Erminegate-Good Day To Bury Bad News

With perfect timing, before Cameron was set to get his teeth into Brown over his favourite banker, the advisor suddenly quit, leaving Dave not as angry as he wanted to be. And, in all the rush, Yates of the Yard suddenly pops up to announce there'll be no police inquiry into Erminegate. Wednesday has never been so busy for spinners. 

The media and the Tory leader had the scent of blood as Brown's favourite banker was fingered for sacking a whistleblower, all set for a showdown in the commons. 

Brown's close ties with his own knighted economic advisor, Sir James Crosby, raised more than a few eyebrows, when former HBOS head of risk, Paul Moore revealed he was fired by Crosby, then the bank's CEO, after warning about the risky way the bank was heading. 

But today at PMQs, Cameron's chance to prove that he really is the true Mr Angry took a beating, when it was announced Brown's buddy had quit as deputy chairman of the useless Financial Services Authority, just minutes before Cameron could launch his attack. 

Coincidence or what? It certainly begs the question did Sir James jump or was he pushed to dig Brown out of a hole? 

Meanwhile the digging continues. A police investigation, headed by the Met's assistant commissioner, John Yates, into Erminegate and corruption in the highest of places has been scrapped.

With perfect timing and an eye on burying the news, it was announced police will not investigate allegations against New Labour peers accused of being willing to change laws in exchange for cash.

The LibDems referred the matter to police after the Sunday Times blew the gaff on the 'cash for laws' scandal with their sights on the 'untouchable' Lords and New Labour's cronies.

The Met claims the decision not to proceed was taken "after considering the prospects for obtaining evidence and whether an inquiry constituted the best use of police resources." 

Erminegate rocks the foundations of democracy with greed and abuses of power. No matter how much Downing Street and the CPS try to bury it, the stench of corruption still fills the air.

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Only A Disguise Will Stop Public Ridicule

Two million on the dole, a home secretary fiddling expenses, Brown sucking up to City pals refusing to budge on bonuses while his favourite banker is fingered for sacking a whistleblower, the country in deep recession. Who'd want to be seen as a New Labour MP? 

Public anger over bankers, jobs and the government's economic mess is turning to ridicule but ministers still bury their heads in the sand.

Today Bank of England governor, Mervyn King, told voters what they can see and feel all around them -  the UK is facing a deep recession. It's a sorry state of affairs but unlike the greedy bankers, no-one in government has the guts to say sorry.

Blair's ex-deputy, John Prescott's on-line battle of the bonuses may be capturing the mood of the nation but more importantly it's reflecting the anger and frustration of backbench Labour MPs. 

Brown needs to get a grip and stop the dithering. Just say what everyone wants to hear - bonuses must be scrapped when the taxpayer is a shareholder in any bank. 

He won't because he can't. The whole New Labour project was based on the fundamental flaw of sucking up to the City to keep them sweet and the government in power. 

Labour's born-again working-class hero, Prescott, was happy to go along for the ride if that meant power and glory. Those days are long gone. Now voters are deserting in droves and Tories and LibDems can outflank the government when the public's on their side. 

The sorry sight of the former bankers' mumbled and staged outburst of remorse before the commons treasury committee left voters cold. 

The Orange Party dozed off watching a pointless and carefully managed PR charade unfold but woke when the finger pointed at Brown, as three of the four guilty men lorded it up with their Ks and Ps on full view - all thanks to their government pals. Failure now brought ample rewards in the past. 

But it's Brown's close ties with his knighted economic advisor, Sir James Crosby, which struck at the heart of the problem, when former HBOS head of risk, Paul Moore revealed he was fired by Crosby, then the bank's CEO, after repeatedly warning about the bleedin' obvious. 

On top of all that unemployment is at a monumental high since New Labour grabbed power and two homes Smith is praying her homes scam will go away before it blows the lid off government sleaze and corruption. 

Today at PMQs Cameron has a chance on so many fronts to prove that he really is the true Mr Angry and Brown's reported "anger" is just part of the Downing Street spin. 

So what can New Labour MPs do? Backbench MP, Frank Field, has an answer: "This anger is likely to be such that the only way that Labour MPs will be able to go out in public will be in heavy disguise - such will be the public ridicule."

UPDATE 11.46am: Brown's buddy, Sir James Crosby, has quit as deputy chairman of the useless Financial Services Authority, just minutes before Cameron could get really angry, during PMQs. Did he jump or was he pushed?

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Bankers Say Sorry So What's The Big Deal?

