Endorsement of the Day

This morning I had a debate with John Prescott on Twitter regarding NHS Direct. I reckon we both fought our respective corners and fought them hard. Figurative punches were being thrown much to my relief. Me pointing out the lack of money to do everything and the rational for looking at what was essential and therefore needed to keep being funded was what was important.

The fact that nurses currently on the NHS Direct lines will be returned to front line duties and actually treating people. At one point John seemed to suggest that NHS Direct nurses in their current number were essential as "It's about the quality of service - the reassurance and knowledge that saves lives." But NHS Direct isn't where lives are saved that is through the diagnosis and treatment by Doctors and Nurse Practitioners in our surgeries and hospital.

Anyway we got to a point where the entrenchment was shifting, John said, "In case you hadn't noticed, YOU'RE the Government now. Enjoy!"

To which I replied "Sadly John I didn't get elected. But yeah I know that. At least this Government has realised there is a fiscal hole unlike you"

That led to this:

While I'd obviously welcome such a ringing endorsement for my debating skills from an ex-Deputy Prime Minister from a former Government. I'm sure I can could on the endorsement of the current Deputy Prime Minister in the current Government and leader of my party Nick Clegg.

Prescott is Right: Don't Award Failure

John Prescott has asked:

"how the hell the former RBS Chief Executive Sir Fred 'The Shred' Goodwin can claim without a guilty conscience a £650,000 annual pension a year from the age of 50.

"His greed and reckless nature got us into this mess and necessitated us bailing out the bank to the tune of £20 billion to try and keep people in their homes and
jobs. "

He ran a survey which asked amongst other things:

"Should RBS rip up his contract and take the risk of legal action."

Well lets look the record of an even bigger pension holder £1.5million all of that publicly funded. Who has been responsible as a senior participant in the running up of a £2.2 trillion debt. Part of that comes from an illegal take over of another's assets, liberties and well being, on false claims which were retrospectively agreed by the regulator of such things. Part of that was from failure to set stern enough regulations in place that would have seen Sir Fred unable to stretch the bank's risk to the degree he did.

So for costing the nation £1bn a year and 179 lives. Supporting a run up of the national debt, which not includes covering toxic debt from the banks his party could have regulated better which exceeds GDP. In his own words, how an earth can John Prescott claim without a guilty conscience such a pension?

Join the LDV cause on Facebook to Shred Prezza's Pension he clearly has a thing about people not being rewarded for failure, so we should look at clawing back his pension then.

Lesson for RBS from Barclays

I've received an email from John Prescott updating me on his campaign for the Royal Bank of Scotland to give up their bonus. Last night it you were watching BBC's Question Time you would have heard Kelvin Mackenzie try and defend the bonuses being given by the RBS with one basis being that other banks were giving them.

Therefore you can imagine how hollow that message sounded when I read Prescott's email. In it he points out the fact that Barclays, who haven't taken any Government money, have already reviewed their bonuses for the year. Even in parts of their business performing strongly such as commodities, foreign exchange and currencies will see their bonuses shrink from the average they would have expected. But more telling is that 20-30% of their staff will be receiving no bonus at all.

This is a bank that did not have to rely on the Government for money; it is still standing on its own two feet. Yet they are having to cut back on the bonuses they are paying because of the crisis. How much more should a bank, whose employees have survived by the good grace of the Government, also reconsider just what level of bonus if any should be going to any sector of its business?

Prezza's Petition

He may one have been technically inept but you've got to hand it to him John Prescott truly is harnessing the internet. He has even established an e-Petition demanding that the Royal Bank of Scotland do not pay out the £1bn in bonuses that are heading the way of many of their staff. Some apparently are even 6 figure sums. There's also a Facebook Group (which John failed to link to) No Ifs, No Buts - Pass on the Cut demanding the same things.

When there are people out that who have recently lost their jobs, are scared they may be next. Others whose salaries raises are under review, or have been suspended or are on short weeks or partial paid leave of absences it is an obscenity. Banking fat cats aren't prepared to pass on the full interest rates cuts. Are making it harder for the average person to borrow money and are still paying themselves top dollar bonuses when they have been bailed out with Government money.

