12 months ago Nicholas Hale offered a piece or 2 for "This is Hell", a current affairs radio show on Chicago's WNUR. "This is Hell" is broadcast every Saturday morning and gives listeners a unique perspective on world events interviewing not just recognised experts, philosophers and social commentators but also correspondents from across the globe.

Nicholas now keeps his blog "FoolBrit" updated with daily musings on British eccentricities, and what is best described a grab bag of news articles, videos and audio snippets from across the internet.

Feel free to comment and add your views, or mail Nick directly; nicholashale@projectnotes.net

http://www.thisishell.net/index.html

2 years ago, the newspapers in the UK ran the story of Ben Griffin, the Ex-SAS trooper who left the service after refusing to return to Iraq to fight alongside US soldiers after witnessing dozens of illegal acts.

2 years on and Mr Griffin now finds himself gagged by an injunction after speaking out at the "World Against War" rally about the British collaboration with the US over rendition, torture and other alleged breaches of the Geneva convention.

Take a look at the video below; I think this is an incredibly brave statement given the accusations that he is making. Shame the UK media havent picked up on it to the same degree as less trivial matters such as how much our MP's are spending on their expenses!

This week Gordon announced the UK's latest plans to deal with UK terrorism, but to be honest it all seems like too little to make a difference. I don't mean to be fatalistic about it but surely given the "serious" and "growing" threat that Dame Eliza told us we were facing at the end of 2006 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6134516.stm) it all just semms a little insubstantial.

What's more, yes there will be 4000 security staff, but the wages will not attract many high calbre candidates. £23,500 + benefits is great if you are straight out of college but what they need are people with experience of the real world, not fresh faced kids with a degree in criminology and a love of the BBC series Spoooks.

The Mi5 website states for intelligence officers they require a 2:1 degree as a minimum ,but realistically how many 30 year olds hold a degree and are on £23,500.........not many I would hazard a guess. Perhaps the MI5 need to rethink their recruting strategy so they can attract professionals who are mid career, have plenty of experience of commerce, project planning, resource management and personnel and looking for a change of direction.

Brown also announced that the authorities were currently monitoring 200 networks and around 2,000 individuals and in response would be setting up four regional counter-terrorism units, "significantly increasing anti-terrorism policy capability in the regions". It may be a case of re-stating the case but surely these are the very same 4 regional teams announced in April last year (one in Manchester, West Yorks, West Mids and London).........this isn't new news, just a case of labour spinning a 12 month old story to gain public favour...............now that's what I call "brownie" points

Mr Galloway really gives it to Sky with both barrels. You'll notice that they even fade his mike at 4.12 so you cant hear him. Long may he continue to say things that others won't....

Before I start............ fantastic interview with David Leigh regarding the BAE Scandal a couple of weeks ago. Corruption beyond belief.

Well in comparison to the BAE bribes, and back handers running into the billions of dollars, the revelations this week that there is official list of expenses that British MP’s can claim for having a second home close to London, seems like loose change. But on Thursday this week, in part as a result of ongoing investigations by many newspapers into MP’s expenses, it was revealed that MP’s can claim for all sorts of household expenses or ACA’s as they are known; from individual items such as recordable DVD players to complete refits of their Kitchens and Bathrooms all at the taxpayers cost. We’re not talking small sums either, the equivalent of $20,000 for a new Kitchen, $13,000 for a new Bathroom all paid for by Joe public.

Now, I’m a pretty lucky man, I work for a big US electronics company in the UK, I am employed full time and get paid reasonably well, however there’s one thing our Financial Director, and the UK tax office wont let me get away with and that is putting in dodgy expense claims. I don’t recall ever being allowed to claim for a new HiFi, a TV, a washer dryer or a new bed on my expenses, for the simple reason listening to the radio, watching Family Guy, doing my laundry and sleeping has nothing to do with me competently carrying out my job, so why the hell are we allowing our MP’s to claim for gas cookers, food mixers, coffee makers and dinning room tables, I don’t recall making dinner in any party manifesto.

