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Archive for August, 2011

Life, love and loyalty: in defence of nepotism

06/08/2011, 11:00:13 AM

by Michael Merrick

Relationships are a good thing. Even disciples of Hobbes and Rousseau will admit as much. The social sphere is, by its very nature, social. That is, it depends on relationships. And the more vibrant and diverse the relationships, the more vibrant and diverse the social sphere.

The more positive and virtuous those relationships, the more positive and virtuous the social sphere. This means that any resurrection of the social sphere as a safe and positive place of interaction (which includes economic interaction) must in some sense build upon an appraisal of the relationships we share with one another.

Nepotism is an important part of this drama.

Yet whenever the issue is discussed, particularly by those who place themselves on the left of the political spectrum, we are given naught but murky tales of powerful upper-class types jealously seeking to protect their social and professional circles from penetration by working-class oiks, often by treacherously bestowing opportunity and privilege solely upon their unworthy and less than capable nice-but-dim nephews and nieces.

Understandably enough we consider this an injustice. We shout loudly, we hold our banners and hone our slogans, we turn the pursuit into one of universal social justice for the working classes and wrench up the rhetoric against these evil nepotistic enemies of the people.

And in so doing, we get it entirely wrong. We get our accounts of human relationships wrong, we get our account of society wrong, and we get our account of nepotism itself wrong. We deny what is good and to be cherished in human relationships, in preference of a cold atomism only possible within a sanitised concept of the social sphere.

For nepotism is the natural by-product of healthy relationships. It is the urge and instinct toward fraternity. It is the outward manifestation of solidarity, the mortar that binds society together as a complex construction of personal and social relationships. It is the external expression of love and loyalty, the social and filial fulfilment of duty and responsibility. It spreads opportunity horizontally and vertically and it strengthens bonds of friendship, family and community.

Camaraderie spreads through it, comradeship flourishes within it, solidarity courses through its veins. (more…)

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Saturday News Review

06/08/2011, 06:54:06 AM

AAA over

The credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s has stripped the US of its top-notch AAA credit rating, downgrading it to AA+ and warning of further future downgrades because of political and economic uncertainty. The humbling downgrade of the world’s economic superpower came late on Friday night, after news surfaced of a furious rearguard attempt by the White House to convince S&P that its figures were faulty. Remarkably, there was no immediate reaction from the White House after the downgrade was made public. But the Treasury attacked S&P’s calculations, saying: “A judgment flawed by a $2tn error speaks for itself”. The justification used by S&P – blaming the dysfunctional US political system for being unable to make significant fiscal reform – will set off another debate about US government spending and the shambolic process to raise the debt ceiling that ended earlier in the week. In particular, the news may force Republicans in Congress to reconsider measures to raise revenue – and strengthens President Obama’s hand in any plans to allow the Bush-era tax cuts to expire, raising an additional $3tn over the next decade. – the Guardian

Credit ratings agency Standard and Poor’s said early on Saturday morning they had downgraded the country from its top AAA rating to AA+. The loss of the rating could reignite panic on the markets as traders worry that the world’s biggest economy may be leading the way back into recession. Markets around the globe suffered huge falls this week, but the US Dow Jones ended higher on Friday after better-than-expected jobs growth figures. In London, the FTSE 100 index of leading UK shares closed the day at 5246.99, down 146 points or 2.71%. More than £148bn has been wiped off the FTSE’s value since trading opened on Monday – a plunge of 568.2 points or 10.15% – caused by the eurozone debt crisis and fears the economy is stalling. In other European markets, Germany’s DAX ended Friday down 2.8% and the CAC in France fell 1.2%. Italy was 1.7% lower and Spain dipped by 0.2%. – Sky News

Dave, Nick and George stay on holiday as markets crumble

Stock markets around the globe may be in crisis but the three most senior politicians in the UK are away on holiday. Foreign Secretary William Hague yesterday insisted the Government was still “fully functioning” as he chaired an urgent meeting in central London on the economic crisis. Mr Hague is the most senior Cabinet minister remaining in the UK, while the Prime Minister David Cameron holidays in Tuscany, Chancellor George Osborne is in the United States, and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is in France. Unlike in previous crises, there was “a gaping hole where British leadership should be” with the UK Government “absent from the global economic debate at this critical time”, said Ed Balls. – Belfast Telegraph

