Paul Flynn - Read My Day

When Wright is wrong

Total of British Soldiers killed in Afghanistan = 289

Dog days for Select committees are ahead.

The carve-up between the parties has determined which parties get the vital job of committee chair. That choice will determine the character of the committee and the value of its work. The last parliament's bravest and best committee was Public Administration (PASC) inspired by the routinely brilliant Tony Wright. The 'Wright' proposals are the basis for parliament's reform.

PASC is now doomed to have a Tory chair. Three names have been suggested. Iain Liddell Granger has been an independent member of the committee but his interests are superficial and he frequently tempted into excesses by the prospect of media exposure. Alos in the running is Christopher Chope. He is a destructive backbench saboteur with views fixed in the permafrost of Old Toryism. There is hope that PASC will talk some sense into IPSA - the new bureaucratic expensive monster that will increase expenditure wastefully. The third name is Bernard Jenkins. He is an able maverick. But he would be hamstrung in his supervision of IPSA because he had to pay shed-loads of  expenses cash back. 

No future committee chair will match Tony Wright. But I did not think that the choice would be as thin as this.

The Welsh Affairs Committee is to be a Tory. This is an outrage. Wales voted for 26 Labour MPs and 8 Tories. Major changes in the devolution settlement are ahead. The choice of chair should be from the 26 Labour MPs. Only one eligible Tory has experienced from the last parliament. The rest are freshers or in Government. That leaves David 'Top Cat' Davies. He represents the sneering self-loathing element of Welsh life, petty, limited and addicted to tabloid publicity. If Davies succeeds, the committee's reputation of high achievement under Hywel Francis  will die.

The Wright proposals promised a new powerful role for select committees. Under these chairs, it won't happen.

Consequences of political will

The  following EDMs were tabled last week. They occupy eight pages of the EDMs list and confront MPs with the consequences of our decisions 

Title: FATALITIES IN AFGHANISTAN 

Motion Text: That this House salutes the bravery of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan and records with sorrow the deaths of Lance Corporal Jake Alderton of 36 Engineer Regiment, Major Alexis Roberts, 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, aged 32 from Kent, Colour Sergeant Phillip Newman, 4th Battalion The Mercian Regiment, aged 36, Private Brian Tunnicliffe, 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters), aged 33 from Ilkeston, Corporal Ivano Violino from 36 Engineer Regiment, aged 29 from Salford, Sergeant Craig Brelsford, 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment, aged 25 from Nottingham, Private Johan Botha, 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment from South Africa, Private Damian Wright, 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment, aged 23 from Mansfield, Private Ben Ford, 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment, aged 18 from Chesterfield, Senior Aircraftman Christopher Bridge from C flight, 51 Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment, aged 20, from Sheffield, Private Aaron James McClure, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, aged 19 from Ipswich, Private Robert Graham Foster, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, aged 19 from Harlow, Private John Thrumble, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, aged 21 from Chelmsford, Captain David Hicks of 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, aged 26 from Surrey, Private Tony Rawson of 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, aged 27 from Dagenham, Essex, Lance Corporal Michael Jones, Royal Marines aged 26 fr
 

Title: FATALITIES IN AFGHANISTAN (No. 2) 

Motion Text: That this House salutes the bravery of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan and records with sorrow the deaths of Lance Corporal Alex Hawkins of 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, aged 22 from East Dereham, Norfolk, Guardsman Daryl Hickey, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 27 from Birmingham, Sergeant Dave Wilkinson from 19 Regiment Royal Artillery, aged 33 from Ashford, Kent, Captain Sean Dolan of 1st Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, aged 40 from the West Midlands, Drummer Thomas Wright, 1st Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, aged 21 from Ripley, Derbyshire, Guardsman Neil `Tony' Downes, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 20 from Manchester, Lance Corporal Paul `Sandy' Sandford, 1st Battalion the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, aged 23 from Nottingham, Corporal Mike Gilyeat, Royal Military Police, aged 28, Corporal Darren Bonner, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, aged 31 from Norfolk, Guardsman Daniel Probyn, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 22 from Tipton, Lance Corporal George Russell Davey, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, aged 23 from Suffolk, Guardsman Simon Davison, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 22 from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Private Chris Gray, A Company, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, aged 19 from Leicestershire, WO2 Michael `Mick' Smith, 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery, aged 39 from Liverpool, Marine Benjamin Reddy, 42 Commando Royal Marines, aged 22 from Ascot in Berkshire, Lance Bombardier Ross Clark, aged 25 from South Africa and Lance Bombadier Liam McLaughlin, aged 21 from Lancashire.

 

FATALITIES IN AFGHANISTAN (No. 3) 

Motion Text: That this House salutes the bravery of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan and records with sorrow the deaths of Marine Scott Summers, 42 Commando Royal Marines, aged 23 from Crawley, East Sussex, Marine Jonathan Holland, 45 Commando Royal Marines, aged 23 from Chorley in Lancashire, Lance Corporal Mathew Ford, 45 Commando Royal Marines, aged 30 from Immingham, Lincolnshire, Marine Thomas Curry, 42 Commando Royal Marines, aged 21 from East London, Lance Bombardier James Dwyer, 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery, aged 22, Marine Richard J Watson, 42 Commando Royal Marines, aged 23 from Caterham, Surrey, Marine Jonathan Wigley, 45 Commando Royal Marines, aged 21 from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, Marine Gary Wright, 45 Commando Royal Marines, aged 22 from Glasgow, Lance Corporal Paul Muirhead, 1 Royal Irish Regiment, aged 29 from Bearley, Warwickshire, Lance Corporal Luke McCulloch, 1 Royal Irish Regiment, aged 21, Corporal Mark William Wright, 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, aged 27 from Edinburgh, Private Craig O'Donnell, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, aged 24 from Clydebank, Flight Lieutenant Steven Johnson, aged 38, from Collingham, Notts, Flight Lieutenant Leigh Anthony Mitchelmore, aged 28 from Bournemouth, Flight Lieutenant Gareth Rodney Nicholas, aged 40 from Redruth, Cornwall, Flight Lieutenant Allan James Squires, aged 39, from Clatterbridge, Flight Lieutenant Steven Swarbrick, aged 28 from Liverpool, Flight Sergeant Gary Wayne Andrews, aged 48 from Tankerton in Kent, Flight Sergeant Stephen Beattie, aged 42 from Dundee and Flight Sergeant Gerard Martin Bell, aged 48 from Ely, Cambridgeshire.

