Margaret Moran Lobbied Against Rival Companies

State of Britain – FT 
Bloggetariat v Commentariat - Mark Reckons
Rules Won’t Regulate MPs – Simon Carr
Bloody Adam #!*+@ Boulton - Boulton & Co.
Speaker Shepherd Please – Douglas Carswell
This is Ann Widdecombe’s Moment – Mel Phillips
Unnecessary Unmasking Damages Times – Martin Moore
Letter with £947 Cheque to the Fees Office – David Cameron
Sectarian Sash Singing Bercow – Scottish Daily Record
Hazel Blears Faces Citizens Arrest - Current
Speaker Nominations So Far – PoliticsHome
Police Examine Lib Dems Donation – BBC

TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2009

Margaret Moran Lobbied Against Rival Companies

Over at the FT they have discovered that Margaret Moran not only lobbied for EQN, the company run out of her office, she lobbied against the company’s rivals. Malfeasance in public office anyone?

Sacked Boris Aide Lunched His Mistress on Expenses

Andrew Gilligan and Paul Waugh have been digging into Ian Clement’s expense claims for restaurant meals charged to the public purse on a City Hall credit card. It appears he was taking out his mistress…

Draper Gives Masterclass

PR Week are holding a fancy New Media and Blogging conference this week with luminaries like DJ Collins from Google speaking (who incidentally was tapped to go spin do “strategic communications” for Downing Street, had drinks with Brown, told Google he was going, but backed out after a turf war with the bunker heavies before actually moving).

Draper has not withdrawn from the line-up the organisers say.  Guido is loooking forward particularly to hearing from Draper how to “Get The Tone Right To Achieve Maximum Coverage” and how to “Perfect your blogger Outreach Strategy”.  Also can’t wait to hear “How to Build Relationships with Bloggers”. Presumably by calling them racists.

Guido will also be speaking at the event on the subject of “sophisticated blogging”.  Honestly.

“Bercow Must Go......Too Early for “Bercow Must Go”

With the support of only 3 members sitting on the benches of the next governing party never in living memory has a new speaker so divided the house. Already the drum beat has started to undermine him.  Don’t get Guido wrong, there is good reason to be wary of Speaker Bercow.

He is the candidate of a party on the way out.  Like a drunk being thrown out of the pub they have spat on the floor before they got thrown out the door.  Bercow is disliked intensely by those who know him best, the longer you have known him, the less you like him. He was championed by Julian Lewis, who fought a dubious and disingenuous campaign against the public finding out about house flipping by MPs.  In the run up to his election Bercow called for a 60% pay increase for MPs. These are not good omens.

Putting aside Guido’s personal animosity, there are some good things to be said for Bercow.  No one doubts his energy or his ability to articulate his views.  They are not things that could be said for the last Speaker.

There is no point undermining him before we see how he actually performs in the job.  There is now an opportunity for a great reforming Speaker to drive through reforms that regain for parliament the ability to hold the government to account and in check.  Bercow has been elected on a manifesto promising to modernise procedures, strengthen democratic oversight of the government and make parlaiment more transparent.  If he sets the course for great reform let him keep his job.  If he fails, the next parliament should not hesitate to find someone else who can do the job.

UPDATE : Dale reminds Guido that Bercow promised that any minister who made an announcement to the media instead of the House first would be called to explain himself before parliament. Watch out for that, Guido’s money is on Ed Balls doing it first. Wonder what will happen if Mandelson does it…

MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2009

Bercow 322 v Young 271