The view from the commute

So, this is a new type of update for me.

Yesterday, I indulged in a new purchase in the form of a Netbook for use on the train whilst travelling to and from work. The principle behind the purchase is simple. I presently have about two hours on the commute where I have the ability to write. The Netbook is a tool by which I can do this without the need to then copy it up from hard copy.

Hence this update.

Some days it will be updates to the blog which I can later load onto here. Sometimes it will be working on some prose work - whether fiction or non-fiction.

Blog-wise, what can you expect from me? Well, it will probably be just random stuff rather than with any particular purpose in mind. It might be on TV, on what I have been reading during the mornings, on current events, or just life in general.

Now, I am not promising regular updates. Hopefully they will be more regular than what I have done to date, cos let's face it they have not been that regular so face.

So, hang onto your hats cos it could well be a bumpy ride.

The 55% Lock

There is a lot of chatter about the proposed 55% lock on the dissolution of Parliament and the argument that it is a bad idea.

Most of the chatter seems to be around that Parliament cannot kick out a government. This is incorrect.

The present situation is that a sitting PM, without reference to Parliament, can dissolve Parliament and start an election. This allows the PM to call an election when it suits their party.

Under the new proposals, this power is being taken away from the PM. In future, the term of Parliament will be fixed at 5 years unless 55% of MP's vote for it's dissolution. This means that the next General Election will be fixed for May 2015, unless 55% of MP's vote for the dissolution of Parliament before that date.

It is important to note that this change is only concerned with the dissolution of Parliament. It is not concerned with a vote of no confidence in the government. This remains at 50% plus one MP.

In the past, a vote of no confidence usually resulted in Parliament being dissolved. This will no longer being automatic.

Going forward, if a government loses a vote of confidence then it would be up to the opposition parties to try and form a government in it's own right. If it cannot do so, then Parliament would be dissolved by another vote of Parliament.

Let's look at the present make up of Parliament and how the new rules would come into play.

Presently, the make up is CON 307, LAB 258,LD 57, OTHERS 28 (apologies to others for lumping them as one) - Thirsk and Malton as been included and awarded to CON who won the seat last time.

This gives CON 47% of MP's, LAB 40%, LD 9%, and OTHERS 4%.

Now, under the new rules, a minority Tory government cannot dissolve Parliament just because the Polls are favourable to them. Dissolution would only come about if 8% of opposition MP's joined with the government for dissolution.

If a minority Tory government was to lose a vote of no confidence then it would be up to the Opposition parties to try to form an alternative government. It is only if they could not that Parliament would vote for dissolution.

This is the difference that the 55% lock makes. Under the present rules, a minority Tory government could call an Election when it was beneficial without any recourse to Parliament, which does not presently have any right to call for the dissolution of Parliament.

It is also worth pointing out that there are arguments to have a higher lock. The Scottish Parliament has a 60% lock on dissolution.

The proposed change is not a fix or a stitch up, as is being alleged. It is a honest attempt to remove some power from the sitting PM and to pass that power to Parliament.

Why the Con-Lib Dem Coalition will be good for the United Kingdom.

The answer to this is simple - stability.

We live in fragile times economically and whilst the depression seems to be over the recovery is not secured. For this reason, a stable government is need. A government that can secure a working majority in the House of Commons and be able to put forward a legislative programme which it can get passed.

Usually, we have one party with an overall majority in the Commons. This means a one party government and, barring internal splits, this is the most stable of governments.

Where there is not an overall majority, as is the situation after the recent election, then a coalition that can command an overall majority is the next best option. The question, in relation to stability, is one of maths with the more stable coalition being the one with the least number of parties.

On the back of the 2010 General Election, a Con-LD coalition gives an overall majority where as a Lab-LD coalition would not and therefore would need additional parties to get the majority needed. The more parties the less stable any coalition.


A lot of play as been made about the issue of which parties are "natural allies". This is a bit of a nonsense issue since no political party, when we are talking on partisan terms, are "natural allies".

The very nature of the Liberal Democratic party, the principles upon which it is founded, is one which can find itself close to both the positions of Labour and the Conservative parties - but in different aspects. There is an argument that economically the Liberal Democrats, on a broad brush basis, are closer to the Conservatives and that socially they are closer to Labour. This is a very fast and loose view since there will always be specific policies where there are harsh demarcation.

So, can the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats form a working coalition. The answer, in my opinion, is that yes they can.