They came, they got grilled, they mumbled the S-word through clenched teeth, in a pointless PR exercise in double standards, wallowing in self-pity and remorse. Greedy bankers have been exposed as a bunch of greedy bankers. It's all a bit too little to late.  

The BBC's Common Purpose business guru, Robert Peston and political pundit, Nick Robinson, are both on hand to explain it all to the nation. The media and politicians are having a field day, forcing the former bankers onto their knees in a day of shame.

Sure it's good to watch the bankers get a roasting, though it's a pity Vince Cable's guillotine was meant as a joke.  

Former RBS bosses Sir Fred Goodwin and Sir Tom McKillop, closely followed by Andy Hornby and Lord Stevenson of HBOS - all bar one rewarded with a K or a P thanks to their pals in government. 

Now it seems all quite happy to face the music, as the banks play musical chairs while the country slides into a deep downturn, recession,  depression depending on who you want to believe.

It seems the government is taking its own blame culture just a tad too far, treating the ex-bankers like naughty children. Shame on you, a slap on the wrists, say your sorry. That's it. After a spell on the naughty step, off they sail into the wild blue yonder with their fancy titles and a wad of pocket money. 

How they must be laughing all the way to their banks. A quick apology to Parliament and a lesson in damage limitation for the next time someone screws up big time. 

It all must serve a purpose, apart from watching them squirm but the Orange Party cannot think what. Everyone knows the lessons to be learnt. It's called greed. 

The charade is certainly not for ordinary folk who're scared stiff about losing their jobs and making ends meet while the debt-fuelled boom takes its toll on every aspect of their lives. 

Meanwhile two homes secretary, Jacqui Smith, is doing the rounds of the media, wriggling around her homes scam using the pathetic excuse that she's done nothing wrong and was only following the rules. Isn't that just the same old corrupt excuse the bankers have been making? 

And back in the other big boy's world, Brown is trying to upstage Cameron as the new Mr Angry. Cameron is blaming borrowing Brown for the economic mess and quite right too but the Tories were not exactly shouting warning from the rooftops during those bloomin' booming years. 

Now if this was Brown and his bunch of economic morons who were being brought to book and made to apologise to the nation, people would sit up and take notice. 

But it's not. It's this month's Mr Nasties, the bankers, who're in the firing line. Not the home secretary, not the deluded prime minister, not the rest of the parliamentary elite who can hide behind the rules when it suits them and milk the system and bleed the nation for all it's worth.

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Balls' Warning Was No Balls Up

His master's voice, Ed Balls, seems to have dropped the boss right in it. Brown's side-kick delivered another bout of depression for the beleaguered prime minister, warning the recession will be worse than the 1930s. But this was no balls up, this was carefully planned. 

Balls' speech to the Labour Party faithful didn't say anything new or anything which the Party and the public didn't know was happening already. But it's the timing which is important. A speech of this significance doesn't get off the blocks without Downing Street clearance.

Balls told Labour's Yorkshire conference at the weekend the financial crisis will be "more extreme and more serious than that of the 1930s". That follows last week's use of the dreaded D-word by Brown in the commons, when Downing Street was quick to play down this sad 'slip of the tongue'. 

It seems to be at odds with everything government ministers have been telling the public for months. 

Either they've been telling porkies or haven't a clue what's going on - or they're getting their act together for a fresh line of attack. 

Balls and Downing Street have again tried to play down the significance with some spinning gobbledegook about the unique nature of the global financial crisis. 

The Conservatives said the remarks were "staggering and very worrying". They certainly are - for them. 

Balls is only saying publicly what ministers have known for a long time but for their own political survival have tried to play it down with first a daft downturn then a recession.

The worry has been that it could spread panic and anxiety, sap confidence, point the finger at Brown's past economic mistakes and turn away voters in their droves. 

But the public are no fools and can see what is happening all around them. The effect for Brown in particular has been to lose all credibility. 

The slide towards a US-style Great Depression has been anticipated by some political and economic commentators for a while. The Orange Party too warned of it here in January. 

The government tried it on with the spin over green shoots of recovery and fell flat on its face. 

The Brown bounce has evaporated and the government's whole economic record is on the line. 

As the Tory lead strengthens and an elections looms, Balls is reflecting a change in strategy to reposition themselves as the only Party to save the country from a scary deep Depression and a lurch to the Far Right, part of Brown's belated calls for a government of national unity - with New Labour of course at the helm. 

