Thursday, January 24, 2008
Core Incompetences have Serious Consequences
Today's resignation of Peter Hain MP may have come as a surprise to his colleagues. The holder of two offices of state, Work and Pensions together with Wales, the career of Mr Hain seemed on upward spiral. No doubt he'll be back, but let his immediate fate be a reminder to holders of high office, that core incompetences have serious consequences !
Ken's Kitchen Cabinet : A Case of Pot & Kettle ?*
* In an old saying, the pot stands accused of calling the kettle black.
I'm going to continue with the culinary theme in this reflection on the politics of Ken Livingstone's "Kitchen Cabinet". Ken was, of course, once a restaurant critic for his now hated London Standard.
Unfortunately I missed Channel 4's "Dispatches" programme the other evening about "The Court of Ken". However, the Radio 4 Today show has covered some of the issues raised by Dispatches, and this morning The Mayor of London was on air to answer some of these.
Quite a lot of attention, it seems, has fallen on the activities of one Lee Jasper, whom I seem to remember (from my London days) advises the Mayor on race relations and police matters.
It also seems that Mr Jasper has had a major falling out with former journalist Trevor Phillips, previously head of the Commission for Race Equality (CRE) and now Chair of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.
I should say, incidentally, that, like many people, I feel that Britain is a less equal place than it was, say, during the days of Ken Livingstone's earlier incarnation as Leader of the Greater London Council, and the status of human rights may also have declined during the same period.
It may also be the case that the "Race Relations Industry", as many people call it, has acquired something of the daftness and general excesses of the Old Labour trade unions, with deep simmering enmities, which occasionally boil over.
Now not so long ago, probably during the latter days of the CRE, Trevor Phillips was also on the Radio 4 Today Programme, responding to charges of media manipulation on race (? and religious) issues by, I think, Mr Jasper.
Mr Phillips responded with reference to the case of "the pot and the kettle" (using these or similar words), meaning that the Mayor of London's Office (capable of, in my view, more spin than the spin cycle on a washing machine) was hardly "white" itself on matters of media manipulation.
Funny how old sayings strike a cord missing
In these contemporary storms in a teacup...
I could go on.... but hear the kettle hissing !
I'm going to continue with the culinary theme in this reflection on the politics of Ken Livingstone's "Kitchen Cabinet". Ken was, of course, once a restaurant critic for his now hated London Standard.
Unfortunately I missed Channel 4's "Dispatches" programme the other evening about "The Court of Ken". However, the Radio 4 Today show has covered some of the issues raised by Dispatches, and this morning The Mayor of London was on air to answer some of these.
Quite a lot of attention, it seems, has fallen on the activities of one Lee Jasper, whom I seem to remember (from my London days) advises the Mayor on race relations and police matters.
It also seems that Mr Jasper has had a major falling out with former journalist Trevor Phillips, previously head of the Commission for Race Equality (CRE) and now Chair of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.
I should say, incidentally, that, like many people, I feel that Britain is a less equal place than it was, say, during the days of Ken Livingstone's earlier incarnation as Leader of the Greater London Council, and the status of human rights may also have declined during the same period.
It may also be the case that the "Race Relations Industry", as many people call it, has acquired something of the daftness and general excesses of the Old Labour trade unions, with deep simmering enmities, which occasionally boil over.
Now not so long ago, probably during the latter days of the CRE, Trevor Phillips was also on the Radio 4 Today Programme, responding to charges of media manipulation on race (? and religious) issues by, I think, Mr Jasper.
Mr Phillips responded with reference to the case of "the pot and the kettle" (using these or similar words), meaning that the Mayor of London's Office (capable of, in my view, more spin than the spin cycle on a washing machine) was hardly "white" itself on matters of media manipulation.
Funny how old sayings strike a cord missing
In these contemporary storms in a teacup...
I could go on.... but hear the kettle hissing !
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
New ! Political Celebrity Kitchen Sink Drama
Has that onetime demi-god of New Labour become its unholy fool ? Yes, I'm talking about the Schools/Children's Secretary Ed Balls again. Whilst the world's financial kitchens (or should that be markets) were in turmoil, the one time Chief Secretary to the Treasury was in the news talking about the spaghetti sauce, stir fries and simple curries that every English school child should know how to cook. However, when pressed about the state of the British economy, he seemed to have gone off the boil, answering without the sauce (or should that be balls ?) we've come to expect of Ed. My guess is that that he's preparing for one of those reality TV shows which keep politicians past their sell-buy date going. I'm looking forward to Ed's double act with his missus, Housing Minister Yvette Cooper. Now that would be a real Kitchen Sink Drama. Perhaps I'll do a treatment for the show.
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