Gordon's triumph

A triumph for Gordon Brown at tonight’s meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

He made two speeches. The first was about nailing the Tories for being the party without a plan. Shifting their ground from day to day on the financial scandal. His final peroration was about fairness and Labour’s contribution to making the UK a fairer nation.

It struck a chord with the packed meeting and he received a prolonged ovation. Even the mass press in the corridor outside must have noticed. There were only about 8 MPs who spoke.

I said that our Ambassador in Afghanistan had said in public what they had previously said in private, that our mission in Afghanistan is doomed. I reminded the PM that after our surge of 5,000 troops in 2006 had cost 120 lives and achieved nothing in winning territory or reducing drug crops of winning hearts and mind. With thousands of civilian casualties we continue to lose hearts and minds and the Taliban is stronger. When Gordon, I asked him, when are we going to stop believing in a military solution? If we don’t we may end up with a Nato Vietnam. The meetings are confidential and I cannot reveal the details of what Gordon said. He did not agree with all I said but I am encouraged by a hint of some change in our mission. I hope I understood it correctly.

Send the cops in

 It was more frustrating trying to get called on the Chancellor’s statement on the economic disaster.

I wanted to put the boot into the banks, because the Tories are thrashing around trying to blame everyone else but the banks. Bradford and Bingley had contracted to buy the poxy sub-prime mortgages for the NEXT THREE YEARS. Members of their board did not know about it.

It’s unbelievable negligence or worse. The causes of this disaster are the reckless overtrading by the banks and the creation of special project companies to evade the regulations. Northern Rock had one of these named Granit. Presumably the B&B one was the reason why some of their directors were unaware of what was happening.

Irritated at not being called in the Chamber, I poured my venom into this Early Day Motion that I tabled tonight. We must nail the Banks, they have robbed all of us.

Bankers conduct

That this House believes that the financial crisis is the result of the reckless overtrading by the banks and their establishment of special purpose companies to evade regulations,  notes that unlike in the United States, no bankers in the United Kingdom have been investigated for possible criminal actions in the selling of  sub-prime mortgages and other 'toxic' financial products; calls on the Crown Prosecution Service and the Financial Services Authority to co-operate in investigating  possible complicity of senior employees of  Northern Rock and  Bradford & Bingley banks in trading that was irresponsible and possibly illegal.

Comments

[patrick]

A more relevant blog today would have been concern at the rate of loss of world biodiversity. The news that One in Four Mammal species will become extinct in the next Twenty years is far more of a concern to me than which Tory party wins the next election.

[paulflynn]

You are probably correct, Patrick. It is also probably true that the result of the USA election is more important than the result of the UK one.

Thousands dying needlessly in Afghanistan is probably the most important issue raised at the PLP last night, but it has the least attention. It's a constant struggle to get attention to the most important issues. If I blogged every day on biodiversity or Afghanistan, few would read what they would see as tedious repetition.

But the point you make is entirely fair.

[Graham Marlowe]

" It struck a chord with the packed meeting and he received a prolonged ovation."

Lets face it Paul, if he had stood there and broken wind for ten minutes, certain MPs would applaud, because they always do.

On the question of a third runway for London Airport last night, on TV (London News BBC) Clive Soley as was was pouring out the unction, and it reminded me of how backside-lickingly loyal he was to Blair - no doubt the reason he is now "lord Soley". This idiot was trying to pretend that pollution would not be increased by a third runway. Luckilly Chris Smith demolished his specious argument.

Perhaps peace has temporarily returned to the PLP but it won't last long, and even if it did, and everyone was all bosom pals David and Jonathan stuff, New Labour will still be defeated at the next election p- and deservedly so. "No more boom and bust", remember.

[Graham Marlowe]

"His final peroration was about fairness and Labour’s contribution to making the UK a fairer nation."

In other words, tell us the old, old story. Paul. For the last thirteen years Brown and Blair have both littered their speeches with "fairness" and "social justice".

What Mr Blair or Mr Brown has never done is tell us what is so just and fair about the gap between the very poorest and the very richest in society actually INCREASING in the last decade.

Perhaps like Thatcher, they believe in the "trickle down" philosophy?.

What is so "fair" about having a multimillionaire investment banker "advising" the government on poverty and welfare.

