"This was no Black Wednesday, after which millions of people really suffered as a result of Tory economic incompetence. In the current volatile political climate, the polls will go up and down regularly, but, when people go to put their cross on the ballot paper, what was essentially a Westminster story will not matter a jot. Not for the first time, the Westminster village will be seen to be completely out of touch with reality."
Deluded. Absolutely deluded. Every single person (mainly outside politics) I talked to yesterday - and indeed this morning - is talking about this. People are worried, and so they should be. Charlie Whelan is the ultimate Westminster Villager. He tried to get away from it by moving to Inverness. But he couldn't rid himself of the political virus and now he's back in the thick of it, taking a trade union's shilling. His spinning for Gordon Brown makes Kevin Maguire look positively disloyal.
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Yup I pencilled in the word "Pathetic " above this drivelsome piece. TO be fair he is writing as a PR pro working for Unite and I thought I detected a note of (help !) uttered from the side of the mouth.
ReplyDeleteIts hard to see Brown recovering from this but what I want to know is this. IF we are getting ID cards when we get new passports , which we are .Isn`t it too late to talk about it being withdrawn ?How would that actually work
Iain, Please. Trade'S Union please!!!
ReplyDeleteThe government has placed the following information in the criminal /public domain ( since there is no way of knowing if the data has been copied even if the CD's are recovered ).
ReplyDelete1) Your signature and mortgage information - thanks to the Land Registries online system where anyone can view deeds to houses.
2) Your address.
3) Your bank account details.
4) Your DOB.
5) Your children's DOBs ( how safe will they be now ? )
Charlie Whelan is showing that most New Labour of characteristics - shamelessness.
They lie, they deceive, and they can't even govern.
Charlie is wasting his time grovelling to be let back into the Gordon Tent because at this rate its going to get blown away by public fury.
Iain - what is it with the Daily Telegraph these days ? Why is Charlie Whelan let in the building let alone allowed to write drivel.
ReplyDeleteWhat the good people of England expect from the DT on a day like this is an utter roasting of government and all its works - topped up with a general condemnation of socialism and the corrupt form that presents itself as New Labour.
There is far, far more to 'Disk Gate' than meets the eye, though the true cataclysmic scale of the loss is almost beyond belief.
ReplyDeleteOther than the incompetent fools at HMCE how many other Government departments have been sending unencrypted data to the National Audit Office, and presumably to each other? How is this data then handled at the those departments? How is it stored or destroyed? This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
Responsibility can be laid at the door of every single Minister of State for data mismanagement.
Any journalists with an eye for a good story should be digging into this now - it's a rich seam for a Sunday 'goldmine'.
The biggest threat to the safety and wellbeing of the population of the UK isn't terrorism, global warming or any of the other bogeymen, it's clearly now our own government. It is truly frightening.
Charlie Whelan is the jester in King Gordo's court! He is essential for entertainment/hilarity purposes. One of his plus points is his ability to laugh at himself. Just as well Gordo does not have this ability (alongside SNP 'mastermind' Pete Wishart) else he would be in hysterics all day! Just as we are with his government's pi**poor record thus far!
ReplyDeleteWhelan has a big mouth, and a big void between the ears if he believes this.
ReplyDeleteThe two blokes who are doing my front garden this morning both knew about the Revenue disc loss and were aghast at the implications. And they would be pretty insulted at the insinuation they that neither knew nor cared about this mess.
Iain,
ReplyDeleteWhat line do you think DC should take in PMQ today?
Hopefully, he will use the I word (incompetence) again and again.
As was said before the non-election, the opposition needs to simplify and focus its message on a few themes.
Let's make "Incompetence" to NuLab what "sleaze" was in the 1990s to the Tories.
All we need is the equivalent slogan to "Labour isn't working".
"Labour can't manage" doesn't quite do it, any better ideas?
SP
Does Mr Whelan have a family - as in, are his personal details amongst the 25 million lost? I can assure him that this is very much an issue of total Government incompetence which matters very much to us "ordinary people". Charlie should push off back to Inverness and ask the Scots if they mind their financial details being possibly in the possession of crooks, courtesy of the Government.
ReplyDeleteSomething else which concerns me greatly which I haven't yet heard covered in the media is the question of security. Apparently this allegedly "junior member of staff" was able to download the personal details of 25 million people to 2 computer disks and send those disks to - God only knows.