 

FATALITIES IN AFGHANISTAN (No. 4) 

Motion Text: That this House salutes the bravery of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan and records with sorrow the deaths of Flight Sergeant Adrian Davies, aged 49 from Amersham, Bucks, Sergeant Benjamin James Knight, aged 25 from Bridgewater, Sergeant John Joseph Langton, aged 29 from Liverpool, Sergeant Gary Paul Quilliam, aged 42 from Manchester, Corporal Oliver Simon Dicketts, the Parachute Regiment, Marine Joseph David Windall, Royal Marines, aged 22, Ranger Anare Draiva, 1 Royal Irish Regiment, aged 27 from Fiji, Lance Corporal Jonathan Peter Hetherington, 14 Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare), aged 22 from South Wales, Corporal Bryan James Budd, 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, aged 29 from Ripon, Lance Corporal Sean Tansey, The Life Guards, aged 26 from Washington, Tyne and Wear, Private Leigh Reeves, Royal Logistics Corps, aged 25 from Leicester, Private Andrew Barrie Cutts, Air Assault Support Regiment, Royal Logistics Corps, aged 19 from Mansfield, Captain Alex Eida, Royal Horse Artillery, aged 29 from Surrey, Second Lieutenant Ralph Johnson, Household Cavalry Regiment, aged 24 from Windsor, Lance Corporal Ross Nicholls, Blues and Royals, aged 27 from Edinburgh, Private Damien Jackson, 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, aged 19 from South Shields, Tyne and Wear, Corporal Peter Thorpe, Royal Signals, aged 27 from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, Lance Corporal Jabron Hashmi, Intelligence Corps, aged 24 from Birmingham, Captain David Patten, the Parachute Regiment, aged 39, and Sergeant Paul Bartlett, Royal Marines, aged 35 and Captain Jim Philippson, 7 Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, aged 29 from St Albans in Hertfordshire.

FATALITIES IN AFGHANISTAN (No. 5) 

Motion Text: That this House salutes the bravery of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan and records with sorrow the deaths of Lance Corporal Peter Edward Craddock, 1st Battalion The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment, Corporal Mark Cridge, 7 Signal Regiment, aged 25, Lance Corporal Steven Sherwood, 1st Battalion, The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry, aged 23 from Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, Private Jonathan Kitulagoda, the Rifle Volunteers, aged 23 from Clifton, Bedfordshire, Sergeant Robert Busuttil and Corporal John Gregory both from the Royal Logistic Corps and Private Darren John George, the Royal Anglian Regiment, Captain John McDermid, The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, aged 43 from Glasgow, Trooper Jack Sadler, The Honourable Artillery Company, aged 21 from Exeter, Sergeant Lee Johnson, 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, aged 33 from Stockton-on-Tees, Corporal Darryl Gardiner, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, aged 25 from Salisbury, Wiltshire, Corporal Damian Stephen Lawrence, 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards), aged 25 from Whitby, Corporal Damian Mulvihill, 40 Commando Royal Marines, aged 32 from Plymouth, Lieutenant John Thornton, 40 Commando Royal Marines, aged 22 from Ferndown, Marine David Marsh, 40 Commando Royal Marines, aged 24 from Sheffield, Senior Aircraftman Graham Livingstone, Royal Air Force Regiment, aged 23 from Glasgow, Senior Aircraftman Gary Thompson, Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment, aged 51 from Nottingham, Trooper Robert Pearson, The Queen's Royal Lancers Regiment, aged 22 from Grimsby, and Trooper Ratu Sakeasi Babakobau, Household Cavalry Regiment, aged 29 from Fiji.

 

FATALITIES IN AFGHANISTAN (NO. 6) 

Motion Text: That this House salutes the bravery of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan and records with sorrow the deaths of James Thompson, Marine Dale Gostick, 22 from Oxford, Private Nathan Cuthbertson, aged 19 from Sunderland, Private Daniel Gamble aged 22 from Uckfield, East Sussex, Private Charles David Murray, aged 19 from Carlisle, Lance Corporal James Bateman, from Staines, Middlesex and Private Jeff Doherty, from Southam, Warwickshire, Corporal Sarah Bryant, aged 26 of the Intelligence Corps, Corporal Sean Robert Reeve, aged 28, Royal Signals, Lance Corporal Richard Larkin, aged 39,  Paul Stout, aged 31, a soldier from 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, Warrant Officer 2nd Class Michael Norman Williams, 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, aged 40 from Cardiff , Private Joe John Whittaker, 4th Battalion The Parachute Regiment, aged 20 from Stratford Upon Avon,  Warrant Officer 2nd Class Dan Shirley, Air Assault Support Regiment, Royal Logistics Corps, aged 32 from Leicester , Lance Corporal James Johnson, B Company, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland aged 31 from Scotland , Corporal Jason Stuart Barnes, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, aged 25 from Exeter, Sergeant Jonathan Mathews, The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, aged 35 from Edinburgh, Private Peter Joe Cowton, 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, aged 25 from Basingstoke, Signaller Wayne Bland, 16 Signal Regiment, aged 21 from Leeds, and Corporal Barry Dempsey, The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, aged 29 from Ayrshire.

 

FATALITIES IN AFGHANISTAN (NO. 7) 

Motion Text: That this House salutes the bravery of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan and records with sorrow the deaths of  Ranger Justin James Cupples, 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment, aged 29 from County Cavan, Ireland, Warrant Officer Class 2 Gary 'Gaz' O'Donnell GM, 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, aged 40, from Edinburgh, Private Jason Lee Rawstron, 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment aged 23 from Lancashire,  Lance Corporal Nicky Mason, 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, aged 26, from Aveley in Essex , Trooper James Munday, from D Squadron, the Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) aged 21, from the Birmingham area, Rifleman Yubraj Rai, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles, aged 28, from Khotang district in eastern Nepal, Marine Neil David Dunstan, aged 32, from Bournemouth, Marine Robert Joseph McKibben, aged 32 from County Mayo, Colour Sergeant Krishnabahadur Dura, 2nd Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, aged 36, from the Lamjung district of western Nepal, Marine Alexander Lucas, 45 Commando Royal Marines, aged 24 from Edinburgh, Marine Tony Evans,  42 Commando Royal Marines aged 20 from Sunderland, Marine Georgie Sparks,  42 Commando Royal Marines, aged 19 from Epping, Marine Damian Davies, aged 27, Sergeant John Manuel, aged 38 from North East England, Corporal Marc Birch, aged 26 from Northampton, Lance Corporal Steven 'Jamie' Fellows, 45 Commando Royal Marines, aged 28 from Sheffield, Lieutenant Aaron Lewis, 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery, aged 26 from Essex and Rifleman Stuart Nash, 1st Battalion The Rifles, aged 21 from Sydney, Australia.