May overrules Cam on Met chief

David Cameron wanted a former American “supercop” to become Metropolitan Police Commissioner but was overruled by Theresa May, the Home Secretary, The Daily Telegraph can disclose. The move followed the resignation of Sir Paul Stephenson, the head of Scotland Yard, last month amid the phone hacking scandal. It is understood that Downing Street informally sounded out Bill Bratton, the former New York and Los Angeles police chief, to see if he would be interested in taking the country’s most senior policing job. But Mrs May was uncomfortable with the idea, which would have ripped up the centuries-old tradition of British citizens serving in the police. Any immediate move was effectively blocked when an advertisement for the post was issued by the Home Office that specified that “applicants must be British citizens”. – Daily Telegraph

Borrow books from your supermarket

Shoppers may soon be choosing their library books alongside baked beans and tea bags. Supermarkets are being invited to offer any spare room to public libraries in an attempt to save money and attract more borrowers. The proposal is included in a blueprint of ideas to help libraries survive, unveiled today by the Local Government Association and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. Bradford Council is already set to try self-service “book-borrowing points” in shops across the city for people use. Some libraries could be moved into retail stores with excess space. Another option is to run libraries in partnership with the private sector, charities and other councils. – Daily Express

Cam’s links to Bombardier rival

One of David Cameron’s top advisers was yesterday accused of helping Bombardier’s rival win the Thameslink rail contract. Michael Queen is among the Prime Minister’s cosy inner circle of economic experts. But he is also chief of Europe’s biggest buyout firm 3i group, which was involved in German firm Siemens securing the £1.4billion deal to build carriages for the Brighton to Bedford line. The decision was a devastating blow to Bombardier and triggered the loss of 1,400 jobs – with thousands more at risk. It also emerged yesterday the chairman of 3i is Sir Adrian Montague, once dubbed the “government’s favourite fixer”, who is close to the Coalition too. The revelations yesterday prompted MPs, union leaders and workers to demand an independent review of the whole Thameslink tendering process. – Daily Mirror

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Friday caption contest: #wheresthegovernment special

05/08/2011, 09:56:09 AM

HT to the great @johnprescott

UPDATE: JP will be picking his favourite caption and the winner will receive a signed copy of his book. You’ve got until Saturday evening to get your efforts in…

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The shadcab mini-makeover – It’s not just the party’s policies that are getting refreshed

05/08/2011, 08:00:40 AM

by Atul Hatwal

Step back Gok Wan. Take a break Trinny and Susannah. Competition is on the way.

Although the identity of the new makeover maestro remains secret, what we do know is that they work with the Labour party and they are operating at the highest levels.

A few weeks ago the news section of the Labour Party website got a facelift. But it wasn’t just the site that changed its look. At the same time, a small number of the file photos of Labour’s top team were also miraculously transformed.

Amongst the lucky few, the leader of the Labour Party went through a metamorphosis.

Before the change, Ed Miliband’s manic grin and staring eyes were reminiscent of a crazed teddy bear. The composition of the picture and the stark white background made it look like something from a school year book:

“Ed Miliband, student most likely to join the U.S. postal service”

What a difference a simple snap makes.

In the new picture the grin is gone, the colours are more sobre and the little dab of white in his hair is in shot to lend gravitas. And then there’s the expression. He’s looking the viewer knowingly in eye, measured and focused. It’s an expression that’s strangely familiar.

Ah yes – Blue Steel. (more…)

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Friday News Review

05/08/2011, 06:18:45 AM

World markets in turmoil

Markets around the world have tumbled as fresh fears over the eurozone and US debt grip investors. America’s Dow Jones index closed down more than 4%, while the Asian markets also suffered massive losses on Friday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index lost 3.4%, South Korea 4.2%, and Australia tumbled 2.4%. Almost £50bn was wiped off the value of the FTSE on Thursday, with the listing for the UK’s top 100 companies closing at 5393, down 191 points or 3.43%, taking £49.8bn from its value. It is the biggest fall on the FTSE for more than two years. Since last Friday morning, £124.97bn, or 8.17%, has been wiped off the value of the FTSE 100. – Sky News

