Jan Berry comments on the fall in police numbers.

In my earlier post about yesterday's PMQs, I asked readers to listen to Gordon Brown and then to asks themselves if they believed the answers he gave. For instance he said that we have more police officers than ever before. With that in mind please read the following:

Reacting to publication of the police service strength report published today, Jan Berry, Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, says:

“We are bitterly disappointed that, despite assurances of record numbers, we saw a fall of 647 police officers in England and Wales during the six months to September 2007.This at a time when ring fenced funding for CSO’s was extended for another year, and we saw an 80% increase in CSOs between October 2006 and September 2007. We had predicted this, but take no pleasure being proved right.

“However the real kick in the stomach comes from our chief officers, who instead of demanding no decline in police officer numbers, trumpet an increase in police personnel. They may be prepared to sell police officers down the river, but we will fight to ensure that the politically independent multi-skilled police constable remains at the heart of policing.”

Do you believe Gordon Brown?

PMQs - 30/01/08 Gordon Brown, just answer a bloody question.

I've just caught up with yesterday's PMQs. Until late 2006 I considered myself a Labour supporter, all be it a disaffected one. I then went through a stage of not being able to call myself aligned to any party. However through blogging I became more aware of the political situation in this country and decided to become a member the Conservative Party. The reason I became disillusioned and ended my life long support of the Labour Party? - Incompetence - pure and simple. I voted Labour in their last three election victories. The latter with a gnawing doubt that I was making a mistake, but I was pinning my hopes on Labour finally getting to grips with governance. You see I was brought up in Barnsley, South Yorkshire where enterprising (i.e. wear a red rosette) donkeys really can make it to Westminster.

That gnawing doubt turned into certainty and I realised I'd been a fool. I've explained all this because I want you to know that I'm not just another Tory blogger slagging Labour off just for the sake of it. I've not been turned off by the Labour party, I've been turned off by the bunch of useless sods running the country. I want a government accountable to the people. I want a government that does not ride rough shod over us. But most of all I want a government that does not believe it acts for the good of the people when the majority of those people disagree with it.

You may now be asking yourself why have I gone into my political history, when I should be talking about yesterday's PMQs. Well the answer to that is evident when you click on the video link that I'll be adding at the bottom of this post. For those of you that can't work it out or are struggling to join the growing numbers who have managed to prise off their rose tinted spectacles, let me explain. When Gordon Brown is asked a question, ask yourself if he answered it to your satisfaction. When he comes out with a load of waffle about crime, the military and health, ask yourself if you believe him. I do not. In fact I am now certain that the default position for most Labour ministers is to come out lying.

Listen to the FACTS and figures quoted by Cameron and Clegg and then carefully compare those to Brown's answers. Look for the twisted word the spun figure. One example is that when Clegg asks Brown about all the Apache helicopters laying dormant, Brown says he's ordered more. Why? Why order more when we have a load sat around doing nothing when they should be providing air support to our troops?

Watch and please really listen by clicking HERE.

Alistair Darling will deliver George Osborne's Budget on 12th March.

George Osborne Alistair Darling will deliver his first Budget on the 12^th of March. The question is not "will Darling steal Tory policies" it's "how many Tory policies will Darling steal". This government is totally devoid of any ideas - unless they have been stolen from the other major parties. It wouldn't be so bad if the ideas they have stolen were to be implemented in a competent manner, but every major scheme they embark on seems to end in a total waste of tax payers' money through poor (if not invisible) management.

Plugging - Leicester Square TV and Heffer Confronted

Jeremy Jacobs AKA the Corporate Presenter is part of the Leicester Square TV team. This week Jeremy has interviewed Iain Dale on his favourite political films. To see the interview video clip click HERE. Iain is also in fine form in this weeks edition of Heffer Confronted in which the discussion is based on this weeks revelations surrounding Derek Conway's fall from grace. To watch it click HERE.

The Sixty first Magical Mystery Blog Tour Bus Leaves in 5 Minutes!

Got some time to kill but don't know where to go?

Why don't you climb aboard the Magical Mystery Blog Tour Bus. There are still a few places left.

Click on STOP 1 and the Bus will take you to your first Mystery Blog location.

To get back on the Bus just click the Back Button and click STOP 2 to continue the Tour. I think you can work the rest out.

The Bus rolls out on Sundays and Wednesdays - enjoy the ride.

STOP 1

STOP 2

STOP 3

STOP 4

STOP 5

Labour - Tough on manipulating the figures relating to Hospital infections.

If you wanted to hit your target for reducing the number of Hospital infections, you would use the figures gathered directly after a £50m deep clean. And that is exactly what Labour's health Secretary Alan Johnson intends to do. Not exactly honest is it, but what do expect from a minister already in the spotlight for dodgy donations to his deputy leadership campaign? Both the Conservatives and the Lib Dems are attacking this brazen manipulation of the figures. However Alan Johnson is defending his government's position:

"First the Tories say our deep clean is a gimmick and now they say it will help us achieve our target for cutting MRSA rates.
"Rather than trying to score political points they should back our tough action and extra investment to tackle infections and improve cleanliness."

There's a damn good reason that the Conservatives are calling the deep clean a gimmick. Andrew Large, the director general of the Cleaning and Support Services Association said:

"What we have seen over the last few years is hospitals squeezing the cleaning budgets. "When they are up for renegotiation we are being offered less and being told to clean things less frequently. "For example, where we would perhaps have cleaned the tiles every week, it may be every two weeks from then on. "It sounds like only a little thing, but when it is applied to everything it makes a difference. If this had not happened I think infection rates would be lower. "So it now seems strange to us that we are being given contracts to carry out these deep cleans. "You have to wonder, if the cleaning budgets had not been cut would this be necessary? There is disruption to patients as wards have to be emptied. "In my view, it would be a better use of money - and I think our members would prefer it - if the day-to-day cleaning was funded properly."

As Andrew points out, this £50m deep clean gimmick will only reduce MRSA and C difficile in the short term - just about long enough for Labour to hit their target. It seems quite clear that we can expect the infection rate to climb again, once the short term results of the deep clean are over and we are back into an under funded cleaning routine.

Labour - Tough on Hospital infections - Even tougher on manipulating the figures relating to Hospital infections.

Elvis lives - British Army in Afghanistan Video.

This is a cracking video. It shows the kind of spirit shown by our army in situations many of us would find unbearable. (27 CS Regt, 7 CS SQN RLC, OP HERRICK)



Hit tip Theo Spark

Derek Conway - Whip removal is painless, but it brings on many changes.