FATALITIES IN AFGHANISTAN (NO. 8) 

Motion Text: That this House salutes the bravery of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan and records with sorrow the deaths of Corporal Robert Deering from the Commando Logistic Regiment Royal Marines, aged 33 from Solihull, Lance Corporal Benjamin Whatley, 42 Commando Royal Marines, aged 20 from King's Lynn, Corporal Liam Elms RM, 45 Commando Royal Marines, aged 26 from Wigan, Serjeant Chris Reed, 6th Battalion The Rifles, aged 25 from Plymouth, Marine Travis Mackin, Communications Squadron, United Kingdom Landing Force Command Support Group (UKLFCSG), aged 22 from Plymouth, Captain Tom Sawyer, 45 Commando Royal Marines, aged 26 from Hertfordshire, Corporal Danny Winter, 45 Commando Royal Marines, aged 28 from Stockport, Acting Corporal Richard 'Robbo' Robinson, 1st Battalion the Rifles, aged 21 from Cornwall, Corporal Daniel 'Danny' Nield, 1st Battalion, The Rifles, aged 31 from Cheltenham, and Marine Darren 'Daz' Smith, 45 Cdo Royal Marines, aged 27 from Fleetwood, Lancashire, and Lance Corporal Stephen 'Schnoz' Kingscott, 1st Battalion The Rifles, aged 22 from Plymouth, Corporal Tom Gaden, 1st Battalion The Rifles, aged 24 from Taunton, Lance Corporal Paul Upton, 1st Battalion The Rifles, aged 31, Rifleman Jamie Gunn, 1st Battalion The Rifles, aged 21 from Leamington Spa, Marine Michael 'Mick' Laski, 45 Commando Royal Marines, aged 21 from Liverpool, Lance Corporal Christopher Harkett, 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh, aged 22 from Swansea, Corporal Dean Thomas John, REME, aged 25 from Neath , and Corporal Graeme Stiff, REME, aged 24 from Münster, Germany.

FATALITIES IN AFGHANISTAN (NO. 9) 

Motion Text: That this House salutes the bravery of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan and records with sorrow the deaths of Lance Sergeant Tobie Fasfous, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, aged 29, Corporal Sean Binnie, 3 SCOTS, aged 22, Rifleman Adrian Sheldon, 2 RIFLES, from Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Sergeant Ben Ross, 173 Provost Company, 3rd Regiment, Royal Military Police, Corporal Kumar Pun, The 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, Lieutenant Mark Evison, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, aged 26, Marine Jason Mackie, Armoured Support Group Royal Marines, aged 21 from Bampton, Oxfordshire, Fusilier Petero "Pat" Suesue, of the 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, aged 28 from Fiji, Sapper Jordan Rossi of 25 Field Squadron, 38 Engineer Regiment, aged 22 from West Yorkshire, Lance Corporal Robert Martin Richards, Armoured Support Group Royal Marines, aged 24 from Betws-y-Coed, North Wales, Lance Corporal Kieron Hill, 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters), aged 20 from Nottingham, Lance Corporal Nigel Moffett, The Light Dragoons, aged 28 from Belfast, Corporal Stephen Bolger, The Parachute Regiment. Rifleman Cyrus Thatcher from 2nd Battalion The Rifles, aged 19, from Reading Private Robert McLaren from The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, aged 20, from the Isle of Mull, Lieutenant Paul Mervis from 2nd Battalion The Rifles, aged 27, from London, Major Sean Birchall, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, aged 33, Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe MBE, Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards , and Trooper Joshua Hammond, 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, aged 18.

FATALITIES IN AFGHANISTAN (NO. 10) 

Motion Text: That this House salutes the bravery of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan and records with sorrow the deaths of Lance Corporal David Dennis, The Light Dragoons, aged 29 from Llanelli, Wales , Private Robert Laws, 2nd Battalion the Mercian Regiment, aged 18 from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, Lance Corporal Dane Elson, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, aged 22 from Bridgend, Captain Ben Babington-Browne, 22 Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers, aged 27 from Maidstone, Trooper Christopher Whiteside, The Light Dragoons, aged 20 from Blackpool, Rifleman Daniel Hume, 4th Battalion The Rifles, Private John Brackpool, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, aged 27 from Crawley, West Sussex, Corporal Lee Scott, 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, aged 26 from Kings Lynn, Corporal Jonathan Horne, 2nd Battalion The Rifles, aged 28 from Walsall , Rifleman William Aldridge, 2nd Battalion The Rifles, aged 18 from Bromyard in Herefordshire , Rifleman James Backhouse, 2nd Battalion The Rifles, aged 18 from Castleford, Yorkshire, Rifleman Joe Murphy, 2nd Battalion The Rifles, aged 18 from Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, Rifleman Daniel Simpson, 2nd Battalion The Rifles, aged 20 from Croydon, Rifleman Aminiasi Toge, 2nd Battalion The Rifles, aged 26, from Suva, Fiji, Corporal Joseph Etchells, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, aged 22 from Mossley, Captain Daniel Shepherd, 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, The Royal Logistic Corps, aged 28 from Lincoln, Guardsman Christopher King, 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, aged 20 from Birkenhead, near Liverpool and Bombardier Craig Hopson, 40th Regiment Royal Artillery (The Lowland Gunners), aged 24 from Castleford.

FATALITIES IN AFGHANISTAN (NO.11) 

Motion Text: That this House salutes the bravery of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan and records with sorrow the deaths of Warrant Officer Class 2 Sean Upton, 5th Regiment Royal Artillery, aged 35 from Nottinghamshire, Trooper Phillip Lawrence, Light Dragoons, aged 22 from Birkenhead, Craftsman Anthony Lombardi, aged 21, from Scunthorpe, Corporal Kevin Mulligan, The Parachute Regiment, aged 26, Lance Corporal Dale Thomas Hopkins, The Parachute Regiment, aged 23, Private Kyle Adams, The Parachute Regiment, aged 21, Private Jason, George Williams, 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment, aged 23 from Worcester, Captain Mark Hale, 2nd Battalion The Rifles, aged 42 from Bournemouth, Lance Bombardier Matthew Hatton, 40th Regiment Royal Artillery (The Lowland Gunners), aged 23 from Easingwold in North Yorkshire, Rifleman Daniel Wild, 2nd Battalion The Rifles, aged 19 from Hartlepool, Private Richard Hunt, 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh, aged 21 from Abergavenny, Sergeant Simon Valentine, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, aged 29 from Bedworth, Lance Corporal James Fullarton, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, aged 24 from Coventry, Fusilier Simon Annis, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, from Salford, Fusilier Louis Carter, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, from Nuneaton, Serjeant Paul McAleese, 2nd Battalion The Rifles, aged 29 from Hereford, Private Johnathon Young, 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (Duke of Wellington's), aged 18 from Hull and Fusilier Shaun Bush, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, aged 24 from Warwickshire, Sergeant Lee Andrew Houltram, Royal Marines. 

