At The Going Down of The Sun

Picture by Peter Troy

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As the sun sets in County Durham on the evening of Sunday 30th September we briefly pause to reflect on an eventful month and promise that those that have upset us will, in the new month, be left in no doubt of the power and influence of blogging. The Editor is confident that having today reached the mature age of 54 he is a very ready able and willing British Subject.

Booker on Brown on Britishness

Not that we counted but, according to one report, Gordon Brown mentioned "British" or "Britishness" no less than 71 times in his conference speech last week. It takes Christopher Booker in his column today, however, to illustrate exactly what this means in practice to our Prime Minister and his Labour government. Read the piece by Dr Richard North on posted on EU Referendum.

Patientline -The End

Patientline PLC the troubled hospital communications company that we have been monitoring since April admitted at its fraught AGM on Thursday that it is in urgent talks with banks regarding restructuring its balance sheet (again) because of growing liquidity problems. In other, more simple words, is about to go bust!

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The reason is as we have pointed out on this blog more than a few times (see labels below) is that Patientline's vastly over paid Directors and senior managers got it badly wrong. They over expanded the company, over priced the product and under performed on the quality of the service - currently over 20 per cent of the equipment in the 150 hospitals in which Patienline operates is in some way faulty.

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The company, which achieved pre-tax losses of £30.2 million, admitted its shares are now virtually worthless (less than one pence each); the cash flow is at a critically low level with suppliers queuing up to be paid.

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The hard pressed ward and call centre staff who are paid little more than the minimum wage - with unobtainable high pressure sales inventives - are either leaving in droves or calling in sick as a direct result of the vast quantity of daily complaints from ward staff and patients.

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Amazingly a Patientline spokesperson said on Friday: ''there has been a reduction in incoming call revenues as a result of a challenging operating environment and the recent instruction by Ofcom, whereby a message must be played to customers at the start of calls informing them of the cost of the call.'' So there you have it Patientline's failure is a result of not understanding their customers and consumer legislation!

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Since Patientlines demise is now inevitable there is an urgent need for the Government to establish non-profit organisations to deliver the 'patient power' service (a Blair legacy) that Patientline have quite spectacularly failed to do.

The Sunday Quote

''Always forgive your enimies. Nothing annoys them so much.''

Oscar Wild (1854 -1900)

The End of Week Quote

Tony Benn the veteran left-winger in Bournmouth on our 'government' - the EU: " a group of people who are not elected, cannot be removed and don't have to listen to us".

Best Left to Politicians ?

By Peter Troy

What do the the following business pressure groups have in common: The Federation of Small Businesses, Confederation of British Industry, British Chambers of Commerce, Forum of Private Business and the Institute of Directors?

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The answer is that none of those business organisations have made any clear statement on the specific issue of a referendum on the so called ‘Reform Treaty’ which is, in all but name, a new constitution for the EU and thus also for the UK.

Why are the representatives of the nation’s business community curiously reticent on this vital issue when on the other hand the trade Union movement has been very vocal? The answer, in part, is buried in the key issue, that of the opt-out (or otherwise) negotiated by Tony Blair of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, this being an annex to the treaty.

At the recent TUC Congress Union leaders took the issue head on. The Prison Officers Association, RMT, and GMB, dealt a sharp rebuff to Gordon Brown. Although they stopped short of also pledging to campaign to any future "no" vote, it was made clear that, if the government does not change its position on the Charter opt-out, they will in fact join a "no" campaign.

The Charter of Fundamental Rights is also matter of some concern to both the representatives of the corporate business world the CBI as well as the FSB, the largest organisation representing the nations 3 million small businesses; both organisations are concerned as to whether the opt-out that Tony Blair claimed to have secured is in fact enforceable in law.

The FSB goes as far as to comment that: ''It would be a huge step backwards for us to sign up to this treaty if it meant surrendering our hard-won economic advantage over our neighbours in Europe.'' Though the FSB specifically added that: ''Our 210,000 members do not see the internal workings of the EU as being a priority for action''. Well that is probably true since FSB branch delegates, on behalf of their members, have twice voted to persuade the government to leave the EU at the Federation’s annual conferences (in 1995 and 2001).