Derek Conway - where to begin. I've got to write something because I've been accused of not commenting on it because I'm a conservative party member. Well that's bollox. I've been working 12 hours shifts for the last five days, and frankly I have not been all that arsed about blogging when I've arrived home. So here is my opinion: Derek Conway has been a foolish and very possibly a dishonest man. David Cameron has removed the whip, and as I commented on Conservativehome last night, he should have had it inserted rapidly first. If the allegations are true, then he has no place in the party that I'm a member of.

David Cameron has acted swiftly and decisively. I think we can be sure that if he was in Gordon Brown's shoes, then Hain, Harman, and Alexander would - quite rightly, be told to "do one" (as my 15 year old daughter would say). I hope this highlights Brown's cowardice and Labour's acceptance of rule breaking. The news broke, David investigated, he slept on it and came to the right decision in a timely fashion - compare that to Brown.

This is an embarrassment for the Conservative party, but the way it has been dealt with by the party leader shows the kind of moral decisive character that we have found lacking in our government. Labour trolls may see this as something to crow about, but they will soon realise that the Conservatives have come out of this looking even more honest than Labour.

Well done David.

Climate Change Part 21 (Polar Bears).

I've heard before that the Iconic picture of polar bears stranded on floating ice was used totally out of context by the global warming Nazis. Al Gore seems to be the self proclaimed fuhrer of the Fifth Reich. For a man putting himself forward as savior of the planet, he seems to be doing his best to destroy it (if you believe that CO2 is causing Global Warming). It should also be noted that Big Al is making a tidy profit (excuse the pun) out of forecasting the planets doom.

The EU Referendum Blog have a post on this subject that is required reading for all those who wonder if the propaganda peddled by Global Warming alarmists can be believed. I'm sick and tired of being bombarded by adverts an certain elements of the media telling us that man made global warming is a fact - Just like when we were all assured in the seventies that we were heading for an Ice Age. Well they were wrong then and there's a damn good chance that they are wrong now.

The Sixtieth Magical Mystery Blog Tour Bus Leaves in 5 Minutes!

Got some time to kill but don't know where to go?

Why don't you climb aboard the Magical Mystery Blog Tour Bus. There are still a few places left.

Click on STOP 1 and the Bus will take you to your first Mystery Blog location.

To get back on the Bus just click the Back Button and click STOP 2 to continue the Tour. I think you can work the rest out.

The Bus rolls out on Sundays and Wednesdays - enjoy the ride.

STOP 1

STOP 2

STOP 3

STOP 4

STOP 5

Jan Berry's police rally speech: Gordon Brown's price.

I always like to visit the Police Federation website every so often to view their press releases. Today I came across Jan Berry's (the chairman of the Police Federation) speech at the police march and rally last week. Overall the speech was up to Jan's usual high standard of emotive communication. There was however, one section that I found moving and particularly poignant and I would like to share it with you:

What after all did you (Gordon Brown) consider to be the fair political price for your decision.... A Home Secretary hung out to dry, defending an untenable position? A Cabinet embarrassed by the inconsistency of public sector pay and how the friends of the PM seem to get the best deals? These are significant, but they, like you Prime Minister are political, and no doubt you will overcome them.

So let me tell you what you should consider to be the real ‘price’ – You have broken your word to the police service. You have irrevocably undermined the established structure and process of police pay negotiation.

Today – police force badges up and down the land shine a little less brightly

The pride and honour of uniform is worn just that little bit heavier

Today has been a day of action - thank you all again for your dedication and patience – you have demonstrated the finest characteristics of the British police officer:
-
Order
-
Pride
-
Honour
-
Fairness

Let us all hope our Government can now do the same.

Do you think Gordon Brown will listen or care? I don't, and that's why I believe he will be forced to step down this year. You can read the full speech by clicking HERE.

Vote: Should there be an English parliament?

English Parliament.

Devolution has created a United Kingdom in which Scotland and Wales have national executives while England does not.

The Scottish Parliament has full executive powers independent of the UK in 75% of governance matters. No English MP has any voice at all in such matters as they affect Scotland.

Scottish MPs can both initiate and vote on Acts of Parliament concerning education and the NHS in England.

Constitutionally there are three sorts of people in the island of Great Britain. There are those who are Scottish and British, those who are Welsh and British and those who are just British.

At the moment there is no voice for England in any of the various institutions that help shape EU policy, the conduct of EU business, or the awarding of EU grants.

“There’s a possibility that a Scotsman is going to rule over me. A Scotsman who comes from a constituency where my member of parliament, who I elected, has no say whatsoever.” (Too late Michael, it's happened).

Sir Michael Caine.

Q. Should there be an English parliament?

Click: HERE to vote.

(The results are archived by the British Library)

Italian Prime Minister is likely to resign after vote of no confidence.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi has lost a confidence vote in the Senate. This could force an election, and Prodi is now expected to resign.

Let's hope it's catching.

Hansard written answers Wednesday 23rd Jan 2008

Are your local streets clean? They should absolutely spotless. Last year in England alone we spent £1.83m every single day of the year to sweep the streets and dispose of those sweepings. The following is from Hansard:

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost was to local authorities in England of (a) collecting and (b) disposing of road sweepings in the latest period for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: My Department does not hold specific data relating to the cost of the collection or disposal of road sweepings.

Local authorities are required to make revenue outturn returns to the Department for Communities and Local Government. This includes their expenditure and income on street cleansing (not chargeable to the Highways Department). In 2006-07, the net total cost of street cleansing to local authorities in England was £667 million. These figures are not available broken down into collection and disposal costs.

Next we look at the question of the building of Nuclear Power Stations in the UK:

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the planning process for applications to build a new nuclear power station in Scotland.

David Cairns: I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a wide range of issues, including energy matters. However, responsibility for the planning process is devolved to Scottish Ministers.

Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on new nuclear power stations in Scotland.

David Cairns: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has had no such recent discussions. The decision to grant consent to construct or operate any power station, including nuclear, with a capacity in excess of 50 MW in Scotland lies with the Scottish Ministers.

Guess were all the Nuclear Power Stations are going to be built. I'll give you a clue: It starts with E and ends in D.

Peter Hain has just resigned from the cabinet - about bloody time

Peter Hain has just resigned from the cabinet - about bloody time. Apparently he has stepped down to give himself chance to clear his name over his dodgy looking donations. I think the fact that he has resigned pretty well points to the fact that he won't be able to prove his innocence. How long has this been going on? Gordon Brown should have sacked him the moment this came to light, instead he either disappeared or dithered.

