Rivlin Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Really ? This from 1996 which is the closest he came to leading The Labour Party: http://www.guardian....omesleaderillbe John Reid must not become leader of the Labour party. This pugnacious product of the Lanarkshire Labour badlands is temperamentally unsuited to the role of prime minister. He is an aggressive and unstable character who thrives on confrontation and conspiracy. The thought of John Reid with his finger on the nuclear button is frankly terrifying. This is the politician who thought it was appropriate to spend three days in a luxury hotel with Radovan Karadzic. He famously punched a House of Commons attendant in 1991 during his years as a violent alcoholic. But giving up the bottle didn't tame his temper. He nearly came to blows with the late Donald Dewar - no pugilist he - over the so-called "lobbygate affair" in 1999. The next first minister, Henry McLeish, described Reid as a "patronising b*****d. Reid's son Kevin, who working for the firm Beattie Media, had been secretly taped boasting of his access to ministers. Kevin Reid's subsequent employment as a parliamentary researcher led to the astonishing confrontation between the then Northern Ireland secretary and the parliamentary standards commissioner, Elizabeth Filkin. She accused John Reid of intimidating witnesses and attempting to undermine her inquiries. She even had tape recordings of Reid browbeating the former general secretary of the Scottish Labour party, Alex Rowley over his evidence. Ms Filkin - who subsequently resigned - said "the conduct of Dr Reid caused serious and increasing concern" and it has continued to do so. He has been in eight ministerial posts in his post-alcoholic career, each more disastrous than the last. When he was at health he negotiated the consultants pay deal which, with the parallel GP contracts, has been a major cause of the current financial crisis at the NHS. At defence he famously attacked "rogue elements" in M15 and M16 and said that British soldiers in Afghanistan would "return without firing a shot". Says it all really. He is an odious bit of work. His doctorate was some tuppeny halfpenny thing from Stirling Uni. Hardly the centre of the academic world. I remember he once said his wandering irish grandad who be amazed at his success. I don't think so - he probably knew a top class chancer when he saw one. He was right about one thing. He predicted that Gordon Brown would be a f...... disaster as PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big D Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 John Reid has a parliamentary and political career to be proud of. I think that tells you everything you need to know about westminster and the morals of those scots who continue to prop it up. Why isn't the Nighttripper hounding Collum? Is he worried about the OF brand and so Dougie and Dundee Utd are easier game? Or is he worried about the political fallout of criticising a stereotypical supporter of his party? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boab Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Using "Dr" outside academia....that's a pompus arsehole.However,removing that title would make him just a plain arsehole.Maybe that's why he uses it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Wilde Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Using "Dr" outside academia....that's a pompus arsehole.However,removing that title would make him just a plain arsehole.Maybe that's why he uses it! Totally, I work in academia myself and even in that world no-one refers to anyone else as Dr this or that in day to day communication. Does remind me of a high-tech place I was working at around 10 years ago. A new bloke started, turned out he had a PhD (big deal). But he WANTED to be addressed as "Dr". Utter plank and we made a point of giving him no respect whatsoever. "Dr" indeed ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Totally, I work in academia myself and even in that world no-one refers to anyone else as Dr this or that in day to day communication. Does remind me of a high-tech place I was working at around 10 years ago. A new bloke started, turned out he had a PhD (big deal). But he WANTED to be addressed as "Dr". Utter plank and we made a point of giving him no respect whatsoever. "Dr" indeed ! Give him his due. He knows a lot about :- " The Warrior Aristocrats In Crisis and the political effects of the transition from the slave trade to palm oil commerce in the nineteenth century Kingdom of Dahomey " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jambos are go! Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Most of this thread is unsubstantiated name calling and the singleton press article by Ian Mcwhirter. No mention is made of the fact that Reid was cleared of the allegations against him by the Lady. Pretty important omission again IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Wilde Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Most of this thread is unsubstantiated name calling and the singleton press article by Ian Mcwhirter. No mention is made of the fact that Reid was cleared of the allegations against him by the Lady. Pretty important omission again IMO. Aye, by fellow MP's who wanted Filkin gone. John Reid: The Blairite bruiser http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/john-reid-the-blairite-bruiser-705301.html Reid was also dogged for a time by the saga that culminated in the inquiry by Elizabeth Filkin, the Commissioner of Standards, into claims that taxpayers' money had been used to pay political researchers, including Reid's son Kevin. She produced evidence that Reid had put undue pressure on witnesses, including Labour general