A blog by Luke Akehurst about politics, elections, and the Labour Party - With subtitles for the Hard of Left. Just for the record: all the views expressed here are entirely personal and do not necessarily represent the positions of any organisations I am a member of.
Watching the Sky footage of the Shadow Cabinet chortling away I was left with the overwhelming impression that these people are not serious and seem to think the whole Damian Green affair is all a big political game.
posted by Luke Akehurst at 10:05 am
Labour MP for North Durham since 2024. Labour Party activist since 1988 - firmly on the moderate wing of the party. Member of Labour’s NEC 2010-2012 and since 2020. National Secretary of Labour Students 1995-6. Parliamentary candidate for Aldershot (2001) and Castle Point (2005). Hackney Councillor (Chatham Ward) 2002-2014, Labour Group Chief Whip 2002-09, Chair of Health Scrutiny 2010-2014. Dad. Unite and GMB union member. All views expressed in a personal capacity. The rest will become evident from reading the blog.
6 Comments:
It reminds me a lot of what Viscount Hailsham had to say about the Conservative hierarchy in 1959:
'Conservatives do not believe that political struggle is the most important thing in life. In this they differ from Communists, Socialists, Nazis, Fascists, Social Creditors, and most members of the British Labour Party. The simplest amongst them prefer fox-hunting - the wisest, religion. To the great majority of conservatvies, religion, art, study, family, country, friends, music, fun, duty, all the joy s and riches of existence of which the poor no lees than the rich are the indefeasible free-holders, all these are higher in the scale than their handmaiden, political struggle.'
(The Conservative Case, 1959, pp 12-13; quoted in Henry Drucker, Doctrine and Ethos in the Labour Party, 1979, p24).
For a while in the 1970s & '80s,when the grocer's daughter took the party took the party by the scruff of the neck, things changed. The party was wrong, but at least it was seriously wrong, and appeared to give a monkey's about what actually happened in the country at large. Margaret Thatcher and Keith Joseph were 'serious' politicians.
Now, and it is as much a class thing as it was in 1959, I think they are reverting to type, and this is reflected in the blase attitudes to the financial meltdown and recession we've seen quoted in recent weeks, from Lansley on recession as good for the figure, to Osborne on short-sellers hurting the poor as just one of those things that happens in the city, dear boy.
It's as much about deeply embedded political culture as it is about policies, I reckon.
Blimey, sorry, that turned into a mini-essay. I'll go away now.
10:33 am, December 03, 2008
The hoo-ha over Damian Green shows how out of touch the Tories are. As a global recession begins to bite, what do they most care about - the arrest of a bloke no-one had heard of until two weeks ago. I have yet to find a member of the public who gives two hoots about Green. No wonder the Tory lead has shrunk to 1%.
12:29 pm, December 03, 2008
nobody cares about a flagrant abuse of police power? lol. have fun at the next election.
5:05 pm, December 03, 2008
It was a political game, cooked up by the Labour party in secret and implemented by senior police officers with Labour links.
No crime was committed and the information obtained was sensitive but no more sensitive than poor economic data or a poor performing council. All governments will try to hide failure and it is in the interest of parliament that this data be released.
The facts: the government has allowed sensitive jobs to be taken by un-vetted immigrants. Some of these jobs were airside in airports and even in Whitehall. The public who rely on their information to remain private and rely on safety when they fly, have the right to know when the government has failed to vet personnel. We all expect teachers and those working with children to be checked and we expect those working behind the scenes in sensitives areas to be vetted too.
To arrest an MP for challenging the government on this issue is wrong.
10:28 pm, December 03, 2008
I think also we are starting to see a very different police force emerging. The anti terror force, which used to be run by the SAS and SBS is now part of the police. The fact is the Army, Navy and Airforce while governed by the ruling party is not necessarily loyal to the government. We are loyal to our queen or king and in certain circumstances orders from the PM can be refused.
I think putting matters of national security in the hands of the police was a poor decision as politicians can so easily interfere. Senior police officers are often put there by politicians which is not the case of high ranking officers.
10:37 pm, December 03, 2008
It reminds me of the huge smile on Gordon's face ever since thousands of people a day started losing their jobs and he saw a desperate final possibility of winning another General Election.
Come on Luke, I know you're a complete prat, but keep it in pespective.
8:28 pm, December 04, 2008
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