IT IS not to excuse Patricia Hewitt's incompetent handling of the NHS, nor John Prescott's adultery, to say that, in New Labour's blackest of weeks, it is Charles Clarke who is, by far, the greatest offender.
The Home Secretary's incompetence, in n
ot taking decisive action once it was made clear to him that foreign prisoners were walking free from Britain's jails, should be reason enough for his resignation. His attempt to obfuscate and belittle the matter, by describing the 288 prisoners released after he came to know of the problem as "very, very few people" was confirmation that he should quit.
In comparison, the matter of whether or not these ex-prisoners had committed further crimes should not, in theory, make any difference. Even if they had all led blameless lives since being freed, it remains the case that the failure to deport was an act of incompetence for which the Home Secretary must take responsibility.
However, the fact that five of those wrongly freed have since been convicted of violence and drugs offences, with two also being the subject of rape allegations, should surely bring it home, even to a man of Mr Clarke's mulish stubbornness, that resignation is now the only option.
For that will surely be the verdict of the general public. His claim that it is better for him to stay on and sort out the mess he has created is looking more tattered with each passing day.
Quite simply, it is unacceptable for Mr Clarke to stay at the Home Office to preside over the recapture of these criminals because, given the scale of this fiasco, it is impossible to believe that the voters will have any confidence in his ability to do so.
Of course, Tony Blair will not want his previously reliable lieutenant to depart – loyal Blairites are increasingly thin on the ground – and only days before the local elections. But the Prime Minister is surely politically astute enough to realise that Mr Clarke cannot hang on any longer.
Losing their heads
Too many schools lack leadership
TONY BLAIR is manically attempting to reform the education system and turn around failing schools as quickly as possible before he leaves office. Yet there is little hope of achieving meaningful results as long as the Government persists in turning a blind eye to the continued shortage of headteachers and to the reasons for it.
The official response to research by the National Association of Headteachers, which reveals that up to half-a-million children are in schools without heads, is to deny that there is a problem and to highlight the fact that salaries have been boosted significantly in recent years.
Yet money was only ever part of the problem. Teaching has begun to be seen as a job to get out of, rather than one to get into, because not only its pay, but also its conditions have declined, compared with other professions, at the same time as its responsibilities and its difficulties have grown.
In spite of the Government's protestations to the contrary, the burden of bureaucracy is becoming steadily worse. Indeed, according to the Government's own survey, published in November, one-in-three heads believes that even more paperwork has been created as a direct result of the latest education reforms.
Meanwhile, the rising tide of violence is society is mirrored in schools, with disciplinary problems and truancy widespread. Yet, at the same time, education is treated as a panacea for all society's ills, from crime to drug abuse, with teachers made the inevitable scapegoats when it fails to live up to this fond hope.
With responsibilities and pressures rising at this rate, is it any wonder if more and more heads are opting for alternative employment?
Public's money
Counting the cost of rebranding
IT IS to be hoped that the £15,000 spent on making a slight alteration to the Yorkshire Tourist Board's white rose logo proves to be money well spent.
Tourism in the region is a significant business, bringing in more than £4bn-a-year and it certainly needs to be kept in sharp competitive shape. Every region wants a lion's share of the tourist market and complacency in such an unforgiving environment would be costly.
This fact may well have been behind Yorkshire Forward's suggestion that the board consider whether its image needed improving and its offer to fund the exercise with a generous dollop of public money.
In the event, the £15,000 was well short of the budget. However, before the board congratulates itself on its Yorkshire prudence, it should pause to consider the matter.
It has become a commonplace that Government quangos spend taxpayers' money with a liberality that would not be found if the members themselves were having to dig into their own pockets, or raise the funds from investors.
Penny-pinching can, of course, be as bad as extravagance. But bodies which are responsible for disbursing taxpayers' money should always bear in mind the need for tight financial discipline.
Yorkshire Forward's reputation in this respect is on the line. For, when this is damaged, so is that of the the region whose name it carries. And that was hardly the effect envisaged at the start of this rebranding exercise.
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