Thursday, 17 May, 2007
- 17 May 07, 04:58 PM
From , Newsnight Presenter.
Prime Minister Elect
Just how many Prime Ministers does a country need at any one time? And who, exactly, is in charge as we speak? As Gordon Brown formally sees off his challengers to become Prime Minister Elect for the next six weeks, Tony Blair has started the long goodbye in Washington - a place where he often joked he was more warmly received than at home. So if a critical decision has to be made over the next 6 weeks, who does the cabinet listen to?
At Newsnight, we've risen to the challenge and appointed one political correspondent to each PM, each side of the pond. Gordon Brown says his conversation with the country is just beginning, but how will he cope with arguably the most controversial relationship of them all - his dealings with George Bush over Iraq? Michael Crick and David Grossman will give their assessments.
Gaza
As I write, the troubles in Gaza are increasing. We've had a report of an Israeli air strike and Hamas has threatened to retaliate with suicide attacks. We'll give you the latest on the fighting there, as tensions between Hamas, Fatah and the Israelis heighten.
The Iraqi Government
And in our final film in this week's series of exclusive reports from inside Iraq, Mark Urban turns his attention to an assessment of the effectiveness of the Iraqi Government.
It is crucial to the viability of a future state without the coalition forces, but its record is distinctly patchy. Corruption is a serious problem, and it seems they've significantly underspent the money allocated to them to reconstruct their own country. So is the government is capable of delivering?
If you'd like to watch the other films in the series, they are available .
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"We don't need any Prime Ministers..."
"We need Chairmen Of Purpose.."
"Men appointed by the Queen who can intermediate and investigate to explore purposeful outcomes with sympathy and understanding..."
PMs?
Privicidal Maniacs .
"Cromwellian civil war fetishists funded for historical greed is good reversals is what they have been.."
"and it spread via telly like an epidemic of eccentricity..."
"We ought to abolish PMs and put a stone bhudda in the centre of the commons representing the ideal mockable citizen who no one needs but tolerates everything in the name of breeding studies..."
"The public can form our own commons ..."
1) Leaders can gain support and political mass with numbered ticket books offering tickets to any household any time to support the leadership of their cause in representation to the chairmen of purpose in the area..like charities do..
2) charities representatives and patrons can join together in their own commons and have done already
3)websites like friends reunited can be extended to beat the service offerings of any id database and offer shares to every Briton in future political power...
Many know the socialisms between ages of those in of and for society...
Many concerned about accountabilities have better views on tax...such as the Squander Tax and the Variable Advantage Tax
Many concerned with health policing or education have their own tolerant workable ways of approach and some appreciation of what is missing in those who fight them...and what would be worth paying for...
So as a nation we can take over ....
"Does Brown only represent a few mates of his in labour? he represents a way of life that worked...Tony represented a way of life that hated lack of power but love the irresponsibility of taking back"
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we only need one prime minister,but one who's been elected by the public in a general election,no wonder the general public without any political ties dont beleive politicians they never keep to their word hey Tony what happened to a full term.
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Watching the most boring report by Mark Urban and comparing it to the most amazing and exciting film on Sadr City, which I assume was made by a professional documentary filmmaker and not a television reporter, one can only hope that Newsnight and other Ö÷²¥´óÐã programmes hire more professionals from outside of the Ö÷²¥´óÐã.
Valerie
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BLAIR FOR WORLD BANK?
Now that Paul Wolfowitz is resigning as President of the World Bank who will succeed him? Perhaps we need to look no further than the man who is making himself redundant just three days earlier than him!
It’s not as silly an idea as it might seem. President of the World Bank is one of a very few high profile jobs on the international stage; Secretary General of the UN and President of the EC have already been allocated. Assuming Blair wants to continue in gainful employment, and he is only 54 years old, what better job could he have? His greatest achievements – from Kosovo to Global Warming – are on the international stage, and – as with most mature global leaders – this is where his passions have been leading him. Moreover, possibly his greatest passion is Africa; and the World Bank will be the key actor in rescuing this continent.
From the World Bank’s point of view there can surely no better qualified candidate. He knows, and is respected by, all its major players; something that certainly was not the case for Wolfowitz. His philosophy, still something like the ‘third way’, delivers the right message to developing nations, its clients, but does not threaten the major developed countries, who are its funders. Most important of all, where the position now seems to be in the gift of the US President (hence Wolfowitz) Blair is one of very few non-Americans who might be considered suitable.
Am I unduly cynical, but was Blair’s visit with Bush also a job interview; swiftly followed by Wolfowitz getting his marching orders?
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Two prime ministers? The PM Elect? A Katisha? So what we have now on the Tv screens is a scene from the Mikado? On one channel we see one saying something on another we see something else. how confusing.
Putting them together we get something like this set to the tune of the Mikados entrance.
Tonyado: From every kind of man
Obedience I expect;
I'm the President with a plan...
Gordonsha: But I'm the PM elect!
He'll tarry, he's done
(He's had his fun)
No more the President elect!
Tonyado: My morals have been declared
Particularly correct; [ahem..see hutton]
Gordonsha: But they're nothing at all, compared
With those of the PM elect!
Bow — Bow —
To the prudent PM elect!
Chorus: Bow — Bow —
To the prudent PM elect.
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I second comment number 3. Mr. Urban did an amazing job of going to Iraq and make the most boring program possible! The whole piece unlike the Sadr City film was devoid of any human emotions. Wow he was the first foreign journalist admitted into Iraq's ministry of interior and what did he find out? Absolutely nothing except for the official line of the Iraqi government that Shias and Sunnis get along really well and there's no sectarian violence in Iraq. How can someone endanger his life by going to a war zone and come back with the most predictable and banal piece of television that looked like a Reuters or AP report.
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Tony and George in the rose garden: George waxing lyrical about Tony's steadfastness whilst others around mock and blow hot air, the only thing missing from this cringe making and almost weird meeting was a tune; Tony on guitar, and George on banjo playing the tune from the Burt reynolds film 'deliverence'. If there was any proof needed that anybody can become president of the USA, even a redneck hillbilly...as long as you meet the criteria of having a family background involved in the higher echolons of business, i.e booze running, mafia like operations or oil barons, and if you can dance to the tune of the corporate industrialist who backed your presidential campagne and you willingly promote their agenda..yeah, like they say, anybody can become president of the USA.
Nice to see the Washington monument in this report, as i have seen it myself with my own eyes; an ancient Egyption inspired obelisk strucure that stands 555 ft tall and its anchoured foundation length is 111 ft, giving its total length at 666 ft.
surely that is just a coincidence, that biblical number 666..
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If you watched the programme, you would have seen the Emily Maitless, Ed Millband interview. Did anyone else notice the sheer electricity between them? It could be just the most perfect demonstration of an instintic mating ritual between two of the young, up and coming polititite.
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