I read the below in an increasingly thickening fog of anger…..

The government is to be asked to pay £12,000 to the families of all those killed during the Troubles - including members of paramilitary groups.

The families of paramilitary victims, members of the security forces and civilians who were killed will all be entitled to the same amount.

The payment is expected to be recommended by the group set up to advise on how to deal with the past.

That would mean the family of the IRA Shankill bomber Thomas Begley would receive the same for his death as those of the families of the nine civilians he killed.

Likewise, the families of two UVF members killed while they planted a bomb that also killed three members of the Miami Showband in 1975 will be entitled to the same payment as those of the victims.

Nigel Dodds challenged Gordon Brown over this at PMQ’s and the Prime Minister looked haggard, and so he should be. 

This is beyond satire. It is horrible,disgusting and shameful.

In 1985 Oxford University launched a drive to recruit under graduates from families where the income was on a level, or below the average. Letters were dispatched to all non-fee paying (note, NOT comprehensive schools) across the UK and yours truly was invited to sit the Oxford Entrance Exam (which I passed) and then attend an interview process at a College of choice. Mine was Wadham as my history teacher; the inspirational John Oxley reasoned that its Left Wing credentials would make it more sympathetic to my “talents”, such as they were.

The process was a disaster due to the fact that the College tutors would have rather stuck pins in their eyes than gone along with a positive discrimination policy, and destroyed my self-confidence for a good while, as well as giving an unnecessary chip on my shoulder against well-spoken privately educated people, which made life difficult when I first entered the teaching profession as I was wholly unequipped to deal with individuals whom I sub consciously thought were better than me.

That’s why Harriet Harman’s well intentioned but ultimately ill thought out policy proposal to make it a tenant of law that the Public Sector should aim to recruit a workforce that reflects social background is patronising, divisive and exhibits the worst aspects of what others perceive Socialism to be all about.

It is typical of the self-loathing and insecurity of Harman who despite all the advantages of the best Private education could only further her career by use of the women only short lists firstly to enter Parliament, and then to gain election to the Shadow Cabinet.

Her first tenure in Government ended in the sack after just a year, for failing to be on top of even the most basic parts of her brief as Social Security Secretary (1997/98).

She comes across as hectoring in the best Nanny Knows Best style and what she fails to realise is that the best way to promote stalled social mobility is to support family life through the benefits system and to reward attendance at Sure Start centres and give incentives for families to achieve a high level of school attendance.

Such an initiative exists for post 16 via the Education Maintenance Allowance (which along with Sure Start and the New Deal the Tories want to abolish), so why not use some imagination in filtering this idea down the age scale.

If kids are attending and engaged at school then all the stats show an incremental chance of positive life outcomes.

But what the Government fail to recognise is that after socio economic issues the one 100% concrete factor that determines educational, and generally life chance outcomes is whether a child’s parents live together.

This maybe a functionalist approach, but hell the evidence is there for all to see. Family breakdown equals an anvil being tied to the child’s foot as it tries to make it’s way in life.

Society needs to encourage family life, encourage families the understanding is instilled in their children, that we must all do things we dislike, keep appointments, finish what we start and eat up our greens.

You get my drift here. There is too much not saying no, and in my experience across my career the real warning bells sound when the parent describes their offspring as “my best friend”, when what they really mean is “I am an emotional retard and rely on my kid as a consumer of feelings”.

University and access to the professions needs to be based on merit, whilst obviously making it clear that gender, race, disability and all those factors should not be used against people to hold them down.

If not the Labour Party will be seen to be retreating to the last refuge of the scoundrel socialist, that of Class War and the politics of jealousy which blighted us in the ‘Eighties and allowed the Tories a free hand to do their worst.

Footnote: Can anyone explain what the ding-dong dang this actually means; “Among other proposals is an initiative to combat a lack of economic opportunities in communities. The government is setting up an initiative in 15 areas in which parents, schools, businesses, third-sector organisations and local agencies will work together to meet local needs and boost the aspirations of local people.”

 Err, you what?

 The story of the notorious Baader Meinhoff Gang is brought to the big screen in this German production based on the exhaustive investigation by journalist Stefan Aust.

The main problem with this otherwise excellent picture is that the makers try to cover too much ground in the time frame for a mainstream film which results in us seeing a lot of action sequences but little of the context or the basic motivations of the characters involved.

I feel the producers would have been better off concentrating on two or three really key operations by the gang, and then unpackaging the reasoning behind, planning and execution of these terrorist events. Instead we are taken at break neck speed across seven years worth of activity and whilst it makes for good cinema, I wanted to know more.