Eurozone countries are failing to stop the “contagion” of the debt crisis, the President of the European Commission warned yesterday. José Manuel Barroso’s warning came as stock markets plunged around the world amid growing fears of another global recession. Mr Barroso called for an emergency strengthening of Europe’s bail-out mechanism. He said he had “deep concerns” about the faltering Spanish and Italian economies. The stark message was delivered as the FTSE 100 suffered a 3.43pc fall, its biggest since the height of the banking crisis in March 2009. In the past five days, investors have lost a total of £125bn. The doubts spread to America as the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 4.3pc to its lowest point since December 1 2008. – Daily Telegraph

Lib Dems: ‘decriminalise all drugs’

Liberal Democrats are expected to call for an independent inquiry into the decriminalisation of possession of all drugs. A motion to be put at the party’s annual conference next month is likely to be passed, officials said. It would be the first government-sponsored inquiry into decriminalisation, but is unlikely to have the support of David Cameron who has hardened his approach to drugs after being a past advocate of more liberal legislation as a member of the home affairs select committee. Ministerial sources point out that the government published a review of drugs strategy in 2010 and does not yet see any need for a rethink. Senior Liberal Democrats believe Cameron and the home secretary, Theresa May, could be persuaded to hold an open-minded inquiry into a controversy which divides public, political and medical opinion. The inquiry, the Liberal Democrats said, would look at reforms in Portugal which are said to have reduced problematic drug use through decriminalisation for personal use and investing in treatment centres. – the Guardian

The Liberal democrats are to call for the decriminalisation of all drugs, including heroin and cocaine, to be considered urgently by the Coalition Government in an effort to cut levels of addiction. The party’s conference is preparing to back demands for Britain’s “harmful” and “ineffective” drug laws dating back 40 years to be swept away and replaced with an entirely new strategy for tackling drug use. Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, who has previously supported drug decriminalisation, is understood to be relaxed about his party committing itself to such a contentious policy proposal. But it would be bound to provoke tensions with the party’s Conservative coalition partners, who strongly oppose reform of drugs laws. – the Independent

The coalition’s new 45p tax rate

David Cameron and George Osborne are considering emergency plans to slash the top rate of income tax from 50p to 45p in the pound, according to reports. However, Downing Street and the Treasury last night both strongly denied the claims. But the idea added to growing speculation about how the Government planned to improve sluggish growth figures. Any such plan would cause major friction with the Tories’ Liberal Democrat partners and be seen as a direct challenge to Business Secretary Vince Cable. Danny Alexander, the Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has already dismissed the idea of cutting the 50p rate as “in cloud cuckoo land”. But it was suggested that cutting the top rate to 45p would cost the Chancellor no more than £750 million a year. Treasury analysis shows that Labour’s decision to raise the rate to 50p for those earning £150,000 a year or more has generated up to £2.4 billion a year. – Daily Telegraph

Councils told to sell the family silver

Town halls are being urged to sell billions of pounds’ worth of assets – including clubs, sports stadiums and bingo halls – to protect front-line services. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has asked councils to take a ‘good hard look’ at their extensive land and property portfolios in order to save taxpayers money. His department has located 180,000 assets, worth an estimated £385billion, owned by 600 public bodies – including 87 councils. Researchers found that these organisations own or lease properties to six horse-riding stables, more than 20 sports grounds, dozens of hotels and theatres, about 100 golf courses and a similar number of pubs. Mr Pickles has estimated that selling off some of these assets, or using them more efficiently, could save the taxpayer as much as £35billion over ten years. – Daily Mail

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Will the right face its 1989 moment?

04/08/2011, 02:00:36 PM

by James Watkins

1989 was a bombshell for many people on the left. Any hopes that a communist utopia would flourish went up in a puff of smoke when the peoples of eastern Europe turned against their governments.

In Britain, the impact of 1989 was profound. The Communist party went into freefall, various factions split into further factions, Marxism Today went off the shelves and a further spur was given to the changes in the Labour party.

So why has there not been a “1989 moment” for the right? For in 2008, the confidence in laissez-faire markets should have gone up in a puff of smoke when the markets failed – and the only thing that held economies together was the intervention of the nation states.

