Hazel Blears has form in being slippery

Yes but when did Hazel Blears made the decision?

Watch Hazel Blears squirm as Andrew Neil shows her up for what she is...

Further to this post about Hazel Blears and her 'wicked and mlaicious' claim, I see that the BBC have an update on the Daily Politics page.

So do you believe Hazel Blears? I don't think Andrew Neil does, I know I don't and I'm not sure that even Hazel Blears does.

Will the BBC forget about this story as quickly as possible? The answer is yes, indeed has any BBC programme other than Andrew Neil's even picked up on the story?

Hazel Blears "speaking from her heart"

Did Hazel Blears lie on, and to, the BBC? Will any other BBC programme other than Andrew Neil's report this? Will we see this lie (if lie it be) reported on the BBC website? Because you can be sure that such a 'misspeak' by a Conservative ex-Minister would be headline news. Remember Teresa May's 'Nasty Party' comment and how often that was played and recalled over the years, something tells me Hazel Blears' remark will be forgotten (by the BBC) by the weekend.




Thanks to Guido Fawkes for the spot.

Stabbed by a chipmunk

Hazel Blears more of a man than the rest of the Cabinet put together.

MPs expenses

I have deliberately not commented on every twist and turn of the MPs expenses scandal as I don't have the time and I would have run out of bile some time ago but the news today that nine Labour Cabinet Ministers have claimed for accountancy advice on their expenses is worthy of comment. Leaving aside the specifics for the moment, it seems to me that many MPS saw their salary as "theirs" and all "expenses" as reclaimable. In the real world a person is paid a salary and has to live on that salary, spending taxed income on travelling to and from work, on housing costs, on utility bills, on food and cleaning etc. etc. etc. In the world of many MPs it seems that everything was claimable and that was just plain wrong.

On this specific case, it seems that nine Labour Ministers claimed for accountancy advice on preparing their tax returns. This really hits home when you read that as well as Jacqui Smith, Hazel Blears, David Miliband, James Purnell, Douglas Alexander, Geoff Hoon and Hilary Benn and one unnamed Minister the same claim was put forward by Alistair Darling (the pretend Chancellor). When the front-man/fall-guy for Gordon Brown's economic failures is "allowed" to claim for taxation advice then you know the people using the expenses system have no shame. Gordon Brown and his minions have spent 12 years making the UK tax system more and more complicated, compliance more onerous and the penalties for making a mistake more and more serious and yet the people who enthusiastically called Gordon Brown an economic genius were able to claim as expenses for the tax advice they received.

Many MPs seem to have no shame but when you have a Cabinet that seems united only by greed and the fear of the electorate's response, what hope is there of an election to cleanse Parliament?

Hazel Blears' cheque to HMRC

We are told that Hazel Blears has sent a cheque to HMRC for the amount of CGT she might/should have paid. However if there was no CGT bill what is that cheque being paid against? Is it in fact going "on account" to be offset against future tax liabilities?

Hazel Blears needs to make it clear whether she has agreed a CGT liability with HMRC and that her cheque settled this liability or if her cheque is sitting in her tax account to be offset against future tax liabilities (less the interest accruing on her "overpayment".

If the cheque was in settlement of an agreed CGT liability, what happened to the interest and penalties that HMRC would normally demand on late notification and payment of a CGT liability?

This story is not as dead and buried as Hazel Blears and the BBC might hope.

Compare and contrast

Hazel Blears on what Gordon Brown said and Gordon Brown talking about what he thinks of her and then going on to show that he has no understanding that the problem has something to do with him.

Hazel Blears heroine or what?

Now that is an interesting question and one that I will ponder on whilst I sleep.

"Why's she sitting down?"

Mrs NotaSheep on watching Have I Got News For You last night when they showed the line-up at the last Labour deputy leadership election and they panned across the line-up past the rather diminutive Hazel Blears

"Why's she sitting down?"

And that is just one reason why I love her!

More skewed BBC reporting

The BBC report that: "Blears attacks Labour's 'failure' ". Of course the story is not about Hazel Blears admitting this Labour government's failures of policy; instead

"Communities Secretary Hazel Blears has attacked the government's "lamentable" failure to communicate.

