Bob Piper has been a Labour Councillor for the Abbey
Ward in Sandwell, West Midlands, for 10 years. He is a lifelong supporter of Aston Villa Football Club and a follower of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
The views expressed here are mine in a personal capacity, not those of the Labour Party, Sandwell MBC, Aston Villa or Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Get it! Mine... just mine!
As widely predicted on left blogs, David Cameron has "bottled it" and done a u-turn over his Shadow Cabinet's part-time status. Despite his pledge to make the likes of William Hague concentrate full-time on being Shadow Foreign Secretary and give up his lucrative, quarter of a million quid a year part-time jobs, it would appear Dave has given in to his whining colleagues and will now allow them to keep their outside perks.
What a wonderful example to the rest of the country. The Tories bleat about Government assistance to help to keep people up and down the country in employment, and all the while they are busy lining their pockets with consultancies, directorships and speaking engagements which earn them millions. What chance of Cameron as PM taking difficult decisions on the economy or foreign affairs when he doesn't even have the nerve to stand up to a bunch of weak-kneed shadow cabinet members.
There was a truly wonderful moment on the BBC's Today programme this morning when presenter Sarah Montague pointed out that the Tory front bench currently hold 23 'dictatorships'. They wish.
Amazing, isn't it. The Shadow Cabinet are apparently busy "lining their pockets with consultancies, directorships and speaking engagements which earn them millions" (otherwise known as doing a job) and yet they are still a million times more competent and impressive than the Labour government!
Yes.... didn't wee Willie have his competency and impressive performance judged by the electorate? Tell me, LFaT... what was the outcome?
Mr. Jolly said:
December 24, 2008 1:27 AM | permalink
Of course wee Willy Hague lost, and rightly so. I mean, imagine how irredeemably stupid a man must be to wear a baseball cap for a photo opportunity, obviously that immediately ruled him out as being mistaken for a serious politician. The wrong hat! What was he thinking?
However, in his defence, he did have the misfortune to attend Wath-upon-Dearne Comprehensive. Whereas his opponent was lucky enough to attend Fettes College. A quality education will always show itself in the end. Now, if only there was a political party whose front bench all went to a really top notch public school, perhaps we could all agree to vote for them in the future?
December 23, 2008 10:16 AM | permalink
Amazing, isn't it. The Shadow Cabinet are apparently busy "lining their pockets with consultancies, directorships and speaking engagements which earn them millions" (otherwise known as doing a job) and yet they are still a million times more competent and impressive than the Labour government!