The Last couple of years for the Labour party in the UK has been somewhat of a roller coaster and I am not going to get all party political in this blog, but I am going to raise something that I think many politicians can learn from.
So lets wind the clock back.... but not too far.... not as far back as siblings Milliband were going head to head but to the point just after the awkward photo of Milliband Clegg and Cameron the morning after the general election. Ed Miliband took the decision to step down following the election result triggering a leadership contest in which the Jeremy Corbyn was nominated, possibly to stir it up a little, and very quickly it became apparent that within the Labour party he was becoming very popular and it is at this point that I think the lesson of the last 15 months for all parties starts:-
As soon as his popularity became apparent a number of senior politicians expressed the view that if he were elected the party would be un-electable. So the MP's were advising the grass routes membership that they did not want Corbyn as leader and at that point it was fair for them to air that opinion. Jeremy Corbyn then went on to win with 59% of the membership vote, Just pause for a second, the membership of the party voted by nearly two thirds in a four way battle to elect the leader they wanted knowing that this was not the MP's popular choice. This is the democratic right of the membership and so the leadership was settled, the new leader was elected and it was time for MP's to get on with the job.
Earlier this year we had the EU referendum and I agree that Jeremy Corbyn was slow out of the blocks and probably enjoyed the blue on blue a little too much, he didn't come out fighting as he was expected to do. So the MP's who didn't want him there in the first place in my opinion used this as an opportunity to fight the democratic decision of the grass routes membership. The MP's were saying "we don't like the leader you have chosen and so we will vote we have no confidence in your choice and want a different one". The vote of confidence happened and Jeremy lost so the leadership battle commenced.
3 months on and we have seen a summer of rule changes, court battles, trolling, a bruising campaign and the grass routes membership have voted for their leader who is Jeremy Corbyn, with a bigger share of the vote than before. All of that emotion, political damage and money spent to get the result the membership wanted in the first place.
This does raise the question when is it a good time to have a vote of no confidence if you don't like the result.
The lesson must be that whilst MP's are elected to make decisions they must listen to their constituents and party members on the ground especially if they can make the decision, Remember its grass routes members that select and elect MP's.
Saturday 24 September 2016
Wednesday 21 September 2016
Ninefoot Park a place to play IDEA
Quote George Osborne in Manchester 16th September 2016 09:20.
"Frankly when you're in politics and do jobs like I have done you put out ideas and launch initiatives that don't get off the ground"
So this idea is about improving the park near where I live,
Ninefoot park,
A place of play
Current position
Nine foot park is a large open public space, tree lined containing 2 football pitches and evidence of previous place equipment.
Proposal,
To create an open space with a variety of activities for all ages to enjoy the great outdoors, including places to play, exercise or rest and relax.
The proposal is to set up a local interest/residents/park neighbours group to work in partnership with the public sector to oversee and deliver an equipped open space. This will include aspiration, designing, fund raising (collections, donations and grant funding)and planning the project. Equipment will be procured and installed by professional specialist companies.
Equipment
- 2 sport walls, one for teens and adults and one for juniors, these are the traditional wall with goal and basketball hoop, I wrote of the virtues of kicking a ball in the blog entry about Childhood Obesity, basically unless the ball comes back its really boring.
- 2 climbing frame/ play areas as per the pictures below, this is to cater for different age groups
- 2 twin frames of swings, providing 4 cradle swings and 4 normal swings, it amazes me how people just love sitting on swings.
- Covered benches are also needed in the park to focus places to sit and spend time
- 1 Adult/teen trim track 1.5 km trim trail including 8-10 different exercises and signage for direction and instruction
Delivery
- Confirm TBC have no plans or reasons to refuse as landowners etc
- Create Group
- Agree roles
- Agree designs
- Create fundraising plan
- Source suppliers
- Install equipment
Before too much work is done we must be clear that the landowner will not have any issues in trying to complete this. It is also important that we work with the local authority as this will have an impact on deliverability with regards Public Liability, planning permission and landlords consent.
