Surely She Jests?

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Harriet Harman, Labour’s Deputy Leader, gave the closing speech to the party’s annual conference in Manchester yesterday, a speech which is traditionally a light-hearted affair.

Among other things she said that she was, ‘disappointed to be in opposition, but proud of what we achieved in government’.

That was the biggest joke of the lot. What achievements?
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A Distraction

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Trying to concentrate on what Chancellor Alistair Darling had to say in the Commons this afternoon about his pre-Budget report, I was constantly distracted by Harriet Harman, Leader of the House, who was continually nodding at what he had to say.

It was like having your attention drawn to one of those irritating nodding model dogs that you sometimes see in the back of cars.

Whether or not Ms Harman actually agreed with what Darling had to say or whether this was some sort of front-bench tactic to distract the opposition seniors, I do not know.

But it was about as irritating and utterly meaningless as those wretched nodding dogs!
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Too Much Interference!

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It frightens me sometimes how so many do-gooders in government and other agencies interfere and tinker with people’s minds and lives.

The news today is that children as young as five are to have lessons in ‘gender equality’ as part of a so-called national strategy to tackle violence against women and girls. The poor little mites are also to be taught not to bully transsexuals.

It must be admitted that children see far too much violence on television and that the war games they play on their X-Boxes and other gizmos may encourage violence and incorrect behaviour.

But at the age of five? Can’t they be left to be just children for a few more years?

And can’t teachers be left to do what they have been doing for generations - to teach children right from wrong?
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Promises, Promises!

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It’s party conference time and we can expect all sorts of promises to be made by the politicians in the next few days and, even before the first conference gets under way, Labour is the first to kick off with its promises.

First we have the Commons Leader, Harriet Harman, telling us that MPs who made expenses claims in breach of parliamentary rules must repay the money in full in a move to ‘rebuild public confidence in Parliament and democracy’.

Hmm. They’re going to have to do more than that!

Then Children's Secretary, Ed Balls, pops up, doubtless in response to the latest storm of criticism about it, to tell us that the government is going to take another look at the Vetting and Barring Scheme.

He said that it was ‘tremendously important’ to define ‘frequent or intensive’ contact correctly and has asked the chair of the new Independent Safeguarding Authority to review the situation which some sources say will affect a quarter of the population and stop normal and harmless behaviour such as giving lifts to school and sports clubs.

We will have to see but, possibly, commonsense will enter this particular arena. What a shame it didn’t enter it in the first place.

In the meantime, we have to wait with bated breath to see what new promises are to be handed out in anticipation of the next General Election.

Whether any of them will keep their promises is entirely another issue!
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No Shrinking Violet?

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Harriet Harman is the Leader of the House of Commons and seems to be doing her bit for the country while my friend ‘Bronco’ Brown is on his holidays.

Among other things she feels that men ‘cannot be left to run things on their own’. Even the former Deputy Prime Minister, ‘Jumbo’ Prescott, reacted to this and said she should ‘stop complaining and get campaigning’ after she suggested Labour should never again have a men-only leadership team.

Ms Harman has now announced that she is no ‘shrinking violet’. Yeah, right!
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