FATALITIES IN AFGHANISTAN (NO. 12) 

Motion Text: That this House salutes the bravery of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan and records with sorrow the deaths of Sergeant Stuart 'Gus' Millar, The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, aged 40 from Inverness, 

Private Kevin Elliott, The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, aged 24 from Dundee, Lance Corporal Richard Brandon, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, aged 24 from Kidderminster, Private Gavin Elliott, 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment, aged 19 from Woodsetts, Worksop, ,Nottinghamshire, Corporal John Harrison, The Parachute Regiment, Kingsman Jason Dunn-Bridgeman, 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, aged 20 from Liverpool, Trooper Brett Hall, 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, aged 21 from Dartmouth

Acting Serjeant Stuart McGrath, 2nd Battalion The Rifles, aged 28 from Buckinghamshire, Acting Sergeant Michael Lockett MC from 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment, from Monifieth in Angus, Private James Prosser from 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh, aged 21 from Cwmbran, Acting Corporal Marcin Wojtak from 34 Squadron RAF Regiment, aged 24 from Leicester, Guardsman Jamie Janes, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 20 from Brighton, Lance Corporal James Hill, 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, aged 23 from Redhill in Surrey, Corporal James Oakland, Royal Military Police, aged 26 from Manchester, Corporal Thomas 'Tam' Mason, The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS), aged 27 from Rosyth, and Staff Sergeant Olaf Sean George Schmid, Royal Logistic Corps, aged 30 from Truro.

FATALITIES IN AFGHANISTAN (NO. 13) 

Motion Text: That this House salutes the bravery of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan and records with sorrow the deaths of Warrant Officer Class 1 Darren Chant, 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards, aged 40 from Walthamstow, Sergeant Matthew Telford, 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards, aged 37 from Grimsby, Guardsman James Major, 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards, aged 18 from Grimsby, Corporal Steven Boote, Royal Military Police, aged 22 from Birkenhead, Liverpool, Corporal Nicholas Webster-Smith, Royal Military Police, aged 24 from Glangwilli, Serjeant Phillip Scott, 3rd Battalion The Rifles, aged 30 from Malton, Rifleman Philip Allen, 2 RIFLES, aged 20 from Dorset, Rifleman Samuel John Bassett, 4th Battalion The Rifles, aged 20 from Plymouth, Rifleman Andrew Ian Fentiman, 7th Battalion The Rifles, aged 23 from Cambridge, Corporal Loren Owen Christopher Marlton-Thomas, 33 Engineer Regiment (EOD), aged 28, Sergeant Robert David Loughran-Dickson, 4th Regiment Royal Military Police, aged 33 from Deal in Kent, Acting Sergeant John Paxton Amer, 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, from Sunderland, Lance Corporal Adam Drane, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, aged 23 from Bury St Edmunds, Lance Corporal David Leslie Kirkness, 3rd Battalion The Rifles, aged 24 from West Yorkshire, Rifleman James Stephen Brown, 3rd Battalion The Rifles, aged 18 from Kent, Corporal Simon Hornby, 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, aged 29 from Liverpool, Lance Corporal Michael David Pritchard of the 4th Regiment, Royal Military Police, aged 22 from Maidstone and Lance Corporal Christopher Roney of A Company, 3rd Battalion The Rifles, aged 23 from Sunderland.

FATALITIES IN AFGHANISTAN (NO. 14) 

Motion Text: That this House salutes the bravery of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan and records with sorrow the deaths of Lance Corporal Tommy Brown from The Parachute Regiment, Rifleman Aidan Howell of 3rd Battalion The Rifles, aged 19 from Sidcup, Kent, Sapper David Watson from 33 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), aged 23, Private Robert Hayes, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, aged 19 from Cambridge, Captain Daniel Read from 11 Explosive  Ordnance Disposal Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps, aged 31 from Rainham, Kent, Corporal Lee Brownson, 3rd Battalion The Rifles, aged 30 from Bishop Auckland, Rifleman Luke Farmer, 3rd Battalion The Rifles, aged 19 from Pontefract, Rifleman Peter Aldridge, 4th Battalion The Rifles, aged 19, Corporal Liam Riley, 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, aged 21 from Sheffield, Lance Corporal Graham Shaw, 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, aged 27 from Huddersfield, Corporal John Moore, The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, aged 22 from Lanarkshire, Private Sean McDonald, The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, aged 26 from Edinburgh, Warrant Officer Class 2 David Markland, 36 Engineer Regiment, aged 36 from Euxton, Lancashire, Lance Corporal Darren Hicks, 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, aged 29 from Mousehole, Cornwall, Lance Sergeant Dave Greenhalgh, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 25 from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, Rifleman Mark Marshall, 6th Battalion The Rifles, aged 29 from Exeter, and Kingsman Sean Dawson, 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, aged 19 from Ashton-Under-Lyne, Manchester.

FATALITIES IN AFGHANISTAN (NO. 15) 

Motion Text: That this House salutes the bravery of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan and records with sorrow the deaths of Sapper Guy Mellors, 36 Engineer Regiment, aged 20 from Coventry Lieutenant Douglas Dalzell, 1^st Battalion Coldstream Guards, from Berkshire, Lance Sergeant David 'Davey' Walker, 1st Battalion Scots Guards, aged 36 from Glasgow, Senior Aircraftman Luke Southgate, II Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment, aged 20 from Bury St Edmunds, Rifleman Martin Kinggett, 4th Battalion The Rifles, aged 19 from Dagenham , Sergeant Paul Fox, 28 Engineer Regiment, aged 34 from St Ives, Rifleman Carlo Apolis, 4th Battalion The Rifles, aged 28 from South Africa, Corporal Richard Green, 3rd Battalion The Rifles, aged 23 from Reading, Rifleman Jonathon Allott of 3rd Battalion the Rifles, aged 19 from North Shields, Rifleman Liam Maughan, 3rd Battalion The Rifles, aged 18 from Doncaster, Lance Corporal Tom Keogh, 4th Battalion The Rifles, aged 24 from Paddington, London, Corporal Stephen Thompson, 1st Battalion The Rifles, aged 31 from Bovey Tracey, Devon, Captain Martin Driver, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, aged 31, from Barnsley, Lance Corporal Scott Hardy, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, aged 26 from Chelmsford, Private James Grigg, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, aged 20 from Hartismere, Suffolk, Serjeant Steven Campbell, 3rd Battalion The Rifles, aged 30, from Durham, Lance Corporal of Horse Jonathan Woodgate, Household Cavalry Regiment, aged 26, from Lavenham in Suffolk, and Rifleman Daniel Holkham, 3rd Battalion The Rifles, aged 19, from Chatham, Kent.