So what you might say, it’s not a big issue it’s a few extra quid, everyone is on the make; How about if I told you that as long as the items they are claiming for are less than $500 each they don’t even have to produce a receipt, or that in addition to making their 2nd homes nice and comfy we even let them claim $800 a month towards feeding themselves.....and yes it all comes out of our purses.

Lets put this into perspective, last year MP’s claimed almost $22Million ACA’s. That’s on top of the average pay they receive of around $125,000 a year, an incidental allowance of a further $40,000 for sundries such as security and accommodation, a communications allowance of $20,000, IT equipment to the value of $10,000, A London supplement of $5000 and should they use a car, motorcycle or even a push bike we give them an allowance for that as well ! And do you know what’s the icing on the cake, when they get voted out for not being good enough we give them a further $75,000 winding up allowance to help them finish their duties, and a resettlement grant of up to 100% of their salary so they can come to terms with life outside of parliament. It must be tough deciding how to spend such a handsome handshake.

So, I make that around $250,000 a year, for representing the views of the people, or put another way, a million dollars every 4 years for taking other peoples ideas, and re-presenting them as your own. The average Brit would have to work for almost 21 years to make a million dollars, and if you are one of our million people on the minimum wage, some 40 years, or almost your entire working life.

So this week when Alistair “Stability” Darling, announced in his first budget that spirits would be going up by 55p per bottle and that there would be additional green taxes on air travel, you would have thought that your average Bit would have been a little fed up. After all, in reality most Brits only look forward to 2 things in life, their summer holidays abroad and getting drunk at the weekend with their pals, and it seemed that Darling was going to ruin both of them for us. But in fact, no one batted an eyelid, and that I thought spoke volumes about how little most of us listen to, or are interested in, these people who we pay so handsomely.

So as I sign off, from the bottom corner of the little island to your right all I ask Chuck is that you spare a thought for our poor beleaguered MP’s who as I speak are probably sat in a comfy leather chair somewhere with a large vintage brandy and a cigar, smoking my hard earned cash

So this is Christmas as John Lennon put it, and time for a look back over some of this years highlights and lowlights from the political world of the British Isles. On the face of it little has changed, and certainly from a polling standpoint the parties have pretty much the same share of their market, the British public, in December as they did at the start of the year. The conservatives, under the terribly trend rule of David “call me Dave” Cameron have had probably the best of years, despite their minuscule shift from just 39 to 40% over the last 12 months. But what has changed is that Dave has gone from a object of derision in the media, from being pilloried in the early part of the year for trying to falsely boost his green credentials by riding a bike to work whilst his briefcase was chauffeur driven behind him, to a credible alternative to whoever happens to be the leader of the Labour party this week.

The conservatives did very well in the May local elections, gaining 800 council seats and taking control of 38 councils, and Cameron who was once accused of surrounding himself with his elitist ex Eton school chums, is now seen by many “ordinary” Joe members of the public as a talking their language, and holding similar views to theirs about issues such as Europe and immigration.......but then again middle England is one hell of a xenophobic and bigoted place! So that should be no surprise.

The conservatives still have a long way to go before there is a general election, but they are in good shape (something I couldn't have said for the last 10 years or more) and the way they bristled for a fight when there was the off-chance of an early election from Gordon in the Autumn was stunning. Having said all of that, I still don't like Dave, he's just not “real enough” for me. There's no doubt that someone at Conservative HQ sold their soul to the devil and has drunk from the same cup as Tony Blair's spin doctors, its all just too slick, too safe and too empty to be real. Middle ground political mediocrity at its worst I'm afraid.

And talking of reality, I get the felling Gordon Brown is starting to realise the reality of Prime Ministership isn't all it was cracked up to be by his best mate Tony! In a year that has saw several of the Labour top dogs jostling for pole position, and then not a single one standing to oppose the now Prime Minister , its almost as if they all secretly agreed to take 2 steps back, rather than Gordon taking a step forward to claim number 10. In the 7 months that Gordon has been PM, he has wrestled with disasters and events one after the other leaving him now at the back of the year looking quite frankly, out of his depth. Yes he's had a lot on his plate, after all I cant think of another year when the UK has suffered terrorist attacks, a re-emergence of Foot and Mouth disease, Blue Tongue, the threat of Avian Flu, and mammoth flooding, Surely Gordon is now just waiting for the plague of locust , darkness and the death of a first born to complete his own book of Exodus, or as I like to think of it Gordon's Plague of the Egit.

