Brown, Beckett and the Ascension Revolution/Resignation
In keeping with the Stalinist, contemptuous image that Gordon has been cultivating all these years, our esteemed Foreign Secretary has been repeating the mantra that there should not be a challenger to Gordon for the Labour leadership, and that we should accept the accepted wisdom of the select few at the top of the party who have decided 'more of the same' is the way forward for the Labour movement.
Mrs Beckett told the BBC it would be better if the chancellor was not distracted by a serious rival...
"To some extent, I hope not actually because I hold the view that Gordon is the person who should be the next prime minister," she said.
"I think that the good thing would be if he is able to concentrate on what that will mean and what he needs to do to help to take this country forwards to even greater success."
Have you all got that? Gordon is the only option, to even think that there is another way is treason and would result in the collapse of western civillisation as we know it at the very least! Of course, that is not a view shared by the rest of the country, but hell, what does that matter?
Margaret appears to be missing the fact that there already is a challenge, from John McDonnell, and once Michael Meacher puts his ego back in it's box and withdraws, there is a real chance that he could get the required nominations. Easily [and all too frequently] ignored as an a non runner by those in the media and Westminster, and assuming Meacher doesn't decide to take on the role of Ralph Nader, McDonnell's challenge will not be so easy to dismiss if he is part of the contest. Nor will the platform he is standing on. That is not to say I think he will, or is likely to win, but if he is on the ballot, then there might at least be some debate.
[please note, that last sentence is one of my more optimistic moments, and represents a rather vain hope rather than an assumption that the Labour party of today could have a debate, and act on the outcome of that debate instead of just doing what it is told!]
But back to our estemed Foreign Sec, without missing a beat, she goes on to make a pitch for keeping her job under Gordon's reign with the traditional call of "the king is dead, long live the king!"
Indeed Mags, with your record, how could Gordon even think of sacking you? Your clear and decisive handling of the Lebabon situation last year, your incisive understanding of the ISG report on Iraq, your frank openness on the subject of CIA gulags, your consistent and principled stance on capital punishment and your overall grasp of Foreign policy in general to pick out just a few of your 'best bits'.
And there is another little diplomatic triumph to add to her resume. Not reported in the press yet as far as I can see, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has managed to fall out with not another Foreign Power, but ourselves, in the form of one of our own overseas territories; the Ascension Islands.
In a press release [just received via email], the Islands council, who have just resigned en masse, outline the reasons for their departure. And those reasons come in a big gift wrapped box with the label F.C.O. firmly attached.
[more background when it comes in]
News travels fast on Ascension Island and as a result you are all now probably aware that the majority of Island Councillors have resigned following a visit by the FCO on the 14th and 15th of March. We feel very strongly that you as the tax paying electorate should be made aware of the circumstances leading to a decision that for all of us was not only difficult to make but disappointing in the extreme.
For three years Islanders were encouraged to believe that the ‘work camp’ mentality that governed all aspects of Ascension Island was to be a thing of the past. The very fact that the fiscal regime was changed with the introduction of tax, that an electoral roll was established and that people were given a vote led us all to certain expectations.
There is no doubt that the blow of the U-turn announcement in November 2005 caused all of us to take a step back and it was difficult to see how any sort of democratic system could continue without the introduction of basic rights. However, we had undertaken to represent the public and felt that we should at least try to achieve some headway within the constraints placed upon us by HMG.
During the FCO visit we were left in no doubt that not only were our hopes misplaced but that we had all been misled and misinformed at every step of the way.
Discussions with the head of the Overseas Territories Department confirmed that:
•The decision not to allow Right of Abode, Land Tenure, Fiscal Development or Social Development had been taken prior to our last election. In fact it was pretty much off the table as early as the beginning of 2005.
•Economic diversification and expansion will not be allowed which means that all increasing costs will have to be met by the taxpayer. As a UK Dependant Territory, Ascension Island will have to comply with various international obligations, the majority of which will have financial implications. FCO have stated no financial help will be forthcoming from the UK. Taxes would have to be raised to meet these obligations.
•Despite Lord Triesman’s claims to the contrary there is no other OT that operates under a similar model to Ascension Island. In fact when pushed the FCO could not name anywhere else in the world that purports to have this anomalous system.
•The Administrator acting alone will have the decision on housing allocation, business licence entry permits and work permits.
The majority of the above points were known by the Administrator and Governor prior to the election in 2005. Despite almost every manifesto containing aspirations contrary to this standpoint they let the election go ahead. It would have been much kinder and far more honest to have informed the island pre-election of this change in attitude and let the electorate and the candidates make much more informed choices as to where their votes should go or, if indeed, the election should go ahead.
