Social Housing outcry is a disgrace

This post may over-simplify a complicated set of circumstances around social housing, so let me assure readers that I would not seek to see anyone victimised by changes to the system - indeed I think some of the language of the coalition sounds a little harsher than it needs to.

I do not understand however WHY it is wrong to say that people who are claiming support under social housing schemes may have to move out of central London and in to greater London and the Home Counties.

I work many long hard hours to pay my bills, my housing costs and living expenses, and though I am far from poor, I cannot afford to live in the City of Westminster despite having been born there, and working in Parliament.

I am very fortunate to earn way above the average wage (in the UK) but there is absolutely no way I could live bang in the middle of London and maintain any standard of living, and so I live in Hertfordshire and commute in. I don't think there is anything wrong in me having to do this when I work dam hard to make a living, and so I also don't think it's wrong to say to unemployed people, or lower earners, YES we'll absolutely help you, but you don't need to live in SW1 EITHER! You can instead live in Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent, Stanmore, Barkinside etc and commute in like many hundreds of thousands of people have to do in London on a daily basis.

You know, it's very credibly suggested that the level of social housing in inner-city areas artificially push up the rental value and therefore property values, thereby preventing hard workers from living anywhere near their work place.

Society, and the state if you like has an absolute duty to look after those who cannot look after themselves, but lets not be silly about it eh!

Two final thoughts on the social housing issue, I think that social housing rates should be more like 50% of market prices, but the system currently allows too many better off people to qualify for social housing, and remain in properties long after their need has ended, and I think we should look at this for ALL social housing tenants, not just new ones.

Ok, so abuse me!

Kelly pathology makes little sense

Praise must go to the Lord Chancellor and Attorney for releasing a 14 page pathologist report into the death of weapons inspector Dr David Kelly – but as I tweeted earlier, why would the government actively withhold for 70 years a report that agreed with te Hutton inquiry that David Kelly took his own life?

The supposed reason was to save the embarrassment to Dr Kelly’s family of having intimate details about his death released in to the public domain, but I ask whether this is reasonable or credible given the public interest in this case.

Good news for defence

Just a quick line to express delight that (it would seem) the MoD will only face an 8% cut in it's budget, and two new carriers will be built as planned.

Usual health warnings here that these are leaks and final details may change over the weekend.

The contemptable critics of Linda Norgrove's heroes

I feel physically sick that well fed journalists and know-it-all commentators are attacking US Special Forces who risked their lives to attempt to rescue British hostage Linda Norgrove.

Tragically, casualties happen, but let us also remember that intel suggests that Linda was to be handed up the chain of command, and but for the attempted rescue mission, we may have seen her in an orange jump suit with terrorists of the worst kind hacking her head off with a dirty blade

Our thoughts should be with Linda's family - and we all owe a debt of gratitude to those who were ultimately prepared to lay down their lives in persuit of Linda's freedom.

To those who attack and criticise the US-led effort at this stage - your behaviour is contemptable.

That is all!

Thanking the Independent for the nice write up

I tweeted a thank you to the excellent media diarist Matthew Norman earlier this week, but I wanted to blog my sincere appreciation for Matthew's very kind words as below.

Independent Media Diary Column from Monday

"* Worrying days for Hazel Blears, whose pants were on fire, not to mention in a frightful twist, after her remark about Labour doing "wicked and malicious things" in power. When asked to specify by TalkSport's talented political editor Sean Dilley, she blethered aimlessly. Then she told the BBC's Daily Politics "wicked and malicious" referred to the Tories. Informed later the BBC had a tape, the Glenn Hoddle of Salford couldn't remember them things what she said. Harold Wilson resigned as PM over the initial signs of early-onset Alzheimer's. Is this why Hazel has denied Ed's shadow cabinet her captivating brand of sunny optimism?"

What an excellent Judge!

PM: "I'm not expecting a any present from the Deputy Prime Minister"

It's the last day of the Conservative Party conference, and I'm pleased to report it has been a good one for talkSPORT, with most of the Cabinet, and the Prime Minister lending their voices to the output.