To pay out 12.5% of the money that the Government had given the RBS as bonused shows us just how sorry they are.

Not one bit.

Is @lordmandelson a Twitterphobe?

No sooner had the Lord Voldermort of Hartlepool and Foy appear on Twitter according to that first Tweet on Monday "Looking forward to listening and providing updates on my department's support for business through tough times." Than he is running away to hide.

Surely the Dark Lord of Spin can't be more of a technophobe that John "Prezza" Prescott. Who'd have thunk it?

Or is he about to resign yet another cabinet post?

If Will Shakespeare were a Blogger

Extract from 'As You Blog It' a Vlog reply to Derek Draper by WillyShakespeare1564

All the blogosphere's a stage,
And all the Twits and Bloggers merely players:
They have their rants and their excentricities;
And one Blog in its time plays many parts,
Its acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Uncertain and reeling in the writers's mind.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining cheeky face, creeping with malice
Unwillingly to the game. And then the lover,
Commenting with earnest, with a mutual blogroll
Made of his friendships built. Then a soldier,
Full of strange thoughts and bearded like the pard,
Defended with honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking a mutual respect of ideas
Even cross the political divide. And then the justice,
In fair round readers list and passing trolls,
With eyes mischeivious and Blog of history long,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the fat and northern former buffoon,
Who not long ago didn't get the t'internet,
His youthful rebirth, well recevieved, a world web wide
For his elderstatesman grin; and his manly blog voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans readers, sans friends, sans reputation, sans everything.

Possible how recent event would have been covered on WillsShakeySpear.blogspot.com

He's Blogging Around

First we had Prezza, then the return of Kezia and now in tribute to the latest heavyweight Labour blogger I give you this musical interlude.*



I'm sorry Alastair but every time I've hit the dance floor to this song I have some bizarre image of you and the Lord Voldemort of Hartlepool and Foy as Kylie's backing dancers.

One thing I thing we may find is that Mister Campbell will be a better, more well rounded and more humorous read than Mister Draper, even if he does hit out at other political persuasions.

*As promised on Iain Dale's comments on Facebook

Is Prescott Domed?

I read the news today, oh boy, it appears that the Millenneum Dome, owned by Philip Anschutz whose ranch John Prescott visited, is topping the Super Casino short list. Quel surprise!

The panel have just announced their provisional rankings for the first time and instead of answering questions it leaves a lot more unanswered. Just how much Government influence was brought to bear on this decision? Did Prescott's relations with Mr Anshutz have anything to do with Anschutz either shaping his bid to best fit the criteria or to allow influence on the panel from the Deputy Prime Minister?

The news is that in the 8 criteria the Millennium Dome scored 67 out of a possible 80 points. It did not acquire a perfect ten in any category but scored considerably high in all 8 not scoring lower than an eight. In all possiblity it may have been a very well put together bid without the shadow of Prescott looming on the horizon but in the public perception we may never know.

The panel have also reopened the shortlisting process to council who feel there may have been confusion over their handling of this process. Why do they feel the need to do this? Is there something lurking in their processes that they want to bring out in the open amongst all this confusion. Certainly the Government are not happy about such a development.

With this revelation about the prominence of Greenwich as the possible site what does it spell for Prescott? Are his days numbered? Can he ride this latest storm?

Should He Stay or Should He Go?

The media circus is round on John Prescott again and Prezza is doing his best impression of US General George Armstrong Custer. His relief from colleagues seems far away and not going to reach Mr Prescott's personal Little Big Horn any time soon.

His denial that he is going to resign following the latest allegations over what he did or didn't say with Dome owner Philip Anschutz over 7 different converstaions is just the latest in a long line of instances that cast doubts over his suitablitiy for his current role.

He is obviously a flustered man as his appearance on the Today programme this morning shows. Another sad sign that Prescott may be facing his onwn last sign came at the end of the John Humphries interview. The BBC were bold enough to proach the subject which has been circulating around the blogosphere that Prescott has had more affairs. A simple no would have put the matter to rest. After referring to Iain Dale's appearance on Newsnight and telling that these romours about other affairs appeared online Prescott then said:

There's no truth in much of the stories that are made in the papers...

