Walter Meers, Veteran AP reporter said… “There are too many excursions into trivia, too much play for the public opinion polls, too many words about who’s ahead and who’s behind. There’s a reason. That is what people want to know.”
Grassroots: Take Whip from Fiddling MPs - LabourHome
In the Name of God… Go, Call Election Now - Sun
Indy Defaults on Bonds, Has Until Late June - Reuters
Hurrah for the Unlovable Free Press - John Lloyd
Five Things Cameron Must Do - ConservativeHome
Public Deserves Purge of the Guilty - Andrew Rawnsley
Five Non-Fiddling Labour MPs - LabourHome
Gordon Brown’s Expenses - City Unslicker
MPs Already in Top 1% of Earners - Chris Dillow
Who Should Be Speaker? - Comment Central
From Gravy-Train to Bread-Line - Tiberius Leodis
My Telegraph Rebuttal - Nadine Dorries
There is Nothing British About the BNP - ConservativeHome
Labour Voters - I’ll Give You £10 - Dan Hannan
It’s New Lowbour - Sun
Elliot Morley Kicked Out of PLP - BBC
Parliament Rated Lowest as an Institution - PoliticsHome
Why We Called the Police - Taxpayers’ Alliance
Petition for Transparency on MPs’ Expenses
MONDAY, MAY 18, 2009
After record gains in 2004 India’s communists were close to power. They derailed India’s economic liberalisation, curbed further deregulation, opposed moves to make the labour market more flexible, and prevented privatisation. Now the 700 million strong electorate has comprehensively rejected them and their left-wing allies.“I Told You So, Mr Speaker”" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(51, 68, 119); ">Sacked Media Adviser: “I Told You So, Mr Speaker”
John Stonborough spun for the Speaker and the House of Commons Commission from 2001 to 2003. He was hired because he understood how to handle a hostile media environment.
On Stonborough’s blog he reflects back on how Michael Martin dealt with critical counsel:
On the July 1, 2003, I had one of my regular private meetings with the Speaker in his study overlooking the river. It was a friendly encounter, just the two of us, and I decided to mention this business of claiming for his second home. I think I had mentioned it once previously. I should not have needed to do this, but few Commons officials had the guts to voice their concerns to him. I did.
The Speaker went puce. He told me to stay where I was and summoned the Clerk of the House, Roger Sands, and made me repeat my “allegation” in front of him. I wrote to the Speaker afterwards saying I thought he had been a bit rough on me. Being an adviser is not a popularity contest. The Speaker never spoke to me again and like others before and after me I was cast out.
The speaker is a proud, stubborn and incompetent obstacle to reform because he has abused the system as badly as the worst parliamentarian. Time’s up…
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