The drivers of the Trade Unions position, however, are angered at the opt-out for British workers from the EU Charter. This, they claim, will give their counterparts in the other 26 member states increased rights to take industrial action – in particular, the right to strike. The GMB in particular says its members are "bitterly disappointed" that the charter will not apply to British workers. It states that the government needs to show that it is committed to "Europe's social dimension as this is necessary for British trade unions' support for the future development of Europe. Needless to say, the Trade Unions position is somewhat at odds with other pro-referendum campaigners who oppose the treaty in principle. The unions, it seems, will be campaigning on a platform of "more Europe", rejecting the treaty because it does not increase the EU's powers sufficiently.

The business organisations are clearly united in the view that if the Charter opt- outs do apply then their position is best summed up in the words of Adam Powell, Press Officer at The Confederation of British Industry (CBI). ''The Reform Treaty is a political issue that in our view is best left to Politicians.'' A comment that one would expect from the corporate world (but not the small business community) whose vast resources is able to effectively influence the EU project.

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The business organisations are less than keen to confront the issues that arise from the UKs continued membership of the EU, prefering to lobby from the 'inside'. This results in the organisations becoming a part of the culture of the EU in all its complex forms. A situation that has led this author to comment in the past that at least one organistaion (in my view) has become ''a part of the problem rather than the solution''.

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In the meantime it is gradually emerging in the nation’s newspapers that if the ‘Reform’ Treaty (or the Lisbon treaty) as it is will soon be known will in my view for worse have far reaching consequences on the UK Economy, our legal system and not least how we are governed. The contents of this treaty will effect all businesses whether large or small, Trade Unions and for that matter the huge numbers of public sector employees; the issues are far too important to be left to our politicians to decide.

So there we have it; the debate is now raging from all angles, an important fundamental issue which affects all segments of our country and yet our Prime Minister is stubbornly refusing to keep his promise of a referendum.

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The above piece was published by The Journal in the 'In my view' column yesterday.

The Sun has got his hat on .......

You all know the next words, and at least a few cheers for the The Sun which is taking the EU referendum issue on with a full-frontal assault in today's newspaper. The graphic sums up Brown’s attitude to perfection, putting two fingers up to the nation. He has the power, and he knows it – and is prepared to go ahead regardless. The full story posted on EU Referendum.

Statue of Crapper

Dr Helen Szamuely over on "One London" comments that "Hizonna" has resurrected the matter of statues in central London. He wants Mahatma Gandhi's statue in the already overcrowded Parliament Square. Very British Subjects has other ideas on who should be commemorated.

Well if there are to be nominations for appropriate British Subjects to have new statues erected in their honour in our Capital City the editorial team on this Blog wish to nominate Thomas Crapper. Mr Crapper was a small entrepreneurial Business man that mass produced the WC and ignored the prudish attitude of mid-Victorian society in the interests of public health - and indeed growing his own business.

Whilst Thomas Crapper did not invent the first flush toilet he very much advanced its popularity. He was a very shrewd businessman, salesman and self-publicist. In a time when bathroom fixtures were barely spoken of, he heavily promoted sanitary plumbing and pioneered the concept of the bathroom fittings showroom.

Thomas Crapper's name has been taken in vane since his death in 1910 and now this Very British (plumber) Subject deserves public recognition. The Editor will make a note to mention the promoting of a statue of the late Mr Crapper to the Federation of Small Businesses; one feels a motion at the annual conference coming on.

The ''Family'' Blog

Our expanding band of regular readers may have noticed substantial changes to this glorious Blog. The most important being that we have joined the new Umbrella Blog.

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The new Blog aims to provide easily accessible reference to a "family" of blogs, allowing the reader to see at a glance what has been posted, and to give enough information about each post to enable readers to decide whether they want to read more. That way, Umbrella Blog is a convenient time-saver and a quick source of information, removing the need to trawl through a large number of blogs yet enabling readers to pick up information they might otherwise have missed. As the "family" of bloggers expands, editors aim through them to cover a wide range of subjects, providing a complementary overview of the issues of the day, with analysis and insights that the MSM rarely offers.

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For a fuller explanation go here. I hope readers will approve of our new adopted family in the mean time this Blog will as the great man often said when the chips were down: '' Keep Buggering On (KBO)'
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Peter Troy - A Family Blog Editor

The (Regular) Sunday Quote

''We must remember that any oppression, any injustice, any hatred, is awedge designed to attack our civilisation.''

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was the thirty-second (and longest serving) President of the United States.

