Nanny Hewitt twists the knife in Labour's open wound
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 What a wonderful irony (for readers of this blog, if no-one else) that it should be former health secretary Patricia Hewitt, the woman directly responsible for the smoking ban, who should be one of two ex-Cabinet ministers openly challenging the prime minister.
According to the BBC:
Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon have written to Labour MPs saying the party was "deeply divided" and the issue must be sorted out "once and for all".
Full story HERE.
This is genuinely a momentous day in British politics. Here we are, months (weeks?) away from a general election (even, as some are saying, in the middle of an election campaign) and members of the governing party seriously want to ditch their leader.
With Nanny Hewitt wielding the knife I feel almost sorry for Gordon Brown.
Almost, but not quite.
Simon Clark
It's at moments like this that the top political bloggers, those who stay on top of stories and even come up with their own exclusives (even if they are based on rumours!), come into their own.
Best of the bunch (no surprise) are Iain Dale and Paul Staines aka Guido Fawkes (above) because gossip is far more interesting than analysis (I think you'll agree) ...
Update: it took a while but the BBC has finally got its act together. See HERE. Nick Robinson however should hang his smug little head in shame.
Reader Comments (21)
So, doesn't look like third time lucky. I've heard it speculated that Hoon and Hewitt had secured the backing of several cabinet members who have either reneged or lost their nerve. Goodness knows what goes on behind the scenes. Perhaps the promise of a juicy Brussels job's been made to all members of the cabinet who stick with Gordon.
CAESAR: "The Ides of March are come."
SOOTHSAYER: "Aye, Caesar - but not gone........"
I also find it strange that Nanny Hewitt could stop millions of people smoking but she couldn't stop her own son from taking cocaine.
That said, a non-smoking colleague at work told me that he would be less worried if he found out his son was taking ecstasy than if he was smoking.
How did this all get so out of proportion?
"How did this all get so out of proportion?"
Good question, Pat.
In essence - I'd say:
a) The Greed and Power-Mania of the Few.
b) The Gullibility of the Many.
Scarcely the first time in History that we've had to bear the evil consequences of THAT combination.
Nor will it be the last.
Just ask any Iraqi.................
Martin, a) and b) sums it all up and says it all.
And brings to mind the old saying that evil thrives when good men stay silent (or words to that effect).
But the horror of it is that one never expects the evil to be hidden in plain sight, like in our own government and people just dont comprehend it.
I'm sure Hewitt wasnt thinking of the good of the electorate when she tried to oust Gordy, no, she saw all hopes of a big job in Brussels, where one can earn one and a quarter million on expenses alone, going pear shaped.
And it also wouldnt surprise me if the Prince of Darkness was behind it!
I never read the or watch the BBC anyway it is just SAD propaganda.
Hewitt oh yes the one who's married to a judge who pulled the strings to get her junkie son of the drugs charge.
Or so I think is highly likely.
Can't stand any of them .
The more they damage themselves in front of the sheeple the better.
Another "toff" socialist if you ask me.
I'd also like to know what interests Hewitt had, or what obligations she had to her Pharmaceutical masters that paid her a consultancy fee, when forcing through the blanket smoking ban without an option for choice.
Now there is a woman who is very bad for health. The sight of her makes me want to vomit!
Pat Nurse - "How did this all get so out of proportion?"
Simples, Pat. It's the culmination of a long term well executed campaign by the pharmaceutical company’s aka global control. Using the phoney banner of "Health versus Smoking" ensures chaos,
Not only does it set man against man and deprive them of intelligent conversation within the "little parliaments" of pubs, clubs and indoor meeting places, it deprives smokers and non-smokers alike of the health benefits of nicotine.
As the nation becomes sicker and sicker, the population has to seek medical help. This increase pharmaceutical profits and funds limitless additional lying propaganda. This encouraging new restrictive laws.
The major prescription drugs have ALWAYS had nicotine as their base, [aka Niacin, Nicotinic Acid and Vitamin B3] - and now we have nicotine patches.
Much unemployment has been created by closure of hospitality and entertainment businesses and their ancillary services. This produces dependent impoverished serfdom and lack of spending power which, in turn, affects all businesses and ruins the economy.
It matters not which of our three EU controlled political parties get into power. The EU can then enforce all parts of the Lisbon Treaty. Anyone not obeying their rules can have their benefits and state pensions withdrawn. Now THAT is what Big Brother is all about.
The most popular party in the UK is UKIP, Will they ever be given a fair voice within the EU controlled political debates on TV? YOU CAN BET THEY WON'T.
UKIP already have the second largest number of UK MEPs in the EU parliament whose main aim is to get us out of it altogether while working to expose its skulduggery from within. Also many elected County and District Councillors. UKIP have intelligent policies to cover all aspects in getting the UK out of the mess it is in and re-establishing the wealth that once we enjoyed. This includes repeal of the Smoking Ban and all other frauds.
I agree Margot. I'm hearing that more and more people are turning to UKIP as the only real alternative to the three party alliance. In my view, it is the only party worth voting for, and it must be getting the other parties nervous as I can't count the number of hoaxes I've recieved claiming all sorts of "deals" that have been done between UKIP and the Tories. None of them true of course, but all aimed at discrediting UKIP. They have no idea of how much people power has gone into that party since July 2007.
