Khyra Ishaq: Starved and those social workers directly involved should resign in shame

Do those responsible for the welfare of children in this country actually give a damn or have any sense of decency? Every time a child dies through neglect, some local authority worthy goes in front of the cameras and blinks in surprise at the very suggestion that anyone should actually be held responsible for their death.

But, around the country, Care Trusts and social workers appear to totally ignore the reasons for their existence and behave in a sickening cavalier attitude towards the suffering of those who need them most.

Khyra Ishaq need not have died. There were enough warnings that she was in danger from an evil mother and a brute of a stepfather who starved her to death, just yards from a fridge and cupboards packed with food. She died because snivelling, lazy and incompetent social workers failed to do their jobs.

The head of Birmingham social services and those social workers directly involved in her case, should resign in shame and should then be arrested for failure to carry out their duties. If no one is ever held responsible, then more and more children will die of neglect, while those who should be looking after them sit on their backsides doing damn all.

David Cameron: Cutting a swath through foreign places

Our intrepid Prime Minister, David Cameron, is cutting a swath through foreign places, with words of friendship and solidarity scattered about like there is no tomorrow. Turkey collectively beamed with delight as he promised to fight its corner in its bid for EC membership and in doing so he has upset just about everyone else in the Eurozone, who are having second thoughts about allowing it in.

On his arrival in India he practically prostrated himself on the airport tarmac, so anxious is he to make that particular country his best friend. There was a time when the UK treated the sub-continent as a very poor and savage third-cousin, but no more. India's economy is moving at a fast pace and the UK needs it much more that it needs the UK. There is money to be had in this country of over a billion people, but India's priority lies in the direction of America and Russia, with the UK way down the list.

David Cameron has made it clear he wants a "special relationship", translated into two-way trade deals, although there is a slight embarrassment that the UK's intention to halt the flow of immigration from India and other non-EC countries has become a hot topic during his visit. Mr Cameron has curried favour with the Indian elite by warning Pakistan not to export terrorism, upsetting that country in the process. But Pakistan is not an economic powerhouse, so does it really matter if we upset it?
Mr Cameron's blatant attempt to make friends has been met with amusement in India, a country of vast wealth and privilege, with a thriving middle-class, living cheek to jowl beside millions of poor and illiterate, whose children are still being used as slaves in factories that supply you and me with cheap goods.

However, it is right that Mr Cameron seeks out trade opportunities for the embattled UK economy, but he must be careful not to insult Peter to curry favour with Paul. As for upsetting Israel over Gaza......

Labour Leadership Election: Which Miliband will it be then?

The Labour Leadership Election is, we are informed, in full swing and come the 25th September one of the Milibands will be celebrating, when the first round of the contest takes place. Right now, David appears to be the one in the lead and if he does top the poll on the first count, but without sufficient votes to be proclaimed leader, then one wonders if brother Ed will bow out gracefully in his favour? And forever more sulk.

Let's face it....two brothers fighting each other for the leadership position is not quite the done thing, no matter how many times they declare undying love for each other. It is said that David is upset that his brother has challenged him and he has every reason to be. We like our leaders to be strong and focused, but to be so ambitious that you would brush aside family loyalties is just one step beyond the natural. But then, when you see the Milibands in photographs there is a kind of suspicion that perhaps, maybe, you never know...of another planet about them. Could that famous banana be a receiver, or an alien probe? We should be told.

Whoever takes the mantle of Labour leader will have a tough job over the next few years and it is likely someone else, currently unknown to the public, will replace the next incumbent and reap the rewards of a Coalition at war and a public dying for some light relief from the cuts, job losses and even bigger bank bonuses, despite the promises. Of course it would be ironic if Labour was to benefit from the action taken to correct the mess many blame it for in the first place.

The Blair/Brown governments left a bad smell around the carcass of Labour ideals, with personal ambition, greed and personality flaws at the heart of every action, during their time in office. It will take a few years for the memories to fade and for new faces to replace those members of the Labour Cabinet who stayed silent to keep their chauffeur-driven cars in exchange for principles.

Nick Clegg: There was an illusion about that he had the world in his hands

David Cameron did himself proud on his trip to the USA, although it was perhaps unnecessary and unwise of him to refer to the UK as the "junior partner" in the relationship between the two countries.

