Friday
Jan202012
by 
Bishop Hill
Bishop Hill Huhne toast?
Jan 20, 2012 Greens Guido Fawkes is reporting that incriminating documents relating to Chris Huhne's speeding ticket will be handed over to police.
Could be curtains for Mr Huhne.
Reader Comments (59)
The CPS was claiming the action by The Times was one of the things delaying them from making a decision as to whether to prosecute or not.
Gone. But not forgiven.
I relish the thought as much as anyone, but I think we would miss him. His inability to see green looniness would ensure a more spectacular (and irrecoverable) end to their plans than will happen without him.
..unless they give the job to Caroline Lucas, of course!
Bah...he will be replaced by another green idiot.
Mailman
It can't come soon enough. The trouble is Huhne is just the latest in a long line of useless ministers of energy (and climate change). He is no different from Miliband. Barker and Hendry are equally useless. There is no-one in sight who will be any better.
Mailman +1 , nice to see the spineless backstabber go but the replacement will be more of the same Windmill obsessed maniac.
Anon, down the pub, last night;
"Politicians are like nappies: they need changing frequently and for the same reason."
Possibly a little harsh but the recent run of Energy Ministers adds credence to that claim. Who will be next to fill the...?
Energ and climate change policy are totally in the hands of DECC officials. You only have to read the vast amount of documentation that the bureaucrats produce to realise the ministers just do what the officials tell them to do.
we wish...
Pull yourself together Bishop.
About time they have really dragged this one out, anyone else would be through the system and banged up by now !
James that Lucas comment sent a shiver down my spine all I could think of was Taylor's words at the end of planet of the apes ! yikes!
Huhne going is unlikely to make much difference given Cameron's position on CAGW. There have been hints that some in the government are waking up to reality, e.g. the changes to FITs that have so upset the PV sellers, but until someone has the proverbials to drop the CC, and all that goes with it, from DECC the nonsense will continue whoever is Sec of State.
I was just wondering if the Climate Change Act included a paragraph which requires that, as from (say) 2020, all wind throughout the British Isles will blow at a constant 25mph...
No..? Oh, well - that confirms that Huhne's windmills are nothing more than very occasional backup for gas-fired power stations, then...
Phillip Bratby Ja at 11:50 AM |
"He is no different from Miliband. Barker and Hendry are equally useless. There is no-one in sight who will be any better."
No ..... but there is nobody else so profoundly unpleasant and deeply flawed. Camoron is a very bad chooser.
Sorry, Mat - didn't mean to upset anyone here!
The man is a complete disgrace and his total humiliation, public shame and banging up cannot come soon enough for me.
If there's tickets for a ringside seat, I want one.
Odone in The Telegraph;
The staff at No 10 were wreathed in smiles as they read yesterday’s papers. Chris Huhne’s attempt to smear the Tories had backfired....The smiles over at the Lib Dems’ HQ in Great George Street were, if anything, even wider. No one has lifted a finger to defend the ambitious Energy Secretary; in fact, Lib Dem apparatchiks formed a queue to identify him as the leaker. As for his epitaph, two words will do: “Quel rat.”
HuhneMustGo, I doubt Cameron had any choice in the matter. It looks like it was one of those appointments the LibDems insisted upon as part of the coalition deal. Huhne has consistently worked behind the scenes to disrupt the Government (his alleged leak of a letter to the Guardian re the Royal Yacht being the latest) and seems to have gotten away with it every time. Cameron seems powerless to do anything about him and my guess is that the coalition agreement says only Clegg can sack LibDems. Of course, Clegg’s reluctant to do this because of the perceived kick-back from his own party. If Huhne goes, his replacement will likely be another LibDem with carbon copy views.
It is all a conspiracy by "Big Oil".
He thought he had filled his car with 95 RON petrol but "Big Oil" arranged for it to be 99.9 RON. As a result he went faster than he thought and accidentally broke the speed limit.
And it was the fumes from the higher octane fuel that made him confused about who was driving at the time. It was all an innocent mistake orchestrated by "Big Oil".
This would never had happened if his car was powered by a wind turbine and it is "Big Oil" that is stopping this vital research.
I suspect that Huhne got the job in the first place because Cameron wanted a) a green fig leaf to cover his disingenuous election boast that they would be the greenest government ever and b) because he had to give a sop or two to his Coalition "partners". At the time The Department of Energy/AGW lip service might have seemed like an easy way to kill two birds.
With a deepening financial black hole, public fury over energy costs and the slow withering of CAGW alarmism hopefully having another Lib Dem warmist in the post won't seem like such an easy cop out.
Although I wouldn't bank on it as sense, however cynical, has never been an overabundant quality in parliament and seems scarcer than ever now.
