A reminder about Evil

[ Contains spoiler about last series of Ashes to Ashes ]

I missed out on commenting on the end of the Ashes to Ashes series on BBC TV a few weeks ago, but I'd like to say I thought it was a brave and engaging ending.

One of the services it provided us was the depiction of Evil in the form of DCI Jim Keats.

DCI Keats seems plausible, although plenty of hints are left that all is not right. But the best part is he tells lies, diabolical ones. He denies the truth straight to peoples faces with the intent of deceiving them and ultimately damning them.

And in that he is a reminder of how evil works.

We've seen a lot of people who are willing to trade with this sort of Evil on our TV screens, especially on the news recently. People willing to lie as a strategic or tactical decision.

Its good to be reminded, if only in fiction, that such people can exist and you really can't just trust what some people ( or self proclaimed "peace activists" or government officials) say.

The Budget: Misdirection, spin and leaks are in - must be bad

Misdirection: We've just discovered some schools insist on taking money of parents.

Of course the party of the London Oratory school knows this - as do lots of other left wingers. Its how they get around the prospect of destroying their children's education by leaving them at the mercy of the system. A mate of mine sends his kids to a state primary school that raises £1 million a year - and is populated by the offspring of BBC types, Guardian journalists etc.

Spin: its the world and specifically the American's fault - not ours. So the Treasury not paying of debt in the good times but splurging it on unreformed ( despite the usual Gordon Brown untruthful claim about continuing reform ) is the US fault eh ?

Leaks: Trying to control the news reports by leaking the move on fuel tax. Its just the sort of bypassing of parliament and spin that Gordon Brown promised to stop - but as we now know - he's a liar.