Whilst at this stage this scheme is merely an idea a key to delivering the long term sustainability of the area community buy in is essential. The role of a local interest group is key to the projects delivery however the roles within the group will be varied from soft consultation and participation with events through to part time volunteer role in project management or treasury.| Costs of project | |||
| Phase 1 | Childrens play | £40,260.00 | |
| Phase costs | £40,260.00 | ||
| Phase 2 | MUGA x 2 | £33,462.00 | |
| Phase costs | £33,462.00 | ||
| Phase 3 | Adult Trim Trail estimated costs | £4,565.00 | |
| Phase costs | £4,565.00 | ||
| Project Costs | £78,287.00 |
these costs are from suppliers I found locally and the photos here are from their website.
| Phase 1 | Childrens Play | |
| Item | Costs | |
| 1 | bombay under 6 clc/bom | £9,556.00 |
| 2 | London 6+ | £24,329.00 |
| 3 | city 2 bar cradle swing scsw(2) | £3,055.00 |
| 4 | city 2 bay junior swing | £3,320.00 |
| total (including installation) | £40,260.00 |
| Phase 2 | Ball Games area estimated costs | |
| Item | Costs | |
| 1 | Sportswall Junior Classic | £16,731.00 |
| 2 | Sports wall Classic | £16,731.00 |
| total (including installation) | £33,462.00 | |
| Phase3 | Adult Trim Trail estimated costs | |
| Item | Costs | |
| 1 | Tyre Run | £375.00 |
| 2 | 2m Climbing Wall | £675.00 |
| 3 | Net Climb | 1,150.00 |
| 4 | Heaves & Lying Heaves | £495.00 |
| 5 | Rope Assault | £950.00 |
| Customised Trail Data Board x 2 | ||
| Pair Trail data board support posts 2.4m x 4 | £220.00 | |
| Oval 60 degree Station Indicators x 10 | £250.00 | |
| 60 degree Cut Station Indicator Post x 10 | £450.00 | |
| total (plus installation) | £4,565.00 | |
Monday 19 September 2016
Grammar schools
Grammar schools, are they the answer to improving the British economy through improved school results?
There will be lots of debate in the next few weeks about how exclusive or dividing the selection process will be. I personally sit on the fence at the moment when it comes to the grammar school debate, but I am passionate about education and try my hardest to help my kids get good results at school.
As I've titled this about Grammar schools I suppose I must put some opinion on here. I have no problem with kids who are more academic being given the relevant support and opportunity they need to achieve their full potential just as I also believe that kids who are more vocational need the relevant support and opportunity they need to achieve their full attentional. I do not at present know whether I believe this should be based on a competitive entry with limited numbers.
I have expressed a view in the passed that it worries me that teens likely to get good gcse results, then A levels, then go on to university are often neglected and just running on a tread mill as they "do not need" additional support it is often those who struggle in education who get the assistance with carriers advice to avoid NEETs and we end up with some bright kids either making a poor decision or slipping through the net and not achieving their potential.
Where I live I have been lucky to get my children into a good primary school and having moved around the town a number of times in the last 12 years we have experienced various teaching styles and results. As i have children from 1 year to nearly 18 I have also seen the progression through the education system from start to finish. This has given me the opinion that the most important step in the education ladder is primary school education. Children must get a good solid grip of the basics when it comes to Maths and English before their minds are polluted by LEET, the language of the Internet and social media.
Two of my children have been through or are working on their GCSE's and I do not believe they ever really had a grasp of the basic and so struggle when the work gets more complex. There is a whole debate about class sizes and progression of the curriculum at the pace dictated.
The above point leads me to my opinion that whilst grammar schools are being discussed and in the same way as when academies were discussed we continue to take our eye off the primary schools. I personally feel that this is where the investment should be in regards all resources.
There will be lots of debate in the next few weeks about how exclusive or dividing the selection process will be. I personally sit on the fence at the moment when it comes to the grammar school debate, but I am passionate about education and try my hardest to help my kids get good results at school.
As I've titled this about Grammar schools I suppose I must put some opinion on here. I have no problem with kids who are more academic being given the relevant support and opportunity they need to achieve their full potential just as I also believe that kids who are more vocational need the relevant support and opportunity they need to achieve their full attentional. I do not at present know whether I believe this should be based on a competitive entry with limited numbers.
I have expressed a view in the passed that it worries me that teens likely to get good gcse results, then A levels, then go on to university are often neglected and just running on a tread mill as they "do not need" additional support it is often those who struggle in education who get the assistance with carriers advice to avoid NEETs and we end up with some bright kids either making a poor decision or slipping through the net and not achieving their potential.
Where I live I have been lucky to get my children into a good primary school and having moved around the town a number of times in the last 12 years we have experienced various teaching styles and results. As i have children from 1 year to nearly 18 I have also seen the progression through the education system from start to finish. This has given me the opinion that the most important step in the education ladder is primary school education. Children must get a good solid grip of the basics when it comes to Maths and English before their minds are polluted by LEET, the language of the Internet and social media.
