Gordon's GOATS
was a topic in today's newsletter. Since people are having trouble posting (sorry, again) here are some of the emails we've received at pm@bbc.co.uk..
Gobby Old Admirals Temporarily Silenced?...Paul Armstrong
Get Out And Tax Someone...Tim Robson
Gordon's Obvious Answer to Tony's Sofa....Barrie Singleton
Grasping, Offensive, Annoying Tory Standards?...Andrew Harrison
Gordon's Onerous Allegiance To Scotland...Matt Whitby..
More will follow, no doubt...
such as:
Great Oaf Announces Terrible Screw-up...from Robin Guest.
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Grumpy Old Admirals Talking S%%t
I must be the only person who thinks Lord West has been ridiculed and twisted around on the most minor of verbal infelicities.
I heard the original 'gaffe', and heard it in a way totally consistent with that of the committee's view as expressed by Vaz - that "we have to be able to make the case for an extension before we report" - a prudent and sensible position.
Judges and magistrates are strongly advised to refrain from saying anything which might indicate that they have arrived at a conclusion before proceedings are fully finished. Any such premature expressions can be fatal to a 'fair' outcome. This is as it should be.
Sadly, on this occasion I have to agree with those who accuse the meedja, including my hero Paxo, of acting like a pack of rabid canines.
Salaam/Shalom/Shanthi/Dorood/Peace
Namaste -ed
But, officer, he's not drunk, I just saw his fingers twitch!
I must be the only person who thinks Lord West has been ridiculed and twisted around on the most minor of verbal infelicities.
I heard the original 'gaffe', and heard it in a way totally consistent with that of the committee's view as expressed by Vaz - that "we have to be able to make the case for an extension before we report" - a prudent and sensible position.
Judges and magistrates are strongly advised to refrain from saying anything which might indicate that they have arrived at a conclusion before proceedings are fully finished. Any such premature expressions can be fatal to a 'fair' outcome. This is as it should be.
Sadly, on this occasion I have to agree with those who accuse the meedja, including my hero Paxo, of acting like a pack of rabid canines.
Salaam/Shalom/Shanthi/Dorood/Peace
Namaste -ed
But, officer, he's not drunk, I just saw his fingers twitch!
Oh! I thought you meant Gordon really had got a GOAT - it would be 'greener' than a shreder..
When I first heard that GB was going for government of all the talents I'm *sure* I wrote here pointing out that they should be known as Goats. When did the accronym get taken up?
Ed @ 2/3, I find it very sad that what was obviously what the man West thought, that he had yet to be convinced, couldn't be left standing as true for more than an hour before he was obliged to retract it and claim that he was now convinced of what he had so recently said he wasn't, and that he hadn't really meant what he said first but had used thewrong words. The actual words used are less important than the impression this makes: that he was manipulated in some way, and had to make claims he might not have made of his own accord. This looks as if either he was stupid in the first place, or he was susceptible to being 'leant on' subsequently; and what value have his opinions once either of these things is believed?
We have a choice about what we believe: either one of his statements is a lie, or he is so easily convinced as to look like someone who is swayed merely by his senior in Cabinet telling him to believe what he's told. Either way we think less of him for it, poor man.
The gaffe probably lay entirely in telling a truth that was unpalatable to his boss. If the truth is a gaffe, that's a sorry state of affairs.
One other point: surely the debate (about the length of time that people should be banged up on the say-so of someone who doesn't even have to tell them what they are meant to have done wrong) is still going on? So when Ed @ 2 and 3 says 'Judges and magistrates are strongly advised to refrain from saying anything which might indicate that they have arrived at a conclusion before proceedings are fully finished' that's absolutely right and so is 'that is as it should be', but ought Lord West to be prejudging the issue by announcing that he is convinced about it? Particularly if he says in a single morning two things that are each others' opposites?