Writing in the Observer, Ms Blears says the public does not believe many of the government's policy announcements.

And she says use of "new media" by politicians is not as effective as traditional campaigning methods.

"YouTube if you want to, but it is no substitute for knocking on doors or setting up a stall in the town centre," she says.

"We need to have a relationship with the voters based on shared instincts and emotions.

"We need to start showing we understand the instincts, fears, hopes and emotions of the broad mass of British people." "

According to Hazel Blears and her BBC supporters in any future leadership challenge the Labour government's problems are presentational and once again the solutions including listening to the people... How many times have senior Labour Ministers called for the party to "listen to the people" or "re-engage with the people" or "switch into listening mode"? And how many times has this been just window dressing and not followed up? I don't know the answer to the first question but I submit that the figure is almost identical to that that is the answer to the second question.

Any excuse

I Hazel Blears has decided to try and turn the Damian McBride/Derek Draper attack blog story into an excuse to attack the "Tory blogs".

"Political blogs are fuelling a culture of cynicism about politics, communities secretary Hazel Blears has claimed.

...

In her speech, Ms Blears also complained about a "spreading corrosive cynicism" in political discussion.

She turned her fire on political "bloggers" - accusing them of fuelling disengagement by focusing on "unearthing scandals, conspiracies and perceived hypocrisy" and of being written by "people with disdain for the political system and politicians".

"The most popular blogs are right-wing, ranging from the considered Tory views of Iain Dale, to the vicious nihilism of Guido Fawkes," she said.

But she added: "Unless and until political blogging 'adds value' to our political culture, by allowing new and disparate voices, ideas and legitimate protest and challenge, and until the mainstream media reports politics in a calmer, more responsible manner, it will continue to fuel a culture of cynicism and pessimism." "

Just another warning shot across the bows of us right-of-centre bloggers. So if/when Labour manage to steal or indefinitely postpone the next election, do not be surprised when the Labour government ban all "undesirable" blogs so as to ensure the voices of dissent are silenced forever. Maybe afterwards Iain Dale, Guido Fawkes, Devils Kitchen and myself will be in the same cell at a re-education institution, I wonder if they play bridge...

Just remind me what the official language of this Country is

The Mail reports that:

"One in seven primary school pupils does not speak English as a first language.

The number who normally speak a foreign language rose last year to 565,888 - 14.3 per cent of the total.

In some areas, English is a foreign language to more than 70 per cent of four to 11-year-olds, putting enormous pressure on teaching staff. And there are ten schools without a single pupil who has English as a first language, new figures show. "

"The soaring figures reflect the fact that immigration into the UK is now five times higher than when Labour came to power in 1997. Net immigration has increased from 48,000 that year to 237,000 in 2007. "

"In the London borough of Tower Hamlets, only 23 per cent of pupils speak English as their first language.

At one school, Nelson Primary in East London, three-quarters of pupils are not native English speakers and some 56 different languages are spoken."

And under the heading of "too little, too late" comes this:

"Communities Secretary Hazel Blears will tomorrow call for an 'honest debate' about the pressures that migration can put on local public services.

She will announce that anyone from outside the EU applying for a student or work visa will be required to pay a special tax levied on migrants.

The cash produced by this will go to local authorities who are currently struggling to cope with the impact of immigration on their schools, GP surgeries and other public services.

Ministers hope the tax will raise £70million over the next two years."

"What exactly do you stand for Hazel, except election?"

George Monbiot on the Guardians Comment is Free takes Hazel Blears to task for claiming that

"you don't get very far in politics without guts, and certainly not as far as the cabinet table"

George Monbiot's researching finds that:

"Courage in politics is measured by the consistent application of principles. The website TheyWorkForYou.com records votes on key issues since 2001. It reveals that you voted "very strongly for the Iraq war", "very strongly against an investigation into the Iraq war" and "very strongly for replacing Trident" ("very strongly" means an unbroken record). You have voted in favour of detaining terror suspects without charge for 42 days, in favour of identity cards and in favour of a long series of bills curtailing the freedom to protest. There's certainly consistency here, though it is not clear what principles you are defending."

