Peter Hain is not one of my favourite politicians for a number of reasons; it appears I'm not alone, this is an
exquisite hatchet job on "The Man with no Discernable Principles", carried out by Matt Withers:
His bid for the Shadow Cabinet doesn’t have a slogan, of course. But if it did, it could be "Peter Hain: Suddenly passionate about the issues he hadn’t previously shown a hint of interest in".
Political colleagues and opponents alike haven’t failed to be impressed by the audacity which Mr Hain has shown by presenting himself as the valiant white knight on topics which, curiously, hadn’t seemed to have driven him much before.
His flip-flop on the proposed Referendum for additional powers for the Assembly is a classic of its kind, as is his sudden realisation that Barnett *Must* be changed:
Equally curious is his fury that the UK coalition Government – in office for four months – have not scrapped the Barnett Formula, the brain-scrambling mathematical equation which decides how much cash gets sent to Wales each year.
David Cameron and Nick Clegg have shoved “much-needed change to the Barnett formula into the long grass after an election five years away”, he fumes.
How "much-needed" are the changes to the Barnett Formula? Well, not enough for the last Labour Government – in office for 13 years and of which Hain was a prominent member – to do anything about.
And perhaps he could have a word with the politician who, last year, said that “the level of funding delivered by the Barnett Formula is more or less fair” and added: "Those who are saying get rid of Barnett, throw everything up in the air and see where it lands, have got to understand there are consequences for the English regions as well."
The name of that politician? Er… Peter Hain.
Does make you wonder how much more of
his personal history has been
manipulated to his political benefit.
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