Meinhoff turned out to be a fascinating character who turned from mainstream, if radical journalism which included appearences on shows equivilent to Question Time and writing in well respected newspapers, to becoming a ruthless terrorist who would stop at nothing in her opposition to what she considered to be the Fascist policies of Willy Brandt’s West Germany and it’s ally the USA.

 She was in her late thirties, married, professionally successful and with two kids when she turned into Public Enemy Number One, the director has us believe that her husband’s infidelity which she uncovered literally with him in the act was the catylyst, but there has to be more to it, here left un explored due to the need to get on with the narrative.

The events leading up to Meinhoff’s suicide in prison were covered but again you were left with the feeling their was more to it, especially the conflict between her and fellow terrorist Gudrun Ensslin who seemed to exert a great deal of control over Andreas Baader and generally, it could be argued over the whole gang.

The production values were very good and transmitted the viewer back to the Seventies and that time of amazing social upheavel in Western Europe played out in the context of the Cold War.

Overall I felt this could have been a cracking twelve part TV series which would have entailed a more forensic examination of the themes rather than this rather break neck, and as a result partially fulifilling picture.

The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas.

A story of innocence lost played out to the backdrop of the Holocaust.

An eight year old boy’s father played brilliantly by David Thewlis, is appointed Commandant of an Extermination Camp.

His cringingly ambitious wife is delighted by her husband’s promotion despite her Mother in Law (Shelia Hancock) pointing out the un spoken realisation of what the Nazi regime was all about.

When she discovers the true nature of what her husband is responsible for, family relations begin to un ravell especially when the older daughter becomes inappropriatly enthused about the regime by her home tutor.

In the midst of all this the boy sees a “farm” from his window and when he spots children there his curiosity and desire to make friends sees him sneak off to the perimeter fence where he meets the boy dressed in concentration camp garb.

Their friendship blossoms, but certain realities begin to dawn, and he can’t understand why his Mother is always upset and arguing with Dad whilst Big Sister exchanges dolls for posters of the Furher.

90% of this film is fantastic, subtle and challenging but is ruined by the most idiotically crass ending to a film I have seen for many a year and I left the theatre cursing the rank stupidity of the writer and director for wrecking an until then really excellent movie.

I was given a copy of the Diary of Anne Frank for my twelfth birthday in 1980 and it changed my life.

Until then I was aware that unpleasant things happened in the World (“Man’s inhumanity to Man” was a constant reaction of my Mum’s to whatever horrors unravelled on the news) and I was especially aware of the war in Northern Ireland for obvious reasons, and for the fact that my Dad was Chair of the Peace People in Hull which was responsible for re housing displaced Irish families.

 I vividly remember visiting one such family in a grotty B and B on Beverley Road, and other in an even worse bed sit on Spring Bank.

But reading the Diary and asking my Mum, a keen reader of all things historical about the context of the Holocaust became a catalyst for my future sense of injustice and political development.

I returned to the Diary in 1993 as a source of inspiration for teaching the Holocaust to Year 8, this before it became de rigueur and done to death by the National Curriculum. The kid’s responses never ceased to amaze me; the depth of empathy and the quality of imaginative writing about contemporary issues when placing in context was breathtaking.

In 1994 I visited the house in Amsterdam and it was fascinating to observe the jovial, touristy atmosphere in the queue turn to sombre, existential contemplation as the tour went on.

As luck would have it a stage version toured in 1995 to mark the launch of a new edition, and it was a wonderfully rich experience for all concerned.

As was this magnificent BBC production which restores your faith in the Corporation to produce world class drama, re enforcing the ethos of the Beeb as a Public Service broadcaster, making programmes that should be made rather than chasing the ratings with crappy but expensive costume dramas.

The production was true to the book (which I virtually know by heart), but drew out the character of the Mother, Edith with a stunning performance from Tamsin Greig who was part of a very tight ensemble cast lead brilliantly by Iain Glenn as Otto Frank which facilitated an utterly spellbinding Ellie Kendrick as Anne. If she lives to be 100 and make 500 films she will never touch such heights again.

The thing that always inspires me about Anne Frank is the closing entry in the Diary, written a day before their capture and only seven months prior to her disgusting and awful death in Bergen Belsen.

“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be. How much you can love. What you can accomplish. And what your potential is.

I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.

I simply can't build my hopes on a foundation of confusion, misery and death... I think... peace and tranquillity will return again.

