NEW YEAR READING......

Am trying desperately not to read Tony Benn's latest Diaries ( a Christmas present) too quickly - but they are truly fascinating and it's hard not to just carry on reading.

Just finished the chapter on the run-up to the Iraq war and it's so interesting to note that Benn was absolutely right about its impact in Blair and, of course, the fact that as Saddam Hussein told him perspnally, Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction NOR any link with Al-Quaeda. The death of Benazir Bhutto is of course already being used to whip up support for the "war on terror" when the hard fact is that all this supposed "war" has done is cause even more deaths and whip up support across the world for religious fundamentalism.

As with all the other Diaries , there are lots of telling little vignettes. Strong hints dropped that Hilary Benn did NOT support war in Iraq, likewise Harriet Harman. And , curiously, tales of Jack Straw dropping in on a Campaign Group meeting in 2003 to gauge opinion of Blair and the leadership. Maybe at that time he was considering running against Blair and was canvassing for support. And not beyond the bounds of possibility the same thing might happen again if Brown continues to screw up in 2008.

CASH-STRAPPED

For the first time in a long time I'm facing a "challenging" financial situation. Which in the long-term I am sure I will recover from. But let me tell you that having to think about every penny spent really does sharpen up the radicalism.
I find it outrageous that Govt Ministers on upwards of £100,000 a year sit there pontificating on the TV about public sector workers who are fighting derisory pay awards. Do they really think prison officers are striking for the sake of being militant? Mark Serwotka, leader of the PCS, has warned that there will be more industrial unrest in the weeks and months ahead and who could be surprised by that. Interest rates have gone up, food prices are rising, utility companies and company directors make fantastic profits and we pay for their privilege.
And as ever the lowest-paid are expected to sit back and take it on the chin. And let's get one thing straight. My current circumstances mean I'm managing on roughly the same amount as a rookie prison officer. But I have a very small mortgage by most people's standards, I don't drive, and have no financial dependents. With the best will in the world ( and lots of lentils) it's pretty difficult . How on earth people with kids, mortgages and the general expense of living in the south-east manage I just don't know. Maybe they should ask Jack Straw and his henchmen to try it for a bit.

JACK STRAW FUELS RACISM - AGAIN

I thought maybe Jack Straw had learned from his comments over Muslim women wearing the veil, which caused much mischief, and anguish for Muslim communities. But this was obviously naive of me. Today, on the Today programme, he has been using the worst stereotypes imaginable to explain why black boys apparently under-perform at school. This, says Straw, is because their fathers are absent. Something endemic, he says, in black culture.
Really? A quick head-count of the couples I know ( where I live is a white, largely lower middle-class and middle-class community) sees very few people now co-habiting with the person they originally married (or set up home with). Many more women I know are single; most not by choice; some are gay and lesbian parents.
Society, whether Straw likes it or not, has changed irrevocably. It may not be anyone's ideal. I would probably accept that children are better off with one stable home and two stable parents. But most kids learn to make the best of their circumstances and singling out young black men in this way is wrong, unhelpful, and frankly, racist.
Some years ago, I did a report on GCSE achievements in Manchester's young black community.It was my job to put the best spin possible on the results. We found that one of the major issues affecting these youngsters was not their sex, but whether or not their parents ( one or two, it didn't matter) had jobs, and what their economic circumstances were. This far more than sexual irresponsibility ( which is what he means) is surely to blame for community problems.
Jack Straw should keep his stereotypical views to himself. All they do is fuel organisations like the BNP. Which, to be fair, is surely not his intent.