Heron's Eye: 03/08/08

'There's no one to tackle Salmond'

Paul Kelbie on the dearth of candidates with the right attributes in the Scottish Labour Party’s leadership contest. [Guardian]

Miliband: Has he got what it takes to be PM?

Gaby Hinsliff, political editor of the Observer analyses deeply David Miliband’s political life. [Guardian]

Pig Ignorant Foreign Secretaries R Us

Merkin on Foreign Secretaries being poorly briefed. [BloggersOnTheRun]

There is no doubt about it, this is a full-frontal assault

Andrew Rawnsley continues the media’s 'waping' of Machiavellian analysis/soap story editorial. [Guardian]

David Miliband 'duped' over US rendition

David Miliband was today accused of letting himself be "duped by the US on a colossal scale" following the publication of new claims about the interrogation of terrorist suspects on UK territory. [Guardian]

Boris Johnson's approach to youth crime is good news

Dave Hill on Mr Johnson’s proactive approach to youth crime. [Guardian]

Did Team Boris delete Ken’s 100 days of achievements?

Recess Monkey on the disappearance of a description of Ken Livingstone’s first hundred days in office from the GLA’s media centre. [RecessMonkey]

The government is right - we need to lock up more offenders

The streets feel safe as a result of a lot of tough talkers going about the place? Westminster’s David Hanson MP, Minister of State for Justice talks on the need to justify Cube and filling it with inmates. Worth reading merely for the CIF commentary afterwards. [Guardian]

Below are two comments I included on the discussion forum:

I wish the people in charge saw that pulling the weeds from the root is a more effective than merely pruning the leaves.

Too many people talk about the need to increase prison places to fit an ever growing population but they rarely raise the need to spend money on making sure that youths dont get to the stage where they are caged before they are even adults.

I heard a figure saying that to convict somebody costs around £120,000 and £80,000 per year to keep a person incarcerated. Now why havent frothing right wing groups such as the Taxpayer Alliance not directed their venom at such subjects of criticism? It seems to me that even one person bypassing prison through whatever intervention could allow for tax money to be spent on more productive things. Improved housing? New school facilities? New railways or roads? Less taxes? An extra trident missile? Or maybe punishment, prevention and enforcement is just too profitable?

Just remembered the mid 90s film Cube, where a group of people wake up in a mysterious building set with traps with no reason why they were there, no idea how to escape and what the purpose of the Cube was.

I found some quotes from the film, which may have some parallels with the article:

"There is no conspiracy. Nobody is in charge. It's a headless blunder operating under the illusion of a master plan. "

"Do you think somebody would go to all the trouble to build this thing if you could just walk out? "

"This is an accident, a forgotten, perpetual public works project. You think anybody wants to ask questions? All they want is a clear conscience and a fat paycheck. "

Quentin: "But why put people in it?"

Worth: "Because it's here. You have to use it, or you admit that it's pointless."

Quentin: "But it *is* pointless."

Worth: "Quentin... that's my point. "

7/7 memorial: Why have we become so poor at building these monuments?

Michael White on the disappointing quality of memorials. [Guardian]

Pakistan denies ISI behind Indian embassy attack

Pakistan's government said Friday it needs to purge Taliban sympathizers from the country's main intelligence agency but angrily denied a report that the agency helped plan a bombing that killed at least 41 in Afghanistan. [AP]

Right strategy, wrong candidate?

Chuck Todd, Political Director, NBC News provides an insight into positive and negative campaigning tactics when discussing the USA elections. [MSNBCNews]

Time to stop criticising China - we've already come so far

Lijia Zhang on how China has been making social progress in the last couple of years. A large CIF discussion follows. [Guardian]

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