The scrapping of child benefit for families with one higher rate tax rate payer has clearly been the biggest flash point of conference, and the one issue that I feel will over-shadow all others - but this has been looked in to, and looked in to again and again, so I shall leave it alone other than to say that the other big welfare announcement has been dwarfed and lost by this issue. The PM and Chancellor have pledged to cap out of work benefits for families without disabilities to £500 per week. This is far more than the average man or woman gets after tax, and on first impressions will likely be a popular move with the general public.

I tweeted an observation earlier in the week that grass-route Conservatives, and even some known backbenchers are far more anti Lib Dem than Lib Dems are anti Tory. Conor Burns MP for example told a fringe meeting that "anyone who has ever campaigned against Lib Dems on the ground dispises them", and Nadine Dorries went ever so slightly off message (but only just) when she said that she would "rather die" than go in to an electoral pact with the Lib Dems - something which simply will not, and actually, in all practical purposes cannot happen.

On the lighter side of conference, the Prime Minister told me he's not expecting a birthday present from Nick Clegg on October 9th, and that he and 'Nick' don't get a lot of personal time together. The PM revealed that he and the DPM have played tennis with each other, but didn't reveal who won. I don't suppose it's worth risking a split in the coalition over a game of tennis eh!

Not red Ed: "I don't know what Hazel was talking about"

Hello readers,

First of all, this is my very first blogpost composed and posted ENTIRELY on the iPhone with Apple keyboard. It's flash stuff, but I'll ask you to bear with me if there are any typos. The Apple Iphone is VERY accessible but I'm not used to all the edit features yet.

The week that was in Manchester was one of my busiest, but it has to be said that the atmos was very strange indeed.

It is some task to hold a party conference when you don't know who the party leader will be until the VERY eve of kick off, and when ALL of your Shadow Cabinet are standing down from their positions at the end of proceedings.

Interviewing Ed Miliband was a very interesting experience. I have clearly interviewed Not Red in the past, but never before as Leader - and I think he felt the pressure on his shoulders.

Unless you work in the political bubble, you wouldn't believe how back-stabbing many senior Labour people (former holders of Great Offices of State) have been. One told me "It will be many years before you see us in Number 10 again". Another, "We've voted ourselves at least another eight years in opposition".

What ever happened to giving the newby a fair chance?

For me, it seems slightly strange that Not Red Ed was prepared to flatly say that Iraq was wrong without any qualification that any parties may have considered there to be genuine justification at the time. I am not surprised that he is not protecting Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, or any of the former Cabinet, but I am surprised that a man who advised tthe New Labour Government at the time of Iraq, and who served for five years in an Iraq supporting Government could possibly be so black and white without any apparent fear of being attacked for it.

I also said on talkSPORT that though I regarded Ed Mr Ed Miliband to be friendly, he seemed slightly shy almost and rather wet. I qualified this comment by pointing out that David Cameron was, well not shy when he became Leader of the Opposition, but certainly he took a while to grow in to the job.

... But for me, the moment of the week came from Hazel Blears when she said at a Fringe Event held by Dods, that Labour needed to move on from some of the "wicked and malicious things" it did. I asked her what she meant at some length at the very end of the conference and she gave me a 3 minute answer in which she said she didn't want to give an example. I then tried to ask for ONE example of a wicked or malicious act but was called to order by the Chair of the debate. Incredibly, when Hazel was asked about her comments on the Daily Politics Show, not 21 hours after she made them, she said she thought she was talking about the Tories, and when on Thursday she was asked about her comments again in the light of a recording that found it's way in to the hands of BBC bosses, she said she didn't remember making the comments.

This is an unfortunate story in many ways. I tweeted Miss Blears comments when she made them, and since she made them publically, I had no idea that there could could possibly be any problem with this. The story was re-tweeted by Tory Press HQ and when the DP show asked Hazel about the story, she denied having made the comments. VERY unfortunately, this reflected very badly on my journalism, because implicit with her questioning the "rather strange transcript" of the fringe is that I got it wrong - and for this reason only, I felt that I couldn't possibly let matters rest until the facts were clarified. I should like to thank the Daily Politics show for clarifying matters, and for what it's worth, I should like Hazel to be aware that I would never seek to do anything that would cause her problems.

Politicians be warned though, it's unwise to deny physical facts, particularly when doing so means you're questioning a journalists' accuracy and fairness.

So, off for a rest now before chatting with George Galloway on talkSPORT later tonight, and off to Birmingham in the morning.

See you there!