Meanwhile, with his senior partner overseas, Nick Clegg strutted his stuff at the Dispatch Box and made a right pig's ear of it. Calling the Iraq war "illegal" and announcing a closure that isn't, was a tad careless. Prior to the election, there was an illusion about that he had the world in his hands, but since then the Clegg X-factor has all but disappeared and it does seem that the man himself has shrunk in stature and relevance.

The Liberal Democrats are doing badly in the polls, whilst David Cameron and the Conservatives are moving onwards and upwards. How long will it be before existing LibDems MPs clamour to escape from the Coalition deal? How long before David Cameron has a meeting with his own pollsters to decide when to cut free of his government partners and strike out alone? Although, it must be said, the Prime Minister does seem to be the one enjoying their honeymoon together, although Nick must have moments of concern. Surely David will wait a couple more years before finding a reason to end the relationship and strike out alone?

The problem for Clegg and his party is that, pre-election, he showed an arrogance and lack of humility which turned off the voters. Although the public couldn't wait to get rid of Gordon Brown, some of the LibDems leader's comments about the then Prime Minister were seen as unnecessarily cruel. Also, there is a little matter of the Liberal Democrats dumping quite a few of their core beliefs for a handshake with power. It seemed a little grasping, even immoral. What will be worrying for Nick and his MPs is that those who voted for them will bear a grudge at the next General Election. 

David Cameron's The Big Society.......his vision of Utopia

Every new Prime Minister has to right to make at least one speech that allows them to explore their vision of Utopia, just think John Major and his "Back to Basics", but it is hoped that once they get it out of their system a return to normality and realism will follow.

It seems to me that "The Big Society" is a wonderful idea, just as communism probably did sound ideal when first mooted, but the reality is David Cameron's vision requires so many support resources that, in the end, a layer of "quangos" would emerge to defeat the whole rationale for his dream of a better world.

Pardon me for being a pessimist, but I can see a superb opportunity for soaring costs, corruption and favouritism. The "old boy networks" and elitism will flourish. I can already see the professional social workers, up and down the land, haggle over multiple bids for pet projects. So-called "community" leaders will have a field day and the government will be forced to set up a major department just to police it all.

For many, this dream of Shangri-La, is an unrealistic and frightening conspiracy to cover spending cuts and if someone doesn't tell the PM to get a grip, it could ultimately prove a costly experiment for all of us.  

Raoul Moat: Tributes have highlighted the schism in our society......

On down-trodden council estates up and down the country parents make ever effort to bring up their sons and daughters to lead decent and successful lives, even if some are unlucky enough to live cheek to jowl with human kinds low-life. The middle-classes may mingle with the former, but fortunately the latter rarely impinge on their polite, polished world.

There is a level of society, the underclass, who infest this country with a code of dishonour that clearly states they don't need to save for a car when it is there for the taking. Who don't need to work for a living when there is an old lady to mug and who can't string two sentences together unless they are instructing their solicitor. The law fails to control them and social workers are frightened of them.

The majority of us are usually only confronted by this side of life from the safety of our cars, shaking our head when we see the scrawny shabby youth with his tattoos and piercings, accompanied by a fierce dog on a tight lead. The tighter the lead, the fiercer the dog, the harder the dog-owner.
Then there's the obese girl in her track bottoms wheeling a baby-occupied pram down to the social, often with another little kid tagging behind her. Her face already shows wear and tear, not helped by the cigarette dangling from her mouth. Even with her dyed hair and heavy make-up, the fat girl still looks young and you guess she didn't wait for the age of consent. Her dream is to have bigger breasts, liposuction and be friends with Jordon. A stereotype? Get in your car and take a look.

It is this underclass who have rushed to the pages of Facebook to leave tributes in memory of Raoul Moat, bully, killer and martyr. By clinging to the coat-tails of this sad individual, they somehow seem to feel their messages empower them with some of his celebrity and notoriety.

Their actions, so far removed from normal decent behaviour, has sent shivers through the majority of people, unable to comprehend that there is a section of society who do not share the moral code that makes traffic lights work and fail to understand that a civilised society is in all our interests.

The Raoul Moat tributes have highlighted the schism in our society, where authority is held in such contempt that a man can attempt to kill his ex-girlfriend, kill one man, blind another and still be upheld as a legend and hero.

Makes you want to live in a gated community with a watchtower and burning oil at the ready. Just in case.

