FCO: British Minister's Bank Propped Up Mugabe - Telegraph
Brown Did it With Dignity - Quentin Letts
Sadly, the House Got It Wrong About Ivan Cameron - Matthew Parris
Only Two MPs Sign EDM Pledge to Offer Value for Money - Dizzy
Turner Blames Bank Crisis On Brown's "Light Touch" - Paul WaughTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2009
10 PPS Sign EDM Opposing Postal Privatisation
David Wright (PPS to John Hutton), David Anderson (Bill Rammell), Claire Curtis-Thomas (Baroness Scotland of Asthal), David Hamilton (Ed Miliband), Mark Hendrick (Jack Straw), Stephen Hesford (Vera Baird), Sharon Hodgson (Dawn Primarolo), Ashok Kumar (Hilary Benn), John Mann (Tessa Jowell), Stephen Pound (Stephen Timms)
Laura Moffatt is a former PPS to Alan Johnson, her opposition might be a sign of where he really stands. It is getting a bit like the dying days of the Major regime when euro-sceptics openly defied the government...Labour Partying With Bankers Tonight
Crisis, what banking crisis? Yesterday the City minister Lord Myners wasshowing off his art collection to the Labour glitterati, tonight John Prescott will be in the heart of the financial district partying with the rest of the London Labour Party to raise money from bankers at a £500-a-table"Gala Dinner"
For public consumption Labour are bashing the bankers whilst privately they will be dancing to their tunes, still hoping to tap them up for donations. Tonight's gala venue is next door to Lehman's building in Canary Wharf, so perhaps they won't raise quite as much money as they hope - particularly since any bankers still with jobs are unlikely to have cash to spare from non-existent bonuses. Unless of course you negotiated your exit package with Alastair Darling, in which case you are sorted for life...Lord and Lady Myners Party On
Broader society is suffering terribly as the banking and debt crisis ravages the economy. Yet the former Smith Institute deputy chairman, Guardian Media Group chairman, hedge fund director, long time Brown crony and newly appointed City Minister, Lord Myners of Short Selling, isn't showing any signs of belt tightening. Quite the contrary, he is hosting gilded parties.
Yesterday he and Lady Myners "graciously" invited their friends from the art world, politics and upper reaches of the Guardian into their Belgravia home to view their multi-million pound modern art collection.
Guido has been unable to confirm which particular vintage of champagne it was that Sarah Brown, and the many other friends drawn from the ruling New Labour elite, were drinking. Truly, they are "people who have no sense of the broader society around them."WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2009
PPS Revolt Threatened Over Post Privatisation
Clearly the meeting didn't go brilliantly...
Dear Colleague
In line with meetings that we had with Alistair on the 10p tax changes, I am hoping to get a meeting with Lord Mandelson and Pat MacFadden and worried PPS's. I hope that we can find a way forward that is acceptable to all parts of our party and in line with our manifesto commitment.
If you are interested in attending such a meeting can you let me know as soon as possible? My telephone number is 0790 xxxxxx and my email address is xxxxxxxxxxxx@parliament.uk.
Yours sincerely
Dave Anderson MPPMQs Cancelled
Perhaps the politicians felt uncomfortable continuing with "Punch and Judy politics" as normal when one of the main protagonists, David Cameron, has suffered such a deep personal loss. Perhaps PMQs just isn't that important.
We are told that instead Brown, Cable and Hague will read statements to the House.
UPDATE 12:05 : Having heard the condolences perhaps it was for the best, the mood of the House was clearly not for "business as usual".
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Usually the convention is that a PPS who opposes a government motion resigns. The FT's Westminster blog lists ten PPS who have signed the EDM opposing Mandelson's plans to make the Royal Mail pay:
Baron Myners said recently "I have met more masters of the universe than I would like to, people who were grossly over-rewarded and did not recognise that. Some of that is pretty unpalatable. They are people who have no sense of the broader society around them."
This was sent around Labour PPS's by Dave Anderson, PPS to Bill Rammell at the FCO. Note he says the issue is as important as the 10p tax issue.
In discussion with other colleagues I am aware that some PPS's share my concerns regarding the proposal to bring a private partner into Royal Mail.
UPDATE : You have to admire Mandelson's sheer cunnning. He has just had the first reading of the Post Privatisation Bill a day early in the Lords. former postie, Lord Clarke, shouted "shame on you". A good day to bury bad headlines.
Guido's sympathies are with the Camerons. However cancelling PMQs is not the right response. The show must go on, every week the names of sons who have fallen in Afghanistan and Iraq are read out and sympathies are offered. Democracy does not halt for those sons.
UPDATE 12:35 : The scheduled unveiling of Margaret Thatcher's portrait in Downing Street has also been postponed.
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