Now his muddling over technology didn't hide the fact that Prezza is au fait enough to separate the press from the internet and bloggers. Dispite how he tried to look like a technophobe, there is clear demarkation in his comments. However, his answer only addresses one area, but make to denial on eight separate occasions to the allegation.

In desparation he asks Humphries if this is going to be edited. It wasn't and the transcript is fully available on the BBC Website. They obviously feel it is an important enough event to make this publically accessable for scrutiny to cover their own backs maybe following the Jonathan Ross interview, but also to show the public the extent to which the Deputy Prime Minister is in a corner.

I hope his friends are advising John Prescott to make a exit through the kitchen door, because we all know the fate that befell George Armstrong Custer in Montana in 1876.

Naughty Boy Gives Up Home

So John Prescott has given up Dorneywood. No more croquet on the lawns for him and his staff then. The Times Online front page is interestingly laid out today.

Firstly there is the headline Prescott Quits House which can be slightly miscontrued. Normally for a MP this would have other connotations that what is relevant in Prezza's case.

Directly below that however is the headline that naughty boys cost an extra £6,000 a year. Surely that is a conservative estimate when it come to Prescott. Between his former grace and favour Dorneywood and his retained appartment at Admiralty House he is costing far more than that. Then there is the £133,000 salary for not running a department any longer. The guy has gone from a full time department to a part time job surely that requires some sort of reappraisal of his salary, even if he is the person to stand-in for the boss.

MP's Urged to Rally Round Prescott

Good to see that Labour are returning to their working class roots and are orgnainsing a political rally. It seems too long since Neil Kinnock joined Billy Bragg for Red Wedge. Also good to see they are deserting the coffee houses of the M25 set to take the rally north to Lancashire.

Sadly however, it appears that the rally is not to be arranged around the Lancastrian town of Prescott but the Deputy Prime Minister of that ilk. Now I know John is not exactly swelte but surely a walk around his girth, even at 8 abreast, would not take the other 354 Labour MP's very long and nor is there really enough room for all of them on the parade route, even if he was flat on his back.

Alternatively of course they could sup up the two Jags and rally around Dorneywood. However, even that would hardly give all Tony's men and babes a chance to get behind the wheel. Apparently the jags are only used to going 200 yards in windy conditions.

Maybe the call to arms raised by Ann Clwyd the new Party Chairman is not hopeful of a full turn out. Maybe some of them will find croquet matches that need attending, or holidays that have to be taken or maybe their Russian contacts might warn them off attending.

However, I do like the clever use of the word rally by the Beeb in that article. Subtle enough for some of us to get a good laugh out of it and then share it with you.

What has Prezza Done for This?

According to this morning’s Times John Prescott was so affronted by Tony Blair's suggestion that he give up Dorneywood that he dug and the PM reneged. He also retained the grace and favour appartment at Admiralty House.

Dorneywood is a nice 21 bedroom house set in 214 acres of Buckinghamshire and is in the 'gift' of the Prime Minister. It was build in 1920 and was gifted to the National Trust in 1947 by Lord Courtauld-Thomson. It has usually been used in the past by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Although Alec Douglas-Home preferred to use it instead of Chequers while Prime Minister.

The six previous holders of the post of Deputy Prime Minister also had some other responsibility either running a department or as Leader of the House of Commons. Since May 5 John Prescott has done neither but still has his £133,000 and official jag.

So what on earth is John Prescott doing to earn all these perks? Why is he still drawing a minsterial salary and occupying two grace and favour residences? Probably because as the Times article indicates the entire reshuffle was a muddle and the PM wasn't entirely sure where he was going with it when he started to embark on it; even as the voters were still making their decision in the English council elections.

Clarke has Gone

After the calls for his resignation appeared to fall on Tony's deaf ear the big news today is that Charles Clarke has gone. John 'Bulldog' Reid has taken over at the Home Office, I'm waiting for the outcry for a Scot having a say over so many matters that are devolved.

John Prescott has retained his title as Deputy Prime Minster but lost his departmental duties, no word yet as to how this will be filled or split.