The 2008 moment went against everything that Friedman, Hayek and other free market thinkers had been advocating. This was clear, conclusive evidence that rolling back the state and giving free rein to markets does not lead to a natural equilibrium in the economy. Former US federal reserve chairman, Alan Greenspan, said he was “surprised” by this. One former Tory Parliamentary candidate told me at the time that if free markets led to the collapse of all the banks and the mess that this would lead to, then so be it. This was the confused and muddled state the right was in back in 2008. (more…)

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More members alone won’t pay the bills

04/08/2011, 08:00:11 AM

by Peter Watt

I feel the need to return to a favourite topic of mine – the funding of the Labour party. Why? Well because this week has seen two developments. First, the publication of the party accounts for the year ending December 2010. And second, the announcement that Charles Allen, former ITV chief executive, has been asked by Ed Miliband to lead a commercial and management review of the party.

Taking the accounts first. At face value the accounts are a mixed bag. On the one hand, they show just how fragile the party’s finances are with a balance sheet showing a deficit of almost £7.5 million. For the financially illiterate, that means we owe a lot more than we have. The reason that we are still solvent is that we are able to meet these obligations as they become due by making sure that we have enough cash year-on-year.

On the other hand there is clearly real improvement in the overall year-on-year position. Sound financial management, some purchasing of property and a sensible strategy of rescheduling debt has ensured healthy surpluses in the last few years. Ray Collins, Roy Kennedy and the Victoria street team should take huge credit for ensuring that the balance sheet improved from a deficit of over £27 million in 2005, in the aftermath of that year’s general election, to the 2010 position.

One contractual consequence of the debt rescheduling, is that the party has to pay off at least £2 million of debt every year. This enforced discipline lead to a policy of “if we don’t have it we can’t spend it” at the 2010 election. The result was, incredibly, that in an election year we reduced party debt. At this rate, the party will have a balanced balance sheet in the next couple of years. (more…)

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Thursday News Review

04/08/2011, 06:53:23 AM

The most transparent Government ever

A series of changes to ease the rules for freedom of information requests are to be examined as part of a public consultation designed to open up Whitehall. Fees could be changed and a time limit, which means that departments can refuse requests if they take more than 18 hours to process, could be relaxed under government proposals in a consultation document. Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, will launch the document as he pledges to deliver “the most ambitious open data agenda of any government in the world”. – the Guardian

Thousands of pieces of information about public services, from warnings of delays on the railways to details of jobs landed by new graduates, will be thrown open to scrutiny under plans for a “transparency revolution” announced today by the Government. Plans have also been announced to publish data from schools, the National Health Service and the courts. Ministers hope that software developers and individuals will create phone ‘apps’ to make the information accessible and relevant to the public. But Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, last night declared he wanted to go much further and bring vast new swathes of previously confidential information into the open. – the Independent

Parliament to consider capital punishment

MPs face being forced into a landmark vote on restoring the death penalty. Capital punishment is expected to be the first subject debated by Parliament under an e-petitions scheme. The initiative allows the public to help set the government agenda and means anyone can set up an internet petition on any subject. If it attracts more than 100,000 signatures, MPs must consider debating it in the Commons. The scheme is officially launched today, but it has already backfired on the Coalition because Right-wing internet bloggers have been collecting signatures for the last few days. The restoration of hanging for the murderers of children and policemen is by far the most popular serious issue. Commons leader Sir George Young – writing in today’s Daily Mail – says Westminster cannot ignore this popular groundswell. The intervention of Sir George, who is overseeing the e-petition scheme, paves the way for the first Commons vote on capital punishment since 1998. The last hangings in Britain were in 1964. – Daily Mail

MPs must not shy away from debating the restoration of capital punishment if a groundswell of voters backs a petition demanding it, the Commons leader has said. Sir George Young warned that it would damage democracy to ignore strong opinions among members of the public “or pretend that their views do not exist”. He spoke out ahead of the publication on Thursday of the first submissions to a new e-petitions scheme which could see the most popular appeals discussed in parliament. Among the most prominent is one calling for legislation allowing child killers and those who murder police officers to face execution. It has been presented by Paul Staines, who writes the libertarian Guido Fawkes blog, and has already been backed by several MPs. If it is signed by the required 100,000 supporters or more, then the cross-party backbench business committee will decide whether it will be debated. Tory MP Priti Patel said such a debate was long overdue and that she favoured restoring capital punishment “for the most serious and significant crimes” – a position echoed by party colleague Andrew Turner. – the Guardian

