory shills all, by your account) amongst the anti-intellectual and disorganised, also above? Like the anti-intellectual and disorganised names from British literature? (42 of them, so I shan't list them all - but as an intellectual yourself, I am sure a couple of your favourite authors are in there.)

Still, as you are more than perfectly well aware, I've brought this all up before, and not once have you responded. But you have amongst the most partisan lines of anyone on this forum to push, and mustn't let facts get in the way.

As I said before, this isn't Zen - it's pure hackery.

Ah good, another subject to get our teeth into.

As right wing as I am this erosion of our civil liberties just sticks in my throat. The idea of 42 days is just too long, and we do have other appropriate measures in place, as the Icelandic government found out.

Allowing this government, in particular, too many powers over us is not a good thing, and at least the House of Lords agrees.

Of course the current construction of the House of Lords is a complete dogs dinner, and the mess was created by Bliar and Brown under the old regime. At least they have their comeuppance.

yawn yawn. 42 days?

Nick you need to get out more, stop making 42 days into the "Maastricht Treaty"

OK you where correct well done, now try using this success to see a balanced view of things, if you cant go work for sky!

Good that 42 days is dead (for whatever reason) but one unfortunate effect of the controversy is that it's made the status quo look reasonable whereas 28 days is, in fact, a very long time to be held by the police without charge.

I'd like to see the debate move more towards 14 days or 7 days.

Shame - I was looking for a little analysis on this - what does it mean for Smith and Brown's remaining credibility, for example. Instead all we get is a smug "I told you so".

Must do better.

#2, CEH

Any victory is merely transitory: just another dream.

I couldn't have put it better myself.

Unfortunately, this point also applies to the travesty of the original vote in the Commons when Brown wheedled his way to a win at all costs. Thwup - the Commons vote is gone into thin air.

I appreciate the fact that you are always impressing upon us the breadth and depth of your reading and your portrayal of an individual who gives great thought to what he says. However, in light of the inconsistency in your own argument, it is plain that you are merely giving vent to your own bias. I would suggest that noww is the time to think you before you speak.

In the meantime, if Nick is being outed as a former member of YCs, can we have a list of everyone in the News department of the BBC who are either current or past members (or donors) of the labour party?

All the best

Gordon Brown continues to survive on the planet credit crunch, and meanwhile back in Brown's Britain it has certainly been a good month to bury bad news.

More personal data lost by government agencies, 42 days issue effectively sideline (he only ever wanted to wrong foot the tories with that one anyway), inflation nudging 5%, house sales continue to fall .....

"Regardless of the merits or de-merits of the proposal, it is worth remembering that it has been defeated by an unelected, unaccountable, unrepresentative ermine clad clique. Are there still people in the country that think we live in a democracy?"

Ironically it was this "unelected, unaccountable, unrepresentative ermine clad clique" that acted on behalf of the will of the people (according to all the recent polls) and defeated the un-neccessary and unworkable gimmick of 42 days detention without charge or trial. It was the elected chamber that neglected the public's will.

@51, Well said sagamix, I whole heartedly agree. Britain still has the longest detention without charge or trial of any western democracy.

Funny how our enemies change.

I could vote to bang the bankers up for 42 days. I could even be asked to lose the key as well.

Terrorism: I can handle that but a credit crunch? Woo, spookey!

I guess old men heckling at Labour Conferences and the people of Iceland can breathe a sigh of relief.

It was the worst of machismo posturing dressed up as politics.

Found out and busted by the Lords.

Another line in the epitaph of 'Master of Universe' Brown.

37. There you have it, the REAL cause of the problems. The soft touch of this crew in "power" to allow things to go on here which we the indigenous population whose relatives fought for this country's and the world's freedom, would never ever get away with.

It's calling bending over backwards to help the underdog but in reality some councils are mostly staffed and run by foreigners who help their own. Witness Ealing councillors who put the Afghan woman in a mansion with her nine children, no husband, and shelled out £12,000 a month to them. Words fail....

No wonder morale is low among our young people and many binge drink. Obviously it is due also to excess disposable income as they wouldn't be able to afford the drink in the first place but they are also despondent because they see what is going on and they feel worthless in their own country. Don't take my word for it, just ask them!

Many a young person I speak to favours the BNP.

People complaining about the ermine clad members of the upper house seems to be overlooking something.

This Labour misgovernment kicke out the bulk of the hereditary peers and appointed a bunch of "party" apparatchiks.

they have been dickering about with a new constitution for the upper house for at least 8 years now, and have nobody to blame but themselves if they haven't got the answer they were looking for.

Seems obvious to me that at least the members of the upper house haven't lost their free will, yet, and have a sense of morality, more so than the lobby fodder that currently masquerades as Labour MPs.

