Tuesday, July 24, 2007

There is a new book by Lord David Owen entitled the Hubris Syndrome. I have not yet read it but my understanding from listening to various radio interviews is that Lord Owen claims that both Mrs Thatcher and Mr Blair were in Hubris prior to their Nemesis.

I have never been a great fan of Lord Owen but in life it is difficult to get everything wrong. I suspect, in terms of Hubris and Nemesis and the two former Prime Ministers' that Lord Owen is correct.

That said it maybe worthwhile repeating the circumstances and consequences of Dr Owens appointment as Foreign Secretary. I was a member of Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service at the time. Dr Owen, as he then was, was plucked from relative obscurity (No. 17) in Jim Callaghan's Cabinet and was made Foreign Secretary (At least No. 3). The promotion surprised many at the time and put Dr Owen in Mr Callaghan's debt. The opportunity for repayment came quickly although contrived and Peter Jay, son of Labour politician Douglas Jay and husband of Callaghan's daughter Margaret, was appointed to Washington as HM Ambassador by Dr Owen. Part of the rather disastrous appointment was that Peter Ramsbottom who was a very talented and a highly respected member of that body of gypsies that comprise the Diplomatic Service was moved on to the pleasant but much less regarded post of Governor of Bermuda.

The Jays were remembered in Washington by their sexual activities rather that their contribution to Anglo/American relationships. Peter put the Nanny in the family way and Mrs Jay had a fairly well publicised affair with Carl Bernstein. He was of course one of the journalists who broke the Watergate story through the columns of The Washington Times.

But everybody prospers in one way or the other. Peter Jay later became an advisor to the repugnant Robert Maxwell and Baroness Jay became leader of the Labour Party in the House of Lords.
A new Administrative Capital for the United Kingdom

The recent floods emphasise the unsuitability of the present plans to build thousands of new homes in the South East and calls for a new United Kingdom strategy on development and particularly housing.

The South East based on London is the administrative, financial, commercial, tourist and artistic capital of the United Kingdom and has to provide housing, infrastructure, commercial accommodation and services for all these activities. There is nothing Government can do about where the various sectors of the economy locate (nor should it be allowed to) except it can do something about London and the South East being the administrative capital of the United Kingdom.

The problem of overcrowding and excessive demands for accommodation and services in London and the South East requires a radical decision that would move Whitehall, Parliament and the Royal Households to the provinces. London would remain the centre of the other activities. The parsimonious movement of a small amount of Government Offices and Agencies to the provinces is gesture politics and does nothing substantial to resolve the central problem.

What is required (and it is a fundamental and absolute requirement) is the wholesale removal of Central Government, its appendages and paraphernalia to a location (or locations) outside the South East. Such a relocation would at a stroke radically diminish the demand for property and services in London and the South East.

It is interesting that many countries (USA, Australia, Canada, Brazil and others) now have a commercial capital and an administrative capital and there is absolutely no reason why the United Kingdom should not follow their example.

Monday, July 16, 2007

The Brown/Miliband School of Diplomacy.

The current calculated attempt to portray the United Kingdom as a strong resolute international player has a price. It may go down well at home initially but the damage to United States and Russian relations will come at an increased cost. There is an old Irish saying about asked for directions. And that is "I wouldn't have started from here in the first place". In the arena of international diplomacy we need not have been where we are in these important relationships and we should now back off and mend our fences.

Our most important ally whether we like it or not is the United States. We enjoy many benefits and I fail to see why Malloch Brown and Alexander were let off the leash and allowed to stray into areas for which they hold no direct responsibility. Malloch Brown is supposed to be concentrating on Africa, Asia and the reform of the United Nations whilst Alexander should have enough on his plate as International Development Secretary. Their outbursts were undoubtedly cleared with the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary and the judgement to go ahead is open to serious challenge. It is not in our national interest to needlessly exacerbate our relations with the US.

With Russia we have refused to give up their citizens and we knew well that the Russian constitution would not permit the extradition of Mr Lugovoi the ex-KGB operative. What therefore was the point (other than projecting strength at home) of blustering and fuming and expelling four of their diplomats. The self interest of the United Kingdom demands we repair the damage done by the escalation of the problem. Russia has the oil and gas we need and the business opportunities for our companies. We need Russia more than they need us.

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Yorkshire Floods.

As a Cumbrian by birth I am not a natural ally of Yorkshire. But the situation in Hull and other parts of Yorkshire calls for a suspension of any lack of empathy and the adoption of a pragmatic programme of assistance to those who have lost everything. Government assistance will essentially repair the infrastructure of roads,schools etc, and whilst nobody has said so, those who have lost everything and are not insured will in the end be left to their own devices unless extraordinary measures are taken.

What is required is the establishment of a National Fund similar to funds that have been established for other disasters both nationally and internationally. There is a significant silence from those Charities who are normally at the forefront of calls for money when disasters strike. The Government could assist by, in addition to the programmes announced by Mr Brown, establish an Independent Recovery Fund and by making the first contribution of say £100 million. They could also offer to make any substantial contribution of over £100,000 from companies and rich individuals deductible for taxation purposes. The fund would need to be administered quickly and effectively and a decision about who or whom should do so would be for urgent consideration

Friday, July 06, 2007

Manners and young women.

I was minding my own business and totally sober in the middle of the day walking along the pavement from Bedford Place to Above Bar when I was insulted.

I was on the pavement and a car emerged and stopped from a private parking situation on the east side of London Road. I acknowledged the courtesy, although it was my right of way as a pedestrian on a pavement, by raising my hand. The gesture I suspect was misunderstood because the driver of the car who was a woman of about thirty summers, fat and not very good looking wound down her window and shouted at me 'You f---ing stupid old bastard'.

My legitimacy is not debatable although my lack of intelligence is open to question. But what upset me was the reference to me being old. I am only 73 for God's sake.
Taxation and the Rule of Law

There are certain ideas and proposed practices that should be killed at birth. Such a proposal is the one from the Inland Revenue that they should be given powers to raid bank accounts without first getting a court order.

The proposal from the Inland Revenue that they should be given such powers is put forward at the same time as the National Audit Office have found that, in the year to April, mistakes by officials at HM Revenue & Customs resulted in taxpayers making £157 million of overpayments and £125 million of underpayments.

We thus have the juxtaposition of one million people taxed wrongly according to the National Audit Office and a proposal that the error prone Revenue, who have overseen the million mistakes, should be given powers to raid bank accounts without first getting a court order.

There needs to be new more effective taxation laws to pursue those who choose not to pay taxes (and of equal importance those who are non resident for taxation purposes but whose main business is in the UK) but the present Revenue proposals are not the way.

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Prime Minister

When Mr Brown took over as Prime Minister I had one or two doubts but he has made a brilliant beginning. His handling of the terrorist incidents had been appropriate and assuring but the part that gives me hope is that he clearly believes in the separation of powers and that those in the gift of the Prime Minister need to be curbed. He has intimated that he will give up the exercise of the Queens prerogative on the subjects of public appointments, ratifying treaties, appointment of Bishops and the power to declare war without consulting MPs. Hopefully a proper democratic reform of the House of Lords will follow.

The only fly in the ointment of these constitutional changes is that the bus is being driven by Jack Straw. Given his past pathetic performance in the democratic reform of the House of Lords one worries.