For my sins, I regularly watch (and read the sub-titles of) the London BBC TV news at very close quarters. That's while I am doing my stint on the treadmill at lunch time.
Today I was treated to Boris Johnson being very dictatorial to the London Assembly in respect to MLA (Member of the London Assembly) Barmcake of the BNP.
Barmcake (aka Richard Barnbrook) was invited to the regular Queen's Garden Party as an assembly member. He's entitled to one guest. Anyone in their right minds who has a partner as beautiful as his partner, ballerina Simone Clarke, would take her - right? Wrong. Very perversely indeed, Barmcake is choosing to spend the afternoon with his party leader, Nick Griffin.
Boris says this is making a "political stunt" of the garden party. I say the more you call it a stunt, Boris, the more it will become one.
The BNP is a legal political party. Barmcake is an elected assembly member. He has the right to bring which ever guest he chooses to a garden party.
Let Barmcake and Griffin get on with it, say I. If they are so desperate for publicity that they do this - good luck to them.
I have always thought that the more the BNP are subject to the glare of the spotlight, the more ludicrous they appear. If people see the preening, twitching Griffin at the Garden Party they will see what a complete prat he is. Result. They will also see what a complete prat Barmcake is wanting to take his party leader to a party instead of his ballerina partner.
No doubt a lot of time is going to spent speculating as to whether Griffin would meet the Queen at this event. Don't be so daft. Most people see her from a distance of 300 yards at these events, enough to bow and scrape at her distant figure, and the Royal Family have 1000 years of experience at avoiding people they don't want to meet.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The spiteful, childish mind of Gordon Brown
Consider this. Two Cabinet Ministers (A and B) didn't claim capital gains tax on their home sales. Gordon Brown says that's fine. "Not a problem" - were his exact words. And, indeed, Newsnight have obtained a guidance leaflet for ministers which says you can designate whichever home you feel like as your main homes - regardless of which one you designate under the MPs' ACA/Second homes allowance system.
So far so good.
But another Cabinet Minister (C) did exactly the same thing as A and B. C had to pay back the capital gains tax and apologise. Minister C's behaviour was described by the Prime Minister as "completely unacceptable".
So why the double standards by the Prime Minister?
Well, let's slot in the names, shall we? A and B are James Purnell and Geoff Hoon. C is Hazel Blears, Chimpmunk of this parish.
As far as I can make out, there is absolutely no difference in what Purnell, Hoon and Blears did, but the PM says the behaviour of Hoon and Purnell is "not a problem" while Blears' behaviour he calls "completely unacceptable".
Oh.
So is this prejudice against Chipmunks? Or, perish the thought, a very perverse way of punishing Blears for speaking out ("You Tube if you want to") against Brown? Inside Brown, there is a very spiteful and childish mind. It's one thing getting revenge, but quite another doing it by varying standards dependent on who the subject is.
So far so good.
But another Cabinet Minister (C) did exactly the same thing as A and B. C had to pay back the capital gains tax and apologise. Minister C's behaviour was described by the Prime Minister as "completely unacceptable".
So why the double standards by the Prime Minister?
Well, let's slot in the names, shall we? A and B are James Purnell and Geoff Hoon. C is Hazel Blears, Chimpmunk of this parish.
As far as I can make out, there is absolutely no difference in what Purnell, Hoon and Blears did, but the PM says the behaviour of Hoon and Purnell is "not a problem" while Blears' behaviour he calls "completely unacceptable".
Oh.
So is this prejudice against Chipmunks? Or, perish the thought, a very perverse way of punishing Blears for speaking out ("You Tube if you want to") against Brown? Inside Brown, there is a very spiteful and childish mind. It's one thing getting revenge, but quite another doing it by varying standards dependent on who the subject is.
Lord Rennard to stand down as LibDem Chief Executive at end of summer
Statement to members here:
First, I'd like to thank all members for everything that you are doing to help our candidates in the European and local elections (if you have local elections in your area). I am sure that they appreciate your support at a difficult time in politics. If you are standing yourself, then obviously I wish you the best of luck!
