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(No) Sympathy for Dave

14:36 / 02.11.05

Here's wishing the former 'left wing firebrand,' and with all the sympathy he's lavished on his victims over the years, a long, lonely and unrewarding retirement, in which there are years really, for him to contemplate all of his terrible mistakes, while listlessly tossing himself off in a bath chair with only his fading memories of Kimberly Quinn as (cold) comfort. And thoughts of 'the little lad' (who seems to have finished him in the end, the 'black hole' in Blunkett's finances after the court battle having apparently driven him to take up that job with DNA Bioscience,) as a constant torment.

Or does this seem a bit much?

Goodness Gracious Meme

14:39 / 02.11.05

If only he needed to collect state 'benefits', my joy would be complete.

Mr.Blunkett, are you actively seeking work?

No?

*reads form*

'Depression brought on by dismissal'

Sorry, but this is for you own good.

*stamps form with big red DENIED stamp*

14:40 / 02.11.05

There are plenty more people in public life I have less sympthy for... but I'm not sure this is much of an endorsement...

ONLY NICE THINGS

14:45 / 02.11.05

Dudes, he's gooing to become a European commisioner. Betsies.

14:45 / 02.11.05

fact that it was a bioscience company was just perfect. 'that's the last time you say 'no' to me'! lock up your babies, dave's in town, he reckons he done yer mam once....and now he can prove it. 'come to daddy'.

Harrison Ford, in a battle suit, wheels for feet, knives and guns

14:51 / 02.11.05

Shame, Not.

I'm doing a bit of temping for Adecco at the moment & guess who turned up this morning with his guide dogs tail between his legs? Yep you guessed it Blunkoid wants a job!
"How does data entry sound David or perhaps telephone work would be more up your street"

Tryphena Absent

15:41 / 02.11.05

he's gooing to become a European commisioner.

Isn't that a bit obvious? I mean, not everyone can be as talented as Mandy. It was jut his bad luck that they kept kicking him out of government.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

15:43 / 02.11.05

Twice in a year, man.
Mandelson and Byers both managed twice, but not in the same year.
He's totally raised the bar for NL.
Reckon he can make the hat-trick? Cos he will be back, you just know he will.

Although someone on the radio just said "even the Tories have to admit he's now done the honourable thing"... well, surely the honourable thing in any of these situations is to resign as soon as you're called on your wrongdoing, rather than hanging on until your position becomes untenable?

Are you listening, Mr Blair?
Or, for that matter, Commissioner Blair?

Our Lady Has Left the Building

15:59 / 02.11.05

Interesting how Blair seems to think that he's emerged without a stain on his public character despite his committing adultery, having a child out of wedlock, bent the rules to speed up a visa for his lover's nanny and now this whole bioscience business. Blair's value system becomes more interesting day by day, even if these things may not be the great crimes they once were twenty or thirty years ago.

The real victim in this is Blunkett's PPS Graham Joyce who now won't get to go on national TV to defend the indefensible for Labour for a while. He's quite skilled at saying day is night and black is white, he has a bright future in the Labour party.

16:18 / 02.11.05

To be fair, I don't think he did commit adultery because IIRC he wasn't married at the time. Kimberly was comitting adultery... And really - is having a child out of wedlock a stain on anyone's character anymore? The streets, the schools are all full of bastards and does anyone really care anymore?

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

16:30 / 02.11.05

Yeah, bollocks to the adultery/children out of wedlock thing, that's not an issue.

The visa thing- now THAT was an issue.
This new financial scandal- that's also an issue.

His obscene cuntiness as HS? Not a SACKABLE issue, but, to me, an issue which makes today's news a joyous thing.

(Just got a text message from another lither who works for the DWP, and whose name I won't mention in case she doesn't want that made public, but she and colleagues seem happy too).

16:31 / 02.11.05

Now he can devote more time to The Ladeez.

16:36 / 02.11.05

Well, he pretty much did his best to destroy la Quinn's marriage and family life when it started to look like she wasn't (surprise, surprise,) going to leave her husband for him, and then went on to drag the matter of the little lad's paternity through the mud in about the ugliest way possible 'because he loved him', a fact which could well have more impact on the kids future than the simple question of whether or not he was born in wedlock. Sraightforward adultery looks pretty tame in comparisson, I'd say.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

16:39 / 02.11.05

Oh yes, I think his behaviour was fairly despicable... but in terms of things making one unsuitable for office, not sure they're relevant. They didn't go any way towards not making him look like a cunt, though, that's for sure.

18:19 / 02.11.05

As a sign of poor political judgement maybe? I'm guessing he must have been strongly advised not to go public with 'Littleladgate,' (that's assuming, perhaps wrongly, that he bothered to ask anyone else's opinion in the first place,) so the fact that he went ahead with it anyway, and basically destroyed his own career in the process, kind of makes one wonder what other sensible, cool-headed advice he wasn't listening to at the time. Just going by his record at the Home Office, I'd imagine there was a lot of it. So while he possibly, maybe, shouldn't have resigned over his private life at the time, it still might have been good if he'd been sacked for it.