Two of my children have been through or are working on their GCSE's and I do not believe they ever really had a grasp of the basic and so struggle when the work gets more complex. There is a whole debate about class sizes and progression of the curriculum at the pace dictated.
The above point leads me to my opinion that whilst grammar schools are being discussed and in the same way as when academies were discussed we continue to take our eye off the primary schools. I personally feel that this is where the investment should be in regards all resources.
Monday 12 September 2016
Childhood obesity
Today Sky news report 50% of parents would agree for kids obesity to be tested at school, 10% of children do physical exercise daily, 60% of parents are worried about obesity levels in their children. Schools already measure BMI but this is flawed. They go on to question if there should be more PE at school.
Apparently kids fitness falls 80% during school holidays??? apparently and I quote "ask any parent and its really hard to get kids to o exercise during school holidays"??? REALLY???
First question I have is, what is meant by physical activity? I live near local park and so my children have access to a field to kick a ball around, run round, cycle etc. The kids have now gone back to school and so the army of kids that have spent the summer outside and now quietly away in classrooms. so the noise levels have dropped,
There's a lot of time spent looking at participation in sport, this only covers part of the picture. recently I had the chance to visit Loughborough University where I stumbled across a fantastic sign next to an unmarked playing field. The sign simply read "turn up and play, there is no need to book this field". now this for me sums up our local open spaces and rather than just peppering our housing estates with "no ball games signs", complement them with "turn up and play area" signs.
I was going to say there is are children in my street but it appears that there are also some adult who do not seem to be able to find a field 50 yard from their house and will play football in the car park. I've watched these kids play and when they have no one else to play with the nuisance starts and I say nuisance in the widest possible sense. one of the most annoying things in the world can be a ball being kicked against the wall of your house or garage doors. when this begins its often easiest to complain to parents or authorities but have you ever tried to play with a ball/football on your own? Its not a boomerang it just doesn't come back and so these children are playing in the street because the field will become boring very quickly (I have a proposal which I will type up and share another time). What i am getting at here is that informal sports play opportunity is vital and investment should always be based on whether we can physically count the number of 'participants'
As for participation in physical activity in schools, for many years i have had a shared the view that as a child progresses through education the amount of time the get to move around reduces due to the pressures of education and so it is my opinion that as a child gets older the school day should be longer. For example years 7-11 having an extra 1 hour day, which could be used to ensure 1 extra hour per week of games/PE for each year group and extra time spent on the basics of Maths English and Sciences. This is only a suggestion and would be dependent of increased funding and resource. There would also need to be more breaks in the day but this is more a detail issue.
Can't outrun a bad diet
I think its just a case of moderation, Recently I walked through a restaurant where a carvery was being 'served', the impression I got was the patrons had clearly not eaten for a week and would do again for another week. the obsession to get value for money lead to huge plate loads or food piled high. For me this is where to start with diet, balanced meals with the right size portion.
If I've given my children a treat in their lunch box let them enjoy it. They have had cereal for breakfast which has over the last 50 years been fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, they will have a properly cooked dinner when they get home and possibly a bowl of cereal for supper if they are hungry.
Apparently kids fitness falls 80% during school holidays??? apparently and I quote "ask any parent and its really hard to get kids to o exercise during school holidays"??? REALLY???
First question I have is, what is meant by physical activity? I live near local park and so my children have access to a field to kick a ball around, run round, cycle etc. The kids have now gone back to school and so the army of kids that have spent the summer outside and now quietly away in classrooms. so the noise levels have dropped,
There's a lot of time spent looking at participation in sport, this only covers part of the picture. recently I had the chance to visit Loughborough University where I stumbled across a fantastic sign next to an unmarked playing field. The sign simply read "turn up and play, there is no need to book this field". now this for me sums up our local open spaces and rather than just peppering our housing estates with "no ball games signs", complement them with "turn up and play area" signs.
