It just never ceases..
As Labour waits with some trepitationfor the end of Tony's reign, they're also watching their senior Ministers commit blunder after blunder.. This time it's once again the Home Secretary, Charles Clarke in this case. Now he's not to be confused with David Blunkett, his immediate predessessor, who resigned for reasons of a personal, read sexual, nature..
Clarles is on the griddle because he's released more than a thousand, actually thirteen hundred and a bit, illegal immigrants into the general population.
These were people awaiting deportation, for reasons of association, direct evidence, or just because they'd outstayed their welcome.
This is our Home Secretary.. Amazing...
Of course David and Menzies (pronounced 'Ming') have pounced on this, as has the media. It is incredible in this country, as far as the man on the street believes, for such a Senior Minister to allow such a breach of secutiry..
Damn...
It's almost the British equivalent to the Rio Grande, this Immigration Service we have..
One must take things in perspective, and while it is indeed a blunder on the part of Charlie's department, it's not as though the dams have broken, the floodgates overwhelmed.. it won't be long before most of these people show up on some sort of government radar, the most likely being Social Service..
And if indeed this mistake has allowed seditious and malicious people loose among the general population, then the situation will need be re-examined..
And while this particular writer has yet to find much right with Labour, again, it's a matter of perspective. Surely there's better skeleton's to unearth..
Italy has apparently agreed that Prodi is in charge, albeit by the skin of his teeth.. No doubt we'll see a reasonably rapid recall of Italian troops from Iran, for this new PM has no great fondness for George.. Watch Italy concentrate it's diplomatic efforts towards cultivating a better national position within the European Union, and there will doubtless be a cooling towards the West in general..
As for the EU itself, if it's hardiest constituent states continue to founder economically, it will find itself looking up it's own backside for hard cash.. The new additions simply cannot at this point, and will not for the forseeable future, be able to contribute as much as they take, and with yet another expansion due in two years time, Germany and France might begin to re-think their own positions..
Perhaps the Deuchmark and the Franc weren't so bad after all.. at least they only depended on the stability of their respective countries for worth..