Saturday, June 28, 2008

Wendy Alexander resignation

Firstly this obviously throws Labour in general and Labour in Scotland into some disarray.

Iain Dale apparently is not crowing about it here on the grounds that she only committed a technical breach of the rules whilst Guido points out that it goes much deeper than that in that she received two donations for £950 from a foreign source.

Well, Iain laments a system that is unclear in its rules that will catch out the honest but unwary. Well it does and that is wrong, though to be fair many who have been found guilty of "technical breaches" have been let off.

There is an air of mutual mud slinging going on where political enemies are getting at each other by leaking damning stories about sleaze. As the SNP note a lot of these enemies are in the same party as the accused.

This is all very damaging to politics and the only answer is a simple clean and transparent system of both making donations and declaring them.

The BBC has this.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Inevitable, really, in my opinion - especially after what Guido dug up on her. By the looks of things she will be a catalyst for GB's departure...

Duncan Crow said...

It is looking very grim for Gordon Brown. This event to me makes the Glasgow East by-election even more important for Labour to try and hold. If they lose it then the whispers within Labour for Brown to go will become a chorus.

Benedict White said...

Well, with what Guido dug up it was inevitable. Alas Iain does not see it that way.

What does this mean for Gordon Brown?

Well there have been so many things that ought to have finished him off that I can't see another one being some kind of tipping point. Labour tend to get sentimental about sitting prime ministers.

That said losing Glasgow East could possibly finish him, but only possibly.

Baht At said...

Iain Dale seems to spend 90% of his time making excuses for corrupt politicians and pretending they are entirely innocent and mere victims of the system that allows them to dip into other peoples pockets when they feel like it.

Personally I think anyone who makes excuses for these people is even worse than the politicians themselves.

Benedict White said...

Baht at. I think you are in danger of seeing things too black and white.

The system needs reform though.