LC -
+1 for the "carbon copy" phrase!
@artwest
I misread your post as
'the slow withering of CAGW alarmism hopefully having another Lib Dem warmist in the POT' and thought 'if only.....'.
@LC
You may be right that the Coalition agreement says that only Cleggie can sack Libdems. But he'd be a blithering idiot not to give Huhne the push if he were to be charged. It need only get around that CAmeron wanted rid of him and Cleggie refused for his credibility to be yet further damaged.
When it comes to a new appointment, I am sure that Mr Cameron will make sure the newbie has it very carefully explained to him that he will be receiving a great deal of 'functional guidance' from the Treasury. And Osborne is no mealy-mouthed green mountebank. He will want actual acheivements, not wishful thinking and fiddling while Britain freezes.
Cleggie's position is far weaker now than it was eighteen months ago so his role in any reshuffle will probably be no more than ceremonial.
Anyone have a link to the story? How is a speeding ticket bringing down a Cabinet minister?
Interesting front page on "The Times" today.
Emails were deleted, say hacking case judge.
The publisher of the "News ofthe World" deleted emails 3 days after lawyers had asked them to be retained.
Lawyers for the phone-hacking victims accused the publisher of destroying evidence to coveal crimal acts.
All seems rather familiar.....
MikeN, it's not the speeding ticket that is the probem.
Like most scandals it is the (attempted) cover-up that causes the damage.
Latimer - I agree.
If Huhne is charged he will have to go - end of. The next SoS will be charged by Osbourne to fix the energy supply mess and forget about globull warming. Pragmatism will rule, as Cameron does not seem to be a conviction politician.
@miken
It ain't the ticket, it's the cover up. It is suggested (by her) that his ex-wife was persuaded to say she was driving and so take the rap for him.
This could count as an attempt to pervert the course of justice and is A Bad Thing To Do. If guilty you can go to jail for some time.
Cabinet Minister are expected to demonstrate high standards of propriety (*). Being prosecuted for Perversion does not satisfy this requirement IMHO
*A pious hope perhaps, but one that is still hoped for in some circles
I am afraid Phillip Bratby -- Huhne is just a twit use to fill the chair. Another dozen spare twits are waiting in the wings. Only a change in government will have an effect.
I predict that the police won't charge Huhne but will charge his wife.
J4R - you obviously hold the police in high regard!
I doubt many would want that political hot seat, taking the flak. As long as the political climate change emissions target charade continues, a new clone will replace Huhne, with a mission to fullfil the economically suicidal renewables target as an extravagant 'geste politique', intended to lead the way by example.
The irony is, all the UN and these 'climate vulnerable' nations really wanted was bags of $$$$$$$$$$ from the west and all our politicians seemingly wanted was to give it to them. The green nonsense was always window dressing. But since it will impoverish us yet further, they'll be lucky to get a mere fraction of what they hoped for..
I think it'll be good news if Huhne goes.
His whole career pattern shows him to be the ultimate political opportunist - from flash city boy running around London in a personalised BMW 7 Series - to the earnest property millionaire, fake sandalista who nearly managed to knife Cleggy for the leadership - and eventually the poor man's Al Gore preaching the green apocalypse gospel.
Whoever takes over when he crashes & burns is unlikely to have his Machiavellian political traits - and therefore will probably be less effective.
Perhaps they should rehabilitate Oaten - he could deal with the composting side of things nicely ;-)
Dellers has poke at Huhne...
Perverting the course of justice is taken a lot more seriously by the judiciary than most of the crimes being covered up by the perversion. Huhne is the next Archer. I hope they throw the book at him. And his ex(?)-wife. She's just as guilty.
It's a shame there isn't a schadenfreude index. I bet that would be showing a "hockey stick"after Huhne is banged up.
.I would put Chris Huhne in the same category as Liam Fox. In my opinion, both these gentlemen are capable of conspiracy to bring the government down, regardless of the consequences. I often wander what Liam Fox is doing behind closed doors.
However, in the event of the departure of Chris huhne, an opportunity to change course will present itself. This will in turn reflect the current thinking regarding climate change and renewable energy policy.
Maybe, just maybe, we might be able to detect a slight change of course or a little pressure on the breaks.
Sorry, that should read "conspiring to etc"
I'm not a vindictive person by any means, but I'll be glad to see the smug shit get what he deserves.
Conservative Home conducts opinion polls on coalition frontbenchers fairly regularly. Huhne has consistently defined the 'hugely unpopular' baseline. Ladbrokes takes bets for his departure each successive month. I don't know if they are still accepting them, but don't expect to make much more than money back.
