Moronic message

Empty gesture
Gordon Brown insists he will ‘send a message’ next week.

The message will be  ‘I don’t understand the drugs’ tragedy. I have not examined the evidence that spending £billions in the past 37 years on drugs prohibition has improved nothing and increased drugs use’.

Another debate on Tuesday this week of the House magazine agreed with the advisory committee decision that changing cannabis classification from C to B will achieve nothing.  The punishing for the two categories are identical except that the maximum prison sentence for possession will be increased from two to five years. But no court has ever dreamed of using the maximum sentence anyway. Two years prison would be vastly excessive, five years would be insanely severe. So no difference there.

Those on the Advisory Committee and at this week’s seminar are experts. They are burdened by deep knowledge of the continuing futility of Britain’s’ drug policies. Gordon has been listening to the morons on the Daily Mail with there message that prohibition has never worked so let’s have more of it.

This is populist crap. We should replicate the drugs policies that reduce harm. They have worked in Belgium, German, Australia, the Netherlands and Portugal. Reclassification is as gesture of ignorance.

Don’t do it, Gordon.

50 year wait
The mild fame that all MPs enjoy has many unexpected advantages.

Old friends that have lost contact know where to find us. I had a delightful letter yesterday from a school friend who I have not seen for a very long time.

He wrote that I took a cine film of his wedding. In June he will be celebrating his Golden Wedding and he has yet to see the film. In the meantime, he has had four daughters and ten grandchildren.’

I rang him last night and had a long natter on the latest news of mutual friends. I am looking forward to meeting him again.

In the meantime, where did I put that film?

Thin consolations
Labour is braced for an awful night at the polls.

It’s mostly to do with our shelf life. The press and public like a change. Boris would be a dreadful anti-Green mayor. He does not have a serious thought in his head. The only consolation is that the revulsion of the country at having one old Etonian in a prominent position may deter them from electing another in two years.

The prospect of a Tory regime in my constituency is revolting. With only a handful of exceptions they are deeply nasty and superficial. The officers will run the council because they lack the guile or wisdom to create policy. Again, it will be a step back for green policies. The only consolation here will be the luxury of spotting and hammering their certain idiotic decisions.

I’d gladly forego the pleasure of the consolations in exchange for results that will advance the green agenda.

Comments

[John A]

You've made a Freudian slip. Macmillan joked that there were "More old Estonians (i.e. Jews) than old Etonians" in Maggie's cabinet, but Boris isn't Jewish. On the doorstep in London, though, I've seen that some voters think Ken is Jewish (and thus part of some global conspiracy). Strange.

[Tony]

Loved HArriert Harman on the radio this monring - 'its time to start listening to the people' - little late I'd have thought because its not as if they hasn't been the odd rumbling recently.
And sad to say the good that had been done will be lost in the static of the bad.
But even last night I could not bring myself to vote Tory.. somethings take a long time to change and living in Yorkshire in the 80's ...

[morgan]

The day after your terrible local elections, I for one intend to write to my local Labour MP and explain that Browns unscientific beliefs regarding cannabis are one of the reasons why you can no longer support the party - Browns policies would further criminalize and put the liberty of hundreds of thousands of people (whey would we support a party that wants to actively jail them...)

Remember Gordon went against experts in the 10 p tax fiasco , should he again go against the experts over cannabis ?

Also again no mention of the absolutely widespread contamination

Here is a link regarding recent LETHAL lead contamination that occurred in Germany - http://transform-drugs.blogspot.com/2008/04/more-casualties-of-prohibition-lead.html

Why is this never mentioned ???

[valleylad]

Nothing to do with shelf-life, everything to do with policy. Remember the promise of an ethical foreign policy? What about the integrated transport system? Others have
already mentioned the 10p band & reclassification. Frankly I think Ted Heath led a far less right wing govt. What is the slogan now? "We're still not quite as evil as the tories"

Given a choice of a left wing (ex-labour) candidate, a very left wing candidate or a nu-labour timeserver I never thought the result in my ward was in doubt, turnout up, labour count halved, dread to think what happened to their share of the vote.

I never thought I'd see the councils that matter most to me (Merthyr/Torfaen) ever not
be in labour control, but then again I never thought we're see such a right wing party calling itself labour.

Result! We've got rid of the councillors, now we just need to deal with mr. pointless, the dishonourable member for Rome!