Events really have stopped Gordon from making his mark as a credible alternative to Tony Blair, and surely this is most obvious in the international arena where he simply has not been able to cultivate the same gravitas as Tony had on the world stage. Tony was seen as Bush's lapdog.... there is no doubt, but worst than that Gordon has become Europe's Garfield, undoubtedly clever..... but lazy...... probably watching TV right now with a bowl of chips and a soda. Meanwhile, Nicolas Sarkozy, visits Afghanistan today to meet with President Hamid Karzai, and Angela Merkel had the strength of character to speak out against Robert Mugabe's regime at the Africa summit in Lisbon a couple of weeks ago. Gordon's appeal is slipping and he has been bloody lucky to hang on to Labour 32% poll which at times has swung as high as 44%, and as low as 27% since taking office in May. Public confidence is on the wane as more of us are hit in our pockets by the deepening credit crunch, and many start to ask just how good was Gordon as a Chancellor anyway, was he a genius or was our economy simply propped up by huge personal debt? Either way, UK PLC and Gordon Brown should both be worried as we enter 2008 with Northern Rock, one of the UK's largest mortgage lenders still begin propped up by the Bank of England and no sign of a buyer to save them. Questions are being asked of Browns stewardship of the country's finances prior to moving to No10, and of the financial irregularity of his party funding since the middle of this year. Next year will be toughie for Labour.

On a lighter note, I think hats off to Jacqui Smith, the first ever woman Home Secretary who came to office this year. The day after Gordon Brown announced her new role she openly admitted taking cannabis back in the 80's, and gave it as a credential as to why she was good for the job of tackling crime. OK, maybe not her wisest move, but at least she is honest and has something in common with most of the British public. I should also say the day after she took office, bombs were found in London and the day after that a terrorist attack took place in Glasgow. She handled both brilliantly and has had a really good go at dealing with the thorny issues of security, crime and immigration, all of which are hot political potatoes on this small island. Next year will be trickier what with continued resistance to detention without trial, and wrangling over police pay, but for now “Jacqui Spliff”, as she is known is definitely one of the years winners.

And so to this years biggest winner......no, not the anti smoking lobby who finally got a smoking ban in England this year, or even Steve McLaren the England Soccer Manager who single handedly ruined the England team, got the sack and still walked away with £6m pound pay off. No I am talking of Nick Clegg, who at the start of the year was a political nobody, and as of Tuesday this week won the leadership contest for the Liberal Democratic party,

The Lib Dems haven't had a great year, May saw them have a shocking set of results in the local elections, loosing the most seats for 30 years, and Ming Campbell was forced to step down as leader after his party decided he was too old and out of touch given that they were competing with “trendy Dave” for the political middle ground. In October they sat with just 11% of the poll, 7% down on January, and to be frank British Politics had become a Bipolar affair with all the focus on Labour and Conservatives who were in many cases saying the same things; but one with a stodgy Scotsman with ginger fur a craving for Lasagne (a Garfield reference for the uninformed) and the other with a “Tony u like” clone wearing cycling shorts.