What is "fair" about bailing out greedy bankers and yet letting manufacturing jobs going to the wall

And what is so just about inviting a man back into government - without the bothersome detail of having to be elected first - just toss him a peerage - who committed a criminal offence by making false claims on a mortgage application, when better and more honest men and women are passed over for promotion or even their first break. So much for the old "moral compass"!

Brown's idea of "fairness" is as corrupted as Mrs Thatcher's was.

[valleylad]

Based on 2005 figures, in terms of wealth distribution, the UK is the most unequal in europe.

The social class of your parents will alter your life expectancy at birth by up to 7 years.

Any comparison between the top 10% and either the middle or bottom shows that inequality has got worse under nulabour. Neoliberal economics and social control has been this govt's agenda. Fairness hasn't been anything other than a soundbite from this far right govt for a decade!

[Graham Marlowe]

I agree valleylad: I just wish that Brown and Blair would not be so hypocritical, stop using the word "fairness" (as annoying a cliche' as that other favourite "hard-working families") also, I wish Mr Flynn and others who should know better would stop being taking all by all the rubbish Brown spouts. He is a desperate man, on his last legs politically, who will say anything to hang to his job till the last minute. He SAYS a lot, but does very little. If Labour wants to have any chance of winning the next electioon, they must drop thr right wing posturing.

[patrick]

The problem Graham is that the main parties all believe that election victory depends on right wing policies. We now have a choice of Three Tory parties. With Brown continuing as Blair Two there is a massive void in the centre - Left. Unless One of the Three change and occupy this ground there is a great opportunity for a Fourth British political party.

[paulflynn]

I quirmed too Graham watching Clive Soley on television last night. He is the authenic voice of yesterday.

[paulflynn]

To fair to Gordon Valleylad, I have checked my notes. He said 'Labour had been the greart force for fairness in British history.'

In terms of the past 110 years that is a fair statement taking into account the NHS and the Welfare state. I agree with you on presnt inequalities. The problem is that in spite of stealth socialism, the rich are very skilled at getting riceher.

[valleylad]

I agree with you on the historical context, but over this govt there has been no attempt to win the ideological argument. This coupled with wanting a good tory press means we've ended up with the MIG for pensioners (rather than a fair state pension). Tax credits (rather than a liveable minimum wage) etc., none of these being funded by either a properly progressive income tax or asset taxes. When CGT is reduced to 18% I'm hardly surprised the rich get richer. When this is at the same time as abolishing the 10% tax band - it's beyond a joke.

[SashaClarkson]

Some banks have undoubtedly been far worse than others; but it's not just the banks. Since Mrs T sold off the council houses, much of the population has been infected by a "get something for nothing" attitude. The term "housing ladder" epitomises this. In fact it was a nasty combination between a pyramid selling scheme and financial musical chairs. As always, it's the people at the bottom of the pyramid who are left without a chair when the music stops; (if you will forgive my mix of metaphors.)

This has been a typical speculative bubble; very well explained by the readable and informative "A History of Financial Euphoria" by the economist J K Galbraith. This should be compulsory reading for bankers, politicians and anyone trying to save for retirement.

[Graham Marlowe]

Gordon Bfrown "My moral compass....No more boom and bust....An End to spin"

An "end to spin">? eh? So THATS why Alistair Campbell is returning to NL to "help" with next years EU and local elections.

Brown missed his vocation. He is the new George Robey - "The Prime Minister of Mirth"

Sadly nobody is laughing at Brown anymore. He richly desrves the thrashing he will get when he does have to go to the country.

A spell in opposition is what labour needs - it will give real Labour members a chance to deselect some of the scum that currently sits in Parliament masquerading as "Labour" MPs

[Paul Flynn]

Thanks SASHA I agree with much of that, except the bit about selling council housing. Newport Council was doing it in the sixties and seventies for good socialist reasons.

We live in a society where 'rent is theft'. Many low income families have had a far better deal and a capital asset, that they would not have in they could have bought their homes. I remain proud of my years of work on a progressive council like Newport

[Paul Flynn]

I agree you Valleylad. The state pension should be at level of MIG. Yet we have been too soft on the super rich. Perhaps when this present nightmare is over, we will have learned our lesson.

[Graham Marlowe]

The problem with selling off council housing, Paul which they have done in London, is that no replacement council houses were built in their place. It doesn't take a genius to work out that people who need social housing can't get it, while ex-council houses are tarted up and sold for enormous profits.