No, this isn’t a scene from “Goodfellas”. But would you like a spot of wholly metaphorical grave-digging? The Labour Government are trying to use their own legal problems to bury bad news. We shouldn’t let them.
The crises of recent days have offered Brown the proverbial silver lining to the multiple clouds that lour across his house. So obsessed are the press with the latest twists and turns of donorgate (try: Labour’s dodgy donations to be confiscated by the Electoral Commission, except they can’t pay them back, yet Culture Minister/Photoshop Hero James Purnell falsely states on Sunday that “we’ve paid the money back”; while a Glasgow property developer claims a Labour MSP assured him he could donate even if he wasn’t on the electoral roll) that they’ve forced a catalogue of Labour failures off the front pages.
The Government is falling apart. Not news to you? Fair enough; but I am talking, just now, about failures of its policy, not failures of its competence or honesty. I do realise it’s tough distinguishing all the areas in which this omni-challenged Government is failing, but bear with me. An earlier column, which I believe was pretty prescient, was called “Brown’s Bad News”. But today I don’t have to look into my crystal ball. I would rather invite ConHome readers to examine some of the recently announced Labour catastrophes they’d rather you overlooked.
These are in no particular order of importance. They’re all very, very bad for the country. And in the long term they matter even more than how (not if) the Labour party broke the laws they wrote themselves.
1. Our children betrayed
Slumping educational standards are a pet issue of mine; I wrote a column on it earlier. This week we received bitter confirmation of how badly Labour is failing our schoolchildren. Britain has plummeted, under Labour. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development downgraded the UK from seventh to 17th in reading, and eighth to 24th in maths. Hazel Blears, for the Government, went on TV and blamed British parents. Computer games were to blame, she said. (Never mind that every developed country has computer games). Estonia ranked ahead of the UK because of investment since the Soviet era. This is Britain, the country of Shakespeare and Newton, and we are turning out illiterate and innumerate children – thanks to Labour.
2. Our soldiers betrayed
Des “Two Jobs” Browne used the current scandals to bury bad news on the inquiry into the MoD. Turns out the Ministry was warned about the safety of the Nimrod but refused, again, to supply our troops with safe equipment. “Two Jobs” apologised to the House. Big wow. The Times reported it thus:
“Abject apologies were offered by the Defence Secretary and the RAF yesterday after an inquiry into the death of 14 servicemen in a Nimrod surveillance aircraft that exploded in midair found that the air force had failed to ensure that the plane was safe.
After a history of fuel leaks and bad judgments about the potential risks of fire, the Nimrod MR2 fell victim to a series of avoidable mishaps that resulted in a huge “red-tinged explosion” about 3,000ft above the province of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan last September. The 12 crew members and two passengers, one from the Army, the other from the Royal Marines, were killed instantly.
Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, in an extraordinarily contrite statement to the Commons, said: “On behalf of the MoD and the Royal Air Force, I would like to apologise to the House of Commons, and most of all to those who lost their lives, and to their families. I am sorry.”
I would have to agree. You are sorry, Mr. Browne, and this is a sorry excuse for a Government. By the way, the response to the former Service Chiefs attacks on Brown for underfunding our troops? The Government proposes to cut the defence budget yet further.
3. Prisons too full? Have a “Get Out of Jail Free” card.
A recommendation issued yesterday said judges must take account of the fullness of the prisons when deciding if to jail offenders. So if you’ve raped a woman, or committed domestic battery (two crimes which Labour’s sentencing quango wants reduced penalties for) – relax, there aren’t enough prison places so it’s a suspended sentence for you.
Labour finally follows Tory policy and announces the building of two more prisons – but it’s not enough, and the public is being asked to accept dangerous offenders on the streets because of 10 years of failure to build prisons
4. Bankrupt Labour Cheats the Police
Jacqui Smith is about to starve the Police Force of yet more funds. With morale at rock bottom under Labour, see my past column, the Police Federation entered into pay talks and did a deal on the basis that it would be back-dated. Ms. Smith has reneged. How we are going to keep the officers we have, overstretched and misdirected, I do not know. May I recommend ConHome visitors familiarise themselves with “The Policeman’s Blog”. It may be depressing, but it is essential reading.
There’s more. There’s a lot more. Alistair Darling fundraising for Labour at one of the banks involved in the Northern Rock process. Labour’s Post Office closures kicking in – my Labour opponent, who voted multiple times for the closures in Parliament, is desperately trying to cast himself as their saviour as rural branches shut. And Northern Rock – it will be the big story of the next week or so, as Branson’s bid falls apart and Labour is forced to nationalise the company.
Labour are trying to bury bad news with the dirt of their own dishonesty. We must not allow this. On substantive policy of education, defence, and criminal justice they are failing spectacularly. They need not think Conservatives will be blinded to that.
# Jacqui Smith is about to starve the Police Force of yet more funds #
mmm...not really. No doubt the army of worthless Glorified Lollipop Ladies..sorry Police Community Support Officers...will be added to. We already have an incredible 25,000 of Blunkett's Bobbies added to, and now beholden to, Brown's Client State since 2001. This is the real disgrace in terms of what has happened to our Police Force under New Labour. A Cameron Govt must pledge to replace them with real officers, with real powers, during its first term. Official figures show that for the cost of employing 10 PCSO's in Corby (with no powers), the Chief Constable could employ 8 police officers (with real powers)- for exactly the same money.