Nick Clegg, or “Calamity Clegg” as he has become nicknamed, has somehow shot to leader almost from nowhere, and whilst I don't care for his or the Lib Dems policies particularly he has to be my pick of the bunch in terms of a political winner. The Lib Dems are without doubt trying to create another Tony/Dave clone to appeal to the masses, but behind the bland sound bites Cl egg has already given us a glimpse of some honesty, just this week he has announced he doesn't believe in God!!! To be frank, this close to Christmas in a society where everything from home and foreign policy, to social care, art, architecture and even schooling are shaped by Christianity I think such honesty should be applauded.......this bodes well for a fantastic 2008 of guffaws, gaffs and honest but misguided remarks from Mr Clegg. What's more, I've been doing some digging on the net and it appears Mr Clegg has a rich history and pedigree, having a Grandfather who was the Attorney General of the Senate of Imperial Russia, and himself being convicted of Arson in his youth whilst an exchange student in Munich..............fantastic........ a communist, Atheist, Arsonist, what more could we want from someone hoping to run Britain!! That would be an interesting “special relationship” with the States if he ever got in power!!!

So, all that is left for me to say, is from the bottom corner of the little island to your right, a very Merry Christmas. Remember we may be small, but long may we remain perfectly ill-informed.

Deja vu................... the feeling that you have lived through an experience before, was never as strong as it was for me last Saturday, as I sat soaking wet in my car. Having spent the previous 4 hours standing in the rain and mud that is a British Summer, watching my 9 year old son's soccer team, loose 4 consecutive games , I now sat with him in sodden clothes listening to the radio as patchy news came through reporting a terrorist attack on another major British city, this time Glasgow, Scotland.

With for me, chilling similarities to 2 years before when I had been sat in a car in France on Holiday, trying to piece together exactly what had happened in the 7/7 London bombings, I now listened to the news reader explaining that there had a been an incident involving a bomb, which had been targeted at the British transport system, specifically Glasgow Airports main terminal. My son fidgeted, the rain trickling down his back, in the seat next to me, bored by dad listening to “some political stuff on the radio”, and I sat there, as I had 2 years ago, glued to the reports, trying to untangle the supposition of the so called “experts”, from the facts that we the public are allowed to know.

Just like 7/7 there had be many warnings from the Government and the security services that there was a continued and real threat to the UK , and most realists had acknowledged, albeit privately, that it wasn't a case of if an attack happened but when. Plots like that of Dhiren Barot's to detonate car bombs in underground car parks in London, and Omar Kyham's fertilizer plans to bomb the Bluewater shopping mall and the Ministry of Sound nightclub had been thwarted by the Security services and widely reported in the press in the pre-ceding months, so when 2 car bombs were made safe in London the day before the Glasgow attack last weekend, it was of little surprise that terrorists used a similar modus operandi against a Scottish transport target, notably just 4 days after Gordon Brown had taken office as the first Scottish Prime Minister for 44 years. When Mr Brown, during his maiden speech as Prime Minister proclaimed “Let the work of change begin” I don't think he necessarily expected the Jihadists to take the meaning quite so literally.

I almost felt sorry for Brown and his cohorts, having to deal with this weeks terrorist events so soon after taking their new cabinet roles, and then I remembered that these are the very idiots who didn't stop Tony Blair bombing Iraqi........is it just coincidence that one of the Glasgow Bombers that was charged last night was an Iraqi Doctor? .....well who knows but the anti war lobby will surely be crying “what goes around comes around”.

So, have we learnt anything since the London bombings ?

It is 2 years ago to the day that 56 people lost their lives, and hundreds of people lost sisters, brothers, husbands and wives when London was bombed by 4 British Muslims. A teaching assistant, a gifted cricketer, a market stall trader, a college student.......this could so easily be a list of the victims, but its not, these are the young men who hand detonated the 4 bombs that ripped through the London underground and bus network during the morning rush hour on Thursday 7th July 2005. Like the 4 7/7 bombers initial reports suggest that the most recent threat has come from fully integrated members of society, who lived and worked amongst their intended victims. Once again the seemingly indiscriminate nature of the attacks has caused Brits living in major conurbations to re-consider how safe we really are, and how we can ever protect ourselves from elements of society that look, sound and act like the rest of us.

