Trademark infringement

[Ian Batten]

On 08 Apr 08, at 1416, Roland Perry wrote:
> In article <961F5349-9777-4821-BC7D-BCC4E5C600CC@imaj.es>, James Cox  
> <james@imaj.es> writes
>
>>>> BT did just hire Patty Hewitt,  who, as a senior minister, has  
>>>> rather a large amount of access to the  top table...
>>>
>>> As a point of information, Ms Hewitt has been out of (Ministerial)  
>>> office for almost a year now; not even on any Select Committees.
>>
>> Yes. And?
>
> She's not a senior minister.
>
> Of course there will still be some residual connections, but it's  
> more of a wilderness than you seem to suppose.

Especially for a middle-aged Blairite in a cabinet of young  
Brownites.  Why would a civil servant risk the opprobrium of doing  
favours for an arch-Blairite has-been when the future is either young  
Brownites or young Cameroons?  Hewitt may have peoples' phone numbers,  
but why would they answer?  What does she have to trade?

Blunkett isn't trading on many political or civil service connections  
--- again, he's a Blairite has-been.  But he's good newspaper copy,  
good value for interviewers and a shameless self-publicist.  Anne  
Widdecombe isn't ever-present because ten years ago she was a junior  
minister in the Home Office; she's ever-present because she's an  
egomaniac self-promoter.     Hell, the Hamiltons get plenty of column  
inches: you won't convince me that his time as a junior minister is a  
part of that.

As counter examples to the claim that being a cabinet minister is a  
recipe for long-term influence, Frank Dobson, Stephen Byers, Charles  
Clark and three quid will get you a grande cappuccino.

ian