Blair Legacy Update Update (Respect Agenda Commemoration Special)

Well, it was fun while it lasted.  Louise 'I'm the Respect Czar and I'll get totally pissed if I want to' Casey and her Blairite crew have been disbanded after it someone realised it was all tabloid-headline-grabbing bullshit:

Ms Casey, who was regarded highly by Mr Blair as a “can do” official, has been commissioned to carry out a cross-departmental review on how best to engage communities in the fight against crime.

That's a pretty tough punishment for being regarded highly by Blair.

Via the Magistrate's Blog

Brown's strategy chief

Brown's strategy chief 'misled media' on shares

"The man appointed to Downing Street by Gordon Brown to improve the running of government and help restore Labour's flagging fortunes allegedly 'misled' the media and 'issued false statements' that helped to inflate artificially the share price of a massively indebted telecoms company, according to court documents filed in the United States."

"Carter was asked by his customer marketing director, Charles Darley: 'How can you ... persuade investors to believe that NTL is going to be OK when you know it isn't? According to Darley's recollection, quoted in the lawsuit, Carter allegedly replied: 'What I tell them is nine-tenths bullshit and one-tenth selected facts.' "

Used to work for ntl during

Used to work for ntl during his time and he had the reputation for head-in-clouds top-down management and preferring the company of big wigs and politicians to grubby little working people.  You can see why he was picked, really.

On the other hand, the problems at ntl pre-dated him by some way.  This was, of course, in the Observer, last bastion of Blairism.  There's a story bigging Tony up for the EU presidency opposite the Carter one, of course.  Bless 'em, they don't give up, do they?
 

Brian Haw assaulted and

Brian Haw assaulted and arrested during SOCPA demonstration:

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/01/389308.html

 

This happened on Saturday. Why haven't you Blairwatchers posted anything?

 

Because we hadn't heard

Because we hadn't heard about it - thanks for that.  Not remotely surprised though, after getting close to the TSG at the Lebanon demo (oddly enough by having to hang at the back of the crowd) - the TSG marched into Parliament Square, stood there looking fascist for a bit and then marched out.  Not what I call policemen, really - they're clearly intended as a paramilitary thug squad to intimidate people.

You can see the TSG in

You can see the TSG in action on the youtube video of Saturday's protest:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDY8mjWoiSA