Recently in John Prescott Category

The BBC reports that something called the (UKHTC) has been opened in Sheffield.

All well and good, but what about the secretive Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), who refuse to speak directly with the public (no public telephone number or email address, even for "tip offs" from the public !), which is supposed to have "human trafficking" as its number two priority after drug smuggling ? The UKHTC also has a contact number for the press and media, but not for the general public !

The Fact Sheet (.pdf) for the press and media mentions "2 senior SOCA officers" working at this new multi-agency unit, but what can they do, except liase with their 4,000 or so colleagues vack in SOCA ?

It is still very unclear what exactly the relationship and demarcation lines between this new UKHTC unit, SOCA, the investigators from the Gangmasters Licencing Authority, the Home Office's Immigration and Nationality Directorate ("not fit for purpose") and the dozens of regional Police forces and non-governmental organisations like the Poppy Project are.

Is this just another layer of bureaucracy ?

Who exactly do you contact, in confidence, if you suspect that someone is being exploited illegally ?

Where is the telephone hotline or email address etc. ?

What guarantee is there that any action will be taken whatsoever ?

What is clear is that NuLabour politicians are still really only paying lip service to addressing the issues of modern day slavery in the UK:

John Prescott seems to have survived as Deputy Prime Minister but losing the massive Department which he presided over so incompetently.

Margaret Beckett appears to be the "World" Foreign Secretary.

According to the bookmakers Willam Hill the latest Odds:

To Leave Office Before The End Of May:

Charles Clarke: 2/5 Yes, 7/4 No
John Prescott: 1/2 Yes, 7/4 No
Patricia Hewitt: 1/7 Yes, 1/7 No

Already the victims and relatives of victims of criminals who should have been deported when they had served their prison sentences, are emerging in the tabloids e.g. in the Daily Mirror

Surely Charles Clarke and / or Tony McNulty and / or Hazel Blears should resign from the Home Office ?

Unfortunately the media and even other UK political blogs are easily distracted from all the other unresolved ongoing scandals, which also deserve political heads to roll:

• Tony Blair and Lords Levy and Adonis over the Loans for Peerages scandal,

• Ruth Kelly regarding sex offenders employed in schools

• Tessa Jowell and her husband's Italian financial dealings, and the massive cost overruns for the London 2012 Olympics which are already emerging.

• Gordon Brown is keeping a low profile again, presumably glad that the media are no longer questioning his appalling incompetence over £2 billion of Tax Credits, two years in a row now.

  Has nobody noticed the record fuel prices and the utter lack of any action over them by the Chancellor ?
  

The Daily Mirror reveals that Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has admitted to having an extra-marital affiar with his secretary.

This scoop would normally have been the headline story in the rest of the media, but for Home Secretary Charles Clarkes attacks on the media on Monday, followed by yesterdays admission of utter incompetence by the Home Office in not considering for deportation, at least 1023 foreign criminals who hhd been sent to prison over the last 7 years.

Apparently over 160 cases were ones where there was an reccomendation from the Court which sentenced these offenders that they should be deported when they had serveed their sentence.

How is it that the bureaucracies of th ePrison and Probation and Immihration services, all of which report to the Home Secreatry, cannot coordinate something so simple, where the people to deported are not hiding somewhere "underground" as illegal immigrants, but are actually physically locked up in prison ?

Apparently 288 of the total were not delat with properly since August last year, when Charles Clarke had been warned by the National Audit Office of the problem back in July.

It therefore appears as if the problem has got even worse, directly under the mis-management of Charles Clarke

Charles Clarke is refusing to resign, so far, but how why should he be allowed to continue as Home Secreatry ?

Surely he has no special skills or experience which would make sorting out the problem immediately any swifter ?

Charles Clarke now seems to be claiming that he did offer to resign before last Christmas, according to this Press Association report

Ironically, even doubly disgraced ex-Home Secretary David Blunkett has, apparently, called for "heads to roll" , although, not, of course that of Charles Clarke, at least in public.

It was Blunkett who also presided over the same incompetent and shambolic Immigration and Nationality Directorate scandals, which lead to the resignation of Home Office Immigration Minsiter Beverkly Hughes is, of course partly to blame.

WIll this latest demonstration of sheer bureaucratic incompetence be blamed on the "computer system" and lead to a demand for "more resources" and even more legislation ?

Who is the likely replacement for Charles Clarke as Home Secretary, ?

Will he or she actully concentrate on getting the Home Office to fulfill its plain vanilla basic statutory duties competently, instead of trying to social engnieer society with a flurry of ill thought out and ever more complicated legislation and unworkable high tech "magic" technological fixes, which they are incompetent to implement ?

Will the other NuLabour Cabinet Minsters like Tessa "9 mortgaes" Jowell and Lord "Honours for City Academies" Adonis and Margaret "Let's hype up the BNP" Hodge, be thankful that the limited attention span of the press and broadcast media have now seemingly forgotten about, their recent scandals ?

Where is the Tony Blair / Lord Levy "Loans for Peerages" scandal being reported now ?