I was going to say there is are children in my street but it appears that there are also some adult who do not seem to be able to find a field 50 yard from their house and will play football in the car park. I've watched these kids play and when they have no one else to play with the nuisance starts and I say nuisance in the widest possible sense. one of the most annoying things in the world can be a ball being kicked against the wall of your house or garage doors. when this begins its often easiest to complain to parents or authorities but have you ever tried to play with a ball/football on your own? Its not a boomerang it just doesn't come back and so these children are playing in the street because the field will become boring very quickly (I have a proposal which I will type up and share another time). What i am getting at here is that informal sports play opportunity is vital and investment should always be based on whether we can physically count the number of 'participants'
As for participation in physical activity in schools, for many years i have had a shared the view that as a child progresses through education the amount of time the get to move around reduces due to the pressures of education and so it is my opinion that as a child gets older the school day should be longer. For example years 7-11 having an extra 1 hour day, which could be used to ensure 1 extra hour per week of games/PE for each year group and extra time spent on the basics of Maths English and Sciences. This is only a suggestion and would be dependent of increased funding and resource. There would also need to be more breaks in the day but this is more a detail issue.
Can't outrun a bad diet
- So I have the food police going through my kids lunch box ensuring all flavour is removed just in case it contains trace sugar, avoid sweets and provide fruit or dried fruit
- I have my dentist telling me the kids should only drink water and milk, Dried fruit is apparently really bad for teeth too.
- Is butter good and margarine bad or was that last week,
- Protein is a must if you go to the gym, but meats give you cancer
- Legal highs are banned, well apart from Nicotine, alcohol, and caffeine.
I think its just a case of moderation, Recently I walked through a restaurant where a carvery was being 'served', the impression I got was the patrons had clearly not eaten for a week and would do again for another week. the obsession to get value for money lead to huge plate loads or food piled high. For me this is where to start with diet, balanced meals with the right size portion.
If I've given my children a treat in their lunch box let them enjoy it. They have had cereal for breakfast which has over the last 50 years been fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, they will have a properly cooked dinner when they get home and possibly a bowl of cereal for supper if they are hungry.
Smoke weed everyday
Not me of course!
When did it not only become acceptable but become the norm to smoke weed/pot or whatever you want to call it constantly all day everyday.
Each and everyday at least 4 of my neighbours smoke drugs as a norm, morning or evening. People on school runs and in shops and pubs exhale and you can smell it.
As I can smell it through my windows I consider that anti-social behaviour.
For decades we discussed passive smoking of tobacco, now I worry that the prevalence of this means we are stumbling into a problem of passive weed smoking especially regarding my children innocently sleeping in their beds
The whole issue seems a taboo that no one wants to tackle and therefore becomes a norm
Brief rant but off my chest for now
Sports direct
This week the billionaire owner of sports direct pulled out a wad of £50 notes during a security check. On the back of a committee investigation into the work practices of the company relating to their employees this 'act' has caused a bit of a stir.
I have a couple of initial feelings about this, again I am not defending anyone.
1) billionaire has wad of £50 notes, So what is being said here? "a rich/successful man has money" or "OMG he still uses cash"
2) the commons committee which has investigated the sports direct issue has clearly put the blame at the feet of the top brass within the company and this is ultimately correct. But having seen large organisations it is often difficult to change and control cultures at all levels of management. where did the ban of toilet breaks during a shift come form? was it from the top ? should the top have been aware? if they are looking at these issues who grows the business and who reports to and from HR departments?
To me I do wonder about the naming and shaming of owners and directors however in this case it is leading to changes in the organisation, so Yes the work of the committee has been done but the practicioners within the company who may well have been responsible for many of the conditions are able to move around under the radar.
Just some thoughts.
I have a couple of initial feelings about this, again I am not defending anyone.
1) billionaire has wad of £50 notes, So what is being said here? "a rich/successful man has money" or "OMG he still uses cash"
2) the commons committee which has investigated the sports direct issue has clearly put the blame at the feet of the top brass within the company and this is ultimately correct. But having seen large organisations it is often difficult to change and control cultures at all levels of management. where did the ban of toilet breaks during a shift come form? was it from the top ? should the top have been aware? if they are looking at these issues who grows the business and who reports to and from HR departments?
To me I do wonder about the naming and shaming of owners and directors however in this case it is leading to changes in the organisation, so Yes the work of the committee has been done but the practicioners within the company who may well have been responsible for many of the conditions are able to move around under the radar.
Just some thoughts.
Never Questioned, Chilcot
This summer saw the long overdue publishing on the Chilcot Report following the investigations into the Iraq war 2003. I have not read the Chilcot report. I am not going to defend or attack anyone here including Blair, Bush or any others named in the media. I am also not going to enter into debate as to whether the war was legal or not. I am however going to cover a couple of points that I have heard/ read during the week which I feel all decision makers should take a moment to think about as I think the handling of the Iraq invasion and aftermath provide an extreme example of a number of familiar circumstances coming together to create a particular outcome.
