John Reid the new Minister of Phantom Threats, Border Controls and Security, security, security has welcomed his attempt to make his department become fit for purpose. But what purpose is that? It all sounds rather vague to me.
A mixture of law, politics, autobiography and humour. Once described as "The Devilish Advocate" (Guardian), I do have the ability to provoke a response. Sometimes it comes from someone who uses a thought process, and sometimes from jerks usually associated with the knee.
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Showing posts with label John Reid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Reid. Show all posts
Thursday, March 29, 2007
The Fat Controller signals change
John Reid the new Minister of Phantom Threats, Border Controls and Security, security, security has welcomed his attempt to make his department become fit for purpose. But what purpose is that? It all sounds rather vague to me.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Why we should be afraid, be very afraid.
It is a known fact that Tony Blair and George Bush entered into a conspiracy to invade Iraq, which was not only in contravention of international law but is also an offence under the criminal law of England. Under The Intelligence Services Act 1994 the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS)(formally MI6), is empowered to obtain and provide information relating to the acts and intentions of persons overseas. It was ultra vires (outside the power of) Tony Blair's public office, to obtain and provide the dodgy dossier which he claimed justified the invasion of Iraq. He can, and should be, subject to a judicial review. At the very least, Tony Blair's conduct constituted a misfeasance in public office.
We know that an attempt was made to drag the SIS into this conspiracy to provide false information, and that the then Head of SIS, Sir Richard Dearlove resigned because he was aware that the intelligence presented by Tony Blair had no foundation in fact. John Scarlett (nick named "The Scarlet Pimpenel" for obvious reasons), who was Dearlove's deputy, and involved in preparing the dodgy dossier, was appointed as the new Head of SIS. It is rumoured that Scarlett ensured Dearlove's resignation with the threat of blackmail.
Whereas traditionally, SIS is responsible to and reports to the Foreign Secretary, next month both MI5 and MI6 will report to and be responsible to the new Security Supremo, the present Home Secretary, John Reid. Not since the Cold War has a communist been able to infiltrate the SIS, as easily as John Reid has sneaked in through the back door. It is frightening that this megalomaniac should have been allowed to amass so much power, and without any real sign of any accountability to the electorate. It maybe that this placing him in this position in preparedness for the Iran war is the secret legacy of Tony Blair.
We know that an attempt was made to drag the SIS into this conspiracy to provide false information, and that the then Head of SIS, Sir Richard Dearlove resigned because he was aware that the intelligence presented by Tony Blair had no foundation in fact. John Scarlett (nick named "The Scarlet Pimpenel" for obvious reasons), who was Dearlove's deputy, and involved in preparing the dodgy dossier, was appointed as the new Head of SIS. It is rumoured that Scarlett ensured Dearlove's resignation with the threat of blackmail.
Whereas traditionally, SIS is responsible to and reports to the Foreign Secretary, next month both MI5 and MI6 will report to and be responsible to the new Security Supremo, the present Home Secretary, John Reid. Not since the Cold War has a communist been able to infiltrate the SIS, as easily as John Reid has sneaked in through the back door. It is frightening that this megalomaniac should have been allowed to amass so much power, and without any real sign of any accountability to the electorate. It maybe that this placing him in this position in preparedness for the Iran war is the secret legacy of Tony Blair.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Mr Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, as I understand it, is searching for his legacy. Putting Iraq aside, might I suggest that he will find it in the "£350m black hole in new prison plan" (Alan Travis, Guardian, 17 February 2007)? In particular, in the prison numbers which have risen from 60,000 in 1997 to the present 80,000. Juliet Lyon, Director of the Prison Reform Trust, claims that the government is turning the country into a penal colony. And, its going to get worse before it gets better because reoffending rates are at a record level.
I have no sympathy for John Reid, the Home Secretary, for the present prison crisis some of which he is to blame for creating himself. In particular, announcing that he intended to create 8,000 extra prison places, at a cost of £44,000 per prisoner per year, that's £352m annually. This is on top of the £1.7bn needed to build the prisons. One of the problems is that John Reid made his announcement before asking Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, whether he could have the money to extend his empire. Brown refused on the ground that he has frozen the Home Office budget for 3 years. The cost of Tony Blair's private war with Iraq and the cost of waging a war on a non-existent terror has left a large hole in the Chancellor's pocket. Reid has been informed that he must meet the costs of these prison places by making cuts elsewhere, for example, in the budgets for the police, probation and immigration.
It is intended that the £1.7bn will be raised from the private sector. There is something distasteful about making profits from imprisonment. Those lobbying for more prison places and a larger prison population and longer sentences are those who stand to profit from the English prison business. The public are not aware that they are paying for two prison systems running in parallel, the public and the private sector. There should only be one penal system. And, surely commonsense suggests that the less people sent to prison the better it is for society? Too many criminal laws and too many prisons are not about law and order. You cannot build yourself out of this crisis, only dig a deeper hole. The answer is to embark on a policy of reductionism.
I have no sympathy for John Reid, the Home Secretary, for the present prison crisis some of which he is to blame for creating himself. In particular, announcing that he intended to create 8,000 extra prison places, at a cost of £44,000 per prisoner per year, that's £352m annually. This is on top of the £1.7bn needed to build the prisons. One of the problems is that John Reid made his announcement before asking Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, whether he could have the money to extend his empire. Brown refused on the ground that he has frozen the Home Office budget for 3 years. The cost of Tony Blair's private war with Iraq and the cost of waging a war on a non-existent terror has left a large hole in the Chancellor's pocket. Reid has been informed that he must meet the costs of these prison places by making cuts elsewhere, for example, in the budgets for the police, probation and immigration.
It is intended that the £1.7bn will be raised from the private sector. There is something distasteful about making profits from imprisonment. Those lobbying for more prison places and a larger prison population and longer sentences are those who stand to profit from the English prison business. The public are not aware that they are paying for two prison systems running in parallel, the public and the private sector. There should only be one penal system. And, surely commonsense suggests that the less people sent to prison the better it is for society? Too many criminal laws and too many prisons are not about law and order. You cannot build yourself out of this crisis, only dig a deeper hole. The answer is to embark on a policy of reductionism.
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