Howells of decision

It appears that it is Kim Howells who has been permitting sex offenders to work in schools, rather than, they say, his boss. (Which assumes that she is his boss, which would suggest that they work for the same organisation rather than one of them actually working for Opus Dei. But I digress.)

I don't suppose the general public are much aware of Dr. Howells' existence, a fact that would quite likely disappoint him. I've followed his career since he organised the back-to-work movement in the South Wales coalfields that put an end to the miners' strike twenty years ago. Since then his progress has been slow, though he has perhaps fared rather better than the aforementioned coalfields and their inhabitants. If he's come to public prominence at all it's probably for his attacks on contemporary art.

Personally I remember him for declaring "comrades, embrace capitalism!" - when and where, I don't recall precisely. I do recall that some years ago I saw the Member of Parliament for Pontypridd emerging from the WH Smith next to Cardiff Central station with a copy of the Financial Times under his arm. L'esprit d'escalier: he'd walked just that little bit too far by the time I thought to ask him, indicating the newspaper he was clutching, whether, by Comrades, embrace capitalism, that was what he'd meant. But the moment was lost.