secretary Alex Rowley. The MPs to whom Ms Filkin reports threw out the case. Some Scottish politicians saw this as a measure of Reid's persuasive skills. Reid's line has been that she put the case for the prosecution, he for the defence and the MPs decided. How dirty tricks wounded Filkin http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2001/dec/05/houseofcommons.whitehall The decision by Elizabeth Filkin, the parliamentary standards commissioner, not to re-apply for her job follows a "dirty tricks" campaign in parliament and Whitehall involving cabinet ministers, MPs and Whitehall press officers. Her letter reveals she has on file a list of named Whitehall press officers who were instructed by members of the cabinet to brief lobby journalists against her when her inquiries started to unsettle leading figures. The Guardian understands that two members of Tony Blair's last cabinet - Peter Mandelson, when he was trade secretary, and John Reid, when he was Scottish secretary - are among those accused. They were both under investigation for breaching Commons rules and the MPs' code of conduct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jambovambo Posted November 24, 2010 Author Share Posted November 24, 2010 Aye, by fellow MP's who wanted Filkin gone. John Reid: The Blairite bruiser http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/john-reid-the-blairite-bruiser-705301.html Reid was also dogged for a time by the saga that culminated in the inquiry by Elizabeth Filkin, the Commissioner of Standards, into claims that taxpayers' money had been used to pay political researchers, including Reid's son Kevin. She produced evidence that Reid had put undue pressure on witnesses, including Labour general secretary Alex Rowley. The MPs to whom Ms Filkin reports threw out the case. Some Scottish politicians saw this as a measure of Reid's persuasive skills. Reid's line has been that she put the case for the prosecution, he for the defence and the MPs decided. How dirty tricks wounded Filkin http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2001/dec/05/houseofcommons.whitehall The decision by Elizabeth Filkin, the parliamentary standards commissioner, not to re-apply for her job follows a "dirty tricks" campaign in parliament and Whitehall involving cabinet ministers, MPs and Whitehall press officers. Her letter reveals she has on file a list of named Whitehall press officers who were instructed by members of the cabinet to brief lobby journalists against her when her inquiries started to unsettle leading figures. The Guardian understands that two members of Tony Blair's last cabinet - Peter Mandelson, when he was trade secretary, and John Reid, when he was Scottish secretary - are among those accused. They were both under investigation for breaching Commons rules and the MPs' code of conduct. Good work Or as my kids would say ... "CLAMPED" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jambos are go! Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Aye, by fellow MP's who wanted Filkin gone. John Reid: The Blairite bruiser http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/john-reid-the-blairite-bruiser-705301.html Reid was also dogged for a time by the saga that culminated in the inquiry by Elizabeth Filkin, the Commissioner of Standards, into claims that taxpayers' money had been used to pay political researchers, including Reid's son Kevin. She produced evidence that Reid had put undue pressure on witnesses, including Labour general secretary Alex Rowley. The MPs to whom Ms Filkin reports threw out the case. Some Scottish politicians saw this as a measure of Reid's persuasive skills. Reid's line has been that she put the case for the prosecution, he for the defence and the MPs decided. How dirty tricks wounded Filkin http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2001/dec/05/houseofcommons.whitehall The decision by Elizabeth Filkin, the parliamentary standards commissioner, not to re-apply for her job follows a "dirty tricks" campaign in parliament and Whitehall involving cabinet ministers, MPs and Whitehall press officers. Her letter reveals she has on file a list of named Whitehall press officers who were instructed by members of the cabinet to brief lobby journalists against her when her inquiries started to unsettle leading figures. The Guardian understands that two members of Tony Blair's last cabinet - Peter Mandelson, when he was trade secretary, and John Reid, when he was Scottish secretary - are among those accused. They were both under investigation for breaching Commons rules and the MPs' code of conduct. These are just repeats of the same discredited allegations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davemclaren Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 These are just repeats of the same discredited allegations. Your defence of everything Labour is admirable but misplaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maroongoals Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 I don?t like the man, this is football it has its own politics which are different to the ones Mr Reid is playing, I think the unwashed have made a mistake letting this man be the mouthpiece for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jambos are go! Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Your defence of everything Labour is admirable but misplaced. do you suggest I just let the these allegations pass unchallenged? BTW I have no time for Labour policies on some issues like defence, student support and bankers bonuses. I think the Labour Politicians currently at Holyrood and the City Chambers are lightweight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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