and that (my emphasis):

"You remained silent while the government endorsed the kidnap and the torture of innocent people; blocked a ceasefire in Lebanon and backed a dictator in Uzbekistan who boils his prisoners to death. You voiced no public concern while it instructed the Serious Fraud Office to drop the corruption case against BAE, announced a policy of pre-emptive nuclear war, signed a one-sided extradition treaty with the United States and left our citizens to languish in Guantánamo Bay. You remained loyal while it oversaw the stealthy privatisation of our public services and the collapse of Britain's social housing programme, closed hundreds of post offices and shifted taxation from the rich to the poor. What exactly do you stand for Hazel, except election?"

George Monbiot's most telling passage is this:

"It seems to me that someone of your principles would fit comfortably into almost any government. All regimes require people like you, who seem to be prepared to obey orders without question. Unwavering obedience guarantees success in any administration. It also guarantees collaboration in every atrocity in which a government might engage. The greatest thing we have to fear in politics is the cowardice of politicians."

Hazel Blears a labour politician, like so many, without convictions or backbone.

Take a rread of the comments that follow George Monbiot's article; somewhat different from 1997's "things can only get better" aren't they. I love the smell of left-wing disillusionment in the afternoon....

Labour talking tough on immigration

Once again this Labour government have decided that it is time to talk tough on immigration. Back in November I blogged that

"The Labour government who spent 10 years encouraging legal immigration and not working to minimise illegal immigration whilst shutting down any discussion of the matter by crying "racism" have over the last year or so started to talk tough on immigration. Don't worry they haven't seen the error of their ways, it is all about what matters second of all to Labour - votes. The people most adversely affected by their lax immigration policy are the lower working class who have lost out on jobs to the incomers and of course those who dislike their town resembling Ludhiana rather than Lancashire. These people, not Conservatives, are the people who are most likely to vote BNP at the next election. LabourHome have helpfully produced heat maps that show the areas where the BNP seem to have the most members and you can see how that might affect Labour in the next election. Of course if Labour had allowed Migration Watch and Michael Howard the air to debate immigration between 2001 and 2006 maybe they wouldn't be facing this leakage of votes. "

Today I read that:

"White working class people on some estates feel their concerns about immigration are ignored, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears has said."

Of course Hazel Blears, having listened to the public, has decided they are mistaken and the state broadcasting arm is happy to repeat her findings:

"She told the BBC politicians had to make a greater effort to challenge "myths" spread by the far right.

A report suggests many white people living on estates in England feel the government has abandoned them.

The study involved interviews of 43 people in Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Norfolk and Cheshire.

The interviews took place on four, predominantly white, housing estates and found people felt a sense of resentment, unfairness and betrayal.

The report said a lack of discussion about concerns had created an atmosphere where rumours spread by the far-right were soon believed to be true.

Ms Blears told the BBC the research showed it was important to get the debate out in the open, to stop the far right from "peddling myths" such as suggestions that immigrants got priority in social housing. "

Just when I think that this Labour government couldn't get any more out of touch, they prove me wrong. My how I hate the lot of them and look forward to seeing them out on their over-padded backsides come the general election.


I am not sure which members of this Labour government I hate more: people like Gordon Brown and Peter Mandelson who seem to know what they are doing and seem to take a perverse pleasure in keeping power whatever the cost to the Country, aspiring leaders like the Miliband brothers, Ed Balls and Harriet Harman who are so, so eager for ultimate power that you can see the ambition dripping from every pore of their bodies or the apparatchiks like Hazel Blears, Jacqui Smith and Geoff Hoon who would parrot any line they are being fed if instructed so to do. What I do know is that I hate them all, I hate what they have done to this Country and what they intend to do to it. I hate their lies, their misrule, their transgressions that go unpunished and the way that whatever goes wrong they feel they can blame the last Conservative government rather than themselves. I hate the way that they have so politicised the public institutions of this Country that any incoming alternative Government will need more than 20 years to start to reverse the institutional bias. I hate the way that their mistakes are covered up by the BBC; no longer an independent broadcaster but now an arm of the Labour government. I hate the way that opponents are labelled "racist", or "nasty" or "little Englanders". I hate the way that this Labour government have ruled as if they really are "the political wing of the British people" and as a result have trampled on all opposing opinion. I hate the way that this Labour government have, over and over again, "played the man" rather than the argument; all but destroying dissent as a result. I hate the way that they have split up the UK for their political advantage and destroyed many of the traditions of England along the way. Above all I hate the way that this once great Country, a place I have lived in all my life, has been systematically turned into a place that I can no longer feel proud of, no longer love, no longer want to live in. For all of these reasons and more, this Labour government have made me both sad and very, very angry.

