G20

The good old days?
They say a week is a long time in politics. The Damian McBride affair now looks as if it will last the whole week and still be in the news over this weekend. However, if it was to fall no doubt this would be a great relief to Nulabour. But then standing this story down would allow other scandals to have a turn in the limelight.

The death of Ian Tomlinson at the G20 pushed its way forward into the light. And it did so in the manner of the police involved. At first we were told one thing, then another, it's now clear the police were determined to stall this for a long as possible. The confusion at the start of the Tomlinson case thus has eerie similarities to the de Menezes fiasco. No doubt the police think that the outcome will be the same, a bit of a ticking off, then carry on as before. They could be disappointed this time.

Next up was the detail of the scandal behind the arrest of Damian Green. It's hard to know whether to laugh or cry. This raid was led by Bob Quick, a model it would seem, of ineptitude. His recent departure due to another grand folly does not sort this out, in fact it makes it worse. Why was this man over promoted?

Are we getting bored here? There's too much of the police, don't worry. To take our minds off things we have ballot rigging!

The Dublin march
For a while Binyam Mohamed, and probably for more than a while, dominates the news. By contrast the decision of the EU to tighten regulation on Hedge Funds is not so well reported, see The Times HERE. Mohamed was held in Guantánamo Bay for over four years and at the speed justice moves it may be at least that again before the true facts behind this case are revealed. Again by contrast, if the EU have got their position on Hedge Funds wrong, then it could take years to shake off the ill effects of these measures.

Bash a banker is a very popular sport at the moment, it is a team game and, rather like games at school compulsory, our politicians would like us all to participate; obviously they would, for while we are putting the boot into a banker we are not kicking them. But who is a banker? In the real of world of finance there are huge differences between the people you might meet behind the counter at your local bank and Hedge Fund managers. But in the pell-mell rush to be seen doing something, anything, then these finer points can be missed.

It's now well established that the restrictions placed on banks were the reason Hedge Funds were set up, so yes it was done to get around the rules but there was a benefit to the UK.