For the 1st time in my life, on Monday as I crossed the Severn Bridge from England to Wales, a journey I do every week, I noticed that the guy in the toll booth was checking to see what I had on the rear seat of my car, and yesterday at the local Shopping mall I noticed it's now surrounded by temporary concrete blast walls, and is being patrolled by policemen with semi automatic weapons, something which is as rare in England as my sons soccer team scoring a goal. Even at the height of the Irish Republican terrorist threat to the British Mainland, I didn't get any where near the same feeling of concern as I do about the current threat. Yes, I'm older and have my own family now, and yes I do understand a little more of the terrorist psyche, but ultimately what worries me isn't the terrorists, its the response of the average man.
The average Brit simply doesn't comprehend how important the threat we face is , and doesn't consider how impossible a task it is for any national security service to monitor every splintered faction that they believe have been inspired by the attacks in the name of Al Qaeda, let alone the unknown sleepers who are living amongst us waiting for a call.

Your average stiff upper lipped Brit is deeply shocked by a blazing jeep begin driven into an airport terminal or news that a car bomb packed with nails was parked outside a London Nightclub with a second device a few hundred yards away with the intention of causing mass injury to those feeling from the first blast, but these “Englishmen” and their wives are often the very same people who have never made an effort to understand the religions and cultures that have become part of the UK over the last 50 years. Don't get me wrong they are not overtly racist and would never dare to cause offence...after all were British! But the same people perpetuate myths about how ”others lead there lives”, with quite frankly never asking a Muslim or any other follower of faith what is important to them and understanding the morality of their lives.

Perhaps if a few more people took the time to re-evaluate what has made Britain Great they would be shocked to see that much of what we think of as being British is in fact borrowed from around the world, and that following some of the the morals of the non Christian faiths might allow them to be a little more accepting of others. Yes we can blunder around the globe, trying to impose our way on the world, but ultimately your on a hiding to nothing if you don't even know who your real enemies are.

So until next time, from the bottom corner of the little island to your right, I ask you to keep England in your prayers. For until there is a wholesale change in the way the Brits conduct ourselves at home and abroad I fear that there will be more bombs and more feelings of Deja Vu for me and my rain soaked son.

Well, what a difference a month makes, when I last spoke to you the English media were full of stories of Lord Levy and his arrest and subsequent bail in relation to the cash for honours scandal. For those of you who don't recall, it was alleged that Lord Levy, Labour's Chief Fund-raiser, and long time tennis partner of Tony Blair, had told potential doners that there were, quid pro quo; peerages available in return for a cash. Imagine that........a politician manipulating people with a promise or two......whatever next!

One month on, and although the names have changed the story remains the same. Whilst I could have written a tome on the British Marines capture in Iranian waters and the spin placed on the story by Tony Blair's team, the true news is murkier than the Shatt Al Arab waterway. With just 3 weeks until local elections, and the likely start of the Labour leadership contest, Lord Levy and his shenanigans have for now at least drifted from the papers, as the column inches are increasingly given over to quiet deals and understanding nods between cabinet ministers, keen to buy themselves favour with whoever they feel has the best chance of taking over from Tony Blair.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Gordon Brown's is the busiest at this time, flirting with both the public, and potential candidates who could try and oppose him in the forthcoming Labour leadership contest. It is widely expected that Blair will announce his departure from office in early May, and to that end Brown, the political cuckoo, is pretending to everyone that he is more than just an oversized chick in the prime ministerial nest so long occupied by Tony Blair. So, in last months budget statement the previously prudent Brown did his best to please the public by reducing income tax by 2p and promising to remove 600,000 pensioners from paying tax.....surely a vote winner.

Well it would have been if someone hadn't pointed out that Brown will claw back most of the £8Bn this will cost by scrapping the lowest rate of income tax completely, meaning that everyone will pay income tax sooner, hitting low wage earners the hardest! Nice one Gordon......

No doubt in part as a result of this, and the revived row over tax credits being scrapped, Brown has seen his popularity tumble, with the latest poll in the Sunday Times reporting that 57% of people think the chancellor is “unfit” for the role of Prime Minister.......ouch, not good with only a few weeks to go till the beauty parade kicks off in earnest.