Hazel Blears and the "corrosive cynicism" of bloggers

According to The BBC:

"Political blogs are fuelling a culture of cynicism about politics, communities secretary Hazel Blears has claimed....

In her speech, Ms Blears also complained about a "spreading corrosive cynicism" in political discussion.

She turned her fire on political "bloggers" - accusing them of fuelling disengagement by focusing on "unearthing scandals, conspiracies and perceived hypocrisy" and of being written by "people with disdain for the political system and politicians".

"The most popular blogs are right-wing, ranging from the considered Tory views of Iain Dale, to the vicious nihilism of Guido Fawkes," she said.

But she added: "Unless and until political blogging 'adds value' to our political culture, by allowing new and disparate voices, ideas and legitimate protest and challenge, and until the mainstream media reports politics in a calmer, more responsible manner, it will continue to fuel a culture of cynicism and pessimism."

Conservative blogger Iain Dale told BBC Radio 4's PM programme it was a shame more politicians did not use their own blogs.

'People like scandal'

He said bloggers, including himself, should ask themselves whether they were "just against everything" or should be "a little more positive".

But he added: "People like reading about scandal, they like reading about politicians being hypocritical - that's why Guido Fawkes has the highest ratings of any blog in the country - whether Hazel likes it or not."

In response on his blog Guido Fawkes blamed spin, "focus-group derived policies" and partisan positioning for the cynicism described by Ms Blears.

He added that she misunderstood the relationship between a free press and politicians.

"Take a memo Ms Blears, we are not here to 'add value', or do what politicians want, Guido has his own values and aims to hit back at political hypocrisy and lies. Politicians make laws, so they should be held to account, to a higher standard," he wrote.

Ms Blears told the BBC that politicians not giving straight answers could be an issue, but said a "grown up political discourse" could only happen if people were prepared to listen."

How dreadful that bloggers should spend their time "unearthing scandals, conspiracies and perceived hypocrisy" rather than acting like the BBC and other traditional media and just re-issuing Labour press releases and swallowing the latest spin supplied to them by a Downing Street wonk. Maybe there would be less cynical right-wing bloggers if the BBC and other media had not so completely first bought into the Tony Blair "Things can only get better" 1997 dream and now the Gordon Brown has the solution to fix the world economy "narrative".

I am shocked - no not really

"Stamp duty gap year to benefit Labour constituencies
Three out of the four areas that most benefit from the change to stamp duty are Labour-held constituencies, according to research undertaken for the Daily Telegraph."

What a surprise, do you remember the revelations two years ago that

"Labour Party officials have held a secret meeting to discuss how to shut hospitals without jeopardising key marginal seats, according to leaked emails. Officials, including Labour Chairman Hazel Blears, are concerned about the political impact of NHS cuts and Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt called for those at the meeting to be given "heat maps" to show where closures and cuts could cost votes."

When will people realise that this Labour government is shameless; it doesn't care about democracy or fairness, it cares about power and control. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have always had as their primary concern - ensuring the re-election of their government. To that end, Gordon Brown (and Tony Blair before him) engineered an underclass who rely upon a Labour government for their benefit subsidised lifestyle and so will vote Labour. The deadly duo also created a whole layer of bureaucrats whose jobs depend upon the existence of the underclass and the continuation in power of a Labour government. Clever? Devious? Criminal?

"Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?"

Con artistry?

What do you call someone who tries to persuade people to buy something that will be cheaper in a month and even cheaper in a year? I only ask because isn't that what Hazel Blears did yesterday when she said on the Today programme that "It's your dream… Go for it."?