Will this be the first of many? Now that the ball is rolling, how many will it take out before it comes to a stop?

I'm sure that there are those (Harman, Alexander) who should also be going, but need a shove. Come on Gordon, make a decision.

Well done Guido Fawkes

Holocaust off the school curriculum - Is this true?

I received an email this morning which (if it turns out to be true) will get many readers into their blood pressure danger zone. I can only hope that this is not true:

It is a matter of history that when the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Dwight Eisenhower found the victims of the death camps, he ordered all possible photographs to be taken and for the German people from the surrounding villages to be ushered through the camps and even made to bury the dead. He did this he said, in words to this effect. 'Get it all on record now - get the films - get the witnesses - because somewhere down the track of history some ******* will get up and say that this never happened.'

'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing' Edmund Burke

IN MEMORIAL This week, the UK removed the Holocaust from it's school curriculum because it 'offended' the Muslim population because they say it never occurred. This is a frightening portent of the fear that is gripping the world and how easy each country is giving into it. It is now more than 60 years since the 2nd. World War in Europe ended. This e-mail is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the 6 million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, starved, burned and humiliated while German and Russian people looked the other way! Now more than ever, with Iran among others, claiming the Holocaust to be a myth, it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets.

This e-mail is intended to reach 40 million people worldwide! Be a link in the memorial chain and help distribute this around the world. Don't just delete this, it will only take a minute to pass it on...

UPDATE: I've done a little digging myself (now I've had the time) And it seems that this email is causing quite a lot of controversy. There are several people out there rubbishing its contents. However there are also articles reporting on the dropping of this subject on the major news paper websites. These can be found if you google - Holocaust school curriculum. I think that the email may well be misleading because it says that "the UK removed the Holocaust from it's school curriculum". That's not exactly true, it has not been removed from the curriculum. However some schools have dropped this subject and the Crusades for fear of causing offence.

In my opinion, if it happened (which it did), then it is history and must be taught. Teachers should not be afraid of causing offence for teaching the truth.

The Fifty Ninth Magical Mystery Blog Tour Bus Leaves in 5 Minutes!

Got some time to kill but don't know where to go?

Why don't you climb aboard the Magical Mystery Blog Tour Bus. There are still a few places left.

Click on STOP 1 and the Bus will take you to your first Mystery Blog location.

To get back on the Bus just click the Back Button and click STOP 2 to continue the Tour. I think you can work the rest out.

The Bus rolls out on Sundays and Wednesdays - enjoy the ride.

STOP 1

STOP 2

STOP 3

STOP 4

STOP 5

EU Treaty - William Hague rips into Gordon Brown (Amendment Bill).

The following is a section from William Hague's speech to the house on the EU (amendment) Bill. William had the whole House in stitches. I'm still trying to get a video of it, and I'll post it if I do. UPDATE: Harry Hook has posted the video over on The Final Redoubt.

To see how the post of a permanent President of the European Council could evolve is not difficult even for the humblest student of politics, and it is, of course, rumoured that one Tony Blair may be interested in the job. If that prospect makes us uncomfortable on the Conservative Benches, just imagine how it will be viewed in Downing street! I must warn Ministers that having tangled with Tony Blair across the Dispatch Box on hundreds of occasions, I know his mind almost as well as they do. I can tell them that when he goes off to a major political conference of a centre-right party and refers to himself as a socialist, he is on manoeuvres, and is busily building coalitions as only he can.

We can all picture the scene at a European Council sometime next year. Picture the face of our poor Prime Minister as the name "Blair" is nominated by one President and Prime Minister after another: the look of utter gloom on his face at the nauseating, glutinous praise oozing from every Head of Government, the rapid revelation of a majority view, agreed behind closed doors when he, as usual, was excluded. Never would he more regret no longer being in possession of a veto: the famous dropped jaw almost hitting the table, as he realises there is no option but to join in. And then the awful moment when the motorcade of the President of Europe sweeps into Downing street. The gritted teeth and bitten nails: the Prime Minister emerges from his door with a smile of intolerable anguish; the choking sensation as the words, "Mr President", are forced from his mouth. And then, once in the Cabinet room, the melodrama of, "When will you hand over to me?" all over again.

William Hague 21 Jan 2008

ID Cards are to be delayed: Ten reasons to scrap them.

Apparently a document has been leaked to the Conservative Party which suggests that plans to issue ID Cards to UK citizens have been put back to 2012. Some suggest that this could be leading to the scrapping of the stupid scheme. Here are ten reasons why I think the scheme should be scrapped:

Following the incredible incompetence shown by the government in failing to protect our personal data, I have compiled a list of ten reasons to scrap the plans for I.D Cards:

1. The government cannot be trusted to protect our personal information. I think the seven million families who are closely watching their bank accounts would agree with that statement.

2. The proposed I.D Card will be EU compatible, meaning that all EU states will have access to the information held on our cards. Why worry about your personal data falling into the hands of criminals, when our own government are going to give it away to foreign states?

3. They threaten individual liberties. The Bill for I.D Cards allows 50 different pieces of your personal information to be put on your card. Why is so much information needed if the card is purely meant to prove your identity?

4. They will cost too much to implement. Current estimates stand at £5.6 billion. It was only announced in May that the cost had gone up from £4.9 billion to £5.3 billion, and now a mere six months later the cost stands at £5.6 billion. If in a years time the government announced that the cost had gone up again, would you be surprised? No, I didn't think so.

5. The direct cost to individuals (of a combined passport and ID card package) is quoted as £93. So even after £5.6 billion of our tax money has been spent on this scheme, you will still have to buy your own I.D Card. Great.

6. They will be open to fraud. We have all heard stories of people (in what should be positions of trust) selling identities to criminals. Will this scheme be any different?

7. The Treasury are not convinced about I.D Cards. Gordon Brown has called yet another review of the proposed ID. Card system. This follows other unpublished reviews carried out by the treasury. It is believed that those reviews were not published because they were highly critical of the system. The Guardian newspaper is trying to get the information released, but the government are fighting tooth and nail to keep the bad reports secret.