If you can't brow beat voters, confuse them. So expect more of this to-ing and fro-ing between green shoots of optimism and doom and gloom in the weeks to come as the government softens up voters for even tougher times ahead and their dreaded June elections. 

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Lily-Livered Brown Dithers Over Bonuses

Lily-livered Brown has turned into a dithering Dad's Army character  over City bonuses. According to the BBC, he's really "very angry" about the whole thing. Well bully for Brown. What took him so long? Do catch up, the rest of the country has been spitting blood about this outrage for a long time. If Brown can't get his act together and do something about this now, the real Mr Angry is waiting in the wings.

The BBC headline whimpers to the nation: 'Prime Minister Gordon Brown is "very angry" about proposed bank bonuses and wants bankers to consider waiving their right to them, his spokesman has said.'

Is that the best the BBC and Downing Street can come up with when they put their heads together? 

It reminds the Orange Party of Sergeant Wilson in Dad's Army: "Excuse me, would you mind terribly not doing that sort of thing here .. it's awfully bad manners, there's a good chap." 

Mounting anger and disbelief over complete government inaction over the payment of bonuses to senior bank executives has left Brown and his band of ministers looking feeble and lily-livered. 

Brown is reportedly very angry but why doesn't he get off his bottom and do something? His hapless chancellor Darling has ordered a review into bank management led by ex-City regulator. That will take until the end of the year to complete and smacks of a cover-up to take the heat off the City old boys club. 

Meanwhile the downturn, recession, depression will just get a whole lot worse. And voters will be heartily sick of putting up with hardship while the fat cats get the cream.

The real Mr Angry, Conservative leader, David Cameron, said ministers were "asleep on the job". The LibDems have pitched in,  describing ministers' response to the bankers' bonuses as "pathetic".

That's certainly two ways to describe it. Taxpayers, who've stumped up £20 billion to watch the banks sail off into the wild blue yonder and trouser a £1 billion of that to pay out in bonuses, probably have a few choice words of their own.

The brutal fact is the government sat idly by and said and did nothing until now, as their pals in the City laughed all the way to their banks. 

It's almost as if Downing Street spinners have been watching US TV. Hey, that Obama guy's not very happy about this bonus thing. Maybe we should think about doing something about it over here? It's a sure fire vote winner. 

Meanwhile the two working class heroes and Hull MPs, Prescott and Johnson, have been waddling in with their two penneth, slamming City bonuses and trying to save their own political skins as their beloved working class turns against them. 

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Who Will Rid Us Of Corrupt Ministers?

Revelations of two homes secretary Smith's  shameful fiddling of MPs' expenses isn't going away, despite the best efforts of government to play it down and hardly a whimper from the Tories. But the bleatings centre on a 'morally dubious' practice. This squalid corrupt sham should be stamped on and stamped out. 

The double standards of greedy government ministers was laid bare on the Today programme this morning, with treasury minister, Yvette Cooper, having the barefaced cheek to talk about the moral duty of bankers and their obscene bonuses. 

That's the same Cooper who along with hubby Ed was let off the hook over their second homes fiddle and John Humphrys to his credit was in like a shot and having none of it. 

Cooper launched into the defence that she and Balls, like Smith hadn't broken any rules and were only claiming what they were entitled to. What utter nonsense. 

Smith has been caught out using  MPs' homes expenses in a squalid rip-off at the taxpayers' expense along with Balls and Cooper. No wonder Brown made such a monumental balls up when the vexed issue of MPs' expenses was raised in the commons. 

Brown's favourite cabinet couple, Ed Balls and wife Yvette Cooper claimed they had been able to "maximise" their taxpayer-funded second homes allowances, by claiming their London home was their main home.

The same trick the home secretary Jacqui Smith used, claiming her West Midlands family home is her second home, while lodging with her sister in London and claiming that is her first home. 

If that's not cabinet corruption, it's difficult to know what is.

Cynics argue that the Tories are keeping their heads down because they're certainly not whiter than white but that misses the point entirely.

Conservative MPs are just that, MPs, with only a small group paid to do the job of challenging the government. It's the same argument that doesn't hold water when Brown attacks the Tories as the 'do nothing party'. What can they do? They're not the government - yet. 

An MP fiddling expenses is one thing. But the tight cabal of cabinet ministers and pay-roll MPs is the government. On the one hand politically posturing with righteous statements and on the other milking the system for all it's worth at the taxpayers expense. 

"Morally dubious practice" for sure, but ministers on the take is nothing short of a commons scam.

