Called to Order !

Did Patrick Hannan's 'Called to Order' programme last week (Friday night) with Jeff Cuthbert AM.

'Called to Order' is an intelligent and questioning review of the week's events in politics and does not encourage the usual'slam-dunk' kind of verbal tennis that politicians can often indulge in some radio programmes.

The subjects which are discussed are usually thought-provoking.

While Jeff Cuthbert was in the studio in Cardiff with Patrick, I was 'patched in' from the BBC studio in Aberystwyth.
This is of course very convenient for me, but sometimes it feels a bit strange taking part in a conversation when you can't see people's faces and tune in to their body language. This results in a slight hiatus before answering questions which is similar to one of those satelite pauses you sometimes experience when making long distance phonecalls to Australia or Japan. It seems rude to just cut in, however tempting it is to get your point across as this must simply irritate listeners.

The topics up for discussion were fascinating. Firstly, the 'Cash for Honours' saga which was linked to David Lloyd George who was Prime Minister 100 years ago.

1925 saw a law introduced effectively 'banning the sale of honours' due to Lloyd George's sellling of knighthoods and peerages for money.

Currently, Scotland Yard have been carrying out investigations to see if laws of this nature have been breached. Ninety people have been interviewed so far and significant material has been gathered. The file will be passed to the Crown Prosecution Service in January.


'Called to Order' highlighted the similarities between Lloyd George's exposure due to the 'Cash for Honours' scandal and Tony Blair's predicament over this latest controversy.

Will it, I wonder, mark Blair's 'Waterloo' as it did for Lloyd George ?

Difficult to say - the PM is going anyway, but if prosecutions do emerge, it will be an embarassment for anyone whose mission was to clean up politics and who was elected on an anti-selaze ticket.

Lloyd George was a cunning and canny politician (despite his shenanigans with money and his personal life). Had he been around today, the wall-to-wall media which now exists would surely have crucified him very quickly because of the way he lived his life.

History of course always gives us the benefit of hindsight, but I believe that in spite of everything Lloyd George was a great Prime Minister in the way that Blair will never be remembered.

He introduced ground breaking social reforms against great opposition - old age pensions and state support for the sick and infirm.

He had skilful negotiating ability (union grievances, work stoppages and strikes) and importantly, he always knew when it was time to give in. This was evident when he finally recognised the impasse which had been reached with the IRA over the Irish Question. He understood that the only alternative to further bloodshed and conflict would be the Anglo Irish Treaty and the formation of the Irish Free State.

Lloyd George considered himself a pacifist until 1914 but changed his stance when war broke out. Perhaps it was his serious reluctance to go to war which made him a great war minister in the way that Blair has never been.

He said of the role of War Secretary :

"to be successful, one must show untiring assiduity, constant supervision of every sphere of war activity and be in continuous consultation with experts official and unofficial....."


Clearly, it was this leadership which sets him apart from Blair.

I believe that history will show that Blair has hung around too long, desperately clinging on, 'waiting for his own special moment of destiny'.

True leadership means knowing when it's time to go.