[Paul Flynn]

Thanks for these commnets. They are all subjective and express views shared by many. The disaffection runs deep an d todays results will scare many Labour MPs witless. Any precipitate action would probably do more harm than good. Every MP should have the final possible date of the next General Election in 2010 displayed on their desks with the words. 'Two years is an eternity in politics.'

[C Browne]

Paul, it is so refreshing to see such an intelligent view of Cannabis and it's proposed reclassifaction back to a grade B drug. It's a shame that you are not PM! Myself and probably 4 million other criminals would vote for you!

[Paul Flynn]

Thanks, C Browne. I fear Gordon willl go the populist line. I hope he does not deceive himself that he has achieved anything. The Sunday Independent are putting forward a nonsensical position - probably again tomorrow,

[Paul Flynn]

There is a great deal I agree with in your comment Valleylad. I have the good luck to a valued circle of friends whose views I respect.

The Party in still alive among at least 50 MPs. We are posied to resurrect Classic Labour - six months before the 2010 election.

[Paul Flynn]

Anyone who promises an integrated traffic scheme is offering pie in the sky.

Work out how you would arranges for the train from Paddington to arrive at Swansea, Newport and Cardiff stations to connect with the times for 9 to 5 office workers to arrive and leave on time.

It's an impossible dream - but a greatly overused promise made by all parties.

[John]

I expect that Gordon will indeed be stomping around the playground tomorrow proving how tough (insert stupid) he is on Cannabis. He recently pronounced on GMTV, Cannabis is "lethal" wiich really shows how ignorant he is on the subject. Such a charge could be levelled at his beloved alcohol or tobacco but cannabis has never directly killed anyone.
This is why we need experts because it seems that Mr Brown is wholly ignorant on the subject and seems to get his science from the Daily Mail. What a state the Labour leader has got himself in to when he makes laws to placate the right wing press and ignores the countries top experts....strange days indeed.
If he had any bottle he would point to a fall in use, vast savings in Police time since downgrading also that to use the classification system to send messages doesn't work. As Robin Murray said who is one of the scientists pushing the obvious dangers of the drug to a small minority mainly the young "changing the classifcation will change nothing but it is cheap. Education and informing the public does influence use but that is expensive" .That is why we will see cannabis moved to"B" and little or no money spent on education.

[Paul Flynn]

Absolutely right John. This will be more of the evidence free drug policies. Act tough: don't think.

Thousands of lives have been lost because of political cowardice by all main parties. What are opposition parties doing? They all backed putting magic mushrooms in the same category as heroin.

[valleylad]

Thanks for the replies Paul, you probably hear more anger and pain since I (and I assume most people) actually value your opinions and service as an MP - unlike most of our so-called representatives.

Transport can be done well if not perfectly, look at large chunks of Europe.

Had to go to Dijon last year on business, couldn't get a sane connection to or from Newport station. (Won't mention the price of coffee there) but once across the channel the train was superb, and a circular bus service in Dijon hit every stop every 20 minutes until midnight and cost 1 EUR an hour to use.

On cost, convenience, or speed grounds our
public transport system is broken, particularly compared to France, (I've heard good things about Boston as well, e.g. bike racks on buses). 11 years ago we were promised dramatic improvements, instead it is worse - frankly local or rail transport is much worse than it was in the 70's or 80's.

[John]

Paul I'm sure you may come across this but if not can I point you in the direction of the latest addition to the Transform blog
http://transform-drugs.blogspot.com/

THis is the latest scientific findings on the effeciveness of the supervised injection rooms in this case those in Canada. By all accounts these have made a vast differance to users, Police and the surrounding neighbourhood.
Really it is this sort of initiative that should be on the top of the Drugs Policy initiatives of this Goverment not the current frenzy over Cannabis. THis sortof initiative saves lives and increases the well being of communities and citizens.I know that similair initiatives are being run in the UK but one rarely hears of them amid the noise surrounding the Cannabis debate surely we have our priorities wrong.

[Paul Flynn]

Thanks very much Valleylad. I have visted both Dijon and Boston in the past three yeras. You were more observant than me. I am sure there is a greta deal to learn form other countries.

The leap backwards on 4*4s in London is not encouraging.

[Paul Flynn]

Thanks, John. I will look that up. I have visted injecting rooms in Rotterdam. They were wonderfully successful - sadly now closed by right-wing politicians. I went with Mattthew Parris who was sceptical but was converted.