The Wrong Time And The Wrong Reason

Anyone who picked Peter Hain in their Fantasy Government Cabinet has just bagged the maximum of 50 points, for having someone who's cocked up so badly they've had to resign.

Actually, whilst I hate this government with a passion, I don't really see this as much of a cause for celebration. It sends out the wrong message. No one should have to resign from their job just because their behaviour has been referred to the Police.

You could argue, quite powerfully, that Hain should have resigned when the appalling management of his Deputy Leadership campaign fund first came to light, on the grounds of clear incompetence. Or you could argue that at some between then and now his position became untenable and that he should have resigned because the pressure has reached a tipping point. But resigning now implies that there is something inherently wrong with being under Police investigation. And there isn't. There's only something wrong with being found guilty by a court of law. It's a critical tenant of our legal system, and we should not rejoice when we see it being undermined.

Gordon Brown has handled this pretty badly in my view. He could and probably should have acted sooner. But there are reasons for people to lose their job, and the Boys in Blue wading in with their size 12s is not one of them.

Quite apart from which, it's another blow for the Womble On Tour Predictions List, which said that Hain would survive and that James Purnell would be the first to leave the Cabinet. I seem to have got that very precisely the wrong way round.

Still don't think there will be any high-profile prosecutions, though. Can't believe that the CPS has got what it takes to take on the Establishment.