So in the last couple of weeks Gordon Brown has taken a more direct approach to canvassing for support, by announcing some of the things he would change if he were to have the top job, leaving the merest suggestion of positions of power for his would be opponents should they decide to side with him.................Levy's got nothing on Brown when it comes to empty promises!

On Thursday this week it was reported he would create a green “super Ministry” disbanding the Department of Trade and Industry and hiving off responsibility for oil and gas to a new environment super minister. By many this has been seen as a potential pay off for the current Environment Minister and Brown's greatest threat to the leadership, David Milliband, should he choose not to stand against him.

The DTI's remaining responsibilities would be split between two other ministers, John Hutton, and Ruth Kelly, no doubt in a bid to keep them on side during Brown's leadership campaign. Hutton, the Minister for Work and pensions, is widely rumoured to have used the F-bomb when describing how poor a PM he thought Brown would be, and this manoeuvring could be seen as Brown throwing a bone to the dog to keep him quiet during these crucial weeks.

But back to David Milliband, the ex-head of Blair's policy unit, and major aid to Blair in his rise to becoming the PM. Cleverly, Milliband has continued to let time tick by and .........“more or less”........ support Brown whilst allowing every other Blairite in the country to call for him to stand as leader of the Labour party. With every passing minute and hour, support seems to grow for Milliband who just occasionally lets his true feelings shine through the façade. Last month during a broadcast of BBC One's political discussion program “Question Time”, Milliband said what he must have been thinking for months, that Brown would be an unpopular choice with the electorate . I guess sometimes its tricky to keep your true feelings repressed............especially when there's a BBC One film crew about and a leadership contest on the horizon!

Milliband, 41, some 15 years younger than Brown, is seen as an ideal Labour party Leader. Known as Blair's Boy wonder, he could potentially meet head on the challenge from the fresh faced Conservative Leader David Cameron, who is seen as appealing to younger voters, also being just over 40. Milliband, who has support from several political big hitters, is without doubt a real threat to Brown if he chooses to stand rather than take the cushy super ministry that seems to be on offer. For what its worth, I think he will stand against Brown...............get the necessary 45 supporters to challenge him for the leadership..............and probably win, bringing Charles Clarke back from the political desert as Home Secretary.

There are other potential threats to Gordon Brown, John Reid, the current Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, the Education Secretary, and Peter Hain, the Northern Ireland Secretary, all of which could stand and make a surprise bid for leadership. Reid, who it has to be said has limited support amongst his peers will struggle should he be bull headed enough to stand. Johnson and Hain quite frankly have more to gain my making a bid for the deputy leadership and waiting their turn.......there are others more worthy of running our country than an ex postman, and a one time South African campaigner for human rights who now defends ID cards and the use of extraordinary rendition..........ah hypocrisy at its best!

So with less than a month before the crucial local elections, that will surely signal the beginning of the end for Blair, and the end of the beginning for at least one hopeful, where does this leave us?

Well, for the first time in years I am genuinely excited about British politics, it fact not since the days of Margaret Thatcher and Neil Kinnock has there been such a promise of a truly titanic political punch up. The next couple of months could see the whole of the British political landscape change, what with the leadership contest, and the elections for the Scottish and Welsh devolved governments, which could so easily slip away from Labour. And whilst this all will no doubt spell the end for several glittering careers and see some of our greatest political minds being pushed out of office............quite frankly....... I don't care......I'm enjoying every last minute of it. It's times like these that we really see who is connected to the right people and who can call in favours to save their backsides.

So until next time, from the bottom corner of the little island to your right, I invite you dip into our media just once or twice over the next month, there's a whole lot more to come from the cuckoo and the clock watcher as they battle it out for the job at the top.

