Mr Brown Goes to Washington

Our Failed War on Drugs - Liberal Conspiracy
Speaker Took Wife to Hawaii and Bahamas on Expenses - Telegraph
Has Harriet Been to Zimbabwe - Ben Brogan
Campaign to Shred John Prescott's Pension - LibDemVoice
Peston's Run - Guardian

TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2009

Mr Brown Goes to Washington

This is pure comedy, Ben Brogan reflects on the gift of a pencil holder (?) made from wood from HMS Gannet:

...I wonder what Mr Obama will make of the fact that the only action it saw was in Sudan when it shelled rebels against the British empire. He's also getting Sir Martin Gilbert's seven volume biography of Churchill, which will help him find out more about how the Mau-Mau were successfully suppressed in Kenya by the British Emp... Oh, I'm sure it will be fine.

On landing after a 7 hour transatlantic flight, the Lobby learnt there is to be no press conference with Obama. Brogan says there will just be

a quick question or two on the fly, not the standing podium-to-podium with the Messiah image that Mr Brown imagined. The joint presser is usually a given on these trips, so this is odd.

Over at the Telegraph Toby Harnden mocks

Mr Brown might be forgiven for thinking that his friend, rival and predecessor Tony Blair would not have been treated the same way by his bosom buddy President George W. Bush. After all, there are 132 rooms in the White House at least some of which, presumably, are currently be free of snow.

On the other hand, President Obama is terribly busy this Tuesday. The White House schedule tells us that he is delivering remarks at the Department of Transportation to deliver remarks about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and is also speaking at the Department of Interior to mark its 160^th anniversary.

There's a conflab with Pentagon chief Bob Gates. Oh, and Mr Obama will also meet "a delegation from the Boy Scouts of America and receive their 2008 Report to the Nation" in the Oval Office.

Mr Brown might lament that despite the so-called "special relationship" Britain is now getting the same treatment as the President of Uruguay but he need not despair. I'm told there's a chance he might get drinks with Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday evening.

The Boy Scouts of America obviously are better prepared than the Downing Street boys...

MONDAY, MARCH 2, 2009

Jonah Goes to Washington: Ill Wind Blows From the East
Storm Strikes Capital, Dow Falls Below 7,000

Cui Bono M'Lords?

The Construction Bill passing through the House of Lords is a classic of its kind. Technical, boring and of little interest to most people, except for those in the industry who will profit or lose from amendments to the tune of millions. Lord O’Neill, the former Labour MP turned ermine-clad troughing piggy, decided to withdraw amendments to the bill after The Times' Sam Coates spotted that he was paid by the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ Group.

Guido's co-conspirator from the property world has now spotted that Lord O’Neill's withdrawn amendments from the Local Democracy, Economic Development, Construction Bill have recently been re-tabled by Lord Borrie. The same exact amendments (Amendments 203A to 217A) without alteration.

Compare Lord O’Neill’samendments to Lord Borrie’s amendments.

Guido has gone to the trouble of underling the differences between the two amendments in red. Perhaps Lord Borrie personally feels strongly about construction contracts or he’s just mates with Lord O’Neill. Either way I’m sure Lord O’Neill’s sponsors, the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ Group, are happy with the coincidence.

They really are all at it in the Parliament of Whores...