MPs warn against defence cuts

Those in Westminster are fond of describing this or that report from a select committee as “damning” in its criticism of government policy. On this occasion, it’s deserved because the defence committee has essentially driven a coach and horses through the coalition’s defence of the Strategic Defence and Security Review. Maligned since its birth as driven more by cuts than capabilities, the Government has invested a huge amount of political capital in sticking firm to the controversial decisions made in last autumn’s review. The cuts will not affect our ability to defend ourselves and others, ministers claimed. Not so, says the committee. It claims that post-2015 the Armed Forces will not be able to do all that is required of them, and there is mounting concern that they are already over-stretched. The committee say uncertainty as to funding post-2015 combined with commitment to the Libyan campaign means a promised real-terms increase in the MoD’s budget is “government aspiration, not government policy”. Even the PM gets it in the neck. His assurance of “full spectrum” defence capability is dismissed. – Sky News

Who has the biggest twitter ‘klout’?

Labour MP Tom Watson, who used Twitter prolifically to raise questions over allegations of phone hacking at News International, scored highest for influence out of the members who use the social networking site. Watson scored a high 78 for Klout in a measure of online influence ranging from 1 to 100. The size of the following is just one small factor in the equation. Twitter users are also marked according to a range of variables including how well they engage with their followers, how influential their own followers are and how far their messages reach. Second to Watson was Conservative MP Louise Mensch, who also used Twitter to discuss the culture select committee hearing that took evidence from Rupert Murdoch and his son James. She scored 76, putting her ahead of Foreign Secretary William Hague (67), Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg (60) and Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt (59). But the scores, calculated by Klout, do not reflect political power. While US President Barack Obama has a Klout score of 89, teen singer Justin Bieber scored a perfect 100. – Daily Telegraph

Labour’s financial turmoil

They were the rich businessmen who secretly backed Labour to the tune of millions of pounds. But now seven of the 12 are demanding their multi-million-pound loans back – meaning that Ed Miliband faces a major financial crisis. The donors are led by Chai Patel, the founder of the Priory Clinic, where drug and drink-addled celebrities such as the late Amy Winehouse received treatment. This pulling of the financial rug from the Party couldn’t come at a worse time. It means that Miliband will be forced (yet again) to depend on the trade unions whose votes so controversially gave him the Labour leadership in the first place. Indeed, figures published last month by the Electoral Commission graphically illustrate how much Labour — and ‘Red Ed’ (a nickname he so hates) — is in hock to unions who provide 85 per cent of the Party’s funds. – Daily Mail

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USA: checks and balances in the age of chaos

03/08/2011, 09:47:33 AM

by Jonathan Todd

“I don’t want to talk to anyone about anything right now,” she exploded. With tears in her eyes, she retreated to a back room.

This was how the Democratic congresswoman Barbara Jordan, an eloquent contributor to the committee that voted to impeach President Nixon, reacted to a request for comment immediately after the vote. This request came from Michael Sandel, later a distinguished philosopher, then a newspaper intern.

Sandel recalled this encounter when the House began impeachment proceedings against President Clinton in 1998. While Barbara Jordan’s explosion demonstrated that even Democrats opposed to Nixon recognised the magnitude of impeachment, partisan passions against Clinton overrode any such recognition on the part of many Republicans 24 years later. 13 years hence, and the trends evidenced by the contrasting attitudes of Democrats to Nixon and Republicans to Clinton have hardly dissipated.

