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Anorak News | All’s Affair In Love And War

All’s Affair In Love And War

by | 6th, December 2004

‘“BLUNKETT urges Labour to focus on the environment,” says the Guardian. But how green is the Home Secretary?

‘You’re through to the rail information hotline. The next departure will be yours’

The Tories have it that he’s not that green at all. Indeed, to their mind the Home Secretary is so ripe you can smell what he says before he opens his mouth.

So, the Opposition are calling for this head, with the Times hearing David Davis, the shadow home secretary, tell David Frost on Sunday morning TV that, if Blunkett did influence immigration policy to fast-track to his lover’s nanny, “it is a resigning issue”.

Further claims that Blunkett gave his girlfriend, Kimberly Quinn, rail tickets earmarked for MPs’ wives are said by the Liberal Democrat leader, Charles Kennedy, to have been “an error of judgement” and have a “corrosive effect on his position”.

Of course, given the nature of the railways, this alleged gift might have been an ingenious way to get rid of Quinn in a plot involving delays, engineering works and breakdowns.

But if this affair – as with all affairs – is getting a little complicated, then at least the Independent’s readers are invited to look over the matter in a handy one-page review of the “THE BLUNKETT AFFAIR”.

This political briefing with pictures and short sentences includes the claim that Blunkett broke the rules in allowing his official car to be used by his lover for private travel.

Blunkett says the car was employed to “transport official documents”.

If Quinn was with these papers as they went on their way in his luxury saloon, then there is nothing wrong with that.

Readers also learn that Blunkett was accompanied by four security guards and a driver when he and Mrs Quinn travelled to attend a friend’s wedding in Spain.

His spokesman says he covered most of the cost from his own pocket, but the Home Office did pay a “small amount” to cover meetings with Spanish ministers.

His spokesman says these meeting were arranged to ensure Blunkett made maximum use of his time while on his jolly holidays. Which was good of him.

But what this matter really seems to boil down to is whether we like David Blunkett or not.

Peter Mandelson left this post when bitty claims of his impropriety were levelled against him.

And if the acid test is whether we like Blunkett more than Mandy, then honest Dave could be in power for many years to come…’



Posted: 6th, December 2004 | In: Uncategorized Comment | TrackBack | Permalink