My reason for writing is that I have decided to make the current election campaigns my last as Chief Executive. I discussed this with Nick some time ago and I have given notice to the Party President that I will stand down as Chief Executive at the end of the Summer.
I want to be able to work more flexibly in future whilst of course continuing to help our party advance. I believe that I will be better able to do so without the administrative burdens of being Chief Executive and running the party's day to day organisation.
For family and health reasons, I have needed to change the way in which I work. My wife Ann has supported me enormously in all my work. But since she retired a few years ago after more than 35 years teaching, we wanted to have something of a more normal life outside the Westminster bubble.
This has become more important to me as I have struggled to maintain good diabetic control with the rigours of a very demanding lifestyle. This has proved to be increasingly difficult whilst carrying out the role of Chief Executive at HQ and around the country.
I decided that this Summer would be the best time for me and for the party to make a change. I am letting the party know this now, so that it can take the necessary steps to appoint a new Chief Executive in the Autumn.
My major work as Chief Executive in recent years has been to help create new structures for the party organisation and help to recruit an extremely strong professional team to work for it. The role of Chief Executive has therefore changed significantly since I undertook this role six years ago.
By the Summer, we will have had crucial local and European elections and I believe that we will do well in them. I am also confident that Nick Clegg will prove to be the most successful Leader that we have ever had. I am immensely proud of the roles that I have played so far in securing the steady advance of the Liberal Democrat cause. Our values and beliefs have never been more important than they are today. I will, of course, continue to support the General Election campaign, but not as chair.
Finally, I would just like to thank all members personally for all the support that I have had whilst working for the party and I look forward to continuing to work with you in future.
With all best wishes,
Yours sincerely
PS I thought about letting you know this after the current round of elections, but having taken the decision and informed the Leader and President, I wanted you to hear directly from me and to fully understand why I have been trying to make lifestyle changes and will make an even more significant one later this year.
Nick Clegg has issued the following statement:
Commenting on the decision by Chris Rennard to stand down as Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg said:
"It is impossible to exaggerate Chris' immense contribution to the Liberal Democrats over the years. Without Chris' unique skills as one of the country's most astute and effective political campaigners, I doubt that the party would now have the largest number of MPs in decades.
"More recently, his work as Chief Executive of the party has been invaluable in steering the party through some turbulent times and significantly professionalising the organisational aspects of the party.
"I am especially grateful to him for the invaluable support he gave to me when I first became party Leader. At all times, he has been utterly loyal, hard working and dedicated to the wider good of the Party.
"He will be sorely missed as Chief Executive by the many people in the party for whom he has been a huge inspiration for years.
"Whilst I understand Chris' reasons for moving on as Chief Executive, I am equally looking forward to drawing on his immense wisdom and insight into politics in the years ahead."
First, I'd like to thank all members for everything that you are doing to help our candidates in the European and local elections (if you have local elections in your area). I am sure that they appreciate your support at a difficult time in politics. If you are standing yourself, then obviously I wish you the best of luck!
My reason for writing is that I have decided to make the current election campaigns my last as Chief Executive. I discussed this with Nick some time ago and I have given notice to the Party President that I will stand down as Chief Executive at the end of the Summer.
I want to be able to work more flexibly in future whilst of course continuing to help our party advance. I believe that I will be better able to do so without the administrative burdens of being Chief Executive and running the party's day to day organisation.
For family and health reasons, I have needed to change the way in which I work. My wife Ann has supported me enormously in all my work. But since she retired a few years ago after more than 35 years teaching, we wanted to have something of a more normal life outside the Westminster bubble.
This has become more important to me as I have struggled to maintain good diabetic control with the rigours of a very demanding lifestyle. This has proved to be increasingly difficult whilst carrying out the role of Chief Executive at HQ and around the country.
I decided that this Summer would be the best time for me and for the party to make a change. I am letting the party know this now, so that it can take the necessary steps to appoint a new Chief Executive in the Autumn.
