Hat-tip : BorisBorisBoris.com
“On 5 November, the Head of MI5 publicly set out the ‘growth’ in the domestic security threat, saying ‘I don’t think that this problem has yet reached its peak’, explaining that ‘we will not be able to cover every potential threat’. Lord West says we face ‘a steadily declining threat’, claiming that our counter-terrorism defences are ‘ahead of all countries in the world on the protection front’. It is not likely to enhance public confidence when the head of the Security Service and the Security Minister give such inconsistent assessments.”
The government’s inconsistency is everywhere, this odd apology (click to enlarge) from the Home Office to Greg Hands MP bemused Guido. It goes some way to increasing our understanding of how we have 2,000 Al Qaeda terror suspects in the country.
The Home Office is sorry it is taking so long to process Hany Youssef’s application for permanent residence.
Given that MI5 says Hany Youssef has been involved in terrorism “at the highest level”, and that he appears on the list of Al-Qaeda suspects at the UN and the EU, is his application for indefinite leave to remain in Hammersmith that much of a priority?
Guido has a suggestion for this joined-up-government: “Don’t rush”…
Here he is boasting about it on his blog.
It sparked a thoroughly enjoyable bit of a clash on the Beeb and a complaint from Clegg to the returning officer that “the older boy is picking on me.” Having read the document it actually makes Guido more inclined towards Clegg and his public sector choice agenda.
UPDATE : Huhne’s lot are now saying “Sorry“ and asking the returning officer for permission to publish the document. Eh?
Adam Applegarth did pretty well out of Northern Rock shares in the year before it collapsed. He has trousered many millions over the years, allowing him to enjoy an Aston Martin with a Ferrari for his missus parked in the driveway of his mansion. His confidence in his bank’s business model long term is demonstrated by his selling of £1.5 m of shares in two days. (25 Jan 2006 sold 52,253 at 957p for £500,061.21 and the next day he sold another 111,426 at 957p for £1,066,346.82).
Enron’s crooks were massive financial supporters of the Republican party. Northern Rock gave half-a-million to Labour’s favourite think-tank, the IPPR. It also employed Gordon’s personal pollster, Deborah Mattinson, as an adviser. Of all the pollsters to seek advice from, why her? Why give money to that think-tank? Nowadays it is very rare for publicly quoted companies to make politically partisan donations.
One thing on which there is a lot of agreement is that Brown has got to widen the circle soon. Brown promised a different sort of government, but many of his worst and most controlling habits have reasserted themselves since things started going wrong. Cabinet still has some good discussions, but in No 10 the bunker is back. Brown, Ed Balls, Ed Miliband and Douglas Alexander talk every morning by phone at seven, meet every day at 10 to decide priorities, and are running the whole government. And, judging by the record, running it pretty badly.
The inner circle may have called off the general election but in their heads they are still positioning not governing, and thus letting Cameron off the hook. Relations between the key players at the top are worse than in the summer. Brown’s long hours and short temper – he lost his cool with Bob Shrum, his American adviser, the other day – shape a bad mood inside No 10. Some staff are leaving already. Others are having second thoughts about staying. Good people feel excluded. The animus against Balls in particular is very great. He should concentrate on being a better minister, they say. Michael Heseltine was right, says one veteran. The problem isn’t Brown. It’s Balls.
Balls and the rest of the second-raters in the bunker don’t govern in the national interest, they just position and spin for short-term political gain. Tactics that succeeded in leveraging Blair out are not an effective strategy for actually governing…
