Liberal Burblings

A level-headed statement from Dr Ken Ritchie, Chief Executive of the Eletoral Reform Society:

The Electoral Reform Society has welcomed Gordon Brown’s move to legislate for a referendum on the Alternative Vote. 

The Society’s Chief Executive Dr Ken Ritchie said:

“The referendum the PM proposes would give us, the voters, a chance to move to a better voting system for the House of Commons, and we urge MPs of all parties to give this measure their support.
 
“The default setting for reformers is often to damn any reform on the table with feint praise. But a change to the Alternative Vote represents a real improvement in our voting system and any improvement is worth having.

“Voting Reform isn’t going to drop fully formed into our laps because politicians suddenly see the light. AV is not a final destination for British politics, but the proposed referendum is a real stepping stone we have to see delivered in this parliament.

“We do regret that after more than 12 years in office that we’ve reached this stage with only a few weeks of parliamentary time available before the next general election. But it is more than possible for this legislation to be passed before the election if the political will is there. We urge both the Government and the opposition parties to do everything in their power to ensure that this legislation is passed in the coming weeks.

“This referendum could have real symbolic importance in restoring confidence in politics. The expenses scandals of 2009 have dented faith in Westminster and it is important that MPs, before they seek re-election, realise the necessity of a move to a system of politics in which MPs have stronger democratic mandates and greater accountability to those who elected them.“

On Radio Four’s PM tonight (which will be available here sooner or later), Ed Davey made an extremely strong condemnation of Jack Straw visa vis the Iraq Enquiry, culminating in a call for Straw to resign. The Liberal Democrat website has more:

Straw’s breach of ministerial code must be considered by Cabinet Secretary says Davey

“He has tried to hoodwink the Cabinet, Parliament and the British people in his cover-up,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary.

Commenting on today’s appearance by Jack Straw at the Iraq Inquiry, Edward Davey said:

“Jack Straw has failed yet again to explain or apologise for his actions as Foreign Secretary in the run-up to the Iraq War.

“He showed no contrition for misleading Parliament over the nature of the legal advice. Nor did he show any regret for conspiring to prevent the Cabinet from seeing that advice, in contravention of the Ministerial Code.

“He has tried to hoodwink the Cabinet, Parliament and the British people in his cover-up.

“How can any judge or lawyer, let alone the British people, have confidence in the minister in charge of our legal system when he has apparently shown such reckless disregard for such sensitive matters?

“It is time for Jack Straw to consider his position as Secretary of State for Justice. He has breached the Ministerial Code and his case must now be considered by the Cabinet Secretary.”

It really is incredible that Iain Duncan-Smith is not being questioned by the Iraq Enquiry. Similarly, William Hague and Michael Ancram should also be questioned.

Duncan-Smith was the leader of the Tories when they supported the war. Hague and Ancram were the appropriate frontbenchers. One of the things which Blair has to back up his judgment on the invasion, is that Her Majesty’s Opposition, the Tories, supported his decision. And they had access to background information on Privy Council terms.

So why, oh why, oh why, isn’t IDS being brought to explain what he knew, when he knew it, what questions he asked, why he supported the war, whether he has misgivings about his decision etc etc. As Martin Kettle observes:

Why, above all, did they make the same mistakes and errors as Labour and why did they press Labour to make them in turn?

It really is a scandal that his name does not appear on the list of witnesses to be called.

There’s an outbreak of crying amongst New Labour. It almost seems to be a co-ordinated strategy.

Yesterday, advised by Alastair Campbell, Gordon Brown recorded an interview with Piers Morgan which will be shown next Sunday. Apparently he (Brown) is tearful as he talks about the death of his baby daughter and his son’s cystic fibrosis.He hasn’t talked about his children before. Cameron has done it a lot. I admire Brown for finally doing this. It’s not an easy decision to take, but I suspect it will tell the British public a great deal about their Prime Minister, as a person. (The “crocodile tears” in the title of this post do not refer to Brown, I hasten to add).

Also this morning we had Alastair Campbell sort of breaking down on Andrew Marr. It was a complete act. It was a sort of pram-rattle ejection moment. OK, both Campbell and Blair were stupid enough to take us into war. They believe they did what they thought was right, and still do. OK. But, it was a disastrous mis-judgment and the scandal is that they more-or-less by-passed the cabinet and gilded a whole series of lillies to lead the Commons by the nose to support war. It’s not as if there weren’t red flags raised well before the decision was made. The biggest demonstration ever in London. So it wasn’t as if Blair wasn’t given pause to reconsider. He says “I had to decide”. Rubbish. There are millions of people in this country and we have vast democratic mechanisms, much of which was telling him “DON’T GO TO WAR”. (But of course, Blair can point to the main opposition, the Conservatives, who supported the war. So when is Iain Duncan-Smith appearing before the Iraq Enquiry? He led the Conservatives then)

I thought Andrew Marr was quite right to continue pursuing Campbell even after his silly prima donna stunt. Campbell didn’t have to come onto Sunday AM and he was selling a novel, so if he got pushed on Iraq, it’s his own stupid fault.

