“You’re all a bunch of useless Labour c****!” – Niall Paterson Senator Chris Dodd Senate Banking Committee Chairman “If it was in any was possible for UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to blame Goldman Sachs for the ash clouds that are threatening our economic recovery, he would do so.” Niall PatersonApril 20, 2010 4:47 PM Barred from entry to a school in Swindon, I was a bit miffed with Labour and the local council. After all, it's not as if I would have failed any checks - my ticket for the Labour leader's tour and my lobby pass entitle me to pretty close access to those at the top of government (the other day the PM and I were chewing the fat over Celtic's woes this season). But Swindon Borough Council were adamant that the media should not be allowed on their property during an election period. Still, as often happens, the really exciting stuff happened OUTSIDE the venue. John Doyle, a local businessman and taxi driver, arrived to give both barrels to any Labour figure he could find. He was critical of Labour's support for small businesses, arguing that high rates and restrictive regulations were making life incredibly difficult for people like him. Ed Miliband tried to persuade Mr Doyle, but to no avail - after the Climate Change Sec went back inside, the businessman said he would be voting Lib Dem "because they might do things differently". But then one of the PM's advisers approached Mr Doyle, and invited him in for a chat with Gordon Brown. When, a few minutes later, Mr Doyle reappeared, it was clear he'd been swayed, if not entirely persuaded, by his private audience. He told reporters he'd been promised some business advice, that rates were coming down, and that he could have a meeting with Labour's Anne Snelgrove to discuss matters further. Are you still intending to vote for the Lib Dems?, I asked. Let's wait and see what they say to me tomorrow, Mr Doyle replied. So a brief encounter may have just saved Mr Brown a vote. As John Doyle said, with a shake of his head, he's not the same man you see on telly. Why hasn't Labour done more of this? A common grumble from those who travel on the Labour bus is that whilst the PM often meets lots of people, they're often supporters or there is precious little discussion or debate of policy. Still, I know what it's like to be on the receiving end of an anti-Labour tirade. Our bus parked up round the corner from the venue on a seemingly quiet residential street. But then one man, seemingly driven to fury by the six foot high Labour logo outside his living room window, rushed out to deliver his verdict to a bemused pack of reporters. "Will you move that f****** monstrosity?!" he screamed, gesturing at the bus. "You're all a bunch of useless Labour c*****!" Ah. Perhaps there's a very GOOD reason why the PM takes on his detractors behind closed doors.
Gordon Blocked Benefit Reforms says Blair Advisor – Standard
A Note of Caution About Cleggmania – Iain Martin
Gordon Must Go – The Guardian
LibDems are an Exploded Puffball – Boris
A Defence of the LibDems – Adam Smith Institute
Brown Will See Growth Figures Before Debate - Bloomberg
Lib Dem Staffer is Latest Facebook Casualty – Tory Bear
Fire Up the Quattro, Dave Does Paxo Friday – Paul Waugh
Against a Lib-Con Change Coalition – Tim Montgomerie
Louis Theroux: I was Clegg’s ‘Fag’ at School - Telegraph
The Return of Elizabeth Filkin – Telegraph
No Prezza-nce – SunMirror Running Around Like Headless Chickens
Disgraced Rennard’s Return
Home Secretaries Head to Head
ANTI Spin Room
Gordon’s Daily Gaffe
Vote-Mapping : LibDems Vote Increasingly with the Tories
PM Appeals To Heckler
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
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