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” 

 Such writing, such faith and such hope makes Anne Frank one of the most inspiring people ever to have walked this earth and I feel immensely privileged to have had the opportunity to introduce kids to her work, and her legacy.

It was my contention way back in 2006 that Andrew Strauss should have been appointed full time Test captain having guided England to a two (the Oval “victory” having been rescinded by the ICC after a review of the ball tampering affair that led to England being awarded the match) nil victory over Pakistan.

His captaincy in the Headingley Test proved the Middlesex man’s mettle as, despite conceding over 500 runs including a monumental partnership of 363 between Mohammed Yousuff and Younis Khan, Strauss didn’t panic or lose control in the field, led from the front with a fluent 116 to set Pakistan 323 to win and then managed his bowlers brilliantly in Tourists second innings getting the best out of Saj Mahmood (4/22) in particular to set up an unlikely win.

The selectors then inexplicably gave the Ashes Tour captaincy to Andrew Flintoff which seemed to destroy the left handers confidence resulting in Strauss having a disastrous time Down Under, although he wasn’t alone as England went down 5-0.

His poor run continued into 2007 and Strauss suffered the ignominy of being dropped for the Sri Lanka leg of England’s 2007/08 winter tours.

Salvation came in New Zealand when down the order, Strauss laid the platform for the series victory with 177 in England’s second innings.

Thus when Michael Vaughan relinquished the captaincy during the summer of 2008, Andrew Strauss must have been confident of being finally appointed on a permanent basis.

Credit to him, when Pietersen was the preferred choice the left hander overcame any disappointment he must have felt by taking part in a 123 partnership with Alistair Cook as England chased down an awkward 198 target on the fifth day at the Oval.

India was a personal triumph as Strauss completed back-to-back tons in stifling conditions at Chennai.

 In the fallout from the KP/ Moores fiasco one positive has to be the ascent to the captaincy of Andrew Strauss, so out of adversity we may just have stumbled on the man who can regain the Ashes this summer.

Good news for the Labour Party poll wise came last night when the Lib Dems had their majority slashed from over 1,00 to just over 400 and there was a considerable swing to Labour overall.

In a very worrying development the Tories were pushed into fourth place by a National Front candidate and only secured 4.7% of the vote compared to 8% last time out.

What can we deduce from this?

Firstly, despite the local issues which have made Labour unpopular in the City our vote went up, which tells me that nationally we have recovered from a truly dreadful year since Brown took over. People rightly see us as the only Party with real answers to the current crisis.

But secondly the NF result should be a stark reminder that the Labour Party should be more vocal in what we have achieved for Working Class communities across the country.

The poorer areas are more crime ridden, which is why the fact that we have record numbers of Police on the streets, supported by Community Safety Officers should be heralded as real and tangible evidence that we do act for these communities.

These are clear actions that separate us from the Tories, and when you factor in the SureStart Centres, which they would get rid of, plus the Education Maintenance Grant that proves such a lifeline for teenagers wanting to stay in education and the work done by Health Visitors and later on Connections, you can see there is only one Party that protects the interests of the many and not the few.

We need to make it 100 % crystal clear what the latest Tory tax proposals mean.

They say they would abolish tax on savings. Sounds great. But what does this mean exactly.

For every £100 saved you would get a whopping 40p a year extra which is nothing to the average Joe but extrapolate this to those with vast savings and it’s a tidy little earner. Money going to money. Again.

If they were serious about helping people to save then they would expand Brown’s baby bond scheme to the general populace i.e. give people a start, say £20 and then when they reach a certain amount the Government would top it up.

Instead the Tories want to give £4.1 billion to those who already have money and pay for it by abolishing the EMA and making cuts in Education.

The wording by Osbourne was clear. School budgets remain untouched. Not the Education budget.

 The Labour Party should be shouting from the rooftops about what we’ve done, and what we are going to do. Let’s be bold and imaginative. Nationalisation of the banks to free up the blocked economy could be a start…..

I wrote this late last night, but couldn't post. Prescient, eh?

It is now apparent to the World and his Wife that the relationship between England Skipper Kevin Pietersen and Coach Peter Moores is broken beyond repair, and the dressing room leaked like a sieve in this weekend's press. Even if the Baggy Greens pull off an unlikely victory in South Africa this spring, the damage to their recent rock solid self-belief has been done and it is vital that England take full advantage and don't let intercine feuding give the tourists any un warranted advantage.

