http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4099581.stm
Came home from work this evening to see this little gem in the news. I can't pretend that I'm anything other than absolutely delighted.
What I can't understand at all is all the comments from people indicating that they can't understand why he felt the need to resign, or how trivial this whole thing is. I simply cannot believe that any normal, tax-paying voter would see things like that.
David Blunkett, like so many politicians, appears to have fallen into the usual trap of thinking that the privileges he is accorded as an MP are his by right to do what he wants with. He obviously needed reminding that he was elected to improve the lives of the people he voted for, and to improve the lot of voters generally. He was certainly not employed to abuse his position to obtain benefits for himself/family/friends which are not generally available to the population at large. Why should his lover get a visa application for a nanny fast-tracked just because her then boyfriend was home secretary? Answer: not at all. People working in the private sector are subject to disciplinary action, including sacking, for abuses of company resources or positions. No less a standard should apply to politicians - the more so given the power they wield over all of us.
Some people, and the government, seem to be complaining about the "gutter press" and the "evil press" fabricating stories and dragging a "decent man down". In fact, IMHO, the press is currently not critical enough of the present government. That aside though, the present government has nothing to complain about. It has systematically reduced and eroded all the normal, democratic safeguards and supervisions for politicians. It has emasculated the House of Lords, stuffing it with more placemen than Maggie ever did. It has reduced parliamentary control on MPs. It has abolished cabinet responsibility for decision-making and placed this in the hands of unelected "advisers".
A free press is, together with the financial markets, about the last effective check we have in this country on the abuse of power by our politicians. Obviously this is not ideal, but the current government have no right to complain - having been the ones to bring things to this pass.
I'm not even going to mention my delight at seeing that totalitarian, authoritarian, mentally unbalanced nutcase that is David Blunkett out of his job.
Came home from work this evening to see this little gem in the news. I can't pretend that I'm anything other than absolutely delighted.
What I can't understand at all is all the comments from people indicating that they can't understand why he felt the need to resign, or how trivial this whole thing is. I simply cannot believe that any normal, tax-paying voter would see things like that.
David Blunkett, like so many politicians, appears to have fallen into the usual trap of thinking that the privileges he is accorded as an MP are his by right to do what he wants with. He obviously needed reminding that he was elected to improve the lives of the people he voted for, and to improve the lot of voters generally. He was certainly not employed to abuse his position to obtain benefits for himself/family/friends which are not generally available to the population at large. Why should his lover get a visa application for a nanny fast-tracked just because her then boyfriend was home secretary? Answer: not at all. People working in the private sector are subject to disciplinary action, including sacking, for abuses of company resources or positions. No less a standard should apply to politicians - the more so given the power they wield over all of us.
Some people, and the government, seem to be complaining about the "gutter press" and the "evil press" fabricating stories and dragging a "decent man down". In fact, IMHO, the press is currently not critical enough of the present government. That aside though, the present government has nothing to complain about. It has systematically reduced and eroded all the normal, democratic safeguards and supervisions for politicians. It has emasculated the House of Lords, stuffing it with more placemen than Maggie ever did. It has reduced parliamentary control on MPs. It has abolished cabinet responsibility for decision-making and placed this in the hands of unelected "advisers".
A free press is, together with the financial markets, about the last effective check we have in this country on the abuse of power by our politicians. Obviously this is not ideal, but the current government have no right to complain - having been the ones to bring things to this pass.
I'm not even going to mention my delight at seeing that totalitarian, authoritarian, mentally unbalanced nutcase that is David Blunkett out of his job.
...no im not talking about David Blunkett, im talking about his dog Sadie 
We will miss you 
