Dereham’s Andy Marshall can be justifiably proud of his terrific Open performance last weekend. He carried the dreams of all of us hacking golfers with him. Having made the cut on Friday he scored a memorable four under par on Saturday, a round he will surely treasure for the rest of his life. But while he was shooting a 68, I shot a 95, but for me it was equally memorable.
Having spent three years in full time politics with barely a weekend to myself I’ve taken up golf again. Admittedly I picked up my clubs with some trepidation, thinking I would make a complete fool of myself. My last round had been in Sheringham in May 2004 when I led a North Norfolk Conservative golf team to a glorious defeat against our Mid Norfolk counterparts. But I was pleasantly surprised. The break from golf had done me good and I was soon back in the swing of it. My mother bought me a new King Cobra driver for my birthday last week and it’s added about thirty yards to each tee shot – and amazingly they even seem to go straight. So last Saturday I shot my second best score ever and this week I get my official handicap. It may not be in Andy Marshall’s league, but I can honestly say I think I know how he felt.
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Writing a Blog (an online diary, for the uninitiated) is always a hostage to fortune, but particularly when you write about Israel. I’ve never quite understood why people get so wound up about Israel and the Middle East and seem unable to have a calm, reasonable debate about it.
Earlier this week I wrote what I thought was a balanced article explaining why I thought Israel was right to defend itself against attacks but how, having been the first British person to visit Beirut after the release of John McCarthy in 1991, I empathised with the plight of the Lebanese people. Well you would have thought I had called for Israel to launch a nuclear attack judging by the ‘green ink’ emails I started to receive.
Until both sides calm down and manage to engage with each other in a rational debate peace will be impossible.
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It’s only fourteen months since I was trounced in the General Election in North Norfolk by Norman Lamb. Bizarrely, I still ended up in the House of Commons working as Chief of Staff to David Davis during the Tory leadership contest. Not a good year for me, was it?! But even more bizarrely, Norman has ended up doing the same job for LibDem leader Ming Campbell.
I bumped into Norman last week and we had a mutual commiseration over what a terrible job Chief of Staff can be. It’s completely thankless. It’s part gate-keeper, part speechwriter, part office manager, part frank confidante but above all, it’s about taking the blame when things go wrong. If the main man makes a bad speech or fluffs his lines, somehow, it all seems to end up at the Chief of Staff’s door.
Six months was enough for me. If I were Norman, I’d be hankering after a proper policy job again. He’s wasted as Ming’s shoulder to cry on.
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As the Deputy Prime Minister clings onto his job by his fingertips the whole country is girding its collective loins in preparation for the Mouth of the Humber’s imminent power grab. As Tony and Cherie pack their suncream and bathings cosies Mr Prescott is about to take over running the country. Doesn’t that make you feel warm, secure and comfortable?
This is a politician whose credibility is shot to pieces but who can’t quite bring himself to realise it. Even his own Party want him out. I have never seen a situation where Labour Party whips seem quite prepared to countenance Government PPS’s appearing on television calling for their own Deputy Prime Minister to go. When that sort of thing happens you know that the whole government is on the slide.
The continuing stench of sleaze and the daily round of “new initiatives” and “tough new measures” remind me of the last awful months of the Major government. Another day another scandal, another hour, another new policy. The more John Major told us he was in charge, the more you just knew that he wasn’t. Tony Blair’s equivalent mantra is to ignore what he calls the “Westminster froth” and “just get on with the job”.
The revelation this week that Lord Levy refused to answer police questions about the Cash for Peerages scandal has far reaching implications. When he was arrested Lord Levy will have been read his rights. “You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.''
Just imagine if Tony Blair, a sitting Prime Minister was advised by his lawyers to take the same line as Lord Levy and say nothing. For that reason it’s entirely possible that his own departure may be a lot sooner than we all think. I very rarely bet, but in March I put a bet at 7-1 on Tony Blair resigning his office by the end of September this year. I still think it might turn out to be a winner.
