Civil service union turns back on labour history

The Beeb reports that the Public and Commercial Services Union has attacked the creation of a mutually owned body to oversee civil service pensions.  They called it 'privatisation'.

Given the Labour Party is riddled with this one-eyed statist attitude - that anything other than centralised state control is privatisation - it is hardly surprising.  

But one can only wonder why the cooperative movement - one of the driving forces in the creation of the party and still a significant contributor to this day - still attach their flag to Labour's mast when mutualism and worker control (as we are seeing in the Post Office network) get such short shrift from the party's paymasters? 

Friday favourite 56

The Scottish Cup final between Hibs and Hearts takes place on 19 May - only the second time the two teams have met in the final - the last being in 1896.

So as part of the build up to what is likely to be the biggest and most importance match in the oldest derby series in Scottish football here are a very young Craig and Charlie Reid with a slightly less young David Letterman on their US debut...

Ironic asleep at the wheel story of the day...

Oh dear!

Hunt should resign

Jeremy Hunt's coat as the Scots say is 'on a shoogly peg' and the resignation of his special adviser is clearly an exercise in backside covering.  And as the enquiry and evidence slowly emerges it will only get worse for Hunt - not better - even if he can muster a robust defence.  The vultures have circled and they will get their flesh.

The coalition set out to be different - less sleazy and more open than previous governments.  The grip of collective responsibility was supposed to be loosened to allow the two parties space to reflect their differences.

Well here is one area where the differences between Conservative and Lib Dems are vast (and indeed between the Lib Dems and Labour).  While senior Tory and Labour politicians bent over backwards (or indeed forwards) to accomodate the Murdoch monster, Lib Dems stood alone.  Vince Cable's comment that saw him removed from the BSkyB decision process, that he was going to war with the Murdochs was not news.

Nick Clegg should now demand Hunt goes.  This time two years ago he was an-anti politician - standing up against the vested interests, sleaze and expense ridden politicians.  He needs to reassert that side of him if he is ever to have a chance of rehabilitation in voters' eyes.  Hunt is toast and the longer he drags out the inevitable the worse for him and the coalition.  If Hunt wants to come back at a later date, the sooner he does the honourable thing the better for him.

And if Clegg is the catalyst for a swift resignation he can reassert both his independence and start to reclaim his anti politics inheritance from Labour who are desperately hoping we forget their complicity in the Murdoch love fest.

And by way of reminder that Labour are in as deep as the Tories - where did Mili minor go on day one of his leadership?  You guessed it...

The irony of 'Project Rubicon'

Project Rubicon was the name given by News Corp execs to their take over of BSkyB and consequent lobbying of politicians. 

One can only assume these same News Corp execs were sufficiently unaware of the full historical meaning of the 'Rubicon' and the crossing thereof.

Wikipedia describes it thus - 

The phrase "crossing the Rubicon" has survived to refer to any individual or group committing itself irrevocably to a risky or revolutionary course of action, similar to the modern phrase "passing the point of no return".

News Corp certainly committed to a risky course of action - one that ironically lead to the downfall of the house of Murdoch.

Ken Livingstone's number 1 pledge?

Resign by 7 October.  Apparently.  If his manifesto contained in the offical booklet - which arrived this morning - is to be believed...

The layout of this looks like it has been done a primary pupil experimenting with desk top publication.  You would have thought with all the resources the Labour Party has (not to mention Ken's tax free earnings) they could have got the design right?

A period of silence from Lord Steel would be welcome...

Newsnight carried a debate this evening between a Conservative MP and Liberal Peer on Lords' reform.

One argued for a democratic chamber elected by Single Transferable Vote as promised in his party's manifesto. The other said his party's manifesto was wrong, the primacy of the Commons was vital and said that reform should be limited and evolutionary - carrying on the baby steps started by the Parliament Act in 1911.

The former, of course, was the Conservative MP and the latter undemocratic prevaricator was Lord Steel.

It is available on i-player here.

Lord Steel was MP for Roxburgh South West 1906-1910.

Will Obama be a one term President?

Now that the GOP has stopped tearing itself apart in its 'who can believe the most impossible things before breakfast' contest - otherwise known as its Mormon v Creationist primary - it is clear the US electorate is turning towards the November contest.

And what they see is a President with election losing approval ratings - no doubt due to sluggish growth and botched health reforms of the Cameron Obama administration. This graphic from US polling company Rasmussen is particularly interesting:

Unsurprisingly with this approval rating the pollster puts Romney ahead of Obama 47:44.

It will be interesting to see how Obama uses his vast warchest to turn things round. And I imagine there will many burning the midnight oil in Downing Street to see what lessons can be imported this side of the Atlantic for another struggling administration.

Friday favourite 55

In memory of Bert Weedon - the man whose handbook taught the rock n' roll generation to play guitar - here is his version of Spanish Harlem. However I suspect it may not be included in his funeral's order of service...

Matthew Elliott for No10?

Rumours reach LOWA towers that Matthew Elliot - recently of the Tax Payer's Alliance think tank - is about to be installed as David Cameron's left hand man.

One can only wonder how the coalition might cope with him given he destroyed what was left of Nick 'miserable little compromise' Clegg's reputation in the AV referendum last year.