What is new since our previous blog appeared on Holdenforth in early May?
Not much by the frenetic standards of today. That is, until a few days ago.
During the morning of Wednesday, Wednesday, May 22, Paula Vennells, ex CEO of the Post Office was being grilled by the very capable barrister Justin Beer about what she had done and not done, what she had known and what she had not known during her well rewarded time as CEO of the Post Office.
Her performance was pitiful. Holdenforth suspects that Ms Vennells had been briefed by Mr Micawber, advisor to David Copperfield.
“My Dear Sir,
Circumstances beyond my individual control have, for a considerable lapse of time, effected a severance of that intimacy which, in the limited opportunities conceded to me in in the midst of my professional duties, of contemplating the scenes and events of the past, tinged by the prismatic hues of memory ….”
Mr Micawber explaining how the root causes of his many personal problems were outside of his control.
Sadly, for Vennells, lawyer Beer was able to jog her evasive memory with the chapter and verse of the relevant documents.
After lunch – we had a mega combination of drama and farce as news leaked out that Mr Sunak was about to call an early general election.
His announcement that the election was to be held on July 4 was made to a moist and resentful audience in Downing Street – these days know to insiders and indeed some outsiders – as “Bullshit Boulevard”.
No one got a more thorough soaking than the PM – after his announcement he was ushered inside to dry out.
A suitably absurd end for his premiership.
Holdenforth, like almost every other observer, was wrong footed by the announcement.
Seasoned observers were unable to agree on the decision firmly announced by Mr Sunak. Lord Finkelstein though it sensible to make a run for it now because the going was unlikely to improve. Conversely, Matthew Parris argued that Mr S should have adopted a Micawber approach hoping that something would turn up.
Dear Holdenforth readers – what do you think?
In these confused circumstances let us open our blog with a few extracts from our previous mission statements.
These basic preferences will help us to feel at home.
- The BBC – the case for privatisation grows stronger on a daily basis. Holdenforth would cancel the Reith Lectures and replace them with what? What about The Lineker diatribes?
- The transgender sector – no offence meant here but our core case remains that “If my aunt had balls she would be my uncle but she didn’t and she wasn’t.”
- Long live the Remain cause.
- The decline of the British manager. This sector is anxious to collect the rewards of the job – and equally anxious to avoid doing any work thus severing the link between the 2 key components.
What else do we have to say?
“The 17 highest paying law firms in the square mile for newly qualified solicitors are American – two of these firms recent boosted their starting salaries to £150k”
Extract from The Times, May 23
Holdenforth was not surprised by the emergence of this newly affluent sector in society. He was merely envious. He suspects that there will be some re-alignment of loyalties as these latter day successors to F.E. Smith and George Carman flourish in our litigation prone society.
Kretinsky
This well-heeled Czech billionaire is said by his PR team to wish to acquire the Royal Mail business with no motive other than to ensure that the great British Public gets its mail on time at a price that it can afford.
Is that it?
Well – Up to a point Lord Copper.
“PM must make it clear Royal Mail and King’s Head are not for sale”
Headline above Alex Brummer’s column, Daily Mail – May 16
That’s more like it.
Holdenforth wonders – why might a Czech robber baron get richer still in the UK?
We suspect that Mr Kretinsky is anxious to expand his increasingly opaque business activities in the UK for all the usual reasons – because the UK is a safe haven for the shady shaky dodgy international affluent sector – for this group the streets of London are indeed paved with gold.
Meanwhile, the Mail also reported (May 28th) that the “Czech Sphinx” was planning to cut up to 1,000 Royal Mail jobs. Understandably, the Communication Workers Union is anxious about job losses should Kretinsky take control.
Watch this space – The parties competing to win the coming election will be asked by Ms Kuenssberg – should Kretinsky be allowed to acquire this hallowed British Institution?
Holdenforth would go further and ask Sir Keir Starmer to take Royal Mail back to where it belongs – the public sector.
Holdenforth also believes that our concerns about Kretinsky apply to most of those who figure in the recent Sunday Times rich list.
