Even out of office it seems Gordon Brown just can’t seem to get his act together at a social level. He and Sarah were said to have been happy and smiley at their first public outing to a former aide’s wedding a few weeks ago. And, indeed, there was the picture to prove it, with one wedding guest commenting: “The stress of being PM seems to have vanished.” Not, however, the stress of the bride, defeated Labour candidate for Sherwood Emilie Oldknow, and her groom Jonathan Ashworth, former deputy political secretary at Number 10. What the smiley pictures didn’t reveal was that guest-of-honour Gordon was two hours late for the Derbyshire ceremony. Instead of proceeding without him, the entire proceedings were put on hold until the tardy Browns had finished faffing around at their hotel. Other weddings were backed up in the queue and guests arriving for the evening event at plush Breadsall Priory country estate found that the wedding banquet had still not finished. The coup de grace came when the Browns decided to leave early.
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MPs are beginning think that the new organisation overseeing their expenses is a highly-trained body of fifth columnists dedicated to the overthrow of Parliament by making it impossible for MPs to do their jobs. The Gestapo-like tactics are starving MPs of funds so that they cannot pay staff, telephone bills or taxis to their surgeries. Some MPs are convinced administration traps are also being laid in the complex paperwork to tempt them into claiming something they shouldn’t. Culprits are named and shamed on the IPSA website. One Labour MP said: “Every time you fill in a claim form, you have to be aware that there may be five ways to lose your job lurking in there.” They can’t wait for the holiday recess, but they’ve got no money to go anywhere.
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Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has accepted an honorary doctorate with some humble reticence. He was granted the award for services to human rights, democracy, global justice and gay rights by Sussex University in a graduation ceremony at Brighton Dome. But in accepting it he says: “I was very hesitant about accepting this honour. After all, my contribution to human rights is very modest. Many others are more deserving than me.” His decision was taken partly because the initiative came from the staff and students of the university. While best known for his gay rights activism, Peter’s first campaign was against the death penalty, followed by Aboriginal rights, opposition to conscription and the Americans’ war in Vietnam. “I do my bit for social justice, but so do many others. Together, through our collective efforts, we are helping to make a better world – a world more just and free.”
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When Gordon Brown was in Number 10, the Tories castigated him for taking his Cabinet on tour. His regional Cabinet meetings were estimated to cost the public purse as much as £200,000 each. Now, however, David Cameron has followed this extravagant lead. He and his colleagues graced Bradford with their presence for a get-together recently. Apparently, Mr Cameron promised to bring his team to the city after being confronted by an irate resident during the election campaign. Given the pledges he already dumped, you wonder why the Prime Minister decided to keep this one in the “age of austerity”.
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Lembit Opik has tried his hand at comedy since he ceased to be an MP and he should raise a few laughs with his suggestion that he might be the his party’s candidate for London Mayor. Apparently, some “senior” Liberal Democrats have told him that could be a good idea. Curiously, not one has gone public. Mr Opik insists the Tory incumbent has shown the way for “colourful characters”. Certainly, he could be just as useless as Boris Johnson. However, as his former colleagues are now enthusiastically implementing Thatcherite policies, he may have come up with a retort to those who say: “Vote Lembit, get Boris”.
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While all but his most ardent admirers have given up waiting for Gordon Brown to show us his vision, his successor as PM has wasted no time in unveiling his big idea. No one should say there’s no such thing as the “Big Society”. But what happens if having people run their own schools, police their own areas, dispose of their own rubbish and perhaps even operate on themselves doesn’t work because of a shortage of volunteers? Is there a plan B? Or could this bunkum and balderdash just turn out to be the petard on which David Cameron is hoist?
