The ASA: Still Insulting Our Intelligence | Spiked
Beeb‘s Pro-Hamas Coverage | The Commentator
Labour’s Deficit Clock | Speccie
Ghana v Argentina? | Business Recorder
Commons Staff Label MPs Bullies | Evening Standard
Hattie Makes a Tit of Herself | The Sun
The Election That Never Was | Damian McBride
Dave Has A Fight On His Hands | Nick Wood
Shapps ASA ‘Investigation’ | Telegraph
Mili-Millionaire Challenged Again Over True Wealth | Telegraph
Gove Backs Heckled Labour Girl | Speccie
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2012
Saturday Seven Up
This week 106,614 visitors visited 317,352 times viewing 576,780 pages. The top stories in order of popularity were:- Multi-Miliband
- Tears of a Sleaze
- Piers Morgan Laughed Off Savile’s Underage Sex Joke
- Video: Chuka Skewered By Paxman
- Exclusive: Tory MP Calls for Inquiry Into Savile Allegations
- Justine’s X-Rated Ed Rant
- Senior BBC Bosses Claim £400,000-a-Year Expenses
You’re either in front of Guido, or behind…
Victory: Full Time Whitehall Pilgrims Defeated
Guido Campaign Success as Frankie Wields the Axe
It is eighteen months since Guido launched his campaign against Pilgrims – taxpayer-funded trade union officials – and tonight victory of sorts can be be declared. During his speech to Tory party conference on Monday, Frankie Maude will announce a series of radical new measures which mean the Whitehall versions of Jane Pilgrim, Hank Roberts and Julie Davies will no longer be able to rip off the taxpayer for the unions’ benefit. Civil servants will now be banned from spending more than half their time on trade union work, with a new maximum of 0.1% of a departmental budget can now be spent on union representation. Paid time off for union activities has also been scrapped meaning we will no longer be picking up the tab for PCS conferences. Any special circumstances will have to be signed off at Ministerial level and details published online. The unions are furious, but there’s not much they can do to fight transparency.
Credit should be given to the sterling work done by the Trade Union Reform Campaign in helping to expose Pilgrims. TURC chairman Aidan Burley tells Guido:
While TURC CEO Mark Clarke adds:“These welcome reforms are long over-due, and it speaks volumes that a Labour government bankrolled by the Unions never got round to even ensuring that Government Departments kept basic records of time employees spent on working for trade unions.”
A very pleasing start, that needs to be enforced across the public sector..“It is great news that Francis Maude is calling time on the wasteful practice of Pilgrims in central government. But this will still leave thousands of Pilgrims working in schools, hospitals and local government. That means nurses not nursing and teachers not teaching. The Maude reforms need to be extended across the whole public sector so we end this abuse once and for all.”
The entire story of how Guido and co beat the Pilgrims, ranging from the outing of Jane Pilgrim to parties with Pickles and Frankie Maude’s consultation, can be seenhere.
UPDATE: The Taxpayers’ Alliance data was at the heart of this fight, they’ve also responded to the news:“This move to reduce facility time in Whitehall will save taxpayers millions of pounds, which will be most welcome at a time when hard-pressed families across the UK are having to tighten their belts.However, similar action is also going to be required elsewhere in the public sector. Only then will the days of nurses and council staff working full-time for the union instead of doing the job for which they are paid be consigned to history.”
Suspended Transport Civil Servant Kicks Back
It’s all kicking off tonight over at Transport as the suspended civil servant Kate Mingay, the Director of Commercial and Technical Services, has gone very rogue and is denying everything:
“While it has been widely reported in the context of the award of the franchise for the West Coast Mainline that I have been suspended, my role has been inaccurately portrayed mainly due to statements and other comment made by the Department for Transport itself. I would like to make it clear that:If she didn’t lead on the project who did, and why were they not suspended?
• I did not have lead responsibility for this project;
• Neither I nor any member of my team had any responsibility for the economic modelling for this project, or for any Department for Transport project;
• Nor did I have any responsibility for the financial modelling in respect of this project;
I have not been involved in briefing Department for Transport ministers or other government ministers in respect of this project.
I will of course cooperate fully with all ongoing and future investigatory processes in relation to this matter, but wanted to correct the completely inaccurate portrayal of my role immediately.”
Cold-Blooded Ed Knifed McBride
Another cracker of a blog from Damian McBride today. We learn of Jonathan Freedland’s (disputed) role in the 2007 snap election decision, Andy Coulson’s dark arts spanners and how Brown’s inner circle thought he was about to have a breakdown – “Think his post-Mrs Duffy interview with Richard Bacon times 1,000″.
One of the most interesting stories recounted by McBride is his conversation with Ed Miliband after he had been accused of briefing against the future Labour leader:
“When he called me that Sunday, I told him what a joke it was that I was being accused of briefing against him and others. “But where’s it all coming from, Damian?” he said. “They’ve got all these details of the meetings we had; that must have come from you.” “Of course that stuff’s from me”, I said, “that’s just the colour – that’s harmless, but they’re accusing me of doing the lines blaming you and Douglas and Spencer for the whole thing.” “Well where’s all that coming from, Damian?”Watson and Balls should take note.
His voice and tone reminded me eerily of Hal the computer in the film 2001. “I don’t know, but it’s not from me – I’d never brief against you.” “I don’t believe you, Damian” he said, “I think you’re lying.” It felt like an ice cold razor had been dragged down my spine. “Ed, for God’s sake, don’t say that. I’d never brief against you.” “That’s the trouble, Damian, I don’t believe that’s true. I think you’re lying.” “Stop saying that, Ed. You can’t accuse me of lying. I’m not going to have that.” “I can’t help it, Damian, I think you’re a liar.” “If you keep saying that, you know we’re finished, I’m not having that.” “I don’t care, Damian, I think we are finished.””
Pro-Chavez Labour MPs Fly to Venezuela
Opposition activists murdered, shocking human rights abuses and a tyrannical president – Venezuela is a lovely place. That hasn’t stopped a host of Labour MPs from enjoying an all-expenses paid trip to South America so they can “monitor”the upcoming elections. Usual suspects Diane Abbott and Jeremy Corbyn, along with Grahame Morris and ex-Labour MP Colin Burgon are all flying to Venezuela.@afneil I'm in Venezuela. I hear you're interested in my new Facebook page. Are you not going to 'like' it then? #bbctwfacebook.com/pages/Diane-Ab…
Tags: Labour, Loony Left
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