What security clearance do you need to be able to do such a thing? Who in authority knew it was being done? Was this person one of the innumerable illegals working in "security" and not cleared by the Government - obviously the Government won't know that either! What is there to prevent anyone working at HMRC downloading anything they fancy to sell to whoever they want?
I'm not accusing the HMRC staff of being particularly criminal or malicious - but I'd like to know what kind of security clearance you need for this job. Since the Chancellor keeps saying this action was "in breach of their procedures" - how was it possible for it to occur?
I've just read the article via your link. (I stopped buying The Telegraph since it became pro Labour).
ReplyDeleteBut if they wanted to hire a Brown-apologist, why this discredited drunken slob? Actually, I didn't finish the article; I became nauseous when he mentioned the dead baby.
Iain, I can only concur with you. I'm a Labour party member and I am utterly horrified and appalled at what has happened. As someone who also has taken steps to protect my security I'm furious.
ReplyDeleteIf there are more people like Whelan in the party who think this isn't our Black Wednesday then they are the deluded ones. This is a catastrophic blunder.
It's been coming of course. The aggregation of personal information on databases that are readily accessible to lower ranking Govt servants has been going on apace for some years now, and this was an accident waiting to happen. The sending of non-encrypted vital information on 25m shows cavalier disregard for the welfare of ordinary people.
I'm honestly on the verge of tearing up my membership card and sending it back. And if you don't believe any of this I'll scan the card with the party number.
It's disgraceful, and I actually hope Cameron does well today. I'm fuming.
Obviously this is much more than a westminster village story. However, I would say this is not comparable to black wedsnesday in the sense that, at this stage anyway, no one has suffered a loss.
ReplyDeleteOh please Mr. Dale inform those of us ( nominally) working how PMQ`s goes today.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping to see hand shaking at a new level ....do you think he will crack ?
One final comment to my last one at 10:56, I have a Confidentiality Order signed by the Home Secretary (I've been a prominent expert witness). An aspect of this story which has so far not been covered is that if this data does get out (and who knows if a copy might be made and the original returned?) then with the slightest touch someone could find out where I live. The same is true of Judges, barristers, actors, journalists ... indeed, anyone with a child of benefit age.
ReplyDeleteUtter incompetence. The hacks out there should be pursuing issues to do with whether this was known to be a risk, and when and how warnings were given ...
Having re-read the Whelan article, I suggest that this was pitched at the female vote. Hence the references to parental rights, the family, loyal friends and (incredibly) GB's lost daughter. The use of the latter was truly appalling, especially when one considers that GB probably agreed this article before it went to the Telegraph. Smacks of utter desperation.
ReplyDeleteTo mflanagan101 at 10:56AM - 'at this stage anyway, no one has suffered a loss'
ReplyDeleteNot yet they haven't. If someone of criminal intent has this data (and let's face it someone probably does, even if it's not from this particular loss) they'll sit on it, and wait . When the initial fuss has died down, they'll start removing small,largely unnoticeable amounts from thousands possibly millions of bank accounts.
Iain - have you actually read the article? Whelan is not referring in any way to the HMRC data loss in that passage you pulled out. In fact, it looks like this was penned before the news broke yesterday.
ReplyDeleteThe actual quote, in context, is:
"Now as Prime Minister, Gordon Brown is hardly likely to be panicking because the polls aren't brilliant. The ratings are largely because of the debacle of the non-election, but he knows he can't turn the clock back. That was in the past and he has moved on.
He also knows that there are two things that really matter. First, there is not one person in this country whose circumstances suffered in any way because there was no early election.
This was no Black Wednesday, after which millions of people really suffered as a result of Tory economic incompetence. In the current volatile political climate, the polls will go up and down regularly, but, when people go to put their cross on the ballot paper, what was essentially a Westminster story will not matter a jot. Not for the first time, the Westminster village will be seen to be completely out of touch with reality.
Secondly, Gordon has never been a short-termist politician, which is why he was so reluctant to go to the country so soon."
I think you owe Whelan an apology.
I suspect for 'junior member of staff' we should read, 'someone in middle management whom we don't want to name.'
ReplyDeleteWhelan's views are not of the slightest interest to anyone but himself. Even Gordon Brown must now be wishing he would shut up.