Personally I felt that KP wasn't ready for the Captaincy but he impressed in the late Summer rally that saw England win the Oval Test and take the One Day Series by storm, dispatching the Proteas comprehensively. The new Skipper learnt some harsh lessons on the last Tour, both on the field and off but his push for Vaughan's return to the squad is clearly a call for help, something he feels that the rather mechanically minded Moores cannot provide.

Take Vaughan to the West Indies, but as Coach. KP has the confidence and chutzpah, but needs a trusty advisor, whom he looks up to, to rely on for sound advice. Hussain and Fletcher anyone?

Bring Ashley Giles into the equation and we may well be onto something.

The Moores thing actually gives the ECB a good opportunity to get rid of a Coach who has failed to make his mark, and give the new team time to bed in before the Ashes commence.Come on Giles Clarke. You know it makes sense!

I saw thirty films at the cinema last year ranging from the lamentable “I Am Legend” and “Adulthood”, to the disappointing (apart from the 3D) “Journey to the Centre of the Earth”, “Brick Lane”, “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, right through to the utterly brilliant such as “Happy Go Lucky” and “Hunger”.

I found “Killer of Sheep” baffling in a “Ten Canoes” kind of way, thought that “Quantum of Solace” is a good Bond film but lacked the pazaz of it’s predecessor and laughed a lot at “Step Brothers” and “Harold and Kumar”. Jim Carrey’s “Yes Man” was as expected but not up there with his best work such as “Dumb and Dumber”.

Lou Reed’s “Berlin” was outstanding as were the two other musicals I saw, “Mama Mia” and “Sweeney Todd”.

TOP TEN.

1)         Hunger.

2)         No Country for Old Men.

3)         Happy Go Lucky.

4)         Batman.

5)         There Will Be Blood.

6)         Funny Games.

7)         Wanted.

8)         Sweeney Todd.

9)         Bank Job.

10) In Bruges.

Best Actor (Male). Michael Fassbender for Hunger.

Best Supporting Actor (Male). Heath Ledger for Batman.

Best Actor (Female). Sally Hawkins for Happy Go Lucky.

Best Supporting Actor (Female). Angelina Jolie for Wanted.

Best Cameo. Ralph Feines for In Bruges.

Director. Steve McQueen for Hunger.

Screenplay. Ken Loach for Happy Go Lucky.

 Special Effects. Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

Israel is fully justified in its recent actions against Hamas and its extremist Muslim leadership, who think that it is a positive thing to bring shock and awe onto the very people that it purports to be standing up for.

In their sick and twisted world every death ends in martyrdom, whether the individual chooses it or not.

The Jewish State can’t negotiate with these people as Hamas doesn’t even recognise that Judaism, let alone the State of Israel has any place on the Planet, and with the backing of the Holocaust Denier President Mahmūd Ahmadinejād of Iran Hamas feels strong enough to take on a full-scale war against Israel and hang the cost to the Palestinians.

Fatah are to blame for this, pure and simple.

Successive leaders of the secular and, in most cases progressive wings of the PLO, soaked in cash from Arab countries feeling guilty for how they betrayed Palestine in 1948 have indulged in petty politicking, corruption and then arrogantly expected the Palestinian people to be grateful to them as they drove around in Mercedes cars whilst doing nothing about the crumbling infrastructure that the Palestinian Authority inherited from Israel.

Money was never a problem for Fatah as they received huge subsidies from all over the world including £500 million from the EU alone post Oslo.

But the appalling conditions in Gaza were never addressed.

Step in Hamas who, with Iranian money set up the schools, hospitals and other Public Services that were so desperately needed.

Hence Hamas had a free hand to spread its poisonous Islamic extremism amongst a grateful community, using intimidation to make Mosque attendance virtually a condition of receiving aid and using the pulpit and Mosque schools as conduits to recruit foot soldiers to carry out terrorist acts and man the rocket launchers.

In some respects this situation gives Israel an historic opportunity to right some wrongs from the past, but this will only become possible if they are able to decapitate the Hamas leadership, occupy Gaza (a UN solution would be preferable, but this will never happen), and then institute a massive reconstruction programme, allied to a real push towards the eventual two state solution by weaning the Palestinians away from extremism via jobs and prosperity.

Israel must be allowed to finish the job, but in the ensuing period the West MUST hold the Israelis to account regarding confidence building measures such as the deconstruction of the security wall, restoring full services to the PA, and a sensible brokering of agreements over land on the West Bank.

 We are where we are and sometimes pragmatism, however distasteful is the only way forward but this tragedy once again puts into focus how appallingly the Palestinians have been treated by the Arab States, the West, Israel and most of all by the decadent and inertia riddled leadership of the Fatah dominated PLO.