Water Stupid and Criminal Act

Yes Northern Ireland does have a water crisis.

BTW Thanks to all the friends by text, Facebook or MSN who have enquired. We're doing fine here.

Yes at some point there has to be an independent enquiry. Yes at some point people may have to take responsibility for their failings. However, that time is not during a crisis, when you need all the management experience you have trying to sort it out.

However, what we also don't need at this time is mindless acts of sabotage to what is currently a sparse resource WATER so the act of wanton wastage of 22,000 litres by vandals last night in Coalisland is disgraceful.

Some of the local politicians are also acting disgracefully, their Twitter feeds are playing to their perceived 'choirs' rather than spreading the information that the people actually need. A number of notable exceptions have been MLAs Conall McDevitt and Dawn Purvis, plus Balmoral Cllr Niall Kelly. All three have been providing information as soon as they had it, even if it was nothing further. They have clearly all been doing it from the front line where the people are without water and not from the cosiness of some office. They were the first that I noticed giving news not just from Northern Ireland Water but from the streets of Belfast.

Other parties have started doing similar things since, but these were the ones I spotted first and most frequently even now. Other's I have noticed pushing their own political agenda a little too much when what the people really want to hear is when they are getting water, or where to go to get some not whose fault it is that there is none.

There will be a time to assess what happened. Now is NOT that time!

Seems you can lead a politician to water but you can't always make them think.

Tories Attacking on Their Own Weaknesses

Oh dear, oh dear. I see the Tories are running scared and trying to attack what they feel are weak points of Lib Dem policy. Let me look at just three of them.

Trident. The best defence of our policy not to replace trident was given by Nick Clegg in the leaders debate. It is a cold war solution to a cold war situation which we do not currently find ourselves in. Want to look at the practicalities we are worried about Iran and North Korea gaining a nuclear capability. How about this as a novel way for them not to pursue that goal, lets not threaten them with a nuclear capability that could blow them up many times over. Plus it frees up £100bn pounds that could be used on other things.

Short Prison Sentences Scrapped. The Tories are attacking something that the mastermind of their marriage tax breaks actually proposed as well. He did say never underestimate the determination of a quiet man, I think the Tories are also underestimating the sense spoken from their quiet man. It costs to detain people in prison, like Iain Duncan Smith suggests we can toughen up community service orders to make the alternative to jail less appealing as well. People will still do a crime and serve the time, its just a matter of what form that service takes.

While on crime let us not forget another attack that the Tories are throwing at us Europe. Out of their anti-Europe stance their MEPs have voted against European arrest warrants and cross borders powers. It means that they would be happy to allow criminals with crimes overseas to escape to the UK or for crimes that are carried out in the UK not to be able to be brought to trial. They have opposed means to enable police powers to act across boundaries. How is that being tough on crime?

Just with crime there are other things we need co-operation across borders about immigration, climate change, the banks (especially as some UK names are owned elsewhere in Europe), energy, these things already exist across Europe. We need to be in it to have a say over it. Yes there are things in Europe that need reform, but the Lib Dems have said that just like we have been saying about things here in the UK.

From Astonished to Devastated

Jim Devine, Livingston's soon to be ex-MP foretold he would be 'astonished' is he faced criminal charges. After the event he actually says he is 'absolutely devastated'. His is accused of "dishonestly claiming" money for cleaning services and for stationery using false invoices.

Maybe he should put that crystal ball about his own reactions back on the shelf. If only he can find it....the shelf that is.

This post has been sent via email therefore spacing and fonts may not appear at my usual standard. Also there may be links to other relevant blog entries or other content added later today along with adding the correct tagging.

***Breaking*** 'Astonished' Livingston MP Jim Devine Facing Criminal Charges

Earlier today Livingston MP Jim Devine (pictured left) said he would be "astonished" if he were to face criminal charges from the Criminal Prosecution Service over his expenses.

Well to his astonishment but not many of his constituents that is just what has been announced. Along with Elliot Morley, David Chaytor and Lord Hanningfield he is being charged under the Theft Act.

Director of Public Prosecution Karl Starmer said:

"In four cases, we have concluded that there is sufficient evidence to bring criminal charges and that it is in the public interest to charge the individuals concerned.

"Accordingly, summonses in these cases have been obtained from the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court and will now be served on the individuals in question."

I will return to this story through the day as the news unravels.

UPDATE: See more here and here.

Lies, Damn Lies and Tory Crime Statistics*

Working as I do with data day in and day out the one thing you learn is that you have to compare like with like to get an actual comparison. There are little comments all over our spreadsheets which say when something started, moved or a calculation was changed. It not simply for us to keep a track on changes but also so that we know if data from different periods is comparable simply from the raw figures.

In 2002 what happened with violent crime statistics was that instead of the incident being recorded as violent at the discretion of the desk sergeant police were told to record every complaint.

This is what Chris Grayling the Shadow Home Secretary failed to tell us when he was whipping up a storm with his some British town's as becoming like The Wire.

Sir Michael Scholar, chairman of the UK Statistics Authority sets the wayward Tory right by writing to him saying:

"I do not wish to become involved in political controversy but I must take issue with what you said about violent crime statistics, which seems to me likely to damage public trust in official statistics."

He included a note from his agency which said:

"It would not be appropriate for the Authority to seek to intervene in political debate directly. However, where we see that official statistics have been presented or quoted in a way that seems likely to mislead the public, we will publicly draw this to the attention of those involved."

Here are the actual figures, there is a kink up in 2002-3 and then the downward trend continued under the new recording criteria.

Grayling has said he would take the Statistics Authority memo into account, before then dismissing it totally by saying he would:

"continue to use recorded crime statistics, because they reflect an important reality; that the number of violent crimes reported to police stations, and particularly serious violent crimes, has increased substantially over the past decade, even taking into account any changes to data collection".

* There was just no way to top The Independent's headline.