IS DARLING LABOUR'S NEW STALKING CAT ?

This is a charming picture of Sybil Darling, the present feline incumbent of No 10 Downing Street : the Chancellor of the Exchequer's place of residence, I understand, since Cherie Blair requisitioned the larger premises of No 11 and "got rid of" previous feline incumbent Humphrey during the early years of the New Labour Regime.

Now we learn in today's Guardian newspaper that the Chancellor's wife, Maggie, has referred to the Prime Minister's attack dogs - or "the forces of hell" - as "those fxxxxxx cxxxs" who "are trying to stitch up Alistair", although Mr Darling can't remember his wife using these words.

Is this latest attack on the New Labour leadership made with a a view to ousting Gordon Brown, I wonder ? Mr Darling himself is reported to be in league with "Prince of of Darkness" Lord Mandelson.

THE GOVERNANCE OF BRITAIN

Below - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and United States President Barack Obama. Right - Mr Brown and Russian Prime Minister (erstwhile and perhaps future president) Vladimir Putin.

Back at the beginning of 2007 I wrote a blog entitled "Gordon's Gang and Labour's New Politics of the Playground". News that the Prime Minister - along with former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott - may be regarded as a bully by some of his colleagues comes as no surprise.

However, I am surprised that this information should have caused such a furore in the British media. Indeed, I find myself in rare agreement with Mr Prescott's successor as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Ms Harriett Harman, who has pointed out that there are much more important matters at home and abroad.

It is with these important matters that I'd like to deal today, under the umbrella title of "The Governance of Britain", not to be confused with the UK Government's own publication of that name, whose implementation is indeed very confusing.

Now Britain has been described as a "Mini Super Power", although it is unclear who recognises this particular status internationally - I suspect not the United States and China - and whether the title reflects the reality of current geopolitics, or is really a historical aspiration. Certainly Gordon Brown and former Prime Minister Blair, especially, have aspirations to be world leaders on economic, social and environmental issues.

However, it is widely felt in this country that these aspirations and the "Faustian Pacts" which have gone with them have undermined Britain's status in the world rather than enhanced it. This disenchantment has highlighted a wide range of governance issues, not only within government itself but across the public and private corporate sectors.

In short, the British brand has been damaged and the prospect of Lord Bell of Belgravia* and his likes returning to repair it - particularly at a time when the discovery of new oil reserves may re-ignite conflict over the Falkland Islands - is by no means an attractive one. This is precisely why so many people are hoping for a coalition government for national unity after the general election later this year.

*Lord Bell's connections with the Russian oligarch community are well known (see below)

FOR WHOM THE BELL CHIMES

Citing a famous Russian Meerkat amongst his 1000 clients, Big Beast of the PR jungle Lord (Tim) Bell of Belgravia put a couple of lesser creatures firmly in their places on this week's Radio 4 "The Bottom Line" programme, repeated at 5.30pm today for anyone who didn't catch it.

Needless to say, the accompanying squabble amongst the programme guests was worthy of a group of meerkats.

Lord Bell distinguished public relations, no doubt another of the world's oldest professions, from the kind of spin practiced by people like Alastair Campbell (see my previous post). His firm, Chime Communications, advises the government of Iraq and will, I strongly suspect, be amongst the beneficiaries of Regime Change closer to home.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

"The Blair Years" : Their Own Victims

The latest casualty of "The Blair Years"*, former Metropolitan Police Commander Ali Dizaei, is yet another reminder of the culture of personal self-importance which has replaced professional competence in Britain's public services.

I met the photogenic Mr Dizaei on a couple of occasions when he worked for Thames Valley Police, where he struck me as an intelligent and likable man.

"Likable Rogue" was how he was described by a former police colleague this morning.

Public life has never been short of such people : Lord Archer is a prime example of one who rose to high office during the previous administration, before he was put in the "Clink" : a reversal of fortune which Mr Dizaei now shares.

My guess is that, as with Archer, this experience will provide an opportunity for new literary endeavours.

However, we must remind ourselves that other "likeable rogues" are now pursuing literary and self-publicising careers without being brought to public account, even if they have now turned to religion and tearful appearances on television shows.

*"The Blair Years" by Alastair Campbell was a recent Channel 4 Political Book of the Year. Mr Dizaei might consider a similar title for a book about his time at "The Met" under Sir Ian Blair.

THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER !

As something of a pagan, I have chosen the festival of Imbolc to relaunch EPONA, my strategic advisory and project development business : http://www.epona-land.co.uk/

Like the doyenne of British Banking, Angela Knight, I'm an adherent (or perhaps that should be aspirant) to the "ever-stalwart" approach myself.

Although I'm also aware that 2 February is "Groundhog Day" !

THE FUTURE ISN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE

Having been critical of last week's BBC Radio 4 Analysis Programme at my other blog - http://janetmackinnon.wordpress.com - by way of balance I shall commend this week's episode.

Edward Stourton takes on the thorny issue of financial regulation, and, in particular, the relationship between the retail and investment roles of banks.

One commentator has a good dig at "a former British prime minister" who now holds a lucrative advisory role with one of banking's Big Beasts !

British banks declined to participate in the programme, handing their representation over to the ever-stalwart Angela Knight.

The episode ends on a rather apocalyptic note, with the economist John Kay raising the spectre of a new crisis of capitalism.

In short, western economies seem to be given a "Triple B Rating" : the lasting legacy of the Bush-Blair-(not-to-forget)Brown years ?