FATALITIES IN AFGHANISTAN (NO. 16) 

Motion Text: That this House salutes the bravery of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan and records with sorrow the deaths of Guardsman Michael Sweeney, 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, aged 19, from Blyth in Northumberland, Rifleman Mark Turner, 3rd Battalion The Rifles, aged 21, from Gateshead, Fusilier Jonathan Burgess, 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh, aged 20, from Townhill, Swansea, Corporal Harvey Holmes, 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment, aged 22, from Hyde, Greater Manchester, Lance Corporal Barry Buxton, 21 Engineer Regiment, aged 27, from Meir, Stoke-on-Trent, Sapper Daryn Roy, 21 Engineer Regiment, aged 28, originally from Consett, County Durham,  Corporal Christopher Lewis Harrison, 40 Commando Royal Marines, aged 26 from Watford, and Cpl Stephen Walker from 40 Commando Royal Marine, aged 42 from Lisburn, Northern Ireland.

New Politics : New Sleaze

As a fellow toiler in the parliamentary vineyard I am sympathetic to David Laws. He is a courteous amiable and gifted politician. Within days he has become the surprise star of the coalition with a tour de force performance in the Chamber.   When he was first elected he was identified as 'Christopher Chataway's love child.' He does bear a remarkable resemblance to the famous runner when he was young.

In the parliamentary shark pool there will be a harsher assessment. The excuse that this was an accidental claim arising from David's justifiable attempt to keep his sexuality private is not persuasive. The defence put by one of his colleagues this morning is that David's claims were frugal. This invites investigation. His ranking is the 128th most expensive of 645 MPs. Three years ago his claim for 'rooms' was £21,000 similar to many MPs' claims for whole flats or houses. The most serious evidence comes from David Laws own lips. He said that he extended the mortgage on his Somerset property to help Mr Lundie purchase his new property. The evidence is damning and it come from David Laws himself.

The Lib-Dems have been the most accusatory and self-righteous of all parties in the expenses scandal. Nick Clegg was the main architect of the expensive bureaucratic nightmare of IPSA that cannot survive for more than one parliament. Nick confused the debate by refusing to recognise that MPs' mortgages are not paid out the public purse, only mortgage interest is.

'Judge not that ye be not judged.'

POST SCRIPT

David Laws' resignation was inevitable. The rules of the political game determine that scandals must not be allowed to fester. Damage is multiplied when resignations are delayed. David had to go because, in his own  judgement, he had done wrong. He enhanced his reputation in the manner and speed with which he resigned.

Iain Dale, Michael Brown  and Matthew Parris leapt to the defence. They have an insight that I lack into the difficulties of 'coming out'. I will resist any cheap shots. But criticism of the Daily Telegraph is a little late. In my view, the Daily Telegraph contributed to the premature death on one honourable MP. I am preparing to write his biography. The Daily Telegraph were rightly commended for their revelations but they had a political agenda. The first three days of the campaign condemned Labour MPs only - many of them grossly unfairly. To his credit Matthew Parris defended Ian Gibson from a gratuitous attack as I did in the Parliamentary Labour Party.

There were few other voices then protesting against the Telegraph's excesses?

Welcome

Newport today reaffirmed the Freedom of the City to the 2nd Battalion the Royal Welsh  who have been serving in Afghanistan.

see  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/10184873.stm

New sleaze and panic politics

Trembling with tabloid-induced fear, the politicians panicked and banned a drug. It was only in April when the Redtops screamed horror about two deaths from a new designer drug. Cowardly politicians of all parties bowed to an irrational argument forgetting that every ban on any drug increased its use.

Now we know the truth, toxicology tests have shown that two teenagers whose deaths were linked to mephedrone had not taken the drug. The  government banned the "legal high" in April, making it a Class B drug.

Former chief drugs adviser Prof David Nutt said the test results undermined the reasons behind the ban. The tabloids will not report tomorrow that Mephedrone  is innocent with the giant headlines that created the scare.

The now poodle leadership of the advisory committee defend the ban. another committee member Eric Carlin said the decision to ban the drug should be "revisited" in light of the findings, and the "public health consequences" of the ban needed to be considered.

Prof Nutt, who was sacked by the then Home Secretary Alan Johnson in October 2009, said the findings were "embarrassing" for the government, media and police.

As always UK drug policy is evidence-free drivel.

New sleaze?

The Coalition Government is rapidly spinning from novelty to notoriety.

A new expenses scandal involving the angelic David Laws and £40,000 is a monumental embarrassment. It cannot be easily spun into an innocent error. Will this the first chance for a constituency to recall its MP?

In Wales the Tories are desperate to stop a Conservative councillor Chris Smart from becoming a member of the Welsh Assembly. Chris is no intellectual giant. He is  an embarrassment waiting to happen. He is in line to take over the seat on the regional list now that siting MP Alun Cairns is an MP. But the Welsh Tories have  instructed Alun to  remain an AM. He said he will stay on  until the election next year, but will not draw his assembly salary.

That keeps Chris out. But it does raise the tricky problem that Alun will be doing two full-time jobs. That will not go down well.

Another double-jobber is threatening more embarrassment. Special constable David Davies (aka MP for Monmouth) is lusting after the job of chair of the Welsh Select Committee. It's been allocated to the Tories and none of the other 7 Tories seem interested.

David is an anti-devolution zealot at odds with his party chums in the Assembly and in the Coalition. His attempts to manipulate the committee would be a serious embarrassment to Cameron and Nick Bourne.

Even Iain Dale thought the Tories' attempt to boycott  Question Time was daft. How dare they try to dictate who speaks for Labour? Perhaps Cameron became a little unhinged by the revolt by David Davies et al against tax rises.

Welcome to Government!

Old trick.

Fresher MP Tristram Hunt impresses with this comment on David Miliband's website

'It is the oldest trick in the book: decry the past in order to define the present. Ever since the scribes of the Renaissance branded the Middle Ages as ‘The Dark Ages’, propagandists have deployed history to codify the future. You rubbish the past as a lost opportunity of waste, indecision and stupidity. And you celebrate the present as a blessed release from such hopelessness.