08:30 / 03.11.05

That's spot on Alex. When someone proves themselves time and again to possess such spectacularly bad judgement, how can anyone think they're suitable to handle matters of national importance?

09:01 / 03.11.05

He could come back to the cabinet again for the hat trick, that would be a laugh.
I love the thought of him subject to the iniquities of the social services, but I'm sure he'll get on a corporate board if he doesn't follow Mandy.

Tryphena Absent

09:06 / 03.11.05

David Blunkett's brain: "Why did I resign from DNA Biosciences? Now I'll never be able to pay for that Little Lad's education, never mind my debts! Wait, what's this?"

(£140,000 appears on table)

"It's my cabinet pay-off. Marvellous!"

09:23 / 03.11.05

But that will barely cover my membership fees at exclusive West End clubs full of young women who are friends with Max Clifford...

09:30 / 03.11.05

I guess now he can look forward to spending more time with other people's families.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

09:59 / 03.11.05

Alex- I agree in principle, but where would it end? There'd be nobody left legally able to run the country except me, and that would be terrible.

10:17 / 03.11.05

Oh I don't know... Don't put yourself down mate...

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

10:25 / 03.11.05

It's just... I don't think I could handle the paperwork.

Goodness Gracious Meme

17:21 / 03.11.05

*puts on power suit*

If I do the paperwork, will you r00l us?

Sounds more sensible than any of the current 'options'...

ONLY NICE THINGS

17:53 / 03.11.05

Apparently Rebekah Wade had been out boozing with Blunks the night before her alleged attack on Ross Kemp. Anyone else seeing a pattern forming?

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

17:54 / 03.11.05

GGM- do I get a special hat? If I get a hat, I'll do it.

(I may not wear it, mind... I'd just like to have one).

18:42 / 03.11.05

Haus;

I think it was on the actual night of the incident... There seem to be so many random elements flying around in all this, the new revelations from Blunkett's 29 year old 'ex' with regard to his dealings with DNA Bioscience (not as as innocent as the Blunksters been claiming, allegedly,) the deals no doubt being brokered about that, Ross Kemp's slightly panto, I gather, reinterpretation of the role that originally made him not just a star but R Wade's love toy, I'm guessing, and R Wade's apparently out-of-character bout of 'uncontrolled violence' (when she loses her mind normally, according to the Evening Standard, it's more measured.)

It's all too much and I find it hard to process, though they have, to be fair, upped my meds again - But, what the hell's going on here? Who said what about who at the dinner? Is just the mere presence of Blunkett enough to induce a kind of toxic meltdown in the personal lives of everyone in the vicinity? Is he cursed? Has Dave's life taken on the proportions of an epic classical tragedy? Or something... even darker...

19:23 / 03.11.05

I have to say, whilst I have absolutely no sympathy for Blunkett, Alistair Campbell's comments on the The World at One struck a cord with me. The gist of it being that the only political stories that get much "ventilation" in the popular press are sensationalistic or controversial. Now, my opinions about Campbell aside, I can't help but feel he has a point, and I worry about a culture that is more concerned with sleaze than whether someone is right for the job.

I appreciate that there should be standards in political life, and that Blunkett is an arsehole, but I can't help feeling that his ousting is indicative of a culture that has its political priorities all wrong.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

19:45 / 03.11.05

Yeeeesss... but a party that breezed into power on the back of a "we're not a bunch of corrupt fuckwads like the Tories were" has kind of put itself in the "money/mouth" arena, no?

20:43 / 03.11.05

Also, for Alistair Campbell, of all people, to even try that out as a line of argument... well it doesn't so much beggar belief as ass-rape it on the pavement, sell it into the sex trade, and then shit on its head while aggressively demanding a public apology for the unfounded allegations about its treatment.

Interesting though, that he did seem worried - 'Apres moi la deluge' and so on, and I'm not sure he's wrong.

21:22 / 03.11.05

I'm having a bit of a flashback to the last Blunkett scandal now. I don't think my position has changed much. He's implicated in a potentially criminal or at the least unparliamentary situation, but the major negative publicity is coming from his extra-marital-related activities. And it's not even as if he's married, he's just been dallying with people who are.

I don't care. Get him out. The more disruption that can be caused to New Labour the better. I'm sure some other bastard will come in to screw people out of benefits but I don't see how that means it shouldn't take place. The idea that it encourages prurient reactionary attitudes to public figures... I'm a little sympathetic to that, but I'm not really very sympathetic to people in his position in the first place, so it's not bothering me a lot.

21:32 / 03.11.05

In case I was unclear, I don't give two shits about Blunkett - I hate the fucker - and of course Campbell's comments were rather, er, hypocritical, but that doesn't detract from my argument. And, Fridge, it ain't about being sympathetic, it's about making sure that we get the best politicians we can.

23:14 / 03.11.05

My then-colleague had to chuck Wade and Kemp out of our hotel bar - wossis, about two year back?

Am sad I missed it. Linky?

Me and the morning news today: "yess!"

20:46 / 06.11.05

I must say I'm disappointed - I've no excuse to slag off the visually impaired anymore

Be seeing you before you see me Dave...

21:10 / 06.11.05

I think of it more as an excuse to slag off one particular example of the empathically-impaired.