Bit of a no brainer, isn't it ?
Posted by: London Tory | December 06, 2007 at 09:06 AM
Agree with London Tory. An interim solution might be to have PCSOs as station-based operatives primarily undertaking paperwork and release proper coppers to pound the beat.
Posted by: Paul Oakley | December 06, 2007 at 09:54 AM
We have to recognise that PCSO's are decent people who want to serve our community. So perhaps it is their role rather than their raison d'etre that is the problem. I'm sure there must be different levels of PCSO too, some would do well on the front line, others would be suited to a supportive role. Their desire to serve the community should be channeled into the correct role for each PCSO.
Labour's failure in education should be brought home to every parent in the land. Labour is failing their children. This from a Labour government that has always claimed education as its priority. I believe we have to return to educational methods that worked in the past. Education has become too casual, too unstructured. A more disciplined school environment with troublesome children removed immediately with more parent accountability. A child who disrupts a class is the parents problem not the schools. I also feel that people overlook the educational value and knock-on effect of a mother being at home with her child in the pre-school years rather than working. Many children are now shunted of too a creche at a very early age and miss out on the one-to-one interaction that comes from having a mother at home. I started school being able to read and do basic maths because my mother taught me at home. If I had been left in a creche I would not have started school with those basic skills.
As Michael Gove says, the basic skills must come first as a base to facilitate further learning. Children have started to struggle since mothers of young children have taken to working. Cause and effect. The state should encourage mothers to be at home with the child in the formative years, but sadly Alan B'stard ideology in some sections of the Conservative party still has the vindictive attitude that all mothers 'must work' particularly single mothers. This attitude is so wrong and is, in my opinion, a contributory factor in retarded child development in the early years.
Posted by: Tony Makara | December 06, 2007 at 10:18 AM
Tony- under Labour's current policy the problem of children getting a proper upbringing will only get worse. Single mothers- often struggling (dare I say manfully) to bring up children on their own, are now called in by the DWP for increasingly frequent "back to work interviews" to see if they can be pushed into a heavily subsidised job. The outcome of this will inevitably be even more 'latchkey kids' , and poor Mum coming home too knackered from having earned £50 for stacking shelves in Asda to be able to spend quality time with her kids.
Meanwhile, the real miscreants on welfare- the feckless and idle 18-24 year olds, are laughing all the way to their playstations thanks to the obsenity that is New Deal.
Any able bodied 18-24 person should be told at the outset- you get a maximum of 6 months on JSA (with Housing Benefit and Council Tax benefit too don't forget), after that you stand on your own two feet or sweep the streets in return for your benefits.
Posted by: London Tory | December 06, 2007 at 10:30 AM
London Tory, very good points. Labour's egalitarian drive to shoehorn every single mother and genuinely disabled person into part-time work topped up by tax credits is madness. The focus should be set on finding work for those on JSA, particularly the young. Under Labour youth unemployment is up 20% and their only solution is to raise the school leaving age. In effect sweeping the problem under the carpet.
While I am not in favour of workfare I would like to see a public works programme to tackle unemployment. As you say the state already pays full rent, housing benefit and JSA, so in my opinion it might as well pay a little extra to make the unemployed 'waged' and use that manpower on social projects.
I really fail to understand why more people can't see that the working-mum scenario is damaging for children. Particularly in the early years of development. I wish the Conservative party would think again about its plans to continue Labour's policy in this area.
Returning to the subject of JSA. I believe the future Conservative government should break up jobcentreplus and give the jobseeking section over to agencies who seem to be a lot faster on their feet at finding work for people. We have to be realistic though and understand that with 1.6 million on JSA and only 600,000 vacancies it will not be possible to find work for everyone, but where possible, geography permitting, the vacancies that do exist should be filled.
Posted by: Tony Makara | December 06, 2007 at 10:58 AM
Louise is right to highlight the multiple failures that have been hidden away by the obsession with the donation scandal. Obviously the government should be held to account, but the Conservatives cannot afford to miss stories that demonstrate the breath of the government's incompetence.
One donation scandal will not bring down a government - it is only by taking away the public's perception of competence that will make them fall apart.
Posted by: Letters From A Tory | December 06, 2007 at 11:01 AM
London Tory, I also forgot to mention that in cases where there are large families existing on benefit I would like to see a good portion of the payment going out in the shape of food/clothes/energy vouchers rather than cash. In that way the benefit could be targeted towards ensuring that the children get a good diet, are well clothed and kept warm. Unfortunately some large families allow the parents to rake in a lot of money on benefits and sadly the children don't see that money.
Posted by: Tony Makara | December 06, 2007 at 11:04 AM
Louise is so right that the government is falling apart. It reminds me of the pop song about once upon a time I was falling in love, now Im only falling apart.
I genuinly agree with the comments about children needing a stricter upbringing, but I'm worried about allowing too much smacking. There was a horrible case where a teacher smacked a child for ages and when she stopped her hands were all black.
Posted by: Gloy Plopwell | December 08, 2007 at 12:20 AM