Today, the Tories are at it with a vengeance. Beginning with David Cameron’s extraordinarily ungracious response to the Queen’s Speech debate, the Tory frontbenches and back have been on a dedicated mission to decry all the achievements of Labour’s 13 years in power. Forget the National Minimum Wage; forget the Sure Start centres; forget the transformation of the NHS; forget the expansion in student numbers; forget the urban renaissance; forget the pioneering Climate Change legislation and civil partnerships. Instead, just focus on the last two years of global financial crisis and impose that back on the previous period.'

An Intense Silence

Total number of soldiers killed in Afghanistan = 288

Foreign Affairs debate yesterday. 

Paul Flynn (Newport West) (Lab): Why does the right hon. Gentleman disagree with the Defence Secretary, who said that it was his priority to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and that he could see no reason for spending taxpayers’ money on defending the education policy in a “broken 13th-century country”?

 

Mr Hague: The hon. Gentleman has a particular view on Afghanistan, which he often expresses and which we must respect. It would be rather starry-eyed of him to believe that the Defence Secretary agreed with him, however. If anyone had seen our visit to Afghanistan at the weekend, they would have witnessed the total agreement between the Defence Secretary, the International Development Secretary and myself. I will come to the matter of Afghanistan in a moment and deal with the hon. Gentleman’s point.

 

Paul Flynn: On corruption in Afghanistan, is not the fact that the election-rigging Karzai has failed to arrest his openly corrupt brother proof that the elimination of endemic corruption in Afghanistan is wholly unattainable?

 

David Miliband: My hon. Friend makes an important point. The investigation and any prosecution of Ahmed Wali Karzai, far from being the first step, will be a step rather further down the road in tackling corruption in Afghanistan. However, the questions that I was asking about the Kandahar operation speak directly to the situation in southern Afghanistan and to whatever role Mr Ahmed Wali Karzai is playing in that part of the country.

 

Paul Flynn: The hon. Gentleman’s party has an honourable record in calling for an inquiry into Iraq. Does he think that as the Iraq war caused the death of 179 soldiers, and the incursion into Helmand province increased the number of British deaths from seven to 286, it is time that we had an inquiry into that incursion, where it was hoped that not a single shot would be fired?

Mr Llwyd: I agree absolutely with the hon. Gentleman. He and I believe strongly that the incursion is wrong and that it will end in tears. Some of us said at the beginning that it was another Vietnam. At the time, we were laughed at, but I am afraid we are rapidly getting there.

 

Paul Flynn (Newport West) (Lab): A special intense silence falls on this place when the names of the fallen are read out. We experienced it yesterday when the names of those who have died since we last met were read out by both Front-Bench spokespeople. It is right that we read those names out, that we record our gratitude for the heroism of those who have fallen and that we remind ourselves that we in this place were responsible for the decision to send them to war. Every one of those names belongs to a person whose life has ended and we remind ourselves that they all had loved ones who suffered a wound that will never heal.

It might surprise hon. Members to learn that I have before me the names of all those who have fallen, but I do not intend to read them out, first, because to do so would take longer than the 10 minutes available to me and, secondly, because I am forbidden to do so. I have not mentioned in the House before that after I last read out a list of the 250 names of the fallen the extraordinary decision was taken that this is not to be allowed on any future occasion. I am not sure why, because it is right that there should be an occasion, at least once a year—the list should perhaps not be read by a Back Bencher, but by the Leader of the House—on which we should recall not just the names of the individuals who have died in the previous week or so, but the names of all those who have died. That would leave us with a profound impression of the result of our decisions.

The attitude in this House towards Afghanistan is one of mutually assured delusion, and we heard a bit of that today. We know that only the future is certain and the past is always changing; every politician is trying to rewrite and reshape the past. It does not often seem that we have to reshape the past of last week, but we received optimistic and positive reports of last week’s visit by the three Ministers to Afghanistan. It seems strange that omitted from the reports was the major event of that trip, which was their inability to visit their main destination because of Taliban activity.

I have also raised with the Foreign Secretary the comments by the Defence Secretary, who was reported in The Times as having said that the troops were not there

“for the sake of the education policy in a broken 13th-century country.”

The Defence Secretary has rapidly suffered the fate of all Ministers, including Defence Ministers, who are caught in possession of an intelligent idea. Denials were issued, including by the Foreign Secretary, who I am delighted to see in his place, saying that either that it was not said or that it was not meant. However, this was an entirely rational approach of Government, because we cannot sacrifice the lives of our troops in a war designed to reshape the education policy of a country that is in a state of civilisation that is centuries behind us all.

The policy supported from all sides is based on a series of delusions. The other thing that we primarily lie about is Karzai. If we had not gone into Afghanistan in 2001, we would see Karzai as a rogue leader and take resolutions about removing him, because he has fixed his own election and is publicly corrupt. A member of the World Bank who wrote a book about it afterwards said to him, “I have absolute proof of how $1 million has been stolen from the funds devoted from abroad.” He replied, “You westerners don’t understand Afghanistan. This is the Afghan way of doing things. You pay us the money and we steal it.” This has been the lubricant of Afghan politics and Afghan business for hundreds of years. Corruption is endemic, but we still play this foolish game of believing that we can get rid of corruption and that if we pass a few resolutions here, corruption will go. That will not happen. It has been asked many times, if Karzai is serious about ending corruption, why does he not arrest his brother? It comes very close to his line.

The other delusion that is constantly repeated is that we are there to ensure that there is not terrorism on our streets. It certainly did not work in New York, where there was an act of terrorism regardless of America’s action in Afghanistan. The right hon. and learned Member for Kensington (Sir Malcolm Rifkind) made a telling point, although he came to the wrong conclusion, when he said that al-Qaeda was no longer operating in Afghanistan. If we look at the facts, we will see that none of the terrorist threats or actions has come from Afghanistan. They have come from Pakistan and from this country. If we wanted to ensure that terrorist acts were not planned, we would have to invade Pakistan, Somaliland and Yemen. This is a myth. We have not, as few of our Front Benchers have met Taliban leaders, but if we said to a Taliban leader, “What is your aim? Why are you killing our soldiers?”, would they say, “Oh, when we’ve killed your soldiers, we’re coming over to London and Newport to blow up your streets.”? Or would they say, “We are killing your soldiers because they are farangi. They are in our country and it is our sacred religious duty to kill them, to drive them out of our country in the same way as our fathers did with the Russians, as our grandfathers did with other farangi and as our great-great-grandfathers did, and in the same way as we hope that our children will die in expelling farangi from our country”? Our presence there is the reason why the killing continues.