Man of Letters

Letter Published Friday 21 September'07

In The Northern Echo

Sir

Don't Rock the Rock.

Confidence is a delicate thing. Savers are no longer queuing at the doors of Northern Rock for their money back because there is enough residual trust left in the government to believe, for the time being, the Chancellor's promise that the taxpayer will underwrite the finances of the bank.

The last thing in the world Northern Rock savers need is any doubt. from the EU Commission. This week Brussells has requested information from the British authorities over the government support of Northern Rock, concerned that it could violate EU state aid laws if support leads to distortion of the banking market.

The one thing the Chancellor did not make clear was that his guarantee to Northern Rock savers is conditional – and time-limited. The "conditionality" is that any guarantee made is valid only insofar that it conforms with EU requirements, for the time period in which it is allowable. If Northern Rock savers come to the conclusion that, at any time, the EU can pull the rug from under the UK government, then we may see queues re-forming outside the bank offices and this time there will be nothing that can be said which will turn them away.

If I still had any money in Northern Rock (or any money at all), I would be very worried.

Peter Troy, Sedgefield.

(With thanks to Dr Richard North)

Is MAD Driving you, Mervyn?

by Christoper Booker

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Did Mervyn King know what he was talking about when he was grilled on the Northern Rock affair by the Commons finance committee last week?

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The Governor of the Bank of England began by saying "the main point" he wished to make was that he had not been able to rescue the bank as he would have likedbecause of constraints imposed by four pieces of new legislation, in particularthe EU's Market Abuse directive (officially known as MAD).

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The chairman, John McFall MP, impatiently brushed this aside, but Mr King insisted that, where as once he could have carried out a rescue "covertly", MADrequires all such operations to be done in openly.

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The MPs showed no interest in the point Mr King felt was so crucial, any more than did the media, although the European Commission later stated that thedirective would not have prevented Mr King acting as he wished.

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As it happens, the Commission appeared to be right. The chief purpose of MAD,directive 2003/6, is to end financial skulduggery by promoting "transparency" inthe dealings of companies and individuals, not central banks.

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Indeed a Commission Regulation, 2273/2003, issued under the directive,specifically exempts transactions designed to achieve "stabilisation", of thetype Mr King wanted to bring about in the affairs of Northern Rock. In such cases, it is only necessary to reveal what is going on after stabilisation hasbeen brought about.Was the Governor correctly advised as to what MAD says?

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He did at one point saythat the wording is "ambiguous" and that the constraints he referred to appearedto be an "unintended consequence" of the directive.

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Did anyone from the Bank consult the Commission as to whether a "covert" rescueoperation was illegal?

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The MPs spoke much of the "tripartite" grouping nowresponsible for such financial regulation - the Bank, the Treasury and theFinancial Services Authority - but clearly it should be seen as "quadripartite",with Brussels just as important as the rest.

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That even the Bank's Governor seems confused by this labyrinthine system raisesyet more doubts about the curious new form of government under which we live. It makes a nonsense of the proudest boast of our new Prime Minister, that he gave the Bank its "independence".

France is considering rejoining Nato as a full member. A development hinted at by French Priesident Nicolas Sarkozy who said he wanted France to resume "its full place" in the organisation, insisting Nato was no rival to France's ambition of a robust European defence capability. What are the consequences for the UK? Read Defence of the Realm.

The End of Week Quote

''The Reform Treaty is a political issue that in our view is best left to Politicians.''

An amazing comment by Adam Powell Press Officer at The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) in response to the Editor of this Blog's question on the view of the organisation on the question of a referendum on the EU 'Reform' Treaty.

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Clearly one can assume that they are not that keen on people power. Next Wednesday the UK business world's view on a referendum on this vital issue will be explored in detail in The Journal. Readers should check the 'In my view' colum an irregular series by Peter Troy.

Community Support ?

They look like police officers, they sound like Police Officers and they often pretend to be police officers but, as the tragic story of the young boy who drowned while two community support officers (CSOs) stood by affirms, they most definitely are not Police Officers.

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The posting on the New Umbrella Blog details the sad story of the young boy who drowned, while two CSOs who were summoned to help merely called for a trained police officer.

The Rock and the EU

At yesterday's Treasury Committee hearing, there can be no doubt about what the Governor of the Bank of England wanted to say. His difficulties were due to EU Market Abuse Directive 2003/6/EC, which stopped the Bank mounting a rescue operation. The dead hand of the EU was at the heart of the Northern Rock crisis. Dr North's article is posted on EU Referendum.