Meanwhile, there is concern over the police action surrounding the death of Mr. Moat and it is right that it be investigated.

Robbie Williams & Take That: Never say never.....

That old saying "never say never" certainly applies to Robbie Williams and the announcement that he is to rejoin his old group Take That. If you remember he left the group in a huff, jealous of Gary Barlow and frustrated with a management who wanted him to behave like a good boy in a boy band, when he wanted to be a rock star, with attitude.

Over the years, the careers of his ex-friends headed downwards into the doldrums as his soared.  He rubbed salt in the wound by rubbishing Barlow's talent and making his time in Take That sound like a long stretch in a Siberian gulag.

And then, like a Hollywood movie, Robbie upset fans by releasing  Rudebox, an album that didn't live up to expectations, followed by several uncool TV appearances. Meanwhile, the other four reformed and became big again, with singles, albums and amazing live shows. It was like payback time, but instead of rubbing his nose in it, the four encouraged the eventual return of their prodigal member.

No one knows how long the reunion will last, well, the lawyers and accountants probably do, but even if he is not back for good, the first time he steps on stage as a member of Take That will be a fantastic showbusiness experience.

Peter Mandelson's Memoirs: Two-faced operator...

Reading "The Times" serialisation of Peter Mandelson's memoirs, it really does confirm how despicable, dysfunctional and cowardly those at the top of the Labour government were in their behaviour, at a time when the country needed clear direction. The Gordon Brown he writes about reminds me of the paranoid Richard Nixon, too clever by half, but insecure and sadly also mad, bad and dangerous.

Tony Blair did a great disservice when he took the country into Iraq, almost as if it was a personal gift to his buddy George W. Bush. But he and his cabinet colleagues also betrayed the country, handing Gordon Brown the keys to No 10, when even the tea-lady in the house next door must have sussed he was not fit for purpose.

Lord Mandelson does not paint a pretty picture of survival in the political world, but he has ensured that his place within the sphere of influence has been firmly established. It seems he does not mind if he is remembered as a two-faced operator, all things to all men, so long as his power is acknowledged.

What is worrying for Labour is that their serious Leadership candidates, Balls and the Miliband duo, played a part in the conspiracy of silence that allowed Gordon Brown to bring down the party they so profess to love.

Nick Clegg: Has he sounded the death knell for the future of the Liberal Democrats as a party?

Nick Clegg has taken to power like the duck takes to water, but in making the decision to co-habit with the Tories has he sounded the death knell for the future of the Liberal Democrats as a party? Is it possible that the "liberal democrats" will become just another wing of the Conservatives and is it also possible that when the next General Election is announced, Mr.Clegg will be parachuted into a cosy Conservative seat, so that he can retain his position beside his partner, David Cameron? Far-fetched?

There are dark mumblings within Nick's party, with talk of a mass exodus of councillors in Liverpool and elsewhere, unhappy they represent a partner in a government almost too eager with the scalpel to cut spending programmes. For the moment the majority of his MPs are enjoying their status, but activists at local level are decidedly uneasy over the party's willingness to dump principles and promises at the heart of the Liberal Democrats election manifesto. How will MPs react when the concerns of their local associations become protests?

Nick Clegg has been cool and confident in justifying his decision to sacrifice party dogma for a place at the top table. But will his party continue to support him when the promised cuts start to bite and jobless numbers are blamed, not on Labour, but on the decisions of the Coalition, who are making cuts faster and deeper than the previous government planned and against the Liberal Democrats own pre-election beliefs?

Jordon: Trashy but rich

Jordon, aka Katie Price, is trashy and her behaviour questionable, but she has turned a talent to shock, into a multi-million pound industry. Her latest publicity stunt was to have a blessing of her Las Vegas marriage to the cage-fighter and cross-dresser, Alex Reid. It was all done in the best possible taste, with the TV cameras on and the money rolled in to her swollen bank account. Her security even fought with photographers and only Z-listers queued up to attend.

According to the gossip magazines, Jordon had big doubts about going ahead with the whole thing, declaring that she could be divorced in six months, so why bother? Of course, all of the doubts, fears and cosmetic-enhanced pouts are splashed across the tabloids in lurid detail and recorded by the ever-present cameras, as part of an ITV2 deal.

Jordon is successful because she has no shame and a big fan base of under-achievers who dream of being just like her.....but haven't got her boobs, brains or monsterous ego.