More good analysis and comments at Blairwatch

Another Sunday media claim by David Blunkett about his alleged "experience" and dubious abilities being made use of by other Government departments, which, again, on the Monday, seems to be denied by the Number 10 Downing Street briefers.

The BBC reports:

"Last Updated: Monday, 8 August 2005, 11:18 GMT 12:18 UK
No 10 plays down Blunkett claim

"Downing Street has played down David Blunkett's suggestion he is helping John Prescott take key decisions while Tony Blair is on his annual holiday.

Work Secretary Mr Blunkett said he was helping to explain the government's proposed new laws to tackle extremism.

But Downing Street said: "The deputy prime minister is in charge while the prime minister is on holiday".

The spokesman added Mr Prescott had talked to colleagues like Jack Straw at the weekend but not to Mr Blunkett."

First the Home Office, and now the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

How come David Blunkett has enough time to meddle in these other departments ? It is not as if the Department for Work and Pensions is running smoothly and efficiently, is it ?

Is this all some long term plot to keep himself in the public eye and in power under Gordon Brown ?

The Number 10 Downing Street daily press conference has this:

"Asked what David Blunkett's role was with respect to this area of policy, the PMS said that David Blunkett was the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. The Deputy Prime Minister was fulfilling his usual role, which he had performed since 1997, of being in charge whilst the Prime Minister was away. While he was in charge, clearly he spoke to his Cabinet colleagues. This weekend he had spoken to four or five of them, some of whom were on holiday. Asked if David Blunkett's role was consultative, the PMS said that the Deputy Prime Minister spoke to his colleagues regularly, he had spoken to Jack Straw, Ian McCartney amongst others over the weekend and he would continue to do so. Put to her that David Blunkett seemed to be suggesting that he had a special overseeing role, the PMS underlined that the Deputy Prime Minister was in charge while the Prime Minister was on holiday. Asked if David Blunkett was among those the Deputy Prime Minister spoke to on the weekend, the PMS said no. Asked if therefore the Deputy Prime Minister might be having a word with David Blunkett in light of his comments, the PMS said that that was a matter for the Deputy Prime Minister. Asked of David Blunkett had been attending COBRA meetings, the PMS said not to her knowledge."

Blairwatch and Guido fawkes are also similarly unimpressed at this latest David Blunkett meglomaniac spin.

The Sunday Times reports the astonishing news from a "Downing Street source" that the disgreced ex-Home Secretary David Blunkett is to take over control of the Home Office, whilst his replacement Charles Clarke goes on holiday.

'A senior Downing Street source said: "There has been a lot of fuss over Charles going on holiday, but we think he deserves one and David Blunkett will fill in over that brief period while he is out of the country. He obviously has a lot of experience in the area."

Tony Blair, who is to go on holiday this week, has also given Hazel Blears, the Home Office minister, a role in the day-to-day running of the department. John Prescott, the deputy prime minister, will be in overall charge of government while Blair is abroad.

The source added: “Prescott is in charge, but Blunkett will have control over issues relating to the Home Office.”'

So why is Hazel Blears MP, Minister of State for Policing, Security and Community Safety, who is meant to be responsible for "Counter terrorism" not up to the job ?

David Blunkett did not resign from the Home Office for reeasons of health or family , it was the result of getting caught out in a meddling with an immigration visa as part of his scandalous private life.

David Blunkett should not have been brought back into the Cabinet as Minsister for the Department for Work and Pensions, let alone anywhere near the Home Office where, presumably he will be rubber stamping Control Orders, Extradition Warrants, Electronic Intercept Warrants, and Immigration Visas and Appeals etc.

Who exactly is in charge of the massive Department for Work and Pensions, whilst Blunkett is crushing civil liberties and meddling with the Home Office and Police and the Security Service ?

Why was David Blunklett chosen rather than Jack Straw, also a former Home Secretary, who is presumably more currently more up to up to date with anti-terrorism investigations than Blunkett, since MI6 the foreign espionage Secret Service reports to him.

What are NuLabour playing at ? They have not protected our civil liberties and they have not prevented terrorist attacks in London.

Any sucesses by the Metropolitan Police and the Security Service etc. seem to be in spite of the NuLabour politicians, and not as a result of their incompetent leadership.

John Prescott has been representing the UK at the Council of Europe Summit in Warsaw.

As predicted, NuLabour have not signed up for Council of Europe Convention on action against trafficking in human beings, which attempts to give some minimum rights to the mostly women and children who are victims of the sex slave trade, but NuLabour have signed us up for more repressive "anti-terrorism" laws instead.

Why was Tony Blair not representing the United Kingdom at the Victory in Europe Day Anniversary in Moscow ? Why was he not there in person, amongst all the other leaders of the Western World, sending John Prescott instead, who was then humiliatingly relegated to the fourth rank of the official photo ?

It is not as if the Moscow event was not known about months and years ahead of time. Surely the decisions about Junior Ministers could easily have waited another couple of days ?