Monday, 9 March 2009




Things for Which Gordon Needs to Apologise - Trevor Kavanagh
Lloyds Deal is a Deceit of the Taxpayers - FT
Soviet Britain : State is 70% of Economy in Regions - Samizdata
Anti-Soldier Hate Leaflets in Luton - Daily Referendum
A Tip for Gordon Brown: Put Socks On First - Hugo Rifkind


MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2009

Murphy's Tax Law

Richard Murphy, the proselytiser for taxation given so much credit as an "expert" by taxaholic hacks at theGuardian as the leading authority has just made a startling admission on Sky News. He said it is worrying for everyone left behind that more corporations are leaving Britain fearing higher taxes - which he campaigns for - because the tax burden will fall harder on fewer taxpayers.That is what happens when looters try to fleece the productive too much.

Union Boss "Wins" With 5.4% of the Vote

Unite, the union which effectively controls the purse strings of the Labour Party, had an election for leader and nobody bothered. 85% of voters were in the none-of-the-above category.

With only 15% bothering to vote, only 60,048 (5.4%) out of a claimed membership of 1,096,51 voted to keep Derek Simpson in the bling style to which he is accustomedNot exactly a resounding endorsement.

Rich & Mark's Monday Morning View

SUNDAY, MARCH 8, 2009

+++ Telegraph Users Passwords and Emails Hacked +++

You should change your password if you are one of the 700,000 registeredTelegraph.co.uk users.

Hackers boasting here. Security warning here. The Telegraph, as far as Guido can tell, has not alerted users that their passwords have been compromised. Shane?

Trans-Atlantic Refusal to Apologise :
Brown Rants "Let's Have It Out Now"

It is worth reading the account pieced together from witnesses to the mid-Atlantic back-of-the-plane confrontation between Brown and his press tormentors. The Mail on Sunday gives a pretty full account of Brown's aggressive refusal to give the Lobby even an off the record acceptance that he is in any way culpable in the tiniest way for the particularly dire economic situation Britain faces.

ITN's political editor Tom Bradby says that after an interview ‘Off camera, the mike was ripped off and we exchanged a few tart remarks... He has a bad temper.’ So it was mid-air with the off-the-record, no notebooks, no tapes, Lobby briefing turned rant:

Pressed to admit he had made mistakes, he said: ‘No, it was supply. If inflation is low, people are going to borrow money to buy houses. You can’t stop that. You don’t understand it.’

At one point the man from the Labour-supporting Guardianthrew him a lifeline saying: ‘Can I just make it clear we aren’t all saying that?’

When another journalist tried to defuse the situation, Mr Brown refused to be diverted. ‘No, let’s sort this out now, let’s have it out now,’ he said, jabbing his finger.

Not exactly the bonhomie of the Blair Force One days on the return flight. The Mail's report does not identify the cringe-makingly obsequious Guardianhack doing the journalistic equivalent of bringing teacher an apple.

Guido can tell you it was the political editor,Patrick Wintour.

+++ Police Follow Custard Trail, Leila Deen Arrested +++