It was ceratinly an unedifying sight back in the summer, when absolutely no deals were being done behind closed doors to ensure that Broon got the desired majority for this iniquitous act. Much good has it done him.

Prime Ministers questions tomorrow must be a must see program.

I always thought Labour's approach in relation to terrorism was driven entirely by politics, rather than public safety

When the IRA were bombing their way around London, Labour consistently voted against anti-Terror legislation, arguing that it breached human rights - even, in the face of some horrific deaths.

The US elections are 20 odd days away - once Bush is removed - confidence will begin to be restored to the US markets.


Unfortunately we will still have the 'Disaster of the Universe' in place until 2010......


Once the hue and cry of the main economic disaster is over (Christmas-ish) I expect the media will have time to tackle Gordon's role in creating the mess in the first place.


Also - no doubt - the media will have time to look at all the issues the government are sweeping under the carpet whilst the economic crisis rages.


So enjoy the posing whilst it lasts Mr Brown.

So the Master of the Universe turned out to be a master for no longer than an afternoon.

What a shame.

42 day detention is dead until a firework goes off in a sweetie shop when Gordon will announce that it's in the national interest to bring it back.

ID cards will go the same way; the tories need to mount a vigorous opposition to this and now will.

The Gordon saves the universe plan will backfire on him. he's ahd his moment in the sun but a similar scheme in Sween caused a three year recession and took GDP down 5.1%. The gross amount of aid wordlwide is 4trillion dollars; this represents 7% of global GDP that has been removed from the system to prop up the banks.

We can expect a similar contraction to global GDP and hanks to Gordon Brown's largesse; we ahve had the biggest bailout and can expect the biggest contraction.

So while the Nobel prize winners pat themselves on the back for their amazing reflation schemes; remember the guys who brought down LTCM (Long Term Capital Management) in 1998 were all Nobel prize winners too.

Nobel Schnobel - it does't make two hoots of difference who approves of Gordon's rescue package it hasn't put money in the pocket of ordinary people and it is highly likely to be taken out of his pocket in years to come in higher taxes.

Call an election please.

The result is the will of the Lords (and possibly the Commons if it had come back) so does this arrogant government accept that ? No.. they produce a bill that can be voted on in an emergency when feelings are running high .. behaving like a spoilt child who can't get what they want

It will be interesting to see whether certain politicians have a change of mind on this issue sometime around June 2010......

#59.

I favour the NBP and I am over fifty. For too long we have seen this country degraded by uncontrolled immigration and ridiculous 'welfare' rules - biased towards the useless immigrant.

It is long past time when we do something positive about it - starting with the repeal of the Human Rights Act (my apologies for the loss of income to the Bliar household) and the compulsory mass deportation of failed asylum seekers.

Then perhaps, we can also do something about the home-grown parasites that expect the state to pay for them and their seven kids to live in relative luxury whilst pensioners who have worked hard all their lives struggle to make ends meet. It is all wrong.

65 Balhamu

I think Cardiffopinion at 64 has it bang on.


No right minded politician would force this legislation through, without being able to demonstrate it was needed (sort of reminds you when they forced through the Iraq war doesn't it?)

There will come a time when there is a new terrorist attack, and Labour have already lined themselves up to take political advantage from it. Nice.

#29
#36

Has nobody else noticed that there actually never seems to be anybody captured in Afghanistan. It seems to be that there are encounters where oh, let's say 50 Talebhan are killed in an encounter with British soldiers. Nobody seems to be injured, nobody captured for interrogation, just well, they died in battle.

Nothing to do with the fact that these freedom fighters are killed by American airstrikes, or Drones being operated from the safety of the back-office. Not true, I hear the usual culprits, well just look at footage of brave Prince Harry, with his joystick authorising an air strike. How brave is that, 'we do bad things to bad people' was that not on the cap he wore.

The day of retribution is fast approaching where like so many before our occupation we have to retreat, just like every instance in the past. it will be left to special forces and the Drones to fight the war.

It will be just like the war against Japan after the victory in Eirope, the forgotten war, with forgotten soldiers fighting because that's what they do.

If Peter Mandleson took his seat in the Lords yesterday, I wonder what else he's got (or is going to get) as part of his Return Package.

#65
Its unlikely to occur, since around April 2010 I'm anticipating the uncovering of a plot that will make it inherently unsafe to hold elections in the forseeable future........

I read this morning that Jacqui Smith is saying this bill is not dropped and it will be readdressed when and if there is a terrorist event. 2 things - what does she know that we don't? and secondly how is that sensible government to act when emotions are completely off key to force their own MPs to vote through legislation?
This is the pits of this government. The sooner we can have an election the better off we will be all round.

rap @ 66

... "Then perhaps, we can also do something about the home-grown parasites that expect the state to pay for them and their seven kids to live in relative luxury whilst pensioners who have worked hard all their lives struggle to make ends meet" ...

