Thursday, December 14, 2006

Hope for skills

I learned today that we have a skills minister called Phil Hope. According to his political biography, the MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire includes tennis, juggling, computing and gardening as his hobbies so perhaps that's why he got the job. He thinks that prisons should do more to develop "soft skills" amongst their inmates, such as "punctuality and team work". Choking on my coffee as I read this, The Italian Job sprang to mind. What's happened to old fashioned prison values? If the Govt is sincere about bringing back prison labour, why doesn't it start with using some of them to man rural post offices?

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The phrase 'get your skates on, mate' spring to mind.

p.s. why aren't you standing as an MP?

Hmm.. not entirely sure you have thought through the consequences of using old lags to man the post offices. Although in terms of those nasty 'hold ups' of remote PO's, it would 'cut out the middleman'...

12:07 pm  
Blogger Whispering Walls said...

I would stand as an MP if I could find a constituency

1:49 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Winchester - I have in the short time reading this very interesting, erudite and thought-provoking weblog realised that you are far too intelligent and wise to become an MP. No, you belong in the House of Lords. Of course, it took me a bit longer to realise that you would be a Lady rather than a Lord, because chaps are a bit slower on the uptake...

No, I, despite my lefty views, started listening to 'Today in Parliament' to help me get to sleep, and soon realised that Tony Benn was wrong - the eejits are in the Commons, the sensible ones are in the Lords. This may seem heretical for a person like me who has voted Tory, Labour and Liberal. But the careerist, self-serving cabinet ministers have to have their wings clipped on matters such as terror laws, civil liberties and those ridiculous attempts to criminalise discussions of religious matters.


I had fancied a stint in there myself. I was going to ask a thousand people to lend me a £1, 000 sum, which I would use to oil the wheels of the Labour party, then repaying the people once I had seen the ermine, so to speak. But current events seem to have put the kybosh on matters. However, my loss is your gain. Clearly they will be looking for people to pack the red leather benches, not least to replace a certain 'Cashpoint' if he ends up in prison..

I feel that Lady Whisperer of Winchester has a certain ring to it ?

10:27 am  

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