8. The Government introduced paper ID cards during WW2, it was planned for the information to be used for 3 purposes. To Identity you to the police, to use for food rationing and to receive medical care. When it was abolished in 1952 it was found government was using that information for 157 different purposes. (Ref Ian Parker of the PJC Journal)

9. Not all biometrics will work for all people. Plenty are missing digits, or eyes, or have physical conditions that render one or more biometrics unstable or hard to read. All systems have error. Deployment on a vast scale, with variably trained operators and variably maintained and calibrated equipment, will produce vast numbers of mismatches, leading to potentially gross inconvenience to millions. (Ref NO 2 ID)

10. I repeat: The government cannot be trusted to protect our personal information.

"It is true that liberty is precious; so precious that it must be carefully rationed." Lenin.

Today: Police march and rally in London for fair pay.

The Police Federation are taking part in a march and a rally today. An estimated 15,000 officers are thought to be taking part in a one hour march from Park Lane to the Home office where petitions will be handed in by one representative from every force in England and Wales. I wish them good luck and hope that the media give this rally the publicity it deserves. If Jacqui Smith was hoping this was going die down, then I think she is very mistaken.

The news that police support staff and PCSOs have accepted a 2.5% pay deal will no doubt further infuriate front line police officers. The reason police staff and PCSOs got a better pay deal than police officers? - Their pay was negotiated by the union Unison. It seems clear that if you have the ability to strike, you stand a better chance of fair pay. No wonder the police federation are balloting members on the ability to take industrial action:

From the Police federeation website:

Why is the Police Federation voting on whether officers want the right to strike? It is illegal for police officers to take any form of industrial action. For nearly a century that is what has set officers apart from all other workers in the public sector. Many officers have said if the government wish to treat us like all other workers, then perhaps we should have the same employment rights. It was therefore decided that the Police Federation will hold a ballot of the 140,000 members to ask the question –'In the absence of binding arbitration, do you want the Police Federation to lobby for full industrial rights for police officers?’. It is intended that the ballot will take place at the end of February.

I've said many times before that this government have been in power far too long and they now believe that they can do anything they please. I hope the police federation are just the first group to show Gordon Brown and his government that they cannot ride rough shod over the people.

Calling all blogger template code experts - help.

Hello. I need a little help with my blog template. I'm quite happy with the way it looks, but the centre column loads after the sidebars. This means that the googlebot is reading my sidebar first so that my blog posts are not being indexed by google under their post titles. Does anyone know how I can alter my code to make the centre column load first?

How your MP voted on the EU (Amendment) Bill.

As you are probably aware the EU (Amendment) Bill was passed for the second reading last night by 362 votes to 224. I promised to provide a list of those MPs voting in favour of the Bill.

The list would be too long to post on this blog so I will provide a link to the list on: "The Public Whip" website. Click HERE to see if your MP voted for the EU Treaty. You can contact your MP to express your possible displeasure by clicking on their name.

A basic breakdown of the voting goes as follows:

Con AYE = 3 votes

Con NO = 186 votes

Lab AYE = 309 votes

Lab NO =19 votes

Lib Dem AYE = 50 votes

Lib Dem NO = 0 votes

DU NO = 9 votes

Ind Lab AYE 1 vote

Ind NO = 2 votes

PC NO = 3 votes

SDLP AYE = 1 vote

SNP NO = 5 votes

Second reading of the EU (amendment) Bill.

The debate into the second reading of the EU (amendment) Bill as started and Miliband is getting a good old fashioned roasting. Ian Paisley made a very good statement when he pointed out that the governments of Scotland and Northern Ireland are against the Treaty.

I'll be updating this as the debate progresses.

Miliband must feel like he is surrounded. Not only are conservative MPs ridiculing him for calling the two documents different, but so are several of the MPs seated behind him.

William Hague has taken the dispatch box and pointed out that the relevant documents for the debate were not available until five hours before it started. This was brought up before the debate started and quite disgustingly in my opinion the speaker let the debate take place. Hague has been asked what is the difference between this and not having a referendum on the Maastricht Treaty, a Lib Dem heckler called out that the Conservatives were in power. William quite quickly replied that that is a position Lib Dems can only dream of.

William Hague is on a roll and has the house in stitches. He is making a real mockery of Labour's position, showing them to have lied to to parliament and the public. He states 240 of the 250 proposals in the original constitution are in the treaty. He also pointed out that the Belgium's foreign minister said the constitution was written to be easily read, and the Treaty has been written for the opposite reason.

I hope I can provide a link to a video of this session because William Hague has had the whole house in tears (including Miliband) over the prospect of President Tony Blair.

A vote on the Bill will take place 22:00. I'll update this post when the results are announced. I'm not holding my breath that the majority of MPs will represent the majority of the public.

The debate will be going on for a while and you can watch it live by clicking HERE.

UPDATE: I haven't been able to get a link Hague's speech yet, but I can point you towards a short video of his appearance on The Daily Politics Show: click HERE.

The Bill was passed 362 to 224. That means at least 27 non -Tory MPs voted against the Bill. As I said in an earlier post, I will be posting a list of those MPs who voted for this Bill.

Des Browne apologises for missing MOD Laptop

Des two jobs Browne is on the parliamentary channel at the moment apologising for the recent loss of an MOD Laptop containing the personal details of 600,000 serving and potential members of the Armed Forces. Liam Fox brought up the fact that a staggering 340 MOD Laptops have been lost in the last four years. Liam rightly pointed out that this does not indicate one officer making a stupid mistake - this shows yet another systemic failure in the security procedures carried out by a governmental department.

Liam Fox has submitted a post on this subject over on the new and shiny CentreRight.com.

Quote of the day: William Hague on Gordon Brown and the EU Treaty.

The EU Treaty debate starts today at 17:00. The following quote sets the scene nicely:

"So the Prime Minister who was prepared to sign the EU Treaty but not in front of the cameras is now the Prime Minister who wants to ram the Treaty through parliament but not vote for it himself."

William Hague 21 Jan 2008

The Fifty Eighth Magical Mystery Blog Tour Bus Leaves in 5 Minutes!

Got some time to kill but don't know where to go?

Why don't you climb aboard the Magical Mystery Blog Tour Bus. There are still a few places left.

Click on STOP 1 and the Bus will take you to your first Mystery Blog location.

To get back on the Bus just click the Back Button and click STOP 2 to continue the Tour. I think you can work the rest out.

The Bus rolls out on Sundays and Wednesdays - enjoy the ride.

STOP 1

STOP 2

STOP 3

STOP 4

STOP 5

Blog notice - thanks.