A modest Holdenforth proposal – we urge some enterprising media organisation to reproduce the list of the affluent, but their version would mirror the practice deployed for those apprehended by the law for some reason or other – front and side unsmiling angry mug shots for this C3 collection of sharp practitioners.
Rejected Politicians
“The typical American law maker is willing to embrace any issue, however idiotic, that will get him votes, and he is willing to sacrifice any principle, however sound, that will lose them for him… they are in the position of the chorus girl who, in order to get her humble job, has had to admit the manager to her person…”
H.L. Mencken, Notes on Democracy
Voters should keep an eye on the methods adopted by the rebuffed here in the UK to seek to return to the fray, in other words to gain admittance to the job creation scheme to protect those rejected in the various elections.
Holdenforth endorses the Mencken view of the Politician in a Democracy.
It has not been an edifying experience to observe politicians, rejected in one contest by the voters, scouring our democracy to seek other opportunities in the vast and expanding framework of our various institutions.
At what point might the number of jobs in this sector exceed the number of voters?
Let us go from the general to the particular.
The Welsh Assembly Government – now re-titled the Senedd – is reported to be seeking to increase the number of members from 60 to 90. A wonderful example of a job creation scheme.
Time was when the political work load in Wales was carried out by two elected Westminster Members of Parliament.
Has the political workload in Wales really mushroomed to require this planned increase?
No – it has not. It simply and vividly illustrates the desire of the political class in Wales as it does everywhere to suckle on the teat of public service.
We repeat – At what point might the number of jobs in this sector exceed the number of voters?
As I write – Mr Vaughn Gething, the recently appointed First Minister of The Senedd is under scrutiny because of alleged dubious arrangements made with a local environmental contractor.
Might Gething have to jump ship before he is required to walk the plank? He will imminently face a vote of no confidence.
Holdenforth hopes that he does abandon ship.
Democracy as it operates in the UK
In an earlier blog Holdenforth noted that on a busy day The House of Lords resembles an old folks’ home and, on a quiet day, a morgue.
Can the very existence of this venerable creaking institution be reconciled with any version of democracy?
No – it can’t.
The unseemly return to public life of Mr David – now Lord – Cameron was yet another nail in its creaking coffin.
The actions of Mr Cameron following his defeat in the Brexit referendum were dubious – see the Greensill affair.
Mr Sunak was evidently prepared to overlook these transgressions and in one speedy manoeuvre Cameron was promoted to Foreign Secretary and membership of the Lords. We rest our case.
Holdenforth has quoted the following sentence in previous blogs and we will be quoting it in future blogs
“The privatisation of near monopolies is about as irrelevant as (and sometimes worse than) were the Labour Party’s proposals for further nationalisation in the 1970s and early 1980s.
“A Life at the Centre” the autobiography of Roy Jenkins
Holdenforth commends this policy to Sir Keir Starmer.
Privatised near monopolies to be speedily returned to the public sector include the Rail Sector and The Water Sector
A word about Nigel Farage
Holdenforth understands why Mr Farage has opted not to seek almost certain defeat in the coming election were he to stand as a candidate in a UK constituency.
He has sensibly opted to wield his formidable influence across not only the whole of the Disunited Kingdom scene but also to use his talents to influence the intriguing developing battle between the two aged candidates in the USA Presidential election.
We at Holdenforth find ourselves with more conflicting opinions about Mr Farage than any other prominent figure in British political life.
We were and remain strongly opposed to his very effective contribution to the Brexit victory during the In/Out referendum.
We readily concede that he has made very effective and positive contributions to a series of major scandals notably the de-banking conspiracy.
He has also made telling criticisms of the absurd attempts by HMG /Mr Sunak to deliver an effective solution to the vexed problem of illegal immigration.
We live in turbulent times that are set to become even more turbulent. Holdenforth believes that Mr Farage will continue to make effective interventions.
Whither the NHS?
In my role as an aged blogger who has considerable experience of the NHS from the inside – I have two observations to make on this once rightly revered institution.