Even the FCO realised that with the introduction of taxation the need for representation had to be addressed. However it is impossible to achieve any effective representation that does more than simply pay lip service to the term without changing the fundamental basis upon which the island is governed and run. Unfortunately for us the FCO failed to understand this basic point and have tried to force together two totally incompatible systems. The situation should not, and indeed must not, continue. Without a commitment to real change and forward movement then they should do the honorable thing and abolish the tax regime and return to ‘per capita’ charging or a similar employment contract based system. At least then no one could have any illusions as to their rights or stake in the future.
Over the last sixteen months the Council has in turn been insulted and ignored by FCO officials. Locally, it has proved impossible to move forward on many issues due to the isolationist attitude of the local FCO official. The one person who should have been facilitating dialogue between elected representatives and FCO/HMG has simply failed to even attempt to do so. The recent press release regarding the FCO visit sums the situation up more eloquently than we ever could. This release was made to the public even though the majority of Island Council had already resigned. This head in the sand mentality is exactly the sort of attitude that has led to the frustration felt by all Councillors.
In conclusion, your elected representatives have been used as pawns by HMG to legitimise a regime that is questionable, discriminatory, dishonest and unfavourable to the taxpayers of this island and we are no longer prepared to continue this exercise in futility.
Paul Bennett
Chris Cochran
Lawson Henry
Geoff Jones
Caroline Yon
March 2007
Is there anything the FCO under Beckett can't comprehensively screw up? Don't try to answer that one, it was obviously rhetorical... But can anybody spot the common thread between Turnball's analysis of Brown, Becketts absolute committment to avoiding an outbreak of democracy in the Labour Party and her departments treatment of the Acsension Islanders [see above]?
Perhaps her job would be safe under Brown after all...
Well, a coronation is a form
Well, a coronation is a form of 'stable and orderly transition', I suppose...
I wouldn't mind a contest between Brown, McDonnell, and a Blairite - but the last don't seem to have a plausible candidate, despite the efforts of Milburn, Clarke and numerous media pundits to talk one into existence. (Of course, If Milliband does rum, he'll now only be seen as a frontman/sock puppet for the Blair Party) As it is, you wouldn't want them to organise a drinks session in an eco-friendly micro-brewery now would you?
I can assure you  there
I can assure you there are thousandsof Labour members who will be doing their very very best to ensure a ballot and a vote for John McDonnell. Wish us luck ! .
I don't think that Gordon is
I don't think that Gordon is Stalinist - he has many faults, but he is not Stalin. I recall watching a documentary about the results of Stalin's agricultural and social policies. There was an old lady who had survived a Stalin induced famine. She recounted the Stalin officials who searched the hovels to check for 'hoarded' food. She said about how her mother managed to get hold of some moldy cabbage leaves. Her starving little brother managed to clamber down from the top of the wood stove where he slept. There wasn't enough food for the three children to survive, and her mother decided to give the cabbage to the older two. The little boy immediately understood this and started weeping. He was five years old. He lasted for a couple of days.
Continuing my moan from
Continuing my moan from yesterday - my recent disappointment with this site is that although the name is "Blairwatch", Blair is being let off the hook; allowed to quietly slip away. That smacks of cronyism. A site like this should be seeking to find ways of getting Blair into court over Iraq, not prognostication about the latest distracting media story of the day.
I agree entirely that John McDonnell is the only person in Nu Labour with any honour at the moment, and the one who should carry forward the hopes of the British people. The media make him look like a joke candidate, but if the people want him, the joke is on the former. However, Blair must not be allowed to slip away without answering for his criminal acts: lying into Parliament, lying to the British people, lying to the world, and being one of the most direct causes of the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. This would ultimately be good for Blair's legacy, because it is much better for him that he receives justice in this life than in the next.
I think that Margaret
I think that Margaret Beckett's ascendency to the post of foreign secretary is a beacon which should inspire us all. The fact that someone so obviously devoid of intellect, rigour, principles or indeed any mitigating talents at all can achieve such high office is a clear indication of what a fair society we are all priviledged to live in under Nu-Labour.
Sorry...I have to stop there, my cheek muscles are becoming very sore trying to hold my tongue in...
I agree with Peacewisher.
I agree with Peacewisher. There needs to be more focus on Blair, especially after reading the new information from the intelligence services.
I remember there was a campaign for impeachment but it seems dead, is there one somewhere ?
There has been, in the recent past a petition on the number 10 fool-u-fools-who-think-you-have-a-say petition website area.
There is one there now and although the government don't actually act on them something is better than nothing and it's one of those that will get the right media exposure if the numbers are high enough, sign it, tell others to sign it. Let's not let this sick little man get away with his murdering lies.
I liked ianLP59's little
I liked ianLP59's little quip about Margaret Becket - and should just like to point out that it is a direct crib of a quip made by Philip Larkin to Kingsley Amis about John Wain.
Plagiarism?
Exactly, Krippers! If John
Exactly, Krippers! If John Simpson is the strongest anti-Blair voice this country can muster we are in serious trouble! If Blair gets away with it, the next one will be worse.
Precedent: Nixon and Reagan.