Guido has the tip of one 'anti-corruption group', the Centre for Open Politics, now lodging a formal complaint about Smith's expenses fiddle, raising the interesting but totally unrealistic prospect of a police investigation into the home secretary. 

That's a start but it needs a political heavy weight to demand formal commons action, if this squalid matter isn't going to fizzle out all together. 

Yesterday the Orange Party made the point that in any other circumstances ministers caught playing these dirty tricks would be forced to resign but with ministers now so wrapped up in their own arrogance and self-interest and with the full backing of Brown, it seems anyone in a position of power caught fiddling expenses can easily ride out the storm.

And that leaves a very nasty taste in the mouth.

UPDATE: Tory leader, David Cameron, has warned that Smith "may have to answer some questions" about her expenses, which is probably as far as Mr Angry will go on this one.

Picture: Tractor Stats

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Why Alan Is Banging The Drum For Dave

Hide-away health secretary, Alan Johnson, has been opening his heart to a Sunday newspaper with Confessions Of An Ex-Postman and banging the drum for Tory leader, David Cameron. But why is this beaming working class hero singing Dave's praises? 

On the surface it seems the new Downing Street strategy is, if you can't beat them join them, as Johnson told the Sunday Times: “Cameron’s likeable ... He’s articulate ... He’s a nice guy ... I am sure he is genuine about the NHS,” before laying into Dave with a "killer hug". 

The Orange Party reckons there's a simpler motive at work here. Johnson is hedging his bets and saving his own skin. 

Johnson is MP for Hull West and Hessle, where angry construction workers travelled across to Immingham for the 'British Jobs' refinery strike. He's worried about his voter base, as time and again these solid Labour supporters feel betrayed by Brown and the government. 

Tellingly and ominously, international financial analyst Bloomberg reported to the world this choice quote from a Hull construction worker recently:

“They’ve sold us down the river,” said Charles Hilton, 61, an electrician from Hull in northern England who was out on strike yesterday with local oil-refinery workers. “We’re going to see civil unrest in this country. It’s already started. It will grow unless things are sorted."

Hilton, who calls himself a traditional Labour voter, said he’ll back David Cameron’s opposition Conservative Party in the next election.

As a former postman and union official, Johnson knows too well the mood of the workers. He's biding his time for when the Blairite elite finally get the boot. 

Meanwhile wandering around this whole New Labour thing with a bemused smile, Johnson is contenting himself with yet another meaningless and misleading campaign on obesity. After all, fat is still a political issue and if there's a bandwagon to jump on, let it roll.  

There's clearly something in the water in Hull, as Johnson joins another Hull MP, born again class-warrior and new blogging whizz kid, John Prescott, with outspoken attacks on the greedy bosses and fat cat bonuses.

But Johnson is in danger of disappearing up his own low public profile, happy to let Darzi take the knife to the NHS and as the wasteful disgrace of the £12.7 billion NHS computer comes crashing down around the government's ears. 

Ministers are steadfastly squandering billions of pounds of taxpayers cash on the useless NHS white-elephant, already more than five years behind schedule. 

The Tories already have that NHS Connecting for Health computer firmly in their sights as a prime example of rotten government waste and incompetence. No amount of sucking up to Dave will get the minister ultimately responsible off the hook. 

Nevertheless the Orange Party believes Johnson is one of the very few New Labour ministers who come anywhere close to being a solid, decent bloke. That boy will go far. 

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Scandal Of Second Homes Secretary Smith

The chickens are coming home to roost for greedy government ministers, with the home secretary now caught shamefully fiddling commons expenses, claiming her West Midlands family home is her second home, while lodging with her sister in London and claiming that is her first home. 

The Mail on Sunday claims home secretary, Jacqui Smith, has received £116,000 in allowances while lodging at her sister’s house. This is on top of the taxpayer-funded security, which the paper puts at around £200,000 a year. 

The revelations are the latest to hit the home secretary who also clams £40,000 a year for parliamentary assistant husband, Richard Timney, who was caught out writing glowing free puffs for his wife in the local newspaper, without disclosing the family connection. 

The Mail reports Smith claims the maximum parliamentary second-home allowance, currently a tax-free £24,006 a year on the detached house in her West Midlands constituency, where her husband and two young children live and which she bought for £300,000 five years ago.

Smith claims she has done nothing wrong and her spokeswoman said "Jacqui has documentation to prove that everything is completely above board. It has been cleared by the Commons Fees Office". But the Orange Party is at a loss to understand whether this office scrutinises and clears expenses claims or merely makes a note of them.

