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The Telegraph Witch Hunt continues into its third week and gradually as is inevitable, the start of a backlash and quite right too, the DT has over-egged this pudding and is in danger of undoing any good it contributed to.

Arch Bishop Rowan Williams has come out and said enough is surely enough and naturally his words and meanings are being misrepresented, the Independent has joined in and today the Telegraph is writing self justifying and rather pompous editorials.

John Rentoul

Although I do not often find myself in agreement with John Rentoul of the Independent, he did write a very amusing article today: If Esthers the Answer, the Question is Wrong.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/john-rentoul/john-rentoul-if-esthers-the-answer-the-question-is-wrong-1690010.html

I actually posted the following comment to it:

Though not normally a fan, a well written piece although you run the risk of lots of abuse in Livejournal no doubt – that’s what Independent thinking does for you, separate from the pack and you become the quarry to be chased by the pack !

Lay a false trail and if they catch you, claim insanity and protection under the Elf and Safety Act – you are an Elf one hopes.

Another Thread from the Indy

The following was in reply to someone who writes sensibly but even on the Independent the people who write in are still mainly revelling in their anger, I think this childish.

“I agree with much of what you say and most sensible people are fully aware that this hullabaloo is not just about expenses it is in its broadest sense, about a supine Parliament that has become totally disconnected from the electorate. For some perhaps many, a Parliament that did not deliver the promised Referendum on the EU, that totally crashed the UK Economy through incompetence and has lumbered us all with a host of petty fogging legislation whilst arrogantly telling us that “they knew better”. A Prime Minister who said that he was listening to the people and clearly wasn’t.

On many different issues some I care for passionately, some I would oppose but the point being that since 1997, deliberate or not, a lot of legislation seems designed to “divide and rule” and change a tolerant society into mutually exclusive special interest groups, not good. On this Expenses Issue though we can all be united but to do any good, that unity needs now to focus itself better in going forward, it is time to start changing gear.

Good that the Story Broke

Well done the Telegraph for breaking the story and by its nature, it was going to run for some time. However I wouldn’t be in a hurry to condemn the Indy or the other other broadsheets if they sense a shift in the wind. Apart from the BBC and News International papers, the newspaper industry is under considerable financial pressure and behind the DTs drip feeding of the news is rather more than just having to sift through a lot of raw data, there are commercial, circulation and advertising issues too.

For other newspapers because the DT ‘owned the story’, what could they do? Do what the tabloids have done and pump up the volume of anger albeit second hand or if a broadsheet, try to show some insight. It is not an easy call because rather like that awful week when Diana died, the British public have decided to go on an emotional orgy – ugh ! How could any paper write the intelligent stuff we expect with the background of a baying mob ?

Head Them Off at the Pass…

To me the problem is fairly simple, if this mindless stampede continues for too long, it will run out of steam and we will not have moved the important things forward which are the start of a gradual reform of Parliament. As Charles Moore wrote in the DT yesterday, we need to nail down the start of a reform process before the next election. We need an Autumn Election simply because we need a Parliament and Government that will get on with sorting out the parlous finances of the UK but we will only get a binding commitment out of the little liars to reform, before an election.

I would suggest that the period between Whitsun and the Summer Recess when we know we shall have a new Speaker, is absolutely crucial to us the electorate getting a better deal for our money. The DT and the other broadsheets should be leading this forward but the DT is mired now in its own self righteousness and economic interests so I would encourage the other broadsheets to lead us on to the next stage of looking at the problems of “how we got here”. We won’t get reforms prior to the next election but we could identify those key elements that need reform most like the Separation of Powers.

The way I see it living by the sea is, we have the Tide we have the Wind and all we are doing is arguing about pulling up the frigging anchor !