My major work as Chief Executive in recent years has been to help create new structures for the party organisation and help to recruit an extremely strong professional team to work for it. The role of Chief Executive has therefore changed significantly since I undertook this role six years ago.
By the Summer, we will have had crucial local and European elections and I believe that we will do well in them. I am also confident that Nick Clegg will prove to be the most successful Leader that we have ever had. I am immensely proud of the roles that I have played so far in securing the steady advance of the Liberal Democrat cause. Our values and beliefs have never been more important than they are today. I will, of course, continue to support the General Election campaign, but not as chair.
Finally, I would just like to thank all members personally for all the support that I have had whilst working for the party and I look forward to continuing to work with you in future.
With all best wishes,
Yours sincerely
PS I thought about letting you know this after the current round of elections, but having taken the decision and informed the Leader and President, I wanted you to hear directly from me and to fully understand why I have been trying to make lifestyle changes and will make an even more significant one later this year.
Nick Clegg has issued the following statement:
Commenting on the decision by Chris Rennard to stand down as Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg said:
"It is impossible to exaggerate Chris' immense contribution to the Liberal Democrats over the years. Without Chris' unique skills as one of the country's most astute and effective political campaigners, I doubt that the party would now have the largest number of MPs in decades.
"More recently, his work as Chief Executive of the party has been invaluable in steering the party through some turbulent times and significantly professionalising the organisational aspects of the party.
"I am especially grateful to him for the invaluable support he gave to me when I first became party Leader. At all times, he has been utterly loyal, hard working and dedicated to the wider good of the Party.
"He will be sorely missed as Chief Executive by the many people in the party for whom he has been a huge inspiration for years.
"Whilst I understand Chris' reasons for moving on as Chief Executive, I am equally looking forward to drawing on his immense wisdom and insight into politics in the years ahead."
David Cameron - straining credibility
On GMTV today David Cameron said Bill Wiggin had made an "honest mistake" in claiming £11,000 for mortgage payments for a house he owned.
Cameron is stretching the English language to breaking point. Firstly, it should be "honest mistakes", as Wiggin allegedly signed 23 declarations which were wrong. Secondly, I don't know how you can credibly say you made a mistake when you have just bought a house. It really does beggar belief that you would actually fork out £480,000 cash to pay for a house, then, allegedly forgetting you had done so, start allegedly claiming for non-existent mortgage payments "soon afterwards":
In April 2004 the couple, who have three young children, bought a property near Ledbury, Herefordshire, for £480,000 where the MP has bred prize-winning cattle and chickens.
Soon afterwards, Mr Wiggin changed the address on which he claimed additional costs allowance from his west London home to the new property, and the mortgage interest claim increased that month from £453.91 to £568.81.
However, he did not submit any bank statements in support. He and his wife had in fact bought the property outright and there was no mortgage.
Cameron's defence really strains credibility. And, by the way, Wiggin allegedly claimed for other items, such as cleaning and utilities, on this house he owned. And we're asked to believe that this was an "honest mistake".
How can you say it is a simple "mistake" to allegedly forget that you own a house outright and don't pay a mortgage on it? OK, I am happy to accept it was a "mistake", but if normal citizens make such "mistakes" they have to face very serious consequences indeed.
Cameron is stretching the English language to breaking point. Firstly, it should be "honest mistakes", as Wiggin allegedly signed 23 declarations which were wrong. Secondly, I don't know how you can credibly say you made a mistake when you have just bought a house. It really does beggar belief that you would actually fork out £480,000 cash to pay for a house, then, allegedly forgetting you had done so, start allegedly claiming for non-existent mortgage payments "soon afterwards":
In April 2004 the couple, who have three young children, bought a property near Ledbury, Herefordshire, for £480,000 where the MP has bred prize-winning cattle and chickens.
Soon afterwards, Mr Wiggin changed the address on which he claimed additional costs allowance from his west London home to the new property, and the mortgage interest claim increased that month from £453.91 to £568.81.