“The language of priorities is the religion of socialism”
Quote from Nye Bevan
Martha’s Rule requires that patients unhappy with an initial diagnosis can demand a second opinion.
Holdenforth suggests that before this rule comes into force – provision be made for ALL patients to be entitled to a first opinion.
The barriers in place to limit access to this initial appointment verge on the insurmountable.
Holdenforth has noted that there is a powerful medical lobby opposed to the idea of assisted dying.
We are strongly in favour of enabling those wishing to make an early exit from this vale of tears should be allowed to do so.
On a possibly sour note we suggest that a significant number of those in the medical profession are already arranging assisted dying for many whether those involved want this outcome or not.
The Chilcot model governing independent public enquiries.
Holdenforth would like to some urgency injected such enquiries. We do not doubt the transparency or the independence but how about speeding things up.
Chilcot set the standard when he chaired the Iraq enquiry: we note, for example, that the enquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire is unlikely to report until 2026.
The Mail reported in February that a Tory MP was “in the clear” after a rape enquiry which had taken four years to complete. As Lord Moylan said at the time, “The real scandal here is why the Met Police is not held to account for needing 21 months to investigate this…”
Holdenforth wants to see an end to the Chilcot practice of painfully protracted enquires., and suggests that no enquiry need take longer than 3 months to come to decisions and recommendations.
Instead we urge the adoption of the approach of Mr Churchill in WW 2 – “action this day.”
A modest proposal
Holdenforth gathers that there are in our midst many thousands of octogenarians who – for a variety of reasons – are unable to access the required level of support from the caring sector.
We also gather that there are in our midst many thousands from the portly sector who struggle to lose weight by time honoured means and resort to surgery to achieve trimmer figures.
Holdenforth can confirm from personal experience that if those from the portly sector were to provide for the needs of old timers in need of care on a 24/7 basis for say 3 months – the pounds surplus to requirements would be shed.
Prospects for World War Three
“Round about 1890 England had become sick of peace, retrenchment and reform; the craving for violence which recurs after every long period of peace was beginning to be felt”
From “Progress of a Biographer” by Hugh Kingsmill
Holdenforth is anxious about the current preference for international violence in some sectors.
Thus far the preference is limited to providing the means for others to fight and die – peace has been the norm in the UK since the end of WW2.
Crime and Punishment – The water polluters
Holdenforth ponders the appropriateness of sentencing senior managers in the privatised water sector to a spell in prison where slopping out was part of the routine.
Those so incarcerated would experience what millions of their customers have experienced and continue to experience.
Back to Vennells
“As we all know, most computer projects ever launched have been late and over budget. To put the matter in simpler terms most computer projects fail. Computer projects in the public sector fail spectacularly. What more evidence do we need?”
From “A Cushy Number” by John Holden in 2003
Don’t say that you were not warned.
“80 detectives to work on criminal probe into top Post Office chiefs”
Daily Mail headline May 28
Holdenforth is very anxious to see justice meted out following the painfully protracted Sir Wyn Williams enquiry.
But – are detectives the ones to carry out this probe. Holdenforth thinks not!
The conflict in Gaza
We have previously noted the intense war between the rival propaganda machines operated by Israel and by Palestine. The mendacious work of these machines as they ransack the globe for support is of considerable significance because the propaganda machine operated by Israel is possibly the most effective in the world. This weapon has been and remains a formidable weapon in the Israeli war machine.
Holdenforth has been keeping an eye on the scoreboard as the conflict in Gaza has continued.
The casualties arising from the conflict have not been distributed evenly between The Israelis and the Palestinians – Palestinian fatalities, mostly civilians, are reported as being in excess of 30,000.
Holdenforth has also noted that support for the Israeli cause globally has steadily diminished as the number of deaths on the scoreboard has risen at a daily rate of 200.
Meanwhile, we have heard reports from the USA about the current wave of student unrest. This unrest is spreading to the UK and elsewhere in Europe. This concern is understandable in the context of the number of deaths on the scoreboard in Gaza.
Holden Forth 