Hello readers,

I want to thank those who have visited and left comments over the last six days and I apologise If I have not replied to your comments. I would like to explain why: I'm not a professional blogger, I blog when I get some spare time. Unfortunately that spare time is bit sparse as I work 12 hour shifts working as an engineer in the control room of an Energy from waste facility. I work a rotating pattern of days and nights. The reason I have not been able to reply to comments, is due to my having just completed six 12 hour night shifts this morning. Working 72 hours at night in the space of six days leaves little time for the blog.

Please don't think I'm ignoring you if I do not reply to your comment immediately - I'm either at work or in bed for blocks of my time. Thanks for visiting and please keep doing so.

Cheers

Steve.

Name and shame MPs voting for the EU Reform Treaty.

First things first - I will be posting a list of all MPs who vote in favour of ratifying the EU Reform Treaty tomorrow. I hope that all those bloggers who, like myself believe that government are welching on their promise of a referendum, do the same. It would also be in the interest of the country if those people who read political blogs emailed the list to their contacts. Any MP voting for the EU Treaty will be neglecting their solemn duty to represent their constituents and they will be betraying the people who voted for them. Any MP behaving in such a manner does not deserve to be a member of parliament in a democracy, and I hope that they are never again allowed to work in politics after the next election. If your MP votes against your wishes on matter of such great personal and national interest, then that person is denying you your democratic rights.

Today the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has reported that the foreign policy in the treaty was virtually the same as in the constitution:

'We conclude that there is no material difference between the provisions on foreign affairs in the constitutional treaty, which the government made subject to approval in a referendum, and those in the Lisbon treaty on which a referendum is being denied.'

The European Scrutiny Committee has said the treaty is virtually the same as the failed constitution. The leaders of all the other EU member states have said the treaty is virtually the same as the failed constitution. The writer of the EU Reform Treaty has said it is virtually the same as the failed constitution. The Conservatives and other major UK political parties have said that the treaty is virtually the same as the failed constitution. In fact the only people on the entire planet who say different are Gordon Brown, Nick Clegg and their respective parties. Someone is lying to us - who do you think it is?

MPs should be made very aware that they will lose their seats if they vote in favour of ratifying this treaty.

I'm tipping David Miliband to oust Gordon Brown by May.

David Miliband is to give the keynote speech at Today's Fabian Society - Change the World conference. The BBC have obviously had the heads-up on his speech, and what David has to say sounds to me like a man setting out his Prime Ministerial stall. There were rumblings before Christmas that Labour MPs were giving Gordon Brown until May to prove himself fit to win the next election. I don't think he's managed to do that, in fact, I think his image is so tainted with incompetence, he most likely never will.

Why did I pick today to make this prediction? Well the main reason is the content and tone of Miliband's speech. I can understand David wanting to talk about our relationship with America and the rest of the world, but why all the talk of Labour needing to show it is excited, not exhausted, by the prospect of a fourth term in government? And why will he point out to the Fabian Society that Labour will need to show it offers more change than the Tories? Many Labour MPs have got to be thinking that Gordon Brown is not the man to portray such a change.

Another reason for Gordon to be ousted could be the imminent cabinet reshuffle. Brown is already seen by some Labour MPs as a liability. The reshuffle, no matter how well it is handled, is only going to put more noses out of joint. I think this could be a factor of Gordon's dithering over the recent donation scandal - He may be in such a precarious position that he does not feel secure enough to sack any of his ministers. Gordon Brown is going. The only question to be answered is when. I'm going for May, and I'm tipping Miliband to be wielding the knife with an eye on the top job.

UPDATE: Betfair are offering odds of 7/1 for Brown to go this spring and William Hill are offering 10/1 for him to go in 2008. Could be worth a punt.

Police get shafted - If you can strike, you can get fair pay.

The news that police support staff and PCSOs have accepted a 2.5% pay deal today will no doubt further infuriate front line police officers. The reason police staff and PCSOs got a better pay deal than police officers? - Their pay was negotiated by the union Unison. It seems clear that if you have the ability to strike, you stand a better chance of fair pay. No wonder the police federation are balloting members on the ability to take industrial action:

From the Police Federation Website:

Why is the Police Federation voting on whether officers want the right to strike? It is illegal for police officers to take any form of industrial action. For nearly a century that is what has set officers apart from all other workers in the public sector. Many officers have said if the government wish to treat us like all other workers, then perhaps we should have the same employment rights. It was therefore decided that the Police Federation will hold a ballot of the 140,000 members to ask the question –'In the absence of binding arbitration, do you want the Police Federation to lobby for full industrial rights for police officers?’. It is intended that the ballot will take place at the end of February.

The Police Federation are also holding a rally on the 23rd of January 2008. An estimated 15,000 officers are thought to be taking part in a one hour march from Park Lane to the Home office where petitions will be handed in by one representative from every force in England and Wales. I wish them good luck and hope that the media give this rally the publicity it deserves. If Jacqui Smith was hoping this was going die down, then I think she is very mistaken.

I've said many times before that this government have been in power far too long and they now believe that they can do anything they please. I hope the police federation are just the first group to show Gordon Brown and his government that they cannot ride rough shod over the people.

Union Modernisation fund should be scrapped says Alan Duncan.

Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Alan Duncan is calling for the Union Modernisation Fund to be scrapped. Alan believes that the Unions have Gordon Brown over a barrel, because his party depends so desperately on Union donations. Alan points out that 610,000 working days (20 times last year's number) have been lost this year due to industrial action.

However the government are still giving the unions millions of pounds of the tax payer's money under the guise of the Union Modernisation fund. Some see this as a money laundering scam as the Unions in turn donate millions of pounds to the Labour Party. If the unions are so desperate for tax payer's money, why are they donating millions to the Labour Party?

I agree with Alan, it's well beyond time that this suspect practice was stopped. I do not pay my taxes for a proportion of them to be given to Unions who are financing the Labour Party. Either the Modernisation fund must be scrapped, or the Labour Party must stop taking donations from the Unions.

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

HIV funding is to be cut as the number of infections heads towards 100,000 by 2010.

The number of people living with HIV in the UK will rise to 100,000 by 2010. That's 27,000 more than the end of 2006 level. You may be wondering why a political blogger is writing about HIV, well the answer is that the reason the infection rate for HIV is on the increase, is a political one. Why political? I feel, and I'm sure many others feel, that when we have a dangerous, life threatening disease infecting the population, the government should provide the information and education to prevent the disease spreading.

Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of the National AIDS Trust is asking for the government to re-invest in educating the public about HIV:

"In recent years we have witnessed knowledge and understanding about HIV decline at the same time that HIV diagnoses have reached an all time high. "We cannot afford to be complacent about HIV education. "Ignorance about HIV increases vulnerability to infection and also contributes to stigma and discrimination."