@ Peter Dunford - have some sympathy for Vicki Price; she was married to (him) for 20+ yrs, then he runs off with a marginally better looking bisexual lady, ripping her off from her (civil marriage or whatever) partner in the process, who, apparently was devastated. He's not only deply incompetent, but very unpleasant. I dare say this behaviour at the time of the Profumo scandal would have seen him out on his ear, pronto.
Well, I just come down from the EU sky
I'm an Orwell pig and I'm awfully sly
Fingers up as I go by "Hugny, up your windmill!"
Let the wind blow high
Let the wind blow low
Burning up in my car I go
All the fingers angry so
'Hugny up your windmill.
Re: J4R
> I predict that the police won't charge Huhne but will charge his wife.
It isn't the police's decision. It is up to the CPS. The police have been complaining that they have given the CPS all the info they need and that they (the CPS) have been dragging their feet.
The potential charge is points-swapping, ie Huhne getting his wife to take the points rap on his behalf - if that is proved. According to a post over at the Spectator`s Coffeehouse blog, a 77 year old man was recently imprisoned for three months for this offence.
As for Cameron`s attitude to CAGW, all the evidence is that he believes it - or is persuaded by his wife to believe it. Furthermore, DECC officials are so deeply into it that no mere Secretary of State will be able to change things. That will require the repeal, or suspension, of the Climate Change Act and the abolition of DECC and the re-emergence of a Department for Energy with a narrow focus of the job its name implies. Pigs might fly.
The Climate Change Act could be suspended tomorrow if the new SoS so wished it. It ain't hard to do.
Of course it would be even better to suspend the current incumbent. In public. For a long time. And by a very tender part of his anatomy.
The Ulsterman Report White House Insider is claiming that a prominent Dem Senator has some incriminating info that could destroy his Presidency and to shut the Senator up some strange things have been going on that may be connected to White House including the mysterious death of a key aide, stolen campaign funds, ethics investigations: Below is a comment from said site speculating who the Senator might be: January 20, 2012 at 10:13 pm Guess what? A brand new ethics violation story was put down on Senator Feinstein within days of Kam K found dead. Unbelievable how the timings all comes together. Where is the media on this? Nobody cares?
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2089458/Al-Green-Obama-serenades-donors-soul-legends-classic-Lets-Stay-Together.html#ixzz1k2nNagoL
Having just seen Charles Hendry explaining the failure of the CCS programme, thereby brilliantly encapsulating the politician's art, I perceive the four main issues at the heart of DECC.
1. it's now immovable object vs immovable force time: investors will never be willing to back CCS/renewables without subsidies.
2. Hendry and presumably Clark are into political survival mode. Hendry does it very well and is clearly well liked.
3. Huhne has apparently been extraordinarily ineffective at his job, leaving his deputies to carry the can of actually doing something when what they had been tasked was simply impossible.
4. in the background the civil servants are also in survival mode as they too realise there can be no progress without a change of direction to something achievable. At the moment the only way of saving carbon is to make energy so expensive, the poor use less. That is the way to political revolution with Huhne is playing the role of Marie Antoinette.
What I find intriguing is.....(From the D.T.)
"The newspaper (The Times) had initially fought Essex police’s attempt to force it to hand over emails between Miss Pryce and its political editor, Isabel Oakeshott. But yesterday at a High Court hearing the newspaper dropped its challenge."
Why would they go to all the trouble of the challenge (The paper obviously has efficient counsel) and then dropping it after the huge delay? Old boy network? The CPS and the Times have been responsible for all these delays. Joe Public would have been in court within a couple of weeks charged with perverting the course of justice at least!
By the way, the CPS are still saying...."will bring the case to court only if they believe there is a ‘realistic prospect’ of conviction and it is in the public interest."
Its is the "it is in the public interest" that worries me. Does not the allegation of a government minister lying , speeding, etc not equate to "Public Interest"? Meanwhile, the CPS continue to delay!
Oh, and by the way, whats the bets that he ends up in the House of Lords?
The decision by the Times should be viewed in the context of the power struggle in the UK between the EU/Progressives aka Marxists whose aim is to destroy the independence of the UK and Anglo-Saxon capitalism, the aristocracy which wants to return the UK to the politics of 300 years' ago using the windmills to create new, poor serfs and the rest of the establishment right up to the Royal Family which has been rudderless for 30 years.
The last group is, like the Ents in the 'Lord of the Rings', at last mobilising as they see the Union splitting and the country slipping into Third World poverty. What has apparently galvanised them is the realisation that the CAGW scam is a Marxist fraud, a new Lysenkoism designed to make the British public accept the loss of their freedom and to be killed off in their millions by fuel poverty.
It'll be interesting seeing which way the aristocracy jumps: Prince Philip, presumably on behalf of the Queen, recently said that the wind farms are a breach of their historical duty. Will they distance themselves from the likes of the nouveau Sheffields?