How could Brown shuffle Hain back in?

kinglear

God what a depressing thought..

THX1138

Coffee House Gets a make over

http://redo.me.uk/tome7

The Commenters have taken over the asylum. Now This is citizen Journalism

George Laird

Dear All

James asks a question.

"How could Brown shuffle Hain back in?"

Given that Mandelson is the cuckoo in the nest, what difference does two make sitting in it?

Finally;

"We obviously welcome the fact that Peter Hain has been cleared in this matter".

Which Court of Law did that?

Hain wasn't cleared of anything, the CPS didn't proceed.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Les

Well, he let Mandleson back in, Nuf Said.

David

"Hain wasn't cleared of anything, the CPS didn't proceed."

You'd have thought that someone who signs of with 'The Campaign for Human Rights' would be aware of the maxim innocent until proven guilty........

Liz Brown

Corruption piled on corruption - Mandlebum back - Beckett the most useless and costly (to farmers and the taxpayer) DEFRA Minister and Foreign Office Minister, Blunkett probably and now Hain - how much longer must the Electorate put up with this - and just how much lower can Zanulab sink? It come as no surprise that the prosecution did no proceed. Add to this the disgraceful decision to kick the Green Inquiry into the long grass and then stuff it with Zanulab placemen when (if) it does convene and the similarites with Zimbabwe become more marked by the day...........

George Laird

Dear David

I stated a fact, a statement was made;

"We obviously welcome the fact that Peter Hain has been cleared in this matter".

Where was he cleared?

Do you know the difference between being cleared and the Crown not proceeding?

I am aware of the maxim of "innocent until proven guilty".

Hain admitted that he didn't declare monies within the rules and time limits.

The Crown not proceeding therefore is subjective opinion not process on their part.

Finally, you think someone who wants to pull someone up would know what he was talking about.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

John Page

Hain was spinning on The World At One that he'd been declared innocent. Another interpretation is that his set-up was so shambolic that no one can be fingered. He's also saying it was accepted that it was an innocent mistake, as if that made a difference. Altogether a pretty nauseating performance, a reminder of how aggressive and tendentious he was/is.

The Laughing Cavalier

What does one have to do to be considered unfit for high office?

Stephen Rothbart

Easy Laughing Cavalier, lying to the mortgage comp..... oh no - wait, must be offering favours for ..... hang on, hang on. Got it. Taking a bribe to exclude a certain sport from a legal ban on smok.... oh! I don't know LC. What does one have to do?

mac

Salvete, o party of purity and principle that swept away Tory sleaze in 1997. What utter, utter hypocrites Brown and his coterie are.

Mark

Even on the rather weird view of the CPS, Hain was not exactly cleared.

He ran his unsuccessful leadership campaign through Hain4Labour.

There appears to be no doubt that Hain4Labour broke the law in that the report required by paragraph 10(1) of Schedule 7 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 was not made.

Paragraph 12(1) of the same scheudle provides that failure to report is a criminal offence either by the "regulated donee" or the "responsible person" within a "members association".

Hain fits the definition of "regulated donee": a member of a registered party. And he was standing for office within a regulated party, which is something covered by the Schedule.

So the only issue seems to have been whether donations to Hain4Labour were to be treated as donations to Hain (because it was simply his campaign organisation and he was, in substance, Hain4Labour) or whether it was a "members assocaition" independent of Hain.

The CPS appear to have decided that Hain4Labour was not just Hain's agent (so that Hain was not a "regulated donee").

But the CPS also could not identify any other individualin Hain4Labour who waas in charge of donations so it was not possible to identify the "responsible person" who had committed the offence.

A pretty feeble and unconvicing exculpation and hardly an indication of fitness to run a ministry or anything similar because, if Hain could not get his campaign properly organised so as to comply with the law (assuming both that he is not to be equated with Hain4Labour and that there was no "responsible person") then how can he be expected to run a government department competently?

Jeremy

"Peter has been a great servant of the Labour party..."

Which is not the same thing as being a great servant of the country.

Jeremy

"...and has much to offer in the future."

i.e. - more of what he gave us in the past.

Do you think he dyes his hair? I think he dyes everything...

Chuck Unsworth

@ David

Mr Laird is speaking as part of "The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University". It's not clear as to whether his remit actually extends outside of the campus.

HFC

Next, Blunkett, to replace Smith? Levy, to build up the Nulab coffers?

TrevorsDen

So Hain secretly tries to buy his way into winning the Labour Party Deputy leadership contest and Brown thinks this is a pretty neat idea?

Andrew

Hmm.

Incompetent.

Careless about the legality of his actions.

Good at running up debts and expecting other people to pay them off.

Not actually elected to a leading position within the Labour Party.

Prone to spinning that black is (and always was) white.

Oh Dear.

Hain can't come back to Cabinet - the only job he's fit for is occupied by Gordon Brown.

jean baker

George Laird,

The CPS didn't proceed - following Sir Ian Blair's 'sacking'.

jean baker

George Laird - indeed, the CPS didn't proceed - following Sir Ian Blair's 'sacking'.

strapworld

Peter Hain for HOME SECRETARY.

You read it here first!

jon dee

There surely must be a vacancy in the Labour Government for someone who manifests honesty and transparency.

mac

"I suspect Hain will initially return in some kind of campaigning role."

As Agent Orange, super-strength toxicity (sleaze and cant) guaranteed.

George Laird

Dear Jean Baker

"The CPS didn't proceed - following Sir Ian Blair's 'sacking'."

That appears to me to be subjective opinion.

Can you prove that as a fact?

I would like to offer another subjective opinion to why the CPS didn't act.

Fear!

People in fear or losing their jobs or being denied promotion.

A theme I highlight is that Britain is a corrupt society.

In Damian Green, we have seen our first political arrest of an MP.

It won't be the last.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

colin Mcquade

The next time I get a speeding ticket or a parking fine, never mind commit a criminal offence, I'll try the hain refrain / defence / excuse. Do you think it'll work?

Thought not...

I'm not a member of parliament.

J H Holloway

"Peter has been a great servant of the Labour party..."

Quite right. In Brown's head there is only party and party advantage. The country can go hang.

Brown's world so revolves around this pivot, the Tories should use it as a stick to beat him.

TGF UKIP

They've finally achieved it - Harare on Thames.

And THX- Long Live the Lunatics!

Jon

Tango Man returns

Who next? Blunkett? Blair?

Scott

Is this not in Scots law what we called, just like wendy, not proven rather than not guilty.

Dick Dolby

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/betsanpowys/2008/12/red_letter_day_2.html#comment9

An amusing comment from the ever entertaining Betsan Powys Blog

James J

Colin McQuade
You write:” I'm not a member of parliament.”
Don’t you mean you are not a LABOUR Member of Parliament? I seem to remember a couple of Conservatives being imprisoned for offences that don’t normally merit a prison sentence. How many people have been imprisoned for perjury in the last ten years that had not, at some time, been a Conservative MP?