Saturday, November 04, 2006

Tony crony could help veto Blair prosecution ?

The First Post newsdesk report the following (highlights etc are mine):

Blair’s top lawyer to advise on cash for peerages charges

Scotland Yard officers have expressed concern about a plan that the attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, may have the final word on whether prosecutors bring charges in the cash for peerages inquiry. Officers wonder whether he will have the courage to endorse the prosecution of Tony Blair - the man who appointed him. Lord Goldsmith will be consulted by the Crown Prosecution Service and is expected to say whether charging the Prime Minister, or anyone else, is in the public interest.

So we are to expect the Tony Blair won't try and influence this ? He of trust me I'm a pretty sort of straight guy and the Hutton enquiry. The man who allowed a die hard socialist MP to become Speaker of parliamnet(1) and Labour supporting men to head up the BBC will turn his nose up at this ? He of the dodgy dossier, the man who still employs John Prescott and employed Peter Mandelson twice and then put him on the EU gravey train, and had Blunkett back twice.

I saw Shami Chakrabarti on Vox Politix talking about the possibility of needed a writen consitution. Like he I used to be against - but as she said what is the use of a gentleman's agreement when all the gentlemen have left the room ?

Even a cynic like myself would never have believed this 10 years ago - but then I have been continually shocked at the depravity of NuLabour, and I started from a fairly low opinion of them.

(1) Yes I know Blair voted for someone else - but he allowed it to happen. Convention was it should have been a Tory or Lib Dem as the next speaker. But the socialist haters of democracy wouldn't put up with that. )

Update: The Daily Telegraph web site is now reporting this ..

Further update: I was beginning to wonder where Guido has gone on this issue - but he's back and is painting a picture of rather determined inspector Knacker of the yard.... please please let this be true ...

Further Update: The BBC is saying Goldsmith will not over rule the CPS - however knowing NuLabour loves of weasel words and slick traps the fine print should be studied very closely indeed.


Anonymous said...

I think the decent thing for Goldsmith to do is declare a conflict of interest.

However, this is nulabour. Lies, lies and many more to come.

I keep finding myself counting down to May next year.

Anonymous said...

To be honest, it probably isn't in the public's interest to see a British PrimeMinister arrested for corruption. Our international standing would be damaged (think Middle East, or purging Africa from their corruption), the public's apathy towards politics would increase, we would no longer be able to gouge the corruption out of Europe (not that it's going to happen any time soon), the public's trust in politicians and our government would be eroded (perhaps even the establishment itself - the police already have a hard enough time). This could very well destroy politics as we know it - there would be significant pressure for reform of the political system, not necessarily for the better. There could even be an international backlash against our troops in Iraq or Afghanistan - if Tony is taken to court on corruption charges, in the Iraqi's/Afghanistani's mind, Tony would be capable of doing anything, thus proving that the "invaders" are there on a false premise. So there could very well be an argument to "fix it" on public interest grounds.

But that wouldn't make it right. If Goldsmith does decide to sweep it all under the carpet, let's hope that decision gets leaked, and they all get their just deserves.

Tartan Hero said...

Thank god (irony is not lost when you are a humanist) for Angus Brendan MacNeil, the young but energetic MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Western Isles to the rest of you), for exposing the Emperor's new clothes.

Cash for peerages has been going on for decades under Labour and Tory PMs (and probably the Lib Dems too), yet you have all sat back and turned a blind eye. Well hell mend ye.

No wonder we want out of the Mother of all Parliaments, because frankly she is becoming the whore of all democracies!

Man in a Shed said...

OK - I have to say the SNP are really using parliament ot its full effect (Eric Forth would have been proud). Well done.

But the Scottish Parliament is a shambles isn't it ? (You should hear my Scottish father inlaw on the subject... ;-) )

But if independance means you keep Blair, Reid and Brown then it could be a sarcifice were ready to make ( you get all the trade union reps etc repatriated also.. think how productive you could be !)