What about pensioners who haven't worked hard all their lives, though. What are we going to do about them?

Nick,

I like the way you head up this particualr log, 'I said it before', now where does that thread come from? Surely not that awful Mr Griffin.

In the meantime I listened to the Home Secretary this morning on the Today programme. Guess what she was blaming the opposition.

Now, when the Tories said that they would support the government in this period of financial crisis then they were castigated because the government had a majority in the House of Commons. So, my point is that the government still has a huge majority in the House of Commons so they could get it through quite easily if they had the full support of their back-benchers.

How dare Jacqui Smith try to blame the opposition for this fiasco, Gordon Brown has a majority in the House, he could easily get it through only he doesn't seriously have his back-benchers support, that is why it has been dropped!

Now, let's see what happens with the Human Embryo Bill, come on Hadrien Hardman, bring it back and soon.

Does anyone else get a teeny bit annoyed with the pernickity way that Gordon Brown says "billions" when talking about money. You know, always making it a plural. Whereas everybody else would say "we are putting in 37 billion", Gordon will say "we are putting in 37 billions". Why does he do that, does anybody know? I mean, no big deal, not a vote swinger or anything, but still ...

re: 71

The government are corrupt, lying scum. Nuff said.

Those vocally opposing the proposed extension of the detention limit for terror suspects seemed to ignore two age old principles of government in this country. The only reason we have a longer detention limit for suspects in this country as opposed to many other countries is the fact that all suspects are innocent until proven guilty, putting the onus on the representatives of law and order to produce the proof before the suspects must be released. This was the main reason some politicians thought it prudent to extend the current term of detention to 42 days.
The second age old principle is the two tier parliamentary system which means the Lords is composed of older and (we hope) wiser and more experienced politicians. This is not the first, and it is unlikely to be the last, time the Lords have either modified a bill beyond recognition or thrown it out all together.
Our democratic system may be ancient. It may also seem slow and ponderous to those who enjoy the flash prima donnas of the Commons, who make flamboyant gestures to attempt to attract popular support for a single cause. But this is not what it is about. It is about making sensible decisions about changes to the law after proper debate at both levels. It is also about making sure the voters are aware of what those decisions are and why they are being taken.

#30

Surely even you must admit that the House of Commons does still have supremacy over the Lords. Am I right or wrong.

Exactly who voted for Gordon Brown as leader of the labour party. Show me the voting papers.

What a great day to bury bad news.

We have the disclosures in the de Menezes inquest, where an individual changed the computer transcript. We have the inquest into the death of the barrister where the police colluded over their written transcripts. We have had the resignation of Sir Ian Blair as head of the Met. We have Tony Blair and the Ecclestone affair back in the news. We have Mandelson going into the Lords, when he surely could have stood for bye-election if he wanted to come back into the government. I have still not had a satisfactory report into the loans to the labour party, nor the cash for honours.

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

re: 71

The government are corrupt lying scum. Nuff said.

Gordon has lost is 42 day issue. He's got it on ice should he need it - that's enough.

Now he can let go of that particular bone and go back into his kennel for a while.

Be a good dog now, Gordon, or we might have to chop you in.

#55 - Exactly, and not for the first time.

#61 - Exactly, headed by one Anthony Charles Lyton Blair, member for Hypocrisy Central!

Nick,

in respect of the 42 days maybe some people really ought to look into the history of our own philosophers, Hobbes, Locke and, Mill for example.

Surely if philosophy was part of the curriculum then at least our children and grandchildren would then come to understand how we have come to be where we are. Our 'constitution' has come about to meet necessary change which has occurred in our society.

Look at Locke on toleration and you can see why torture does not work, never has and never will. That is why we should not hold suspects for 42, it would be misused, you say not possible, then why was the anti-terror legislation used in respect of Iceland, what about ill treatment of Iraqi prisoners of war. This is about Game Theory and the Prisoners Dilemma, oh and you can even use tidal curves to monitor the movements in the Stock Exchanges, its all about the Moon, might as well be because all logic has gone out of the window.

#76 newtactic

Very accurate words. You might have added

..the upper tier of our Parliamentary system has the wisdom to recognise a flawed proposal which, notwithstanding it's flaws, passed the Commons only by dint of chicanery by Gordon Brown, obvious chicanery he subsequently denied....

I wonder will the DUP, I think it was from memory, still recieve the sweeteners allegedly offered behind the scenes to ensure their compliance

Nick,

now some people think that I am somehow anti-Scottish, they could not be more wrong. How can Gordon prove to me that there is not a strong pro-Scottish bias within the government?