Who on earth takes Whelan seriously? - this guy gave a new meaning to the word 'creep'-
ReplyDeleteActually Iain, Charlie Whelan is not referring to discgate in the passage you quote but to the non-election. I suspect that the article (which is the most appalling piece of drivel) was penned before yesterday's news emerged.
ReplyDeletetaking a trade union's shilling
ReplyDeleteThis from a man who criticises the BBC but trousers the BBC's shilling (or do you do BBC News 24 for free? Hypocrite.
Bob, your logic is entirely warped. I didnst criticise Charlie for working for a trade union at all. Go back to bed and get out of the right side.
ReplyDeleteanon said
ReplyDelete"Not for the first time, the Westminster village will be seen to be completely out of touch with reality."
Typical Labour troll spin.
Just post your entire name, address, NHI and bank account details if you think it's just a Westminster village thing.
Since you will not, you are spinning .. and lying and attempting to cover up potentail fraud..
Otherwise why is The Gov't warning us to check our bank accounts?
Well at least the Banks' monitoring seems to be functioning given the battery of questions (not including any info held by HMRC) when I tried to make an unusual one-off transaction this morning (deposit on a new kitchen).
ReplyDeleteCharlie is deluded - this is about our pockets and our kids.
It wouuld be interesting to see how many others have also complained to Information Commissioner.
This from a man who criticises the BBC but trousers the BBC's shilling
ReplyDeleteYou're not getting worried that the Beeb are now looking at Conservatives to spearhead opinion now?
Are you?
It was good to read his delusional ranting today. It gave me as much pleasure as when I read Des Browne's recent DT article on how the armed forces are safe in HMG's hands. These dreadful people really have no shame, and articles like these will only help to rub the sleep from the eyes of those who have been keeping them in power. The meltdown continues...
ReplyDeleteWhelan should listen to what is being said by the staff in my (mainly Labour voting) workplace.I feel like going down to the bookies to put money on Cameron.If he does believe that drivel then he is sadly deluded.
ReplyDeleteAmazing. PMQ's and Brown sees fit to prattle on about 'climate change'!
ReplyDeleteThis is not the issue occupying the mind of the average voter and parent today...
Piper needs hug
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I thought Charlie did a more effective job of sinking his side's own ship than would have been achieved by a predicatble broadside from a ranting Tory. The bit about Gordon's dead child was just breathtaking in its cynicism.
ReplyDeleteOld Fat Charlie is a parody of Fat Charlie Gordon's ex bag carrier. Whelan knows full well that Black Wednesday was the result of the Thatcher's Govt's entry into the ERM at an overvalued rate of exchange. Fat Charlie also knows that HM Opposition, as instructed by the Shadow Chancellor, voted for this. Rightly the Con Govt paid for their decision but never let it be forgotten that they did so with the full backing from Brown. So Whelan shut up.
ReplyDeleteAll over the country, millions of people have been on line or queuing up at ATM machines to change their passwords & PIN numbers. Now every time they struggle to remember those four figures at the checkout in Tesco they'll also remember why they aren't using little Johnny's DOB any more. For years.
ReplyDeleteFor that sort of 'brand recognition' an ad agency would spend a fortune.
Further to my previous comment - re Westminster Village - every single person I've spoken to today, colleages, friends, family, person in the coffee shop, man who delivered package to my door, ALL were talking about this story and how worried they were about their own data being compromised.
ReplyDelete(In case you were wondering, the package wasn't the lost disks.............)
Surely they only asked Whelan to write a piece for a laugh?
ReplyDeleteIt really is an astonishingly revealing article isn't it. Am so glad wasn't just me who read it in increasing disbelief. At the end my eyebrows were further up my forehead than Anne Robinson's. Almost every sentence is begging for deconstruction, and every deconstruction leads you to "this man has been lying for Labour for so long that it doesn't occur to him that we can tell that he's lying".
ReplyDeleteCharlie Whelan used to be on Julian Worriker's programme on Radio 5 on Sunday morning's .
ReplyDeleteI never could stand him, I 'm glad they didn't renew his contract, he used to drive me insane !
@ anonymous @ 10.48:-
ReplyDelete"Labour can't manage" doesn't quite do it, any better ideas?
How about "Labour are useless lying c***s"?