For a coalition to work, there must be a sense of collective responsibility - with both parties working together in Cabinet to achieve a shared legislative programme. Where collective responsibility exists coalitions can function properly.

To reach the shared legislative programme there must be compromise where agreement does not exist already. The talks that have been going on since Friday as been working towards this - to agree the basis for the legislative programme, the principles for taking government forward, If what were have been hearing from the talks over the last few days then it would seem that this as now been achieved.

As always, the devil will be in the detail and if the final deal is approved tonight by both parties then we should hopefully have them soon.

A New Politics

The election is over and the people have elected their representatives. However, unlike the usual process the make up of the MP's returned to the House of Commons does not form an overall majority for any one single party, and we find ourselves within the sphere of a Hung Parliament or, using the less pejorative term, a Balanced Parliament.

The reaction to the events which have occurred after the results were announced however have not be positive. I think that this is based upon a fundamental misunderstanding of the political process in the country.

The first misconception is that people are voting for a government when they vote. This is not the basis of the UK political system. The way our system is formed is on the basis of voting for someone to represent them in the Commons, someone to fight for the constituency that they are elected to represented and to try to achieve the manifesto that they are elected on.

The government is formed once the individual constituencies have had their say. If there are sufficient MP's of the same party to form an overall majority then they will form a government.

However, the electorate does not directly vote for a government. They do not vote for the Prime Minister. The UK system is a parliamentary and not a presidential system, like in America.

The new territory for the present generation is that there is not an overall majority of MP's for any one party, so the automatic formation of a government is not possible as is the usual case.

Now is the time for a new politics. A politics based on principle and national interest. A politics based on consensus, compromise, and agreement.

This is a politics which is not the usual for us. We are used to confrontation rather than co-operation, argument rather than agreement.

The needs of the country at the moment, in light of the uncertain economic situation which faces us, is for a stable government - a government that can command a majority within the House of Commons. This will only be achieved through political parties co-operating and compromising, reaching a consensus on priority of policy and principles.

The is no denying that the Conservatives have the strongest mandate and the right to try and form this government. It is only right that they have reached out to the Liberal Democrats to try and form this government. A government comprised of two parties will be stronger and more stable than a government of many parties (which is what the "rainbow" alliance that would be needed for the Labour party to form a government).

All parties fight for their manifesto commitments in a election, party politics is the name of the game. However, without the overall majority there will need to be some compromises. No party can hope to full achieve their manifesto pledges, no party can hope to implement their manifesto as if they had an overall majority.

For a government to be formed there will need to be compromise by both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats on their manifesto pledges.

Now is not the time for party politics. Now is the time for a government in the national interest.

Now is the time for a new politics, a politics based on co-operation and consensus, based on agreement and not argument, based on compromise and not confrontation.

Dancing on Ice

So, the festive season is now officially over and we are firmly within the new year. 2010, and all its potential, lay before us and this can mean only one thing. Yep, Dancing on Ice is back.

Dancing on Ice is very much a guilty pleasure of mine, and one of the few things that ITV produce that I will watch live. I am not sure what it is about the show that attracts me to it. It could be the lovely male ice skaters with their delightfully tight pants and revealing costumes. It could be the combination of music and dance to produce delightfully entertaining routines. Or it could be the fact that we have celebrities on ice with razor sharp blades on their feet - it is literally dancing with death.

First week is over and it was ladies night, with the lads strutting their stuff next week. From what I have seen so far I think that it will be a very tight competition. 2009 gave us the wonderful Ray Quinn, who from his first performance was clearly far superior to any of the other contestants. This year I am not sure that we have a presumptive champion. There are a couple that have the potential, but as will anything they could be cut down before their prime (just like Sinitta this week).

Hopefully after the lads premiere performances next week I shall be able to make some predictions on who I think will be in this years final.

The Prisoner (2009)

I have finally gotten around to watching the 2009 version of The Prisoner. I have resisted doing so for a fair few weeks now, mainly because of the profound affect that the original series had on me.

The first thing that does strike me about the new version is that it is definitely not the original. Like so much in the modern world, we require answers. This was something which, even to this day, the original series refuses to give us definitively. We may have theories, but no definitive answers about it.

This is something that the new series does not provide us with; the new series gives us the answers. It gives us a fully coherent explanation for what is going on. We know what the Village is; we know why it exists, and what the purpose of the Village is.

I think that the reason why the new series does this is because the modern viewing public, in general, would not accept anything like the original series in its enigmaticness. Today, we demand answers, we demand explanations. We are not prepared to accept something that does not have a rationale that we can get from the programme alone. We demand TV that explains rather than TV which makes us think.