Tell you what, let's have the ridiculous situation over putting the clocks back, which results in it being dark at three in the afternoon, abolished. Surely in the time of energy conservation we must now take the opportunity to actually put the clocks forward by two hours so that it is still light at five. Think how much energy would be saved by offices not having to be ablaze with lights so early in the afternoon, street lighting, so many effects to mention here but you get the drift.

We have cahnged forever from a rural economy to an urban one, the war has been over for decades, let's move on shall we, or who does run the country?

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

It's a good job the whole mess is over with Nick. It a climbdown? bet your designer glasses it is. One thing I know (and I admit I don't know much) is that this government is decaying into a shrunken corpse. Sure the old global economic thing is propping Gordonbennet up a bit, but that's politics. Can't wait to see his face when he leaves No 10 with the rest of his woodentops. Not too long to go now.

74 Sagamix

The 'billions' thing has rankled with me for years! I try my hardest to ignore it..... but it sort of zaps me between the eyes every time and rankles.

The government lie. Fact.
The government cheat. Fact.
The government thieve. Fact.
The government will continue to do all these things unless they are voted out. Fact.
The government will be voted out. Fact.

#84
With reference to the clocks going back, I note that the Channel Islands are reported as considering a move on to CET.

It's a token gesture and makes a mockery of the etsablished geography of the world. We are where we are, until the tectonic plates want to move around a little more, and time and distance are measured from a commonly accepted point.

Since we get arguments about daylight saving, and don't forget Europe goes through exactly the same motions, why don't we stop messing about. Let GMT mean exactly what it was established to mean.

@68 - TAG your pedling that "no prisoners" rubbish that you tried a month ago, I presume that you must mean that the prison break that occured where all those captured Talaban types made their escape, was in fact just a TV crew filming for series four of Prison Break.

Don't talk so much rubbish about a subject you appear to know nothing about.

As for 42 days, good good good. Now for reminding people who messed up the regulatory framework which allowed the credit crunch to happen.

#74 and 87

In my dictionary Billions is defined as "A very large indefinite number (usually hyperbole)"

Sounds about right for Brown.

thankyou for that Nick - however I hardly consider you pointing out the bleedin obvious a massive moment in your career

but anyway I'm glad it's dead, but the sooner we get rid of Labour the better - they will take defeat right now because the majority of people have let it slip past in light of economics, but they will try again eventually, too proud to be defeated, as we saw with their dodgy victory in the first place using the DUP

Amazing Nick. What a truly analytical and perceptive crystal ball you have.

Unfortunately, whilst you were decrying David Davis and calling him "mad" - everyone else 42 days was dead then.

Glad you caught up eventually. Could do without the self-congratulatory tone though (after all, you did you best to rail road the country and stick the knife in DD.)

It has been evident for a long time that 42 days would be defeated in the lords. It is hilarious that the opportunist clown David Davis is claiming credit for the defeat. Does no-one remember that at the time he resigned many people were saying it was a pointless exercise precisely because 42 days would be defeated in the lords anyway? He is not vindicated, this defeat just shows what a silly stunt he pulled.

#89 T'uga

Some of our Local Councils are switching off street lights for a few hours in the evening under the guise of saving power (and money),although I suspect that the latter is probably at the top of their Agenda.

I realize that putting our clocks backwards and forwards an hour has been the norm since the Second World War but, surely, if we gain as much daylight as possible this can't be a bad thing in the present climate.

Theres nothing like modesty, Nick - and that was nothing like modesty!

Given that you write such an addictive and insightful blog we'll put it down to well placed arogance shall we?

Nathan.

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

35. At 11:56pm on 13 Oct 2008, DistantTraveller wrote:
#27 warning123

I do wonder if the comments made by the trainee suicide bomber would have been deemed acceptable by the BBC had she been talking about killing anyone other than Jews? (She mentions Jews specifically).

I don't want to pour oil on troubled waters, and like you I truly want peace amongst nations, harmony between religions.

I fear that as antisemitism as such is not poiltically correct, certain BBC reporters turn to rabid anti-Zionism to vent their hate and promote their agenda. I cannot write too much lest I be moderated. I earnestly pray, that humanity will one day live and let live.

88# Pttppl

You don't know the difference between fact and opinion. FACT.

Northern Rock have paid back over half the amount owed to the Government. FACT

If left to Cameron and Osbourne NR woul have gone to the dogs and thousands lost their deposits and 10s of thousands their jobs. OPINION.

Spot the difference?

You could try it sometime (then again)

re: 97

Thanks. The traitors can keep on referring, but I will never be silenced. Zanu-Labour's minions know nothing but lies and treachery, so they will never silence the dissenting voices of truth.

There is always hope. In 2010 we shall be free of the looters and moochers (to use Rand's terms) that unceasingly leech from us, the public.