Jug-Ears refuses to resign before anyone has the chance to demand he do so ........ rattled, or what ?
Posted April 25th, 2006 by vervet
in
"It is clear that there has been a failure on our part to deal with all the cases we could have," Clarke told reporters.
"I think one should be candid with failure. I don't intend to resign on this matter."
Why's this come out in the
Why's this come out in the middle of a difficult election campaign? I seriously doubt it's been news managed to come out today, since Tony's Battle Elephant and co. have been energetically raising their profile on crime and punishment over the last week, so.
More likely that a paper got hold of it, after all it's a story that's been building for seven years or so. Or perhaps Patricia Hewitt leaked it to get the pressure off the NHS.
Maybe he is as popular
Maybe he is as popular within NuLabor as he is on this esteemed site, and so has suffered at the hands of a dodgy plumber ?
At least his new card scheme
At least his new card scheme is working :
http://www.heady.co.uk/b3ta/jailfree.jpg
While I have my problems
While I have my problems with Clarke, I don't think he should go for this.
Yes he probably is rattled, and I don't know why he has been so up front about this in light of what's happened recently, but can you imagine how Blunkett or Straw would have spun this?
If he resigns, Tony will
If he resigns, Tony will replace him with a clean skin. I want Clarke to stay. The more doughnuts Tony has in his government the bigger the Blairslap.
The revelations arose from
The revelations arose from some Conservative backbencher asking difficult questions - Richard Bacon, of the Commons Public Accounts Committee.
He was given the runaround by the Home Office civil servants last October. They were less than helpful with some misleading answers.
Since the problem was known about by Clarke, some 250+ more offenders who should by law have been deported have been released.
Unless he has a good excuse for not fixing the problem straight away, it looks like the Safety Elephant's days are numbered. Tomorrow's tabloid headlines should look good.
His elephantness himself
His elephantness himself gave the game away a bit by saying on C4 News that the problem had been known about 9-12 months ago, which puts it roughly around the last election and certainly before the Tories started asking awkward questions. As with most ministerial goof ups it's not the act itself that will get him (he wasn't in the Home Office till last year, after all) but the cover up. Since he'd be first out the door if/when Brown takes over, perhaps he'll leave early to avoid the rush?
Parlicoot: it is not that
Parlicoot: it is not that all of the offenders should have been deported, but that they should all have been looked at with regards deportation. Individual cases are more complicated than the Daily Mail might suggest, and as I understand, 9 of the 14 cases which have been looked at did not warrant deportation.
Dick Cheney : Yes,
Dick Cheney : Yes, considered for deportation is right. Wonder what reasons are given for not deporting some? Possibility of torture or execution perhaps...
Umm... as someone who doesn't read the Daily Mail, I think that all cases are probably more complicated than reported :) Their evil foreigner syndrome is so Enid Blyton.
Didn't Paxman on Newsnight ask a question about the cost of imprisoning the offenders as opposed to deporting them? That may be one idea that the tabloids may take up in the next couple of days - bets, anyone?
Parlicoot: I think
Parlicoot: I think 'foreigner' means a UK resident who does not have citizenship. There are many reasons why a person might be resident without citizenship, not just the Home Office's intransigence in refusing to grant it, or criminal intent. People may have been settled here with families for decades and have committed relatively minor offences.