I think for this reason alone, I am going to be looking upon the new series as just a tele-visual event which uses the toolbox of the original, the trappings and scenery so to speak, to tell a completely different story. This is probably the better way of looking on it. To fundamentally compare it to the original would be unfair.

So, what did I think of The Prisoner (2009) as a tele-visual event in its own right? Overall, I enjoyed it. For what it is, it is enjoyable.

The first thing that I would recommend is that it is watched, as best as possible, back to back. In doing so I think it is easier to accept it as being one complete story, rather than an episodic adventure. The Prisoner (2009) is basically just one, very long, story with a clearly defined narrative.

With the entire story in mind, the look of The Village made sense. Something like the original location would not have worked the same way that the modern set does. The modern Village makes senses when you get to the resolution in the Checkmate, the last instalment. You can see why they went with the set that they did.

The story itself is interesting. It is very much one persons quest to find the truth about what is going on, the truth behind what he uncovers. However, unlike the original, the quest is complete by the end of the last instalment.

It is hard to talk about the actually story itself without spoiling it for those that have not watched it, and this is something that I would not want to do.

I would recommend watching it, for the unfolding story. However, I would suggest that it is watched on the understanding that it is not the original series nor does it attempt to do what the original series did. The Prisoner (2009) is very much its own beast, with its own story to tell. It uses the trappings of the original but that is all it has in common with the original. Watch it for what it has got to tell, the story it wants to portray, rather than a reimagining of what the original series was.

The Letter

The journey home had been horrendous and he thought that it would never end. But it had, and he was finally home. Closing the front door on the bitter winter wind that had cut through him only minutes previously, he turned on the hall light. He stood with him back against the door and rested for a minute. It had been a long day. In fact, it had been a long week. Monday seemed like a lifetime ago, even though only three days had passed.

He reached down to pick up the mail that was on the carpet and set off into the lounge. Pausing only to throw the letters in his hand onto the sofa, he quickly lit the fire and then went to fix himself a drink. He did not normally drink so early in the evening, preferring a large measure of brandy post-dinner instead. But he did not really care about routine. Not this week.

Drink in hand, he made his way to the sofa and sat down. He slowly sipped his drink and stare into the mock flame effect that dance before his eyes. He just sat there, staring at the fire and letting the minutes pass him by.

He was not sure how long his mind had wandered for before he came back to the present. He knew that he was hungry and should really fix himself something to eat. He could not face anything major. Truth be told, he had not really eaten properly all week. He would just have something light. Something to take the edge off the hunger pangs.

Five minutes later he returned to the lounge with some cheese on rustic bread. It was nothing fancy but it would serve its purpose. He turned the fire down a notch since the room was nicely warmed through and fixed himself another drink, before returning to the sofa and his necessary snack.

Whilst chewing on one of his open sandwiches, he started to flick through the mail opening each one in turn. Bill, Bill, Charity appeal, Bill. Then he saw the last letter in the pile, one completely different to the normal ‘run of the mill’ mail that he normally received. It was just a standard white envelope, with hand written address and a second class stamp on it.

He recognised the hand writing immediately. It was distinctive. He would know it anyway. Then he looked at the post mark that covered the stamp. Saturday, it had been post marked Saturday. It was post marked before.

He quickly ripped open the envelope and pulled out the sheets of writing paper inside. Each piece was hand written in the same distinctive handwriting.

He slowly took a drink from the glass that rested on the arm of the sofa and started to read.



Dear Tom,

You probably have been asking yourself why I did it. You probably have been wondering whether there was something that you missed, something that you should have seen. You probably have been wondering whether there was something that you could have done to prevent it. I want to explain. I want you to know why and also why I could never tell you before now.

It all started six months ago. Do you remember? You had had that meeting with the Finance Director and had come storming into the office afterwards. You had just found out that someone had been embezzling money from the company. Do you remember? That was when it all started.
The investigation was swift and the evidence was found on Mathew’s computer. The investigators found copies of all the fake invoices that had been processed by Accounts. They found evidence which linked him to the PO Box number that the cheques had been issued to.

I can still remember your anger when the Crown Prosecution Service said that they did not have enough to bring the case to trial. But did that really matter in the end? He had lost everything anyway. His job, his reputation, even his family left him. He had nothing left. That was why he killed himself.

But he had protested his innocence until the very end. Even in his suicide note he maintained he was innocent and that he had been framed for the fraud. But, in the end, this was not enough to keep him going. He had lost everything and had nothing to live for anymore. That was why he killed himself in the end.

