Reply to: Poor David

[vista]

A Disgrace

How much does the blind **** get paid? and does he find time to acutally do any work?

Hes the worst advert for politicians going, blind, ugly, stupid and workshy.

The reason he won't get fired is that he's the one minister that actually looks worse than TB and his "thieving from sick children" wife.

[sunnysan]

Blunkett

Weel the headline is , "I will not be resigning" which falls into the same league as "I didnt do it" or "I am innocent" and IMHO is usually follwed pretty swiftly by a resignation

[datestamp]

It's just like the kids game Kerplunk. Pull a cocktail stick out and see if it all falls down. Well, Kerplunkett has been busy again, playing fast and lose.

Mr Blunkett worked for DNA Bioscience for two weeks in the period after he resigned as home secretary, but failed to consult with the advisory committee on business appointments, as the code dictates he should.

He also took a job at the business consultancy Indepen, without seeking advice from the committee.

And this afternoon it was revealed that he had taken a third job, with the Organisation for Research and Technology, without the necessary consultation. According to the April 2005 edition of parliament's register of members' interests, Mr Blunkett earned £15,000-£20,000 as an adviser to the organisation, which is described as an international charity.

The shadow leader of the Commons, Chris Grayling, said this afternoon that he had once more written to Tony Blair to challenge him to act over Mr Blunkett's conduct.

Mr Grayling said: "I am astonished that Mr Blunkett has broken the ministerial code on yet another occasion. This is getting beyond a joke.

[Chico]

He took a third job!!!!!!!!

Another one!!! Has this guy got a political deathwish?? From The Guardian Online

Blunkett failed to consult about three jobs

Matthew Tempest, political correspondent
Tuesday November 1, 2005


The pressure on David Blunkett rose this afternoon when it emerged that the work and pensions secretary failed to consult the relevant Whitehall watchdog about a third extra-parliamentary job.
The prime minister had defended his cabinet colleague this morning, saying that Mr Blunkett's breach of the ministerial code in his involvement with a DNA testing firm was a "mistake" but not one that affected his ability to do his job.

Mr Blunkett had worked for DNA Bioscience for two weeks in the period after he had resigned as home secretary, but failed to consult with the advisory committee on business appointments, as the code dictates he should.

He also took a job at the business consultancy Independen, without seeking advice from the committee.
And this afternoon it was revealed that Mr Blunkett had taken a third job - a post with a charity - without the necessary consultation.

According to the April 2005 edition of parliament's register of members' interests, Mr Blunkett earned between £15,000-£20,000 as an adviser to the Organisation for Research and Technology, described as an international charity.

The shadow leader of the Commons, Chris Grayling, said this afternoon that he had once more written to Tony Blair to challenge him to act over Mr Blunkett's conduct.

Mr Grayling said: "I am astonished that Mr Blunkett has broken the ministerial code on yet another occasion. This is getting beyond a joke.

"Tony Blair cannot claim the ministerial code is important and fail to act over these breaches."

In his letter, Mr Grayling said: "According to Mr Blunkett's entry in the register of members' interests, he took up paid employment with a charitable organisation called the Organisation for Research and Technology. The appointment took place between the publication of the registers in January and April.

"He asked Lord Mayhew (chairman of the advisory committee on business appointments) in their exchange of letters whether the committee has a remit over charitable organisations, and was told that in the case of paid employment, it did.

"Nonetheless, I have spoken to the committee this morning and have been told that Mr Blunkett made no attempt either to brief them about or to consult with them over this appointment.

This morning, Mr Blair showed he was prepared to stand by his cabinet minister, when he rejected calls for Mr Blunkett to be reprimanded or to resign over his failure to consult an advisory committee about joining DNA Bioscience. At the morning lobby briefing today, Mr Blair's official spokesman told journalists: "David Blunkett has accepted he made a mistake.

"The question is, does that mistake stop him doing his job? The prime minister's judgment is that it does not."

Only the PM has the power to arbitrate over the ministerial code.

Today's statement from the No 10 spokesman echoed the declaration from Downing Street last night that the matter was "closed".

Mr Blunkett refused to make a comment to doorstepping journalists this morning, and was this afternoon attending the memorial service for the victims of July's London bombing.

He has a full in-tray, with an overhaul of the Child Support Agency, an incapacity benefit green paper and a far-reaching report on pension reform from Adair Turner, all looming.

This morning the chairman of the committee on standards in public life, Sir Alistair Graham, confirmed that Mr Blunkett had "undoubtedly" broken the ministerial code by not seeking advice on taking the DNA Bioscience job after leaving the cabinet.

Sir Alistair said that letters published in the Times, showing Mr Blunkett had been told at an earlier date he must consult an advisory committee about taking up business appointments on leaving office, left no doubt he had broken the terms of the code of conduct for ministers when he joined the company's board in April.

But Sir Alistair said it was up to Mr Blair to determine how the breach should be dealt with.