Raoul Moat: Mother knows best...."He would be better off dead"

Perhaps mother knows best, but no matter what the circumstances, unless she is a Joan Crawford type, one just doesn't expect a mother to tell her son he "would be better off dead".

Raoul Moat is on the run for murder, but coming from a background where your mother would send out such a vile message instead of encouraging him to quietly give himself up, it is no wonder he has admitted he "has issues".

With a body allegedly riddled with steroids, one can almost understand one man losing it enough to go on a killing spree but, if it is true that so-called associates may be helping him avoid capture, then their only excuse is that they must be brain deficient. The type who think that life is a violent movie where the likes of Raoul Moat are heroes.

It is incredible how many of Moat's so-called friends have come out of the woodwork to describe his "intense eyes" and "psychotic behaviour", one even blaming his problems on having a "small willy" due to his steroid abuse.

Under the glare of the media the police are having a difficult time trying to find him, but one gets the feeling that Raoul Moat's mother will get her wish.

Russian Spies

I have just been listening to the news that Russia and America are planning a spy swap, which is a reminder of the good old cold war days and manna from heaven for the spy-in-the-bed book and movie industries.

I think I must be missing something in the current spy saga in that it seems to me that those involved did nothing more than the average village snoop, collecting low-grade gossip for a life in the USA. Of course, perhaps we are not being told the whole story, but can someone tell me what information of real value the gang of eleven or more were in a position to collect? On the surface it just looks like fantasists, if it wasn't for the false passports, buried money and real names like Kushchenko. How many of them knew each other and if the Americans were watching them for so long, what triggered their arrests?

The Coalition: Give peace a chance....

Give peace a chance should be the mantra of the current government, because as each day passes one is made aware that the Coalition is a mix of various factions, some for and most against the current arrangement, with the majority of Conservative and Lib Dems MPs just about tolerating their unholy union.

The Prime Minister and his Deputy have a good working relationship, but make no mistake, it is one of necessity and built around the desire for power. The day will come within this Parliament when forces in both parties will go all out to destroy the Coalition. The Lib Dems, lead by a senior figure like Simon Hughes, will see it as a matter of principle to oppose a new Conservative proposal and the latter will feel that the party can go it alone and win an election outright.

The decision to hold the referendum for electoral reform will force the Conservatives into a devil's pact with Labour, who may now decide to give only lukewarm support for AV and while one would have expected David Cameron to rise above the fray, it does appear he will actively oppose any reforms. It is a scenario that can only lead to rows and festering resentments. Of course Labour could use it as an opportunity to drive a wedge between the Coalition partners, by standing tall and firm beside the Lib Dems. If the Lib Dems fail to convince the electorate to support the reforms, then their main reason for joining forces with the Conservatives will have been in vain.

One can bet that since the general election the main task of the Conservative Party office is to monitor and analyse the polls in minute detail, preparing for that moment when the Coalition is torn apart. When it does end, Nick Clegg's career as the Liberal Democrats leader will be over.

Tony Blair: Behind the smile.....

Behind the smile, one wonders what Tony Blair really thinks about all the criticism levelled at him since he resigned as Prime Minister? The UK media is not kind to him, although the USA continues to push honours on him, the latest being the Liberty Medal (and £100,000) for "bringing liberty to people around the world".

The confirmation that Lord Goldsmith declared any invasion of Iraq illegal, then changed his mind under pressure (was waterboarding involved?), does not say much for him and his duty to the country; nor will history be kind to those Cabinet ministers, like Gordon Brown and Jack Straw, who went along with the Prime Minister, despite concerns. Presumably, as war is declared in the name of Her Majesty, The Queen, it would be of historic interest to know what Mr Blair told her to justify the invasion?

 It must also be remembered that Parliament voted for war, although on the basis that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction under his bed. The Prime Minister may have driven through the agreement to back the United States and rid the world of Saddam, but, despite the media effort to say otherwise, he alone would not have been able to do so, without the support of his Cabinet and Parliament.

Tony Blair swept into power on a wave of enthusiasm and goodwill, but he left office with a reputation in tatters and questions still to be answered regarding the Iraqi war and the death of Doctor David Kelly. There is something very rotten about Tony Blair's time in government, but with the millions of pounds he has made since he left office he can afford to smile. For now.