A recent poll carried out Ipsos Mori shows that public ignorance in the ways that HIV can be transmitted is growing at a frightening rate. Of those surveyed (1,981 adults aged 16 and over) 21% did not know that unprotected sex between a man and a woman was a way catching HIV. This is compared to just 9% in 2000. 26% of those surveyed did not know that unprotected sex between two men is a way of contracting HIV, up from 12% in 2000. That we have got to the stage were a quarter of the adult population do not realise that you can contract HIV through unprotected sex is abysmal, and I believe it shows that the government are failing in their duty to educate the public.

The National AIDS Trust last year revealed that one in ten gay men in London is HIV+, just as a reduction of £650,000 spending on the London Gay Men's HIV Prevention Programme was proposed by London's Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). This is particularly worrying when you consider that 24% of the men and women surveyed said they do not use a condom with a new sexual partner as a matter of course.

We need the government to urgently re-invest in HIV prevention education before more lives are ruined due to simple ignorance of the dangers of unprotected sex.

The Fifty Seventh Magical Mystery Blog Tour Bus Leaves in 5 Minutes!

Got some time to kill but don't know where to go?

Why don't you climb aboard the Magical Mystery Blog Tour Bus. There are still a few places left.

Click on STOP 1 and the Bus will take you to your first Mystery Blog location.

To get back on the Bus just click the Back Button and click STOP 2 to continue the Tour. I think you can work the rest out.

The Bus rolls out on Sundays and Wednesdays - enjoy the ride.

STOP 1

STOP 2

STOP 3

STOP 4

STOP 5

Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) 16 January 2008

I missed PMQs today due to being in bed (working nights), but I understand (from reading comments on Iain Dale's Blog) that Cameron put in a decent performance, and that Gordon Brown has resorted to not answering questions put to him by the opposition. I hope this will come across in any clips shown on the news throughout the evening. Quite a few people are also starting to question the non-partisan status of the speaker. I'm hoping to watch it sometime this evening, after which I will update this post on my reading of the session.

You can watch today's PMQs by clicking HERE. Please feel free to leave your opinion in the comments. Who won? how did Clegg do?

Has Ruth Kelly met with David Abrahams or not?

The following is taken from Hansard written answers 14th Jan 2008:

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she and her predecessor have met (a) Mr. David Abrahams and (b) representatives of Mr. Abrahams' companies since 2004.

Jim Fitzpatrick: My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State and her predecessors have not attended meetings in their official capacity since 2004 with Mr. David Abrahams or representatives of companies registered to Mr Abrahams.

Now, is it just me, or is the answer to the question dodging something? The question asked if they had met, which I presume to mean, well... er.... met. The answer only tells us that they did not attend meetings in their official capacity. Have they met or not?

Teachers get above inflation (CPI) three year pay deal.

Teachers are to receive an above inflation three year pay deal. 2.45% in the first year and 2.3% for the following two years. How can this have happened? Gordon Brown has been saying that he would not risk the economy by awarding this level of pay rise in the public sector. Many teachers are not at all happy with the pay deal, but I'm damned sure the police federation are spitting tacks over the news seeing as their members received 1.9%, despite arbitration setting the level at 2.5%.

Of course the fact that the government are using the CPI (2.1%) as a measure of inflation means that everyone receiving anything bellow 4.3% (RPI) is in reality worse off this year than last year. RPI takes into account rent and mortgages, the CPI does not. I assume that all public sector workers live in some kind of dwelling which they have to pay for. The government however, believe the RPI is suitable for working out how much MP's allowances should be increased by.

One rule for them, and one rule for us little people.

Labour MPs are voicing their dismay over poor ministerial behaviour (Smith and Hain).

It seems that each day more and more Labour MPs are making statements to the media that are not at all supportive of their ministers. Over the last couple of days their comments have been aimed at Jacqui Smith and Peter Hain. Keith Vaz, Labour chair of the home affairs committee, Lindsay Hoyle and Andrew Mackinlay have all made it very clear that the police pay award could have been handled better. Keith Vaz believes that the police pay award is of such importance that it should be voted on in parliament. Lindsay Hoyle has called the two stage pay deal "unacceptable and unpalatable", and Andrew Mackinlay believes the deal would not only cause "disproportionate offence to public servants" and "collateral damage" to the Labour government, but it was also "unfair". However Jacqui is not listening:

"I had a responsibility to make a decision that was right for the police, for the affordability of policing and for the taxpayer as a whole."

What Jacqui fails to mention is that her actions are in breach of the police pay award arbitration.

As for Peter Hain - he is getting it in the neck from all angles. Even Gordon Brown has left him swinging in the breeze, saying that Peter's fate is out of his hands. Labour MPs Peter Kilfoyle, John Spellar and Ian Gibson have made it clear that Hain should step down for the good of the party. To add to Hain's woes, it looks like the police could be called in to investigate his undeclared donations.

Rumour has it that Gordon Brown plans to have a cabinet reshuffle in February. If I were Gordon, I would ensure that Harriet Harman, Peter Hain and Jacqui Smith would still be standing when the music stopped and all the cabinet chairs were taken.

Gordon Brown - is he, or is he not, the Prime Minister?

I understand that Gordon Brown has told The Sun that Peter Hain's future as a member of the cabinet is out of his hands. What a peculiar statement. Surely Hain has been carpeted, and just as surely both he and Gordon Brown know whether he is going to be found guilty by the Electoral Commission and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. They both know the rules. And in that case if Gordon Brown is surely the Prime Minister he should have made one of the two following statements:

. Peter Hain has acted with the utmost integrity and I'm sure he will be found to have acted within the rules when the Electoral Commission and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards conclude their investigation. Therefore, I give Peter Hain my full and unconditional support.

. Peter Hain and I have discussed the circumstances surrounding the investigation into donations made to his deputy leadership campaign. We both agree that mistakes have been made. Mistakes that are not acceptable from a senior cabinet minister. Peter has asked me to pass on his apologies and has tendered his resignation from the cabinet as of this morning, which, with great regret I have accepted.

David Cameron is correct to call Brown's actions dithering. I can only guess that the reason one or the other of the above statements have not been made is that Gordon is hoping the investigation will drag out until he can reshuffle the cabinet, or he doesn't have the guts to either back or sack Hain.

Vote: Should the £50m put aside for "deep cleaning" of Hospitals be used to improve day to day cleaning instead?