Smith is not the first cabinet minister to be caught using their MPs' homes expenses in a squalid rip-off at the taxpayers' expense. 

Brown's favourite cabinet couple, Ed Balls and wife Yvette Cooper were let off the hook  after it was claimed they had been able to "maximise" their taxpayer-funded second homes allowances, by claiming their London home was their main home.

Once again it exposes the "morally dubious practice" of ministers on the take in what is nothing short of a commons scam.

The Orange Party could never understand how Smith suddenly popped up from nowhere and was handed the poisoned chalice of home secretary in the first place, when she stands no chance of holding onto her Redditch seat at the next general election. 

Since taking the powerful position, Smith has been snapped in a bullet-proof vest on the streets of London with armed police officers to show the streets are safe, while her political advisor has been slammed by a commons watchdog after ordering the release of misleading crime figures. 

At the same time as pushing through hugely distasteful and expensive ID cards, her department found time to get involved with the heavy mob's unwarranted raid on the commons offices of opposition spokesman, Damian Green. 

In other circumstances ministers caught playing these dirty tricks would be forced to resign but with ministers now so wrapped up in their own arrogance and self-interest and with the full backing of Brown, it seems anyone in a position of power caught fiddling expenses can easily ride out the storm. 

Picture: Tractor Stats

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LibDems Suck Last Life Out Of New Labour

The death knell for the government has been sounded with the latest opinion poll showing voters deserting in droves, scrabbling around for alternatives. 

With vultures circling overhead, LibDems are picking up a few crumbs of comfort, as Brown and his minister's credibility sink to an all-time low.

On the surface, the new ICM poll in tomorrow's Sunday Telegraph shows a boost for the LibDems - up 6% at 22% - and puts New Labour down 4 on 28 per cent, only six points behind, while the Tories are down 4 to still a whopping 40 per cent.

But it is the government's handling of the economy where the survey paints its most gloomy picture, showing New Labour's support falling to its lowest ebb since Brown's well-managed and well-spun bank bail-out bounce last autumn.

What is unclear, however, is how the questions were framed and the weighting used, as ICM uses a methodology which generally favours the LibDems anyway. A similar poll for the Guardian recently had the LibDems on a silly 16%.

The Orange Party has noted New Labour's demise for a long time as voters, once enticed by New Labour Promised Land, started to shop around for an alternative, with Cameron's Conservatives slowly positioning themselves from the Party that's 'electable' to a government-in-waiting. 

After more than a decade in power that switch to the Tories can only go so far and with no SNP alternative as in Glasgow East, English voters will look to the LibDems as the Tories bottom out, trying to work out which suits them best. 

That is the key to how the general election will be fought. 

Within the Party too, the battle is between the political strategists who argue timing and when best to strike and government ministers who through a mixture of arrogance and self-interest try to cling onto power for as long as they can, in the vain hope that things will get better. They won't. 

At home, the recent refinery workers protest and the rise of Mandelson was the final nail in the coffin for a Party still conning voters that it has any semblance of a 'Labour' Party. Die-hard Labour supporters feel betrayed, with many going on record that they'll switch to the Tories. 

Abroad the cracks are starting to appear, as Brown and his plan to save the world are finally exposed as not all they're cracked up to be. 

Downing Street looked pathetic as spinners tried to play-down the savage Sarkozi attack on Brown's "economic mistakes" coming only a day after Brown was completely upstaged by old foe Blair and his quick prayer with best buddy Obama.  

Clarkson's Australian outburst centred on wet and contrived protests over "the one-eyed Scottish idiot" jibe. No one protested about the rest of his outburst - that Brown has been lying over the economy. 

The warnings signs are there, the question is whether Brown and the tightly knit cabal of cronies will heed them. 

Brown famously bottled one general election. He could have gone again, riding on the back of the cleverly managed spin of the "Brown bounce" but he didn't. 

Now the Party is at a crossroads and faces a stark choice. Either accept the election is lost and give voters what they want now, a chance to elect a new government or cling on to power and face extinction. 

What is still unclear is whether it will be the men in grey suits or white coats who will come and take away a deluded Brown or whether the Labour Party itself will continue to sit back and watch Brown destroy the Party and the country. 

The Orange Party still believes the Party has no choice but to eventually see sense, ditch Brown and call an election, sooner rather than later. Not least to try to salvage a few marginal seats. 

The only question remaining is whether it will be the sad, tired old New Labour, or Clegg's blustering LibDems who will form Her Majesty's Official Opposition.

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