I was very sad to hear of the death of Ian Carmichael. He was a comedy hero of mine from an early age. In the various Boulting Brothers films he shone as a sort of “upper class twit” but I think that description didn’t do him justice. He was a brilliant comedy actor often providing a fantastic “trampoline” for other actors such a Terry-Thomas in “School for scoundrels” and William Hartnell (below) in “Private’s Progress”. Later he was Bertie Wooster on BBC TV’s “The World of Wooster” opposite the Jeeves’ of Dennis Price. I emphasise the “was” because in my mind Wooster is forever as he was portrayed by Carmichael. It is impossible to imagine anyone better fitting the Bertie Wooster character. (Indeed, P.G.Wodehouse called Carmichael’s offering “the definitive version of Wooster”).

Ian Carmichael had Yorkshire roots and, enviably, went into semi-retirement in the Esk Valley quite early on in life. He seems to have had an idyllic semi-retirement, interspersed by numerous acting roles including, recently, a marvellous stint in “The Royal” on ITV as T.J.Middleditch.

Ian Carmichael was a fine British actor and Briton. A little bit of England has died with him. The BBC have a fine obituary of the man here.

I’m just back from a very successful Liberal Democrat South Central conference in Newbury today. There were a whole clutch of impressive speakers. It was the first time I had seen a full speech from our President, Ros Scott, and I was very impressed. Ros gave a brilliant overview of the current political scenario. I was also very impressed by Martin Tod in his speech as the donation buckets went round. He was in severe danger of enlivening those same high liberal emotions which were inpsired in me when I first heard John Pardoe MP speak from the top of his Land Rover in Bude.

This has got to be one of the most bonkers political ads ever. It’s being run by Carly (Fiorina) for California. It is based on the premise that it is good for a politician to act like a sheep. (Is it?) As well as lots of sheep, there are also pigs in the ad. And it ends with a man dressed as a wolf, dressed as a sheep. Geddit? It’s also very long. It really is far too angry as well.

Expect some retaliation.

It’s been a funny week for me, so I’ve only just got round to watching Mo on Channel Four. You can watch it here.

It really is a first class drama and a very fitting tribute to Mo Mowlam.

Julie Walters deserves a clutch of awards for her portrayal of Mowlam. She gets the voice, the shoulders, the walk, the manner – all right. That’s difficult because there are about four or five Mowlams portrayed in the film, from the svelte carefree new Redcar MP to the terminally ill patient.  But Walters conveys the depth of the emotion and passion of the woman. It really is a heart-rending tale but one which underlines the brilliance of Mowlam. What a woman! My favourite bit was when she was barracked by members of the Orange Order. She picked on one particular tough looking bruiser and asked “Do you respect the Queen?” – “Of course I do” he said. “But would she respect you?” she asked. Good question.

Gary Lewis (who was Billy Elliot’s dad, by the way) was brilliant as Mowlam’s colleague, Adam Ingram. In many ways, the film is the story of their partnership. Her – the mercurial charismatic leader, he – the loyal friend and colleague. They are chalk and cheese, but Ingram provides an essential ballast and support for Mowlam.

And Toby Jones was brilliant as Mowlam’s doctor. With very little words, he managed to convey a great deal of care and empathy for his patient. There was one fascinating bit when Mowlam enquired as to how long she might have had the tumour before it was diagnosed. She was rather surprised to learn it could have been with her for at least 20 years and therefore could have defined her personality for the large part of her adult life. So which bit of me is me, and which bit is the tumour? - she wondered. One begins that the tumour was part of the whole package of Mo Mowlam. Without the edginess provided by her illness, paradoxically, we may not have been blessed with such a brilliant politician.

Peter Robinson has to be the Houdini of British politics. A few weeks ago he had two intertwined problems (a Gordian knot) - the lack of a deal on policing and justice plus trouble over his wife’s shenanigans. It was almost impossible to see a way out for him. It looked like curtains for the political career of Peter Robinson and the prospects for the devolved Northern Ireland administration seemed dire. But then he executed the deft move of standing aside for a few weeks while work went ahead at full tilt on the deal on P&J. The step aside gave essential breathing space.

Now he’s back as First Minister and there’s a deal on P&J. He’s (sort of) in the clear (as much as its possible to be in Northern Ireland).

Extraordinary.

And the pyjamas? Well Eamonn Mallie, who knows everything about Northern Ireland, says that the P&J deal will be known as the “Pyjamas agreement” (coined by a cameraman called Tony McCann). I think it’s because “pyjamas” has a P and a J in it, and the deal involved quite a lot of late night/early morning sessions. So now you know.

Anyway, a day for rejoicing for Northern Ireland. Perhaps this is the final shoe dropping on the process which started with the Good Friday agreement. It’s been a long road and it was fitting that Channel 4 showed “Mo” last Sunday. One just has a sneaking feeling that around the late nineties, what Northern Ireland needed was a punchy woman to catalyse the whole peace process. And they certainly got one.

It’s been a pleasure over the last few years, for various reasons of business, pleasure and Liberal Democracy, to have had the opportunity to mooch around some of the British Isles’ grand cities, such as Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, London, Manchester and Liverpool. And today, I had a little time to have a looksie at Glasgow.

This fellow caught my eye just outside Glasgow’s Central Station. The Glasgow Photo Library website explains:

This memorial, outside Glasgow’s Central station, was erected in 2001 in memory of the firemen who have lost their lives in Glasgow and the West of Scotland. In particular, on May 29 1960 during the Cheapside docks fire, when 19 firemen were killed.

The statue took on a new significance in October of 2001 when more than 200 Glasgow firemen gathered at the statue in the centre of the city to pay tribute to the US firefighters who were killed in the Twin Towers catastrophe on 11 September.