However, he did not submit any bank statements in support. He and his wife had in fact bought the property outright and there was no mortgage.
Cameron's defence really strains credibility. And, by the way, Wiggin allegedly claimed for other items, such as cleaning and utilities, on this house he owned. And we're asked to believe that this was an "honest mistake".
How can you say it is a simple "mistake" to allegedly forget that you own a house outright and don't pay a mortgage on it? OK, I am happy to accept it was a "mistake", but if normal citizens make such "mistakes" they have to face very serious consequences indeed.
LibDem blogs
LibDem blogs is the cental pillar of the Lib Dem blogosphere. Its communual nature is emblematic of the LibDems. Everybody gets a fair whack and new blogs get the prominence they wouldn't otherwise achieve. Yes, I suppose I could create a Google reader list to track the blogs I want to view, but I would miss the new ones and interesting posts which pop up unexpectedly from some quarters.
Ryan Cullen has created an excellent, under-stated tool which sets the LibDem blogosphere apart from the other parties' efforts. Unfortunately, his platform has been struggling for a while so a new one is needed - which will cost a few pennies.
About 60% of the traffic to this site comes from LibDem Blogs or from the LibDem blogs potted list on LibDem Voice.
If you are a regular user of LibDem Blogs, please give generously to help get this vital tool up and running again.
Thank you.
Ryan Cullen has created an excellent, under-stated tool which sets the LibDem blogosphere apart from the other parties' efforts. Unfortunately, his platform has been struggling for a while so a new one is needed - which will cost a few pennies.
About 60% of the traffic to this site comes from LibDem Blogs or from the LibDem blogs potted list on LibDem Voice.
If you are a regular user of LibDem Blogs, please give generously to help get this vital tool up and running again.
Thank you.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Hurrah! - Backing for publicly owned MPs' accommodation
After posting twice about this, I'm very relieved to, at last, find some backing for publicly owned MPs' accommodation. A clear majority of the PoliticsHome panel have backed the proposal:
The solution to MPs' need for two homes if their constituency is outside London lies in adopting a model similar to the Swedish system, where a publicly owned and maintained house or flat is provided if necessary.
That's the view of of the PHI100, the UK's leading survey of political expert and inside opinion. A sixty eight per cent majority of the panel - which includes MPs and peers, senior journalists, party strategists and policy experts - call for a Swedish style system. That opinion is shared by the majority of both right- (eighty one percent) and left-leaning panellists (sixty seven percent). Most Liberal Democrat panellists (forty three percent) also take this stance.
Clear majorities of media panellists, strategists, and thought leaders back the Swedish system - but parliamentarians are split down the middle.
One objection I'd like to knock on the head is this: One LibDem MP is quoted as saying that there's no suitable building (except 'Wormwood Scrubs'). Der. It doesn't have to be one building! It can be a mix of accommodation spread over a relatively large area.
The solution to MPs' need for two homes if their constituency is outside London lies in adopting a model similar to the Swedish system, where a publicly owned and maintained house or flat is provided if necessary.
That's the view of of the PHI100, the UK's leading survey of political expert and inside opinion. A sixty eight per cent majority of the panel - which includes MPs and peers, senior journalists, party strategists and policy experts - call for a Swedish style system. That opinion is shared by the majority of both right- (eighty one percent) and left-leaning panellists (sixty seven percent). Most Liberal Democrat panellists (forty three percent) also take this stance.
Clear majorities of media panellists, strategists, and thought leaders back the Swedish system - but parliamentarians are split down the middle.
One objection I'd like to knock on the head is this: One LibDem MP is quoted as saying that there's no suitable building (except 'Wormwood Scrubs'). Der. It doesn't have to be one building! It can be a mix of accommodation spread over a relatively large area.
Apology to Lord Rennard
At entirely my own initiative, I have revised an earlier post I made about Lord Rennard, as I do not feel, on reflection, that I sufficiently gave him the benefit of the doubt. I apologise to Lord Rennard for my initial over-reaction.
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