Many Republicans today would throw a tea party on the White House lawn, rather than discretely sob, if president Obama were impeached. This is in spite of the fact that impeachment should only properly occur when the constitutional system is seriously threatened. No matter that such a threat is inherently a matter of national tribulation; glee could be expected from those who seem consumed only by tribalism. The “Nazi Socialist Communist Muslim” would have got his comeuppance. (more…)

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Wednesday News Review

03/08/2011, 07:00:28 AM

Forces “capability gap” revealed by minister

Armed forces minister Nick Harvey has admitted that the armed forces face “capability gaps” in the medium term due to stringent cuts. His remarks came after Defence Secretary Liam Fox denied that cuts to the armed forces would lessen Britain’s influence in the world. The Defence Select Committee warned that politicians risked “failing” the military. In a blow to David Cameron, the committee said it rejected the Prime Minister’s assurance that Britain retained a “full spectrum” defence capability. Committee Chair James Arbuthnot said that there were “real worries” that cuts jeopardise Britain’s international influence, and claimed that Coalition plans were not in line with promises made in opposition to “bring our resources in line with our commitments”. Dr Fox said that the cuts were necessary to ensure future investment. – PoliticsHome

The cuts also jeopardise national security and reduce the country’s international influence, they say. The loss of aircraft carriers, planes and 30,000 front-line troops has meant the Armed Forces are struggling to do “all that is asked of them”, a critical report finds. There is “mounting concern” that the military has fallen below the “minimum utility” needed to conduct present and future operations, says the defence select committee. The MPs suggest that the Government sacrificed national security to make savings. In a personal attack on David Cameron, they dispute the Prime Minister’s claim that the military could still carry out the “full spectrum” of warfare after last year’s defence review. – the Telegraph

It remains unclear as to how the SDSR’s seven military tasks and the Defence Planning Assumptions that underpin them can be aligned with decisions such as those on the Aircraft Carriers and Nimrod MRA . Quite clearly the need for savings over-rode the capability requirements of the Armed Forces. The justification, with some reason, was that our primary strategic security threat is the need to deliver the financial security of our country –without fixing the deficit we wouldn’t have a country worth saving. Nevertheless, notwithstanding the tough decisions made in the SDSR, if we are not to be cut short we need to see greater clarity on how the gap will be filled in the next spending period and how the capabilities recently lost will be regenerated. – ConservativeHome

Ed goes to war

Ed Miliband is facing a tense battle with trade union leaders after tabling plans to lessen their influence within the Labour party, by reducing their voting power at party conference to below 50% and diluting their sway over leadership elections. The move, revealed to the Guardian by union sources, is part of a plan to democratise the party and make union general secretaries more accountable. It will face stiff opposition because unions see it as an attempt to weaken their historic links to Labour. Discussions about the proposals, part of the Refounding Labour project, will come to a head in the next month before the annual party conference opens in Liverpool on 25 September. The plans are likely to especially rankle with unions since it was their support that helped the younger Miliband defeat his brother David in the Labour leadership election. Miliband has told the unions that he is not going to back down on his plans to make the party more democratic, and maintains that to do so will require changes to Labour’s internal democracy and the role that unions play. – the Guardian

The Labour leader is expected to deliver an ultimatum to union general secretaries, telling them they will have less sway in leadership elections and at the party conference. The move is part of Mr Miliband’s drive to make the party more democratic and union leaders more accountable, and will come to a head at the Party conference next month. However, it is likely to be met with fierce opposition from the unions who will see it as an attempt to diminish their historic links to the party. It will also be seen as a betrayal as it was the unions that secured Mr Miliband’s victory over his brother David in the Labour leadership race. Under the plans, union leaders would have their voting power at the Labour conference cut down to less than 50 per cent. – the Telegraph

Watson – the man, the myth, the legend

A month ago, Tom Watson received word that the Guardian was about to expose the hacking of Milly Dowler’s phone by the News of the World. With 72 hours to go, he cleared his diary; a few days later, he was averaging three hours sleep a night, as he and his staff picked through leaked documents, newspaper archives, personal testimony from phone-hacking victims, and more. As the MP who had been obsessively trying to cut through the murk surrounding News International for two years, he well knew that the most dramatic chapter in the two-year phone-hacking saga had arrived – and the imperative now was to work harder than ever. So how have the last few weeks been? “Sleep-deprived, totally crazy,” he says, sitting in his parliamentary office during what seems to be a rare moment of calm. “But also, there’s been a great sense of relief. I think I said something to David Cameron about a month before: that there were powerful forces trying to cover this story up. At some points over the last two years, I thought it might blow. But I’ve also thought that the lid could be welded back on. But when Nick Davies broke the Milly Dowler story, that was the point where I knew they’d never get the lid back on.” – the Guardian