You believed that his guilt had finally gotten to him. You believed that he could no longer handle the guilt of stealing all that money from the company. You believed that, in taking his own life, he had proven that he had done it.

It is hard to believe that it was four months ago that Mathew’s killed himself. Even now I can still remember every detail of the day that we found out. That day as haunted me ever since.

He went to the grave protesting his innocence and the truth of it is he was. Mathew’s did not do it. I did. I was the one that took the money. I was the one that perpetrated the fraud against the company.

I had been desperate for money. I was on the verge of losing the house because I could not afford to keep up the payments. I had been banking on a pay rise to help but it was not going to happen. Do you remember? The company had been going through a bad patch and no one was going to get a pay rise or a bonus that year.

I was desperate and so I came up with the plan. It was very simple really. Submit fake invoices, get Accounts to process them, and then cash the cheques. I remember my nerves the first time that I did it. I am surprised that I did not crack there and then. I was sure that you would have noticed at the time. But you didn’t and I got away with it.

I cannot say that I did not feel guilty about what I had done because I did. However, what choice did I have? I need the money and there was no other way of getting it.

Once business was better and I got that pay rise I did think of stopping. I did think of giving it up. Looking back with hindsight I wish I had. But I did not. After all, it had been a year and I had not been caught.

But I did stop taking the money for myself. I started to make donations to charity with it instead. I think donating the money helped ease my conscience a bit. After all, I was no longer doing it for my benefit. I was doing it for the benefit of others now. I felt like a modern day Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. I did start feeling good about myself. It is just a shame that it did not last that long.

I had always had a plan in place, just in case my scheme got uncovered. It was never actually meant to be Mathew’s who took the fall. It should have been Johnston. He was perfect for the role of fall guy, especially after how he humiliated you over the Franken fiasco. He deserved to be taken down.

It would have been Johnston if he had not had that heart attack which took him out of the picture. How could he be blamed for something when he was not around?

It was purely by chance that it was Mathew’s that got picked to be the replacement. If he had not gone back to the hotel room with Sandra at the Christmas Party then he might never have been picked. But he did and he was.

It was easy enough to befriend him really, to gain his trust. I think he was desperate to feel wanted. So, the squash games started, and then the nights out. Within a very short space of time I knew his computer password, which is all I ever really wanted from him.

So, when everything got discovered it was easy to plant the evidence on his computer. If only I had known then how it would have played out. If only I had known what would have happened. But I didn’t know and so I framed him.

I felt relieved when he was sacked. I was relieved that it was over with. I was relieved that I had gotten away with it. If only it had lasted.

Mathew’s death hit me hard. After all, I was to blame for it. I was responsible for what happened to him. If I had not done it, if I had not planted the evidence on his computer, then he would have been alive. But I did and he is not.

For four months I have had to live with the knowledge of what I have done. For four months I have had to live with the knowledge that I am responsible for his death. I have lived with this for four months and I cannot live with it any longer.

I am responsible for him taking his life. I am responsible for pulling the trigger. I am responsible for his death. I am responsible and I cannot live with the guilt any longer.

This is why I am going to end it tonight. Now you know the reason. You know the reason why I can no longer go on living with myself, and the reason why I could never have come to you to explain.

I am not sorry for starting the fraud. After all, it was only money. But I am sorry that I continued with it when I did not need to. I am sorry that I framed Mathew’s for it rather than taking responsibility for it myself.

I am sorry that I betrayed your trust. A part of me thinks that I should not be writing this letter, that I should not be explaining it to you. But
I know that I must. I know that you need to know the truth. You need to know what I have done and why I cannot live with the guilt any longer.

I hope that you can forgive me but I understand if you cannot. You deserve to know the truth. What you do with it I leave up to you.

I’m sorry.

David



Tom stared at the last page of the letter. He had no idea what his friend had done. He had no idea what he had been going through. He had no idea the secret that had been slowly eating away at him.

He finished the last of the drink that remained in his glass before going to fix another one, which he quickly downed.

David had always been a good friend to him. He had always been there for him, both at work and away from it. He had always been there when he need him.

Putting the empty glass down, he went over to ash tray that sat on the coffee table and started to tear the letter into little pieces. He dropped the pieces into the ash tray and lit a match, which he dropped on top of them. He watched the paper burn until all that was left was the blackened remains of David’s confession.

He may not have been therefore him at the end, but he could be there for him now.