Gordon Brown's plan to "deep clean" our Hospitals has come under attack from both NHS managers and cleaning companies. £50m has been set aside to deep clean 1,500 hospitals in England, and they have until the end of March to complete the programme.

Andrew Large, the director general of the Cleaning and Support Services Association said:

"What we have seen over the last few years is hospitals squeezing the cleaning budgets. "When they are up for renegotiation we are being offered less and being told to clean things less frequently. "For example, where we would perhaps have cleaned the tiles every week, it may be every two weeks from then on. "It sounds like only a little thing, but when it is applied to everything it makes a difference. If this had not happened I think infection rates would be lower. "So it now seems strange to us that we are being given contracts to carry out these deep cleans. "You have to wonder, if the cleaning budgets had not been cut would this be necessary? There is disruption to patients as wards have to be emptied. "In my view, it would be a better use of money - and I think our members would prefer it - if the day-to-day cleaning was funded properly."

Nigel Edwards, director of policy at the NHS Confederation, said:

"We would like policy to be based on evidence and we have picked up a degree of scepticism from a number of our members about this. "We would not want to see relatively new hospitals being deep cleaned; it would be a waste of money."

Q. Should the £50m put aside for "deep cleaning" of Hospitals be used to improve day to day cleaning instead?

This vote has closed Click: HERE to view the results.

(The results are archived by the British Library)

The Fifty Sixth Magical Mystery Blog Tour Bus Leaves in 5 Minutes!

Got some time to kill but don't know where to go?

Why don't you climb aboard the Magical Mystery Blog Tour Bus. There are still a few places left.

Click on STOP 1 and the Bus will take you to your first Mystery Blog location.

To get back on the Bus just click the Back Button and click STOP 2 to continue the Tour. I think you can work the rest out.

The Bus rolls out on Sundays and Wednesdays - enjoy the ride.

STOP 1

STOP 2

STOP 3

STOP 4

STOP 5

Vote: Should the UK enter into a system of presumed consent for organ donation?

Gordon Brown is said to be considering a system of "presumed consent" in which everyone is a potential donor unless they opt out. Mr Brown said:

"A system of this kind seems to have the potential to close the aching gap between the potential benefits of transplant surgery in the UK and the limits imposed by our current system of consent."

Lib Dem MP Dr Evan Harris, chair of All-Party Kidney Group and member of the BMA Medical Ethics Committee said:

"Under an opt-out scheme donor's real wishes will be more often respected, more lives would be saved and grieving relatives will be spared the experience of making the wrong decision at the worst time."

However, Joyce Robins from Patient Concern is not so optimistic, saying that presumed consent turned volunteers into conscripts:

"Presumed consent is no consent at all. We've worked for years to get a system of proper, informed consent in the health service in this country and Gordon Brown is willing to throw it all out of the window."

Health Secretary Alan Johnson said:

"Last year around 2,400 people in the UK benefited from an organ transplant, but more than 1,000 people die every year waiting for a transplant."

Q. Should the UK enter into a system of presumed consent for organ donation?

This vote has closed - Click: HERE to see the results.

(The results are archived by the British Library)

Labour's spin machine will go into fast cycle over George Osborne's donations.

Let's make something very clear from the start: All the money donated to the Conservative Party, which was then passed on to George Osborne was fully declared to the Electoral Commission. George did not report the donations to the Register of Members' Interests because commons registrar Alda Barry told him his declarations "were in order". Unlike Peter Hain, George's donations were not hidden or passed to him through a dubious think tank unknown in Westminster. George said last night:

'I was told that my declarations were in order. 'Ms Barry has now told us that her initial advice may have been unclear. 'These donations are to the Conservative Party, they are openly declared and we have followed the rules as they were explained to us. 'All the donations over £5,000 have been declared to the Electoral Commission and are available for all to see on their website, as the law requires.'

No doubt Labour will try and spin this into being something akin to their dodgy donations situation, but unlike the donations received by Labour Ministers, this money was not hidden from public view or received through a questionable third party. George Osborne acted under the guidance of the senior Commons official in charge of the register for the secrecy. The sad truth is that Labour Ministers will put a spin on this, and some of the more gullible members of the public will fall for their lies. The fact that you have to scroll two thirds down the report on the BBC News Website to discover that George believed he was following sound advice from Alda Barry will not help matters.

George tried to declare the donations, but was told that he didn't need to. And he has the emails to prove it.

YouGov Poll puts Conservatives ten points ahead of Labour.

A YouGov survey for The Sunday Times puts the Conservatives on 43%, and Labour on 33%. The Lib Dems under Nick Clegg are on 14%.
Also an ICM survey for The Sunday Telegraph puts the Conservatives on 40%, Labour on 33% and the Lib Dems on 18%.


If we take the average of the three Polls published today - Mori Ipsos, YouGov and ICM, we see that the Conservatives are on 41.7%, Labour are on 32.7% and the Lib Dems are on 15.7%. So I think we can say that the Conservatives seem to be holding a steady nine to ten point lead over Labour, and the Lib Dems are treading water despite Nick Clegg taking over. Good news for the Conservatives - bad news for the others.

Will Peter Hain go against labour policy and resign?

Peter Hain has already delayed his 10:30 press conference twice and we are still waiting for his 14:30 statement. Will Peter go against Labour Party policy and do the honourable thing by resigning? The MSM don't seem to think he will, and to be honest I will be very shocked if Hain does not tough it out. Gordon Brown has given his support to Hain, however there are rumours circulating the blogosphere that Gordon's own campaign funding may not be whiter than white.

I'll keep you updated as things develop.

UPDATE: Hain will NOT be resigning. He's issued written statement to the media claiming that he has done nothing wrong, but apologises for any embarrassment caused by delays in reporting donations to the electoral commission.

Communications allowance to be increased in line with the RPI - (Pigs at the trough?)

Just before Christmas I wrote the following post:

The following is taken from this Tuesday's (18/12/07) Hansard written answers:

Mr. Maude: To ask the Leader of the House what plans she has to bring forward proposals to increase the Communications Allowance; and what increase she intends to propose.

Helen Goodman: In accordance with the resolution of the House of 28 March, the Communications Allowance is increased on 1 April each year by the percentage increase in the retail price index as at 31 December the preceding year.

The Communications Allowance provides funds to allow a Member of Parliament, to communicate proactively with their constituents and inform them about an MPs Parliamentary duties. MPs may claim up to £10,000 per year from this allowance.