The Conservatives wrote to the prime minister demanding to know what sanctions Mr Blair would take against Mr Blunkett for breaching the code - something in the past Mr Blair said must be observed "in sprit as well as letter".

Both the Tories and Liberal Democrats have stopped just short of demanding Mr Blunkett's immediate resignation, but have called into question his judgment and asked for a full independent inquiry.

The shadow leader of the Commons, Chris Grayling - who is leading the attack from the Tories on the issue - said: "The prime minister cannot continue to duck these questions.

"As the final arbiter of the code, it falls to the prime minister to decide what should happen to ministers that break it.

"Sir Alistair Graham, chairman of the committee on standards in public life, Lord Mayhew, chairman of the advisory committee on business appointments and the cabinet secretary, Sir Gus O'Donnell, all agree that Mr Blunkett broke the rules by not contacting the advisory committee. Mr Blair has said, 'I will expect all ministers to work within the letter and spirit of the code.' What action will he now take against Mr Blunkett for breaking it?"

The shadow work and pensions secretary, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, said Mr Blunkett had "lost the plot".

His poor judgment had made him "damaged property" politically, and meant he was no longer an asset to the government, Sir Malcolm told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

Mr Blunkett refused to discuss the row this morning, telling reporters outside his London home: "I don't conduct interviews on the street." Letters released last night showed that Lord Mayhew wrote three times to Mr Blunkett, reminding him of the rules on taking jobs after leaving the government.

The first came shortly after Mr Blunkett's resignation as home secretary last December, and the others in March this year, following his appointment to a job at the business consultancy Indepen.

In each case, Lord Mayhew told the former minister he should consult the committee before accepting a job.

Sir Gus yesterday wrote to Mr Blunkett to confirm that all ex-ministers should seek advice from the committee about any appointments they wish to take up within two years of leaving office. It was up to the former minister to decide whether to take their advice in each individual case, he added.

A spokesman for Mr Blunkett said he had acknowledged already that, with hindsight, he should have consulted the advisory committee. But the spokesman said he had been confused by Lord Mayhew's comment that it was a voluntary matter for ex-ministers whether or not they followed the committee's advice.

[sunnysan]

They have to fire him

Have you seen the latest headline on the BEEB?

Endorsement from TB himself? What does he have on TB?

Repeat after me in an ever loudening chart ....."Fire the dirty b@rstard".

[MrsGoof]

for what whas he being paid for then ??

some companies like having an MP on the board makes em soud BIG.

I suspect had he just declared the interest then the contracts up for grabs would have been gifted to the co. and we would have been non the wiser

[bfg]

Strange

that I haven't heard the phrase 'Insider Trading', which IIRC is illegal, from any reporter or conservative.

[BobTheCrate]

Blunkett appears to be economical with the truth, again.

One of his written statements broadcast on TV last night said that 'there was no conflict of interest in his appointment as a director of Bioscience because he provided the company with no advice'.

This surely must beg the question, for what whas he being paid for then ? As a cleaner, personnel director maybe, IT manager, director of marketing perhaps, what ?

[hyperD]

Maybe the Weeble brand was a bit premature - he still in danger - from the Times:

"...seven weeks before taking up his job with DNA Bioscience Mr Blunkett was told that he had breached the ministerial code of conduct by failing to consult the advisory committee on business appointments over an earlier appointment. He was told in three separate letters from the committee that the code required him to consult it.

In a letter to Mr Blunkett released last night, Sir Gus O’Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary, spelled out that consulting the committee is compulsory. “Having received the advice of the advisory committee, it is for the former minister to decide whether or not to accept it, and it is this part of the process . . . which is voluntary and advisory,” he told Mr Blunkett.

Mr Blunkett bought the shares in DNA Bioscience for £15,000 but City estimates have suggested that they could be worth up to £300,000 if the firm were floated on the Stock Exchange. He promised to sell them without making a profit. "

[BoredBloke]

That was the point!

[Mordac]

Surely if our coppers ever catch a burgular

Like that would ever happen.

[BoredBloke]

"Oh dear, I've got found out, it was an innocent mistake. Never mind."

Again Blunkett cocks it up! The thing which galls me about this and other NL stories is that by selling the shares in some way makes it all better. Had he not been rumbled he would have kept them. Newsnight stated that he could have got £250,000 from his stake when the company floats shortly. Surely if our coppers ever catch a burgular it is like letting them go once they have given the stolen goods back.

[sunnysan]

Character

If he wasnt portrayed as this bastion of working class honesty and integrity, I would not mind so much.

If you are a devious corrupt g1t then at least admit to it.

Oh and while he is about it , he should resign too because he is cr@p

[Dundeegeorge]

As a socialist

Why would a socialist own shares in a company?

[Bovvered]

Dave

As a socialist, why doesn't he distribute his shares equaly throughout the population instead of selling them?