From the BBC:
Decriminalising drug use could drastically reduce crime and improve health, the outgoing president of the Royal College of Physicians has said. Sir Ian Gilmore said... "Everyone who has looked at this in a serious and sustained way concludes that the present policy of prohibition is not a success”
Better late than never, eh?
Also from the BBC:
UK Independence Party leader Lord Pearson of Rannoch is to stand down after less than a year in the position. In his resignation statement, Lord Pearson said he was "not much good" at party politics and UKIP "deserved a better politician... to lead it".
I met him on a few occasions and I'm actually quite sad about that. He was a stupendously decent bloke, and "not being much good at party politics" was all part of the charm.
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Going out gracefully
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4 comments:
Like you MW, having met Lord Pearson, feel he is a decent chap and yes his being 'not much good' at party politics was part of his charm.
However, that 'not much good' was a hinderance to his being effective.
I understand that he actually resigned because practically no-one in UKIP could pronounce "Rannoch".
Just so long as Farage doesn't get back as leader. I was utterly revolted by his intemperate performance in the European chamber when he insulted Von Rumpy Pumpy in such personal terms.
I have no love for the EU or its officials or rules or anything else, but Farage was well out of order on that. Attack the man's performance, sure. His experience, definitely. But his appearance? I could only assume Farage had over-indulged in one of those long European lunches our extraordinarily well-paid "representatives" will enjoy.
Appearance on HIGNFY did nothing to persuade me of his fitness to lead a political party, either.
Now if he was a failed Tory leader who had led his party to a thrashing at the polls, the papers would be full of stories about him being "forced out" by the party...
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