This government and its cheerleaders at the BBC will praise the plans but of course they are only playing at being efficient. The stamp duty holiday may save someone buying a £175,000 house the figure of £1,750 but if the housing market is going to fall 10% over the next year (and I think that is a conservative estimate of the probable fall) then the purchaser will have a house worth £157,500 and £17,500 worth of negative equity. Of course house prices will fall again the following year, I am predicting a 30% - 40% reduction from the peak last year to the bottom in two to three years time. So Hazel Blears is trying to persuade people to spend money on asset that they could buy for around 30% less in a couple of years time.

Meanwhile the other plank of this "plan", the HomeBuy Direct scheme is even more insane, as I blogged on the day of the announcement:

"Once the five-year "free" period is up, homebuyers will be asked to pay a fee, the Department for Communities and Local Government said - although no more detail of this was provided." So people are expected to take out a five year "free of charge" loan without knowing the size of the "fee" payable at the end of the loan period... Would you trust honest Gordon Brown to not make the fee equivalent to the interest you would have paid?"

When will this dismal government realise that their time is up, people have finally worked out that they are inept and have ruined the economy. It's just the BBC flying the flag for the Labour government and the massive public-sector that will vote Labour to carry on feathering their nest that keeps Labour's opinion poll rating above 15%.

Who's paying for the cut in stamp duty?

It looks as though Gordon Brown has indulged in yet another unfunded tax reduction in yet another attempt to save his skin. Even the BBC's Nick Robinson asks:

"Meanwhile the bills rack up. You may remember the government found £2.7bn from nowhere to give us a tax cut this month. Now this package is costing £600m upfront and another billion is being raided from future spending plans. One day, somebody will have to pay the bills. I hear rumours that it's the regional development agencies that have had their budgets raided."

Do follow the link from Nick Robinson's blog to see his interview with Alistair Darling; doesn't Alistair look uncomfortable and does he truly believe that "we are better placed" to get through this "difficult time" - or you can watch it here.

If you have a strong stomach you can watch Hazel Blears bleating about "families" here with a smug little "I've got a nice public sector final salary scheme pension and my mortgage paid for by the taxpayer" smile on her lips the whole time. That reminds me, I was going to have a "which Government minister makes you feel the most unwell when you see them interviewed?" poll on this blog, maybe I should do so...

The BBC - who are they really?

The BBC - aka The Barack Broadcasting Corporation
Recently - aka The Brown Broadcasting Corporation
Previously - aka The Blair Broadcasting Corporation

Does this mean that Ed Balls and Hazel Blears should be favourites to succeed Gordon Brown? And does that help to explain Barack Obama's pick of Joe Biden?

Local Council priorities

The Times reports that:

"Violent assaults and serious antisocial behaviour are lower priorities for councils than stopping people smoking, town hall targets showed yesterday.

Despite a government poll showing community safety was voters' overwhelming priority, anti-crime initiatives will not be the main focus of authorities.

Details published yesterday by Hazel Blears, the Communities Secretary, set out the targets picked by each local authority — and agreed by her department — to be their future priorities. While performance will be measured across the whole range of 198 indicators, targets will be set only for the 35 chosen as top local concerns.

Jobless 16-18 year olds, reducing teenage pregnancy, providing housing, protecting the environment and cutting child obesity were the five selected by most councils. While reducing “serious acquisitive crime” such as thefts from cars was sixth, cutting the rate of “assault with injury” was 13th and domestic violence 20th.

Considered a higher priority than both by most councils were stopping smoking and boosting the numbers of local people “who feel they can influence decisions in their locality”.

The local targets are agreed with central government after consultation with bodies such as local police, health service and jobcentres.

Alongside the new targets, Ms Blears published a YouGov poll, commissioned by the Government, showing that 82 per cent of respondents considered “creating safer communities” among their top priorities.

The councils that do best at meeting their chosen targets will qualify for extra cash.

Ms Blears said that the initiative would mean that councils could concentrate efforts on the the specific needs of the local people.

Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, added that the Government had made “huge progress” tackling crime and antisocial behaviour in recent years."

Is it just me or do the local councils priorities seem out of kilter with that of their council tax payers? Now which should have priority?