Cab for Hire: Dispatches and the Moral Collapse of the Political Class

denverthen

"I have been critical of the people around Gordon Brown, but his allies never seem to be caught out in this way"

Yeah, this will be the spin from here on in about his shambles, won't it? (I had thought better of you.)

The serving ministers fingered in this uber-scandal, including Mandelson, Harperson, Adonis and Benn, are off the hook, according to the real-time revisionary Left narrative. Ring-fence the three former Labour ministers stung by the sting and start yet another damage-limitation operation.

Sorry, Martin, old boy. Won't fly this time. The fact that these three's vanity and greed has been exposed merely speaks to the tip of the proverbial systemic Labour vanity-and-greed iceberg.

If I were you, I'd stay off your side for a wee time and wait until you (and we) get the real Labour party back. A (long) period in opposition will, in fact, hasten the coming of that happy time.

And you know that's true.

Noa Zrk

The explanation is that the Blairites are sick with despair.

Tony got out in time, has made his pile, burned his expenses claims, sold the stock cheaply. He left his chief assistant Gordon, and his mates, to shut up the shop and sell down what was left in the bargain basement.

None of which has left much for the original shop floor team. It's no wonder really that they're trying to sell what little knowledge they have whilst they can, before the store closes for good.
But wait, Labours stock is up, the Tory lead down! How can this be? Perhaps they've had a final delivery of goods on the last of the credit...

In2minds

"Why is it always the Blairites who get themselves into these messes"?

Because they are corrupt.

EC

"Why is it always the Blairites who get themselves into these messes?"

Because their natural habitat does not afford any cover!

organic cheeseboard

"I have been critical of the people around Gordon Brown" - yes, to the extent of openly endorsing the coup attempts organised by... er... Hoon and Hewitt.

Addo

ermm.... Damien McBride, Derek Draper?

Sir Graphus

Why was Byers ever regarded as someone with any promise? He always looked like a “suit full of bugger all” to me (a phrase Ben Elton coined to describe Major’s minor ministers).

Was it not Byers who was Transport Secretary when John Birt was writing Transport Policy from a laptop in No 10 and reporting directly to Blair (i.e. Byers completely bypassed; scarcely a trusted lieutenant). Meanwhile Jane Moore graced his own department looking for bad news to bury.

Bouchard

This is what you get when (since the war) you fill the Government up with under educated radical idealist incompetents playing around with politics like it was a celebrity TV bash.
Women MPs who don’t know any British political history, but know how to buy a new washing machine for the Tax payers as long as they get to test it first.
Over ambitious career MPs who are always asleep or ill for their surgeries but appear like magic when there is a few thousand smackers to be made.
Celeb cult of personality PMs who are all about Cool Britannia but didn’t do their London School of Economics Home work.
No wonder the general public ( Know as the great unwashed to the average Government Minister ) either don’t vote or can’t find anybody or anything to vote for , Enter the BMP and other fringe one issue parties to fill the vacuum, because they are reading off the same page as the average concerns of the average working man.
Michael Portillo did a poly doc about extending local government to local people on BBC, Two towns elected local candidates for these boroughs and when questioned in the street the locals ,( yes even the single parent big Mac brigade) when questioned knew who he was, asked to name their MP ? Not a single one had a clue.
My point is, who cares about this free loading mixture of career Blair/brown/Cameron uni types who make laws and pretend to represent people they don’t understand and don’t even respect and in their view are not worth the time of day except as a voting poll figure, who would much rather mess around with international politics in the morning and lobby for a new house in the country in the afternoon.
A sea change in politics and massive reform is needed every bit as much as it was in the late 19th and early 20 century to clear out these people and reform the rules as to who can and who cant qualify to be a Member of Parliament
This is the only way in which any respect will be regained for this once powerful and dedicated and respected institution amongst the people of this country.
The alternative will be a massive slide to one or all of the fringe parties with all the problems and controversies that situation will bring.

Austin Barry

"Why is it always the Blairites who get themselves into these messes"?

Because Blair has set such a staggering benchmark for venality.

Sir Graphus

"Why is it always the Blairites who get themselves into these messes"? Even the Guardian, yesterday, hinted at some classic “Forces of Hell” skulduggery. Is it too much of a coincidence that 2 of those caught were the 2 involved in the last attempted coup?

Vulture

Face facts, Marty

The party to whom you have given your unstinting support since 1997 has from the very beginning (remember Bernie Ecclestone?) been corrupt to its very twisted soul.

There was a clip on little Anthony Seldon's prog abt political trust (!) last night of Phoney Tony giving his 'Its a new dawn is it not?' spiel. And there were idiots in the audience - perhaps you were one?- weeping, yea, weeping at his words of wonder.

Suckers one and all. You were had. There is nothing, literally nothing these bottom feeding scum would not do to make a buck or cover their crimes. Lie. Bully. Cheat. Steal. Kill. (David Kelly).

I heard an imbecile thicko Liebour councillor - typical cannon fodder - from Ashfield sounding shell-shocked on The World At One today having just realised that old Hoon is an on-the-make lawyer with as much regard for his working class constituents as a feudal Earl for his tenants. Its cretins like that - and the 30% who will still vote Liebour - who let them get away with it. And you still do!

You and your ilk were with them every step of the way. Face it, Moity, you have not been very bright. They've taken you for a very long ride. And your still on board.

Ken B

I can't believe no-one has noticed or commented on the immaculate scheduling by Channel 4. I hope all the MPs who watched Dispatches last night stayed tuned for "The Secret Millionnaire" and then hung their heads in shame (though sadly I doubt it).

To contrast three Labour ex-ministers merrily discussing selling their power and influence for £5k a day with three charities staffed by volunteers giving their time for nothing and making a real difference to people's lives was genius and apparently a bit too subtle as I haven't found mention of it anywhere else on the web.