It's just a shame that some smokers will insist on voting for the other three when there is nothing to gain from it other than ensuring Lab don't get in again rather than making a stand and joining millions of others who have switched support to give UKIP a real chance of some power. It would, for example, be the best opposition this country has had in more than 20 years.
As for the TV debate - can you imagine just how boring that will be with all three leaders falling over themselves to agree with each other.
The biggest laugh I've had all week is the accusation that UKIP is simply a Tory protest Party - they really have no idea of what's coming do they?
Yes - I think the time has come to take an axe to the Big Three Tree.
The rot has gone too deep now, I fear.
Roll on, Spring.....................
Absolutely, Pat and Margot - UKIP are the only possible alternative as far as I'm concerned. Hopefully the election will spring a few surprises.
Meanwhile, it was good to see Nick Robinson humiliated - a recent 20-questions style piece on him in the Observer magazine revealed that he detests smoking...
Yes a vote for the other parties is a good idea as a vote for the three mains is inconsequential.
It will take years to break down the three party system though.
The other problem is that constituences that do not vote three main will be blackballed when it comes to funding .
This already happens to independent MP's does it not.
But it is still worth it as they only work for themselves and their own warped agenda.
The only way real change can come is if it starts now. They only way we will be heard is at the ballot box - no-one will listen otherwise.
Off topic but have been wondering whether Simon is going to organise any sort of representation to the BBC on their investigation of bias in their science reportage. Reading comments in various newspapers they all seem to focus on climate change (good) but we have suffered from the uncritical reporting of the miraculous reduction in deaths from passive smoking in scotland and the generally uncritical regurgitation of any ASH press release and the publicity given to any story which further demonises smoking. Some of you whizz bang statisticians out there must be able to help or am I barkng up the wrong tree ??
To me the massaging of the climate statistics and the passive smoking stats seem to come from the same type of attitude ie scientific fraud is OK. And the BBC shouldn't be party to it.
I've often found it quite interesting that some of the posters on this blog appear to have such a strongly negative reaction to users of recreational drugs. In my experience, many people use such drugs without causing harm to themselves or others. To me, it feels a bit reminiscent of others' attitudes to smokers ...
Rose - I don't condemn drug users. I simply find it hard to accept that a parent would be more worried about their teenage son smoking a cigarette than taking ectasy. Now, I do agree that the drug can be safer than horse riding but I don't believe it is less harmful than smoking.
My point was that because of the fraud on smoking and science, parents have the whole issue out of proportion. I have very strong views about drugs and decriminalisation. Even Prof Nutt puts tobacco low down on his harmful substance list.
I believe it is time we grew up about drugs as the immature attitude we tend to have about them as a country actually adds to the tragedy of particularly hard drug use. My view was formed from watching poor, wretched heroin addicts with nothing end up getting locked up for stealing, in one case, a pot noodle and a packet of crisps.
I fear that smoking in future will be aligned with "drug" use and will therefore, on that basis, become illegal.
Poison Patsy Hewitt and Buff Hoon had nothing to lose - they've both done extremely well from their ministerial contacts, not to mention their grotesque thieving from us little people whilst lecturing us on "fairness". These two charlatans are now just waiting to receive their golden goodbye handouts, before fucking off to devote more time to their directorships and gold-plated debit cards filled with our money.
Both are nearly as unpopular within their own party as they are in the electorate, so what better figureheads for a fake coup? A Mandelson game to prop up the worst PM in living memory. An appeal for party unity, now the unelected fiddler Mandelson has decided Boy Minibland isn't ready yet?
The Global Warming Scaremongers tried to panic everyone two years ago when they told us that our winters were going to get warmer with more rain, and that our summers would be getting warmer with less rain, leading to droughts.
Since then their prophetic predictions have led to the british isles/ireland/scotland/wales grinding to a halt from snow and ice from the coldest conditions for 30years.
And our summers have become colder and wetter, with half the countries submerged in Noah like floods.
If one of these fuckers will now try to tell us that these cold conditions are the result of global warming, I'll personally shoot the bastard between the eyes!!
Ann -
Re:
"If one of these fuckers will now try to tell us that these cold conditions are the result of global warming..................."
But they already have !
I've christened this remarkable phenomenon the 'Gore-Monbiot Paradox' (and wonderfully illustrated in the Schoolgirl Horrorfest movie 'The Day After Tomorrow').
Lord Monckton refers to it (rather more aptly) as 'Bollocks'.
But what does HE know ?
Probably never even goes to the cinema.........
Hewitt and Hoon handled the coup against Gordie with the same ineptitude and gross incompetance as they did their ministerial portfolios. This government has never a bastion of the talented - just a bunch of money grabbing, second-raters. Bill.
As for Patricia Nanny Hewitt she needs to be attached to a nuclear rocket and launched into space. What a pathetic and useless bitch she is. I'm a nurse and we had to suffer the idiot as health secretary for sometime. The funniest being when the old cow was booed off stage and heckled by nurses. Lastly i am also a smoker and sincerely hope the next goverment have the guts and decency to ammend this fascist piece of anti smoking legislation allowing for inside smoking rooms for clubs, pubs etc as is the way on the continent. Since the introduction of this smoking ban i my family and many of my friends are now EX labour party supporters, as this control and dictatorship under this current useless government doesn't just end with smoking. I'm definitely for UKIP this time, as i don't believe the tories will have the guts to amend the ban either!!