Yorkshire Post

Tony: The Long Farewell

Last Updated on Wednesday, 28 November 2007 01:51 Written by Austin Mitchell Tuesday, 21 March 2006 16:00

When a leader like Tony Blair is on his way out, vultures gather above, pundits chatter and prognosticate below, and each failure produces the claim that things can’t get any worse. The end is nigh. So it was with the Great Helmsman last week. Our self-proclaimed "honest bloke" was enmired in the biggest fiddle in British political history and one all of his own making, as the rest of the Party scrambled out from under. The once impregnable Leader was forced into massive changes to an Education Bill he’d proclaimed as his final offer.

THE PEOPLE'S POST

Last Updated on Wednesday, 28 November 2007 01:52 Written by Austin Mitchell Friday, 22 July 2005 12:43

Hilary Armstrong, Labour`s Chief Whip, has managed to avoid the usual rows over her Select Committee appointments because the Parliamentary Committee stepped in to stop some of the lunacies the Whips were inclined to in their desire to use Select Committee appointments as a form of patronage and discipline. Gwyneth Dunwoody stays in place as a powerful critic on Transport. Some attempts to give former ministers a nice little retirement niche as committee chairs are cancelled and a few rebels, like Andrew McInley, given places.

THE UNPAID YORKSHIRE POST

Last Updated on Wednesday, 28 November 2007 01:55 Written by Austin Mitchell Monday, 11 July 2005 13:09

Tony’s on a roll. Last week had its wild fluctuations but each turn of fortune was so well handled by the Great Helmsman that even the downs put him up.

FURTHER APPLICATION FOR JOB AT YORKSHIRE POST

Last Updated on Wednesday, 28 November 2007 01:56 Written by Austin Mitchell Monday, 04 July 2005 16:57

Richard Whiteley`s sad death is more awful because Richard was enjoying his fame, his life, his fans, and his OBE so much. Now he`s cut off in his prime, but knowing Richard he would have loved to be here to see the enormous response to his death.

THE GROWN UP'S YORKSHIRE POST

Last Updated on Wednesday, 28 November 2007 01:57 Written by Austin Mitchell Monday, 20 June 2005 13:33

The European Union was invented to provide a stage for failing politicians to pretend to be statesmen even though they no longer had empires.