London Assembly Demands Referendum

On a motion from Damian Hockney, Leader of the One London group (who else) the London Assembly has voted to urge to government to keep its manifesto promise to hold a referendum on the Constitutional Reform Treaty that will be agreed on in October at the Inter-Governmental Conference. Full story is posted on One London.

Hartlepool's Twilight Zone

If you want to enter the Twilight Zone then, says Councillor Steve Allison, go to a meeting of Hartlepool Borough Council; a depressing thought even on a wet North Eastern afternoon.

Well Mr Allison as an elected UKIP Council Member should know all about 'twilight Zones'. Recently a motion by the ruling Labour Group in the Hartlepool costal town proposed a motion praising everything the Labour Government has achieved since 1997 (a long list we are told) was passed only because some Conservative Councillors voted with the Labour Group.

Details of this Alice in Wonderland world of local government can be read on Cllr. Steve Allison's Blog.

Biofuels - Not Green

The European Enviromental policy came under serious challenge today at the largely unreported Green Party conference in Liverpool.

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There, delegates delivered a near unanimous resolution calling for a halt in the use of large scale biofuels – or "agrofuels", as they prefer to call them. The strength of the vote, say the Greens, reflects "a growing concern by the general public in the last six months that agrofuels are causing significantly more harm than good."

On top of the destruction of ecosystems, they say, agrofuels are precipitating a human rights problem of epic proportions as speculators are seizing arable land as well as evicting indigenous peoples from their forest homes. For detail on these points see ...Biofuels: The Five Myths of the Agro-fuels Transition.

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Food prices are escalating, putting basic staples outside of the reach of families living close to the bread line - even in European countries, as evidenced by Italy's "pasta strike" last week and rising UK bread prices.

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The Green Party is also showing a touching concern for its fellow man, talking about "competition between food and energy for agricultural resources", which is set to decrease the amount of land given over to food production as energy prices rise. This, they say, will cause global food shortages exactly when we should be boosting food production to maintain stable prices. This latter statement is exactly the sentiment of this blog.

The Great Debate Continues

If one tries hard enough anything is possible in British politics.

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This week saw the amazing sight of UKIP leader Nigel Farage speaking at a fringe meeting at the Lib Dem Conference. Mr Farage was appearing at the event to support Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell's surprise call for a referendum on not the EU 'Reform Treaty' but on the whole question the UK's EU membership.

It has to be said that Nigel Farage's message that Britain should leave the EU to gain control of its own destiny did not go down well with all members of the pro-EU audience - which was to be expected.
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"I shall treasure my Lib Dem conference pass over some years to come. I never thought that would happen," Farage told the meeting.The UKIP leader was sharing a platform with fellow MEP Chris Davies, the former leader of the Lib Dem group in Brussels.
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Mr Davis said to the meeting said he did not believe there should be a referendum on the constitution treaty - as it was simply a "sensible" reform of the European Union and there was "nothing fundamental" about it. Errr right well......... !

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However Davis did back Sir Menzies' call for a wider poll on the question of whether Britain should remain in the EU."I want to clear the air. I am glad that Menzies Campbell has come out with the position he has. Let's clear the air. Let's have a fundamental vote on are or are we out. Clear it off the agenda."He warned pulling out of the EU - as UKIP wanted - would reduce Britain's influence and relegate it to the sidelines in important negotiations. He said Mr Farage wanted to "turn us into the eunuch of Europe - he wants castration for Britain".

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The eloquent Mr Farage hit back, saying: "It is a wonderfully clever inversion of the argument to pretend that it is patriotic to give away the government your own country."Surely the most patriotic thing to do is to be master of your own destiny - to have it your way and not be governed by someone else.
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The UKIP leader said Britain should be free to negotiate its own bilateral trade agreements, arguing - to boos from the audience - that it was a "liberating, positive and modern thing to do".

Mr Farage also warned that not giving the people a say on the constitution would fuel the rise of "far right" and "extremist" parties across Europe. A point that the British media do not often refer to.
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Many members in the Lib-Dem audience applauded UKIP's call for a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU, prompting the UKIP leader to tell the Lib Dem delegates "it is not that awful to agree with UKIP occasionally". Well what ever next!