Let us consider the two levels of war that we have had from when we went to Afghanistan, when it was not controversial, up to 2006 when there was no decision in this House, but there was a debate. The Government at the time said that they were going into Helmand province in the hope that not a shot would be fired and that they would be out in three years. That was accepted in the debate by all parties. In that debate, I suggested that that action would be as futile and dangerous as the charge of the Light Brigade. I seriously underestimated the carnage that resulted. We have now lost twice as many people in Helmand as died in the charge of the Light Brigade, in a mission that has been equally futile.

We base our hope on a number of pillars. One is the Afghan army and the other the Afghan police. The Afghan army was involved in a mission six months ago in which 300 of its members were guarding a convoy that was attacked by seven members of the Taliban. The Afghan army fled—they were outnumbered and left the Taliban to capture the convoy. It was rightly asked at the time why on earth mercenary soldiers—which is what they are, and they might well desert or be in the Taliban in a week’s time, as there are mass desertions— should kill brother Afghans and give up their lives in the service of a corrupt President who is not of their tribe and in the service of foreign countries.

The other group is the police. The only time at which a police force that is free of corruption has been set up anywhere in recent times was in Georgia, where they sacked the entire police force and started again. We are not doing that. We are building on a collapsing, rotten foundation of a police force that is based on corruption. That is the way in which it is run. The chiefs of the police buy their jobs and the reason that they pay huge amounts of money to become important leaders of the police is that they get their money by taking a cut of the money taken from the Afghan people by oppressing and stealing from them.

Even worse, when we so-called liberated one area in Penkala, the chiefs and elders came forward and said, “Whatever you do, don’t send in the Afghan police, because the last time they were here, they practised bacha bazi.” Those who are familiar with that will know that it is the ritual imprisonment and rape of prepubescent boys. The person whom they appealed to said, “You had the Taliban here before. Were they not wicked people?” They said, “Yes, they are wicked and cruel, but they are men of principle.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mutual Assured Deception

Total of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan = 287

Today's debate on Foreign Affairs strengthened all my views on Afghanistan.

Parliament is suffering from Mutual Assured Deception (MAD). Accepted by all parties in the Commons are preposterous views. All believe that Karzai, the Afghan Army and Police are suitable foundations on which to build a democratic Afghanistan. That's madness. In a series of interventions today, I hoped I illustrated that William Hague and Liam Fox  do not believe their own prejudices.

Hague dodged my question to him on Liam's confession that we should not be risking lives to improve Aghanistans's 13th century education system. Liam suffered the fate of all politicians caught in possession of an intelligent idea. He was slapped down. Slowly the West is agreeing that our many of our standards cannot be imposed overnight on a country that is locked in its mediaeval culture.

Hague's optimistic account of the three ministers visit to Afghanistan omitted their most vital discovery. They failed to reach their main destination because the Taliban were attacking it.  He was lyrical about a previously dangerous place they had visited but not a word about the HQ that is too dangerous to visit. Transparent self-deception. The chair of the Defence Committee said that we do not have a strategy in Afghanistan after nine years of warfare. Nine years?

There was a minor consternation when I raised the possibility of reading the names of the fallen. The clerk whispered to the Deputy Speaker that this was now verboten. The ban was imposed on me last summer after I read the names of the Afghan fallen. I have never previously raised this in the House. There is an alternative. Tomorrow the names of all the Afghan fallen will appear on the Commons' list of EDMs. To comply with the rules of a maximum of 250 words per EDM, it is necessary to table 16 EDMs. Possibly this will be a record number of EDMs on a single subject

I appealed to the House to change the Speaker's ruling so at least once a year the names of the fallen are read to the House. That special intense silence that greets  the names of the fallen should concentrate MPs' minds on the folly of our decisions. We MPs sent the troops into Helmand in the the hope that not a shot would be fired. We need a powerful reminder of the consequences of our actions.

If the names cannot be read in the Commons, perhaps they should be read in the Peace Camp outside of Parliament.

Bitter victory

In Newport and at Westminster the ConDems are in retreat. 

 

The heroes of Newport are hairdresser  Sue Williams and the city cobbler Kelvin Reddicliffe who works at Timpson's.  The petition was presented to Councillor Routley. They petitioned to reverse a crass decision by the ruling Newport ConDem coalition to  close the city centre's main toilets.

it was a major issue when I was campaigning in the city centre during the election. The decisions was a stupid bit of penny-pinching. Thousands inconvenienced in order to save £20,000. This from a Council that has put the city in £21 million of extra debt. At today's council meeting Bill Langford the new mayor was the first to declare his interest as a regular user of the toilets at Austin Friars in the heart of the shopping centre.
 

Sue Williams rapidly collected 10,000 signature. I turned up at the full Council meeting this morning in order to hand over the petition. The ConDem cabinet members capitulated and the toilets will reopen tomorrow. 

This afternoon, David Cameron was performing a similar back somersault by giving up his plan to emasculate the backbench 1922 committee. This was an indignity too much by a Tory party bruised and battered by their failures to win their expected majority government. It's a bitter victory.

Instead of the triumph of a conquering Government, the Condems were unhappy and resentful in parliament this afternoon. They was a nervousness and uncertainty that we usually associated with losers. 

Labour were bold and boisterous. No Tory had the wit to challenge ebullient Harriet Harman's splendid witty speech. David Cameron dealt uncomfortably with a barrage of interventions including three from Welsh MPs. Chris Bryant, Ian Lucas and Kevin Brennan has metamorphosed from discreet ministers into born-again rottweilers. It was all refreshing.

The winners slumped like losers. The losers strutted like winners. 

This will be a fascinating parliament. 

Blue Tree

It was a routine interview that developed into a gruelling marathon.

Yes, I agreed to do an interview with NHK Japan's main television channel on the Iraq Inquiry. I was surprised when seven people arrived in my bijou overcrowded office. japan is thinking of having their own inquiry into the Iraq war. Their involvement was slight but there is a great deal of disquiet.

My contribution was as a member of the PASC select committee which push for the Iraq Inquiry. We pressed for a full investigation on why the UK joined Bush's war. we did not support the US war in Vietnam. The inquiry will probably expose the truth but the cross-examinations of hostile witnesses were weak.

Oh for a couple of belligerent barristers to extract e truth. Will Japan do better?. In soaring temperatures with the curtains drawn, the interviewer had an infinity of questions. Her first name translate as 'Beautiful child of the century' and her surname is 'Blue Tree.' The interview continued for 55 minutes.iI asked them to send me a copy of the ten seconds that they eventually broadcast.

The cameraman smiled.

Strike off the redtops!

It's a shame we cannot strike off newspapers.

It's a day of rejoicing that the unscientific posturing of Andrew Wakefield   has been exposed. But he could not have spread anxiety to all parents without the collaboration of stupid greedy newspapers. Wakefield was certainly “dishonest”, “misleading” and “irresponsible” in his claim that the MMR vaccines linked  to autism. So was the Daily Mail and most of the tabloids  that stoked up public fear.