The Communications Allowance may be used to meet expenses for:

• Regular reports and constituency
newsletters
• Questionnaires and surveys
• Petitions
• Targeted
communications
• Contact cards
• Distribution costs including direct
mailing and postage
• Websites
• Some capital purchases

Now, I find this a little difficult to understand. Why is the Communications Allowance increased in line with the RPI (Retail Price Index) and not the CPI (Consumer Price Index)? The basic difference between the RPI and the CPI is that the CPI does not take into account housing costs and in particular owner occupiers’ costs such as mortgage interest payments. So what do mortgage interest payments have to do with the price of stationery?

If the CPI is good enough for calculating public sector pay increases (particularly the Police), then why isn't it good enough to calculate the Communications Allowance? Could it be that if the allowance is calculated using the CPI, then it will only increase to £10,210 - whereas if it is calculated using the RPI, the allowance will increase to £10,430?

Maybe I'm wrong, but this looks like "one rule for us, and another rule for the little people."

Now it seems that Andrew Tyrie, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Chichester is asking the same questions. The following is taken from this Thursday's Hansard written answers:

Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2007, Official Report, on the communications allowance, why the allowance is being increased by the retail prices index rather than the consumer prices index.

Helen Goodman: The communications allowance is uprated annually from 1 April in line with the RPI for the preceding December. This is in accordance with the MEC report on the allowance (HC 319, 2006-07) which was approved by the House on 28 March 2007. This is the same as the uprating procedures for IEP and ACA.

Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2007, Official Report, column 1225W, on the communications allowance, what representations she has received supporting an increase in the communications allowance by more than the rate of inflation; and what assessment she has made of such representations.

Helen Goodman: I have received no such representations. The communications allowance is uprated each year in line with the retail prices index. This follows the recommendations of the report of the Members Estimate Committee (HC 182, 2006-07) which was approved by the House on 28 March 2007.

Helen seems keen to point out that the communication allowance is increased in line with the RPI because it was approved by the House. This still does not tell us why the RPI is used instead of the CPI. We know it was bloody-well approved, but what we want to know is: why is the CPI good enough for public sector pay increases, but not good enough for MPs allowances?

The Sun's Ipsos Mori poll puts David's Conservatives ten points clear of Gordon's Government.

I'm not sure but does The Sun's political editor GEORGE PASCOE-WATSON lean a little to the left? George points out that Gordon Brown enjoys a four point lead over David Cameron as "most capable PM" in the paper's recently (January 9 and 10, 2008) commissioned Ipsos Mori poll. He also points out that Brown has an 18 per cent lead on handling a crisis best and is six points ahead on understanding problems facing Britain.

It's not until you get past the headline (Brown is still the top man (just)) of George's article that you discover that the Conservatives have extended their lead to 42% - ten points clear of Labour. The LibDems under Nick Clegg are dragging arse on 15%. I know The Sun and Murdoch are supposedly warming towards David Cameron, but the tone of George's article does not support that theory.

This is not the 2008 start Gordon Brown wished for. Long may it deteriorate.

The Fifty Fifth Magical Mystery Blog Tour Bus Leaves in 5 Minutes!

Got some time to kill but don't know where to go?

Why don't you climb aboard the Magical Mystery Blog Tour Bus. There are still a few places left.

Click on STOP 1 and the Bus will take you to your first Mystery Blog location.

To get back on the Bus just click the Back Button and click STOP 2 to continue the Tour. I think you can work the rest out.

The Bus rolls out on Sundays and Wednesdays - enjoy the ride.

STOP 1

STOP 2

STOP 3

STOP 4

STOP 5

I'm back in the blogging saddle.

Hello Readers,

I'm back after about a week off the blog. I needed a break, the blog was taking over my life and I was missing too much real life. During my break I've got back into playing the guitar (or should I say trying to learn) and more importantly I've left Blogpower. I left Blogpower because it simply failed to work in the way I had imagined it should. A very undesirable element had entered the group, one with which I do not want to be associated with. Though I believe in freedom of speech, I also believe that if you lay down with dogs, you’ll get up with fleas. (I would also like to point out that James Higham has been shit on).

Thanks to all those who left comments over the last week, I appreciate them all. I hope that I'm refreshed from my little break and that this year my blogging and blog will improve. The Magical Mystery Blog Tour Bus will leave again this evening - You are all welcome onboard.

See you later

Steve

blogging break

Dear Readers,

I'm having a break from blogging, I don't know for how long, but I'm sure I will be back.

See you soon

Steve.

DNA database balls-up - 13.7% of the people on it, don't exist.

Did you know that one in ten of the adult population of England and Wales are now on the DNA database? There are approximately 43m adults and there are 4,523,154 on the DNA database. Now, this is a little strange seeing as only 3,903,482 individuals have had DNA samples taken. The reason for this massive 13.7% discrepancy? Well it seems that one reason for this is that the person being arrested gave different names, or different versions of their name, on separate arrests.

Now this looks to me as if the police have taken DNA samples from people without bothering to find out their true identity - or once they have found out their true identity the arresting officer has failed to update the DNA database. Meaning there are 619,672 individuals on the DNA database that do not exist.

And Gordon Brown wants us to believe that his government can run the even larger ID Card database?

Gordon Brown's - NHS Constitution Nightmare.

Is there a word that instils greater feelings of dread amongst public sector workers than "reform?" That's what Gordon Brown is planning for the NHS this year with his new NHS Constitution (or is it a treaty? - It seems he can't tell the difference between the two). Anyone who is involved with the NHS must be thinking "bloody hell (or possibly something more profane), here we go again." Why can't politicians just leave things alone? They are just like bloody Admirals. When you have just got near to getting to grips with the last set of pointless changes, some idiot from the "good ideas club" comes along and changes everything again just to prove they are doing something to earn their wages.

Dr Michael Dixon, chairman of the NHS Alliance, said:

"A constitution is not as big an issue as it once was." We've had the NHS Plan and there are some fairly radical reforms going through, like practice-based Commissioning, and getting the implementation of these things right is the absolute priority." To the average member of the public and patients and, frankly, doctor or nurse it doesn't mean much. It's just another big idea from on high."

Why the hell do we need a NHS Constitution to tell us what to expect from the NHS? If we are ill we go to our GP. If our GP can't help, he refers us to a specialist or sends us for tests. What we do know is that we expect to be made well again at the end of the process and that any problems can be discussed with our GP and he will chase them up. This Constitution seems to me to be a measure that will look good, rather than be of any practical use to the public. A bit like a diamond encrusted snooze button on a smoke alarm.