Follow the leader,
anybody in any position over others assumes an amount of responsibility and trust, they speak with an authority. very often this is deserved through expertise or experience, sometimes this comes from others opinion as to how an individual behaves and reacts to information and challenges.
Any leader can be great when things appeal to them or capture their interest, any leader can be weak when their interest in a particular matter is distracted, clouded or over welmed. It is at this point that in national government select committees and in local government scrutiny committees should play a vital role in ensuring nothing falls through the gap. These committees are made up of elected individuals who have been elected to represent the best interests of their electorate. We are getting so used to picking out an individual and blaming them, often the buck stops with them, but all MP's at the time had a responsibility to ensure the reasons to go to war in Iraq were questioned and checked as they should with all policy changes. Local Government councillors have the same responsibility and must ensure the resource, structures and cultures are in place to fore fill this role.
some extracts of the press
"flawed" intelligence with inadequate preparation at a time when Saddam Hussein did not pose an "imminent threat".
While the Chilcot Report contained "serious criticisms", it showed that "there were no lies, Parliament and the Cabinet were not misled, there was no secret commitment to war, intelligence was not falsified and the decision was made in good faith", it said.
Follow the leader,
anybody in any position over others assumes an amount of responsibility and trust, they speak with an authority. very often this is deserved through expertise or experience, sometimes this comes from others opinion as to how an individual behaves and reacts to information and challenges.
Any leader can be great when things appeal to them or capture their interest, any leader can be weak when their interest in a particular matter is distracted, clouded or over welmed. It is at this point that in national government select committees and in local government scrutiny committees should play a vital role in ensuring nothing falls through the gap. These committees are made up of elected individuals who have been elected to represent the best interests of their electorate. We are getting so used to picking out an individual and blaming them, often the buck stops with them, but all MP's at the time had a responsibility to ensure the reasons to go to war in Iraq were questioned and checked as they should with all policy changes. Local Government councillors have the same responsibility and must ensure the resource, structures and cultures are in place to fore fill this role.
some extracts of the press
"flawed" intelligence with inadequate preparation at a time when Saddam Hussein did not pose an "imminent threat".
While the Chilcot Report contained "serious criticisms", it showed that "there were no lies, Parliament and the Cabinet were not misled, there was no secret commitment to war, intelligence was not falsified and the decision was made in good faith", it said.
The inquiry found that right up to the eve of the invasion Sir John was continuing to advise the Prime Minister that Iraq had the CBW with the means to deliver them and the capacity to produce more.
The report strongly criticised the failure to reassess the JIC assessment that Saddam had managed to retain a covert CBW capability after the 1991 Gulf War, even after the UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix was unable to find them.
"At no stage was the hypothesis that Iraq might no longer have chemical, biological or nuclear weapons or programmes identified and examined by either the JIC or the policy community," it said.
Referendum Promises v's Deliverables
On the 23rd June 2016 the country made the decision to leave the EU.
This decision came after months of campaigning from leavers and remainers. when I say campaigning I actually mean months of "promises" "commitments" and even "scaremongering" "misinformation".
The result stands and the commitment from the government is to deliver A brexit, but will it be the brexit that we all thought it would be?
There are some things that we should be mindful of
1st, its not going to happen overnight.
2nd many of those involved in the delivery of government services including brexit were not in the leave campaign
3rd many of the things that interpreted as "promised" were nothing more than speculative suggestions
It seems the big clash of last week (clash depends on whether you are using sky news or bbc news) was the points scheme for entry. My view is Theresa May is not only within her rights to question this method but it is also a duty of hers to have the issue clear in her own mind and clear to everyone else.
Throughout the months of the campaign and since it has become more and more apparent that both sides made suggestions as to how to improve issues such as immigration. at what point did we vote for a points systems, we voted in or out. We need a good solid procedure in place with robust assessments but we should never lose the ability for human intervention. AND it must be simple to understand for everyone. We have to be able to control our borders with common sense and that may or may not be a points system but it musty be a system that creates a defendable result or decision.
This vote was not an election to power it was a decision to leave the EU and many of the details involved have still not been found, we must tread carefully but quickly to ensure Brexit happens and the UK is not disenfranchised in or by the process, uncertainty is the killer for investment and business.
There will be more about Brexit for the next few year we need to make sure politicans don't get distracted
This decision came after months of campaigning from leavers and remainers. when I say campaigning I actually mean months of "promises" "commitments" and even "scaremongering" "misinformation".
