Thursday, April 13, 2006

Gongs for Cash: What Will Des Smith Reveal?

I must admit I was sceptical about the Met Inquiry into cash for honours. I assumed that it was purely for show and nothing would transpire. But Inspector Knacker has been busy. Well, sort of. Mr Smith was first exposed in the Sunday Times on mid January. Click HERE to read the transcript of his conversation with a Sunday Times reporter. It's quite incriminating to say the least. The full story is HERE. I suppose if one was being mealy-mouthed, one might ask why it has taken the Met 3 months to look at this. I think there will be some very nervous people in Downing Street this afternoon. I imagine the Police will now be trying to extract from Mr Brown any information about whether he was acting on a freelance basis or whether someone, somewhere put him up to it. Mr Smith has little to lose. If indeed there have been illicit goings-on in the heart of government what has he got to lose by revealing them? I do hope that Ruth Turner, Tony Blair's Director of Government Relations (whatever that means), has brought a chnage of underwear to work today. She might be needing it.

8 comments:

Hughes Views said...

I worry that it might be you who needs a change of undies! You seem to be in terrible danger of wetting yourself in excitement over this little story. Slow news day again eh?

Anonymous said...

Yes, what exactly is it that the government should be afraid of? Some twerp who shot his mouth off? And he even says how much he wants to talk to David Cameron - did he I wonder?

In a more general sense I personally can see nothing wrong with giving people who make charitible donations to schools honours, except that I don't think much of the honours system at all. Having seen it from the inside I can tell you the ministerial input is minimal - it's a civil service run scheme to award people the civil service think are great (an excessive number of civil servants often).

ContraTory said...

Unfortunately, this is all going nowhere. Everyone is going to be cleared and it has all been a "terrible misunderstanding"...

Anonymous said...

They could always try shutting him up with the offer of a peerage. Or perhaps not...

James Graham (Quaequam Blog!) said...

While I don't share ContraTory's complete cynicism, it has to be said we've been here before with Blair and his cohorts so many times in the past, it is hard to get one's hopes up.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I feel this is going to lead to an "independent inquiry", headed by a distinguished civil servant chosen by Cheerful Charlie Falconer.

Iain Dale said...

Nick, I am hanging my head in shame...

Anonymous said...

£10M FOR SCHOOLS DESERVES GONG
NOT getting too excited about the cash for honours arrest of headmaster Des Smith. He was tempted into saying some daft things by an undercover reporter which he may or may not have been able to deliver.

At one stage when discussing the baubles available for sponsoring city academies the reporter muses: "I didn't realise it was as straightforward as that. Sponsoring five academies was...it's £10million." Smith's reply: "Well, if you put in £10million into education then it's called 'services to education'."

Believe me, if you put in £10million it wouldn't just be called services to education. It would be services to education. And you would deserve whatever gong was on offer.

source Sunday Mirror