As I looked back over the last few weeks of newspapers, searching for something that might give you a flavour of what life is like in the UK, my eyes fell upon a piece in the Guardian newspaper by Gaby Hinsliff, which proved to me once and for all that the British Government are listening to the wrong advice. Yes, it would appear that a senior policy advisor to Downing Street, Mr David Halpern has been researching the “Science of Happiness”, or in real world terms “how to keep people happy and national productivity up!”. Mr Halpern's extensive research (which will no doubt be paid for by my taxes) has come to some startling conclusions, including, that people who are adored are happy, that the young and retired are the happiest age groups, and that people who earn the equivalent of 50,000 dollars a year are generally happier than than those who earn less than 50,000..............genius or what?!!! Surprise, surprise people who have someone who loves them, have lots of free time and lots of money, tend to be happier and live longer than a penniless, loner ..............I bet the suicide rate's lower too!!!

According to the article, people respond to acts of kindness and the closeness of others, which it suggests could lead to a “pro-happiness administration” in the UK. Imagine, taking on radical ideas like cutting public service targets for hospitals, or treating patients in our National Health Service like humans rather than cattle.......no, I cant see it happening either!!!

Some government ministers though are taking this research very seriously, and its rumoured that the Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton will base his forthcoming crackdown on welfare cheats and swindlers on the grounds that working makes people happier and healthier. The irony of this approach is I am sure not lost on you, considering that one of the happiest groups are meant to be the retired!!!

Clearly though this new “happy” style of politics isn't permeating all of the political spectrum, and the spirit of this research sadly hasn't reached those most likely to be involved in the leadership contest for the labour party in a couple of months time.

Last week, former cabinet ministers Charles Clarke and Alan Millburn launched what is best described as a pre-emptive strike against Gordon Brown, the current Chancellor of the exchequer, who is widely tipped as the successor to Prime Minister Tony Blair when he finally slides out of office and onto the lecture circuit sometime later this year. For some, including it would appear Mr Clarke and Millburn, there is a need to open up the political discussion in the UK and to look at the future direction of the Labour Party, and to that end a very powerful group of MP's have set up the2020vision website designed to promote discussion about the future. On the face of it, harmless enough, sounds like a good plan having open discussion; well it is unless your are Gordon Brown who I would hazard a guess does not appear in the plans of the 2020vision. Clarke & Milburn's website would pose little threat if it wasn't widely supported by a number of anti Brown luminaries, financially backed by one of the best connected city figures in London and has the stamp of one of Gordon Brown's oldest rivals all over it; Peter Mandelson.

Peter Mandelson, the ex Northern Ireland Minister, known as “The Prince of darkness”, who was instrumental in helping to bring Tony Blair to the leadership of the Labour Party in 1994, thwarting the ambitions of Gordon Brown the first time around.

What's more the discussion prompted by the 2020vision website has already started to take a route that will not favour Brown, talking of “post Blair politics”; the very model of politics that Gordon Brown has helped shape as Blair's Chancellor. Yes, it would appear that finally one or 2 candidates for leader of the Labour Party might come out of the woodwork when Mr Blair announces his departure, which seems likely to be in early May after the local elections.

Whilst I am not convinced one of Clarke or Milburn's stooges have the clout to block Brown's Progress to Prime Minister, Brown may have to fight for the job that he has been in training for almost since the day he became Chancellor, along the way making some radical changes to appear as a contemporary thinker, as opposed to the rather dull Scotsman he so often comes across as.

Having said all of that, if the Metropolitan police continue to investigate Lord Levy, Tony Blair's Chief Fund-raiser with regards to the allegation that Honours such as Knighthoods were sold in return for donations to the labour party, it may be time for a wholesale change of Prime Minister and Chancellor, and for the Labour party to leave the past behind them.

One thing we can be sure of is that Gordon Brown will continue to publicly support the 2020vison group as a good idea, after all not to support them would be playing into his enemies hands and make him look like he was unprepared to help the Labour party become fit for the future; and Charles Clarke, Alan Millburn and others will continue to deny they are preparing to launch a bid for the leadership whilst tirelessly working out the best way to get one over on Gordon and make him look like yesterdays news. It can't be a happy life as a politician, can it?..................if only someone would do some research and find out what makes politicians happy perhaps the British Public would feel a little more secure knowing that the future was in the hands of happy, well adjusted people!!!

Until next time, from the bottom corner of the little island to your right, don't forget those acts of kindness.................and take care.