The result stands and the commitment from the government is to deliver A brexit, but will it be the brexit that we all thought it would be?
There are some things that we should be mindful of
1st, its not going to happen overnight.
2nd many of those involved in the delivery of government services including brexit were not in the leave campaign
3rd many of the things that interpreted as "promised" were nothing more than speculative suggestions
It seems the big clash of last week (clash depends on whether you are using sky news or bbc news) was the points scheme for entry. My view is Theresa May is not only within her rights to question this method but it is also a duty of hers to have the issue clear in her own mind and clear to everyone else.
Throughout the months of the campaign and since it has become more and more apparent that both sides made suggestions as to how to improve issues such as immigration. at what point did we vote for a points systems, we voted in or out. We need a good solid procedure in place with robust assessments but we should never lose the ability for human intervention. AND it must be simple to understand for everyone. We have to be able to control our borders with common sense and that may or may not be a points system but it musty be a system that creates a defendable result or decision.
This vote was not an election to power it was a decision to leave the EU and many of the details involved have still not been found, we must tread carefully but quickly to ensure Brexit happens and the UK is not disenfranchised in or by the process, uncertainty is the killer for investment and business.
There will be more about Brexit for the next few year we need to make sure politicans don't get distracted
Keith Vaz
This weeks story of Keith Vaz has sparked a number of thoughts and questions in my head, some of these I have decided to share.
Over the last 10 years my opinion of Vaz has been generally consistent, he is a formidable scrutineer and easy to use the phrase "like a dog with a bone". as chairman of the home affairs committee he has been relentless in his questioning of MP's and other ensuring clarity and good governance. often he has had many people on the ropes. This I have both admired and also been really annoyed by, sometimes I have felt his questioning a little personal or vindictive, often i have thought "here we go again, why doesn't he shut up" or words to that effect. So whilst being frustrated by him I have to also admire what he has achieved and produced with the committee he chaired.
This weekend my initial feeling was that of being let down and let down by the fact he had let himself down.
A few things jump out for me,
1) Whilst its not behaviour I would approve of, what someone does in their private life as long as its legal is up to them. The personalisation of politics worries me. In recent years we have had a number of historic politicians have their sexuality questioned (I am not referring to any alleged abuse cases) the question for me is can they and have they done a good job as a politician and are they trustworthy, That's all I'm really interested in.
2) It is alleged that a newspaper paid the other people involved in the secret filming of Vaz, WHAT!!!!! we have media paying people to catch others out for no other reason than to sell newspapers, does this mean Vaz is merely "Co lateral Damage"? I'm guessing the defence/reason for the whole exercise was "its in the public interest", i wonder which members of the public expressed this interest prior to the set up?
3) he has been elected not his family, they will be suffering this week as the press and public pick at any scraps they can to keep a story interesting
I have wrote this in 2 parts and now vaz is being investigated for criminal activities, all i can say is Keith Vaz has let everyone down especially his family.
Over the last 10 years my opinion of Vaz has been generally consistent, he is a formidable scrutineer and easy to use the phrase "like a dog with a bone". as chairman of the home affairs committee he has been relentless in his questioning of MP's and other ensuring clarity and good governance. often he has had many people on the ropes. This I have both admired and also been really annoyed by, sometimes I have felt his questioning a little personal or vindictive, often i have thought "here we go again, why doesn't he shut up" or words to that effect. So whilst being frustrated by him I have to also admire what he has achieved and produced with the committee he chaired.
This weekend my initial feeling was that of being let down and let down by the fact he had let himself down.
A few things jump out for me,
1) Whilst its not behaviour I would approve of, what someone does in their private life as long as its legal is up to them. The personalisation of politics worries me. In recent years we have had a number of historic politicians have their sexuality questioned (I am not referring to any alleged abuse cases) the question for me is can they and have they done a good job as a politician and are they trustworthy, That's all I'm really interested in.
2) It is alleged that a newspaper paid the other people involved in the secret filming of Vaz, WHAT!!!!! we have media paying people to catch others out for no other reason than to sell newspapers, does this mean Vaz is merely "Co lateral Damage"? I'm guessing the defence/reason for the whole exercise was "its in the public interest", i wonder which members of the public expressed this interest prior to the set up?
3) he has been elected not his family, they will be suffering this week as the press and public pick at any scraps they can to keep a story interesting
I have wrote this in 2 parts and now vaz is being investigated for criminal activities, all i can say is Keith Vaz has let everyone down especially his family.
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