The Greatest Single Failure of Cabinet Government

Well worth listening to this bit on Radio 4's PM programmme tonight about the Iraq War Cabinet minutes. It is about 6 minutes into the article.

Asked about the decision by the cabinet to go to war in Iraq, Professor Peter Hennessy Attlee Professor of Contemporary British History at Queen Mary, University of London, first describes the Cabinet as

"Supine"

and then he goes onto say the decision to go to war was

"The Greatest Single Failure of Cabinet Government at least since the Suez Crisis"

He goes onto say he can't imagine what they were Cabinet Ministers for because if on something as profound as peace and war you don't speak up, insist on Proper discussion, Proper briefing, Proper sharing of the data including the legal opinion

"What is the point of getting out of bed in the morning and pretending you are a Cabinet Minister"

I just couldn't have put it any better.

BBC - Radio 4 - Listen Again page

Large Snouts, Large troughs

Over at the EU I see there is a secret report of how deep some MEP's have managed to get their snouts into the ever-increasing trough of OUR money.

Apparently the MEP Mr Davies was allowed confidential access to the secret internal audit report and immediately reported it to the EU's anti-fraud squad for immediate action.
According to Mr Davies

"This report is dynamite - and makes the Derek Conway affair at Westminster look like small change,"

"When I looked at this report my first reaction was to laugh at the outrageous extent of the abuses.

"Then that feeling turned to anger and the realisation that the police or the anti-fraud people should be looking at this."

Every MEP is eligible for about £130,000 a year to pay for staff. One case has the whole allowance being used but no staff being employed. One MEP who has seen the report said that direct payments had been made to political parties by MEPs. There are apparently many cases of MEPs failing to make social security payments for alleged employees.

Franz Bruner, director general of Olaf, the EU's internal anti-fraud squad, said he was launching an inquiry and had demanded to see the audit report by the end of this week.

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Call for MEPs' cash fraud probe

Sleaze watchdog says Blair 'failed to live up to promises'

Sir Alistair Graham has been forced to step down from his job as chairman of the "Sleaze Watchdog" after disagreements with the Labour Sleaze chief Tony Blair.

Launching his final report as chairman, Sir Alistair said Mr Blair should never have promised to be "purer than pure" unless he was going to "follow through" with action.

Mr Blair is keen to escape the cloud hanging over him because of the police inquiry into loans for peerages allegations when he steps down at the end of June.

He is also still under public scrutiny for his role in the Iraq Dossier that helped take us into the invasion of Iraq.

This was also the subject of a question at PMQ's today when Conservative MP Stuart Jackson asked about parliamentary standards commissioner Sir Alistair Graham, who said Mr Blair had damaged trust in politics, asking if Mr Blair was "qualified" to advise his successor on drawing up a new ministerial code.

Mr Blair said: "I completely disagree with Sir Alistair Graham. He is entitled to his opinion and I am entitled to mine".

So again Mr Blair rides roughshod over anyone who dares argue with him and believes himself above criticism.

Sleaze watchdog says Blair 'failed to live up to promises' - Independent Online Edition > UK Politics