In preparing my report on the Swine Flu Pandemic, I have wary of the tabloid interests. It would distort the report if it is seen as more anti-vaccine hysteria. Vaccines  are major scientific advances that have saved millions of lives and avoided millions of disabilities.

There is great account of this unnecessary scare on  The Facts In The Case Of Dr. Andrew Wakefield. It's sublime.

End of trust

Dumping the Child Trust Fund is a nasty piece of political spite.

It was one of the good ideas of recent years. It encouraged and rewarded thrift. Many grandparents  found that topping up the fund was a better choice that adding to the mountain of trash toys that are dumped on over-indulged grandchildren.

What is the argument against it? Apart from Tory moaning because it was not their idea.

2015 P.M. ?

I put my nomination in for David Miliband this afternoon. It was ultimately between the two brothers.   My choice will not please all my friends but the great merits of  the two candidates from the left are not the best ones to rebuild the Labour Party.

My campaigns will continue even though David Miliband is not a natural supporter of many of them. I live in hope. He has the intelligence, flexibility and guile to shape a fresh Labour philosophy. He has a wide public appeal that Gordon Brown never had.

In the television test, when ten floating voters were asked which candidate would persuade them to vote Labour, all voted for David. The sample was small and unscientific but impressive evidence that David will be the next Prime Minister and lead a renewed and invigorated Next Labour Government.

Now there are two

My choice of a Labour Leadership candidate to nominate has narrowed. For reasons I gave yesterday, I must deny fellow left-wingers John McDonnell and Dianne Abbott my support.

Andy Burnham has been a personable, able and adequate minister.   He has attractive personal qualities that could win votes. This exchange that I had with him in January makes it impossible for me to support him. The Nursing Times reported: -

“Was the threat of 65,000 British swine flu deaths an unscientific exaggeration that has cost the country dearly, not only financially but in terms of stress and distorted NHS priorities?” Paul Flynn asked.

Mr. Burnham defended the government’s response, saying: “We had to take every possible step to keep the country safe through what was declared a world health pandemic, not by this government but by the World Health Organisation.

 “There were understandably high levels of public concern, and I make no apology for making all the necessary preparations to keep the public safe through that. We have come through the pandemic because of the strength of the plans and preparations that this Government put in place.”

That answer was bunkum, as my report next month to the Council of Europe will prove.

Ed Balls have been an impressive minister. His speech to the NUT conference was a tour de force of persuasive idealism.     He is a fine politician. Far less impressive was has rambling, cliché-stuffed presentation of his leadership bid. It was repetitive and did not include one memorable phrase. Is he serious this time or is he just putting down a marker for a shadow cabinet place? I will not be nominating him but I look forward to his work in defenestrating the Coalition’s policies.

Then there are the two Milibands. Both are brilliant and charismatic. Either would do. Ed has impressed on energy.   He has been responsive and flexible especially in his acceptance of Alan Simpson’s crusade on feed-in tariffs.  At a deep level he is disturbed at the threat of global warming. Unfortunately he has yet to understand the false dawn of new nuclear. Ed wrote the little read and greatly under-valued Labour manifesto this year. It proved the far-sighted quality of his thinking across the broad horizon of all policies.  He would make a splendid Leader.

His brother David has been our best Foreign Secretary since Robin Cooke. My constant campaigning against the disaster of the Afghan war has brought me into frequents public and private clashes with him.

Not   from David did I hear the facile mantras of other frontbenchers of all parties. He listened, understood and responded to intelligent argument.  It would have been impossible for him to accept all my arguments without giving up his job. But in one moment of frankness, he said that I would be surprised of how many of my arguments he supported.

Both Ed and David have high political intelligence and dexterity that could re-shape Labour into an acceptable 21^st century party that retains the idealism of Classic Labour.

My name will be published tomorrow on one of the lists of nominations. 

Right answers to wrong questions

Total of British Soldiers killed in Afghanistan = 286 

Most of the candidates for the Labour Leadership are splendid answers to the wrong questions.

The correct questions is who will best revive our party in the next five years and present the most persuasive case in the television debates in 2015?

Many good friends and comrades have contacted me urging that I repeat the nomination I gave to John McDonnell when he tried to stand against Gordon Brown.   That was a tactical move to give party members the same choice that we MPs had. It failed. John could not attract enough nominations. He stood without the declared support of the Campaign group. A sensible assessment would have been that Michael Meacher had a better chance of being nominated. John is a courageous backbencher with many admirable qualities. But he is not a potential winning party leader.

 

He has disappointed in his campaign this time. His bellyaching about a ‘stitch-up’ is an attempt to get his excuse in first when he, sadly but inevitably fails to get sufficient nominations. Dianne Abbott is talented and fearless.   She represents a range of party interests.  Attacks from the Left have mentioned her choice of school.  Sadly her presentation for this job is not serious.  It is a woeful embittered litany of past complaints about wounds suffered at the hands of New Labour.  Both John and Dianne are raking over the ashes of internal fires that are long dead. The coming public debate should showcase the best of fresh Labour not a self-indulgent crucifying replay of rows we have loved.  I will not be nominating anyone for more self-lacerating wounds

Nor am I inclined to decide on the basis of Iraq War votes. I voted against and believe that it was Labour’s foulest hour. But there were many who voted in favour, wrongly but in good faith. The issue damaged us in the 2005 election but hardly surfaced in 2010.  Candidates must offer more than retrospective virtue.

They must present a plausible alternative to the flaccid ConDem years. By 2015 the Coalition’s Pantomime Horse will have deposited an odious mound of droppings.  We can use these years to rebuild the public’s trust. Our opposition should be measured and not peevish.   We need a leader of high political intelligence and dexterity. 

We have a splendid group from which to choose.

Lembit's Lament

Lembit repeated on Sky Television today his bleat that 'no-one forecast' that he would lose his seat in Montgomery. Short memory, Lembit. He took me to task for writing this in my book 'The Unusual Suspect' published on March 1st.  

"He is suffering the fate of all devoted parliamentary jokers and media tarts. It’s entertaining to see him yelping and cavorting.  He boldly flouted the law on his motorised pogo stick. But the joke was on Lembit. While he was parading outside a party conference on his Segway, he was accused of neglecting his duties in a debate inside.

It’s on with the motley again for Lembit. He can take pride in his status as a valued Commons character. But he has sabotaged his own gravitas. He adds colour to the accepted grey persona of MPs. But his Montgomery constituents may punish him in the ballot box."