guido fawkes

Murdoch to Sun Journalists: Trust Me | MediaGuido
Labour’s Enemy is Within | LabourList
What Has Got Into John Bercow? | James Kirkup
Where Next For Egypt? | The Commentator
Labour Falkirk Controversy Explained | Daily Mash
Labour Must Ignore Futile Left | Simon Danczuk MP
Jim Murphy Slams Unite | Sun
Unite Try to Stitch Up 41 Seats | FT
Miliband’s PMQs Script Found in Toilet | Times
Downing Street Won’t Like Times Changes | ConHome
Tories Unite Against Unite | Michael Deacon

THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2013

Karie Murphy Suspended From Labour Party

Karie Murphy, Tom Watson’s office manager who also happens to have been Len McCluskey’s girlfriend, has been suspended along with Labour member Stephen Deans over Falkirk. Labour has also banned unions from paying new members’ subs.Developing…

Via @tnewtondunn

UPDATE:
https://twitter.com/GuidoFawkes/status/352827876053229568

Guidogram Going Out Shortly

The Guidogram round-up of the week is going out shortly.
Thousands of Westminster insiders read the Guidogram, everyone from Downing Street insiders to Fleet Street never miss it. All the latest on Tom Watson’s resignation and Labour’s union crisis…
Join the conspiracy and become a subscriber to the Guidogram, free, to keep in the loop. You’re either in front of Guido, or behind…

Watson Boot Boy Ian Austin Calls For EU Referendum

Best pals Watson and Austin lived together. Watson resigns, Austin calls for an EU referendum. Miliband is losing control…

Tom Watson Resigns Over Falkirk Scandal

Dear Ed,
I said that I’d stay with you as general election co-ordinator within the Shadow Cabinet as long as I was useful. I think it would be a good idea for you, and me, if I stood down from the role now.
As you know, I offered my resignation on Tuesday and you asked me to reconsider. I’ve thought about it and still feel it is better for you and the future unity of the party that I go now. There are some who have not forgiven me for resigning in 2006. I fully accept the consequences of that decision and genuinely hope my departure allows the party to move on.
Yet it’s not the unattributed shadow cabinet briefings around the mess in Falkirk that has convinced me that the arrangement has run its course (though they don’t help). I believe that the report should be published – in full – and the whole truth told as soon as possible so that the record can be made clear. I’ve still not seen the report but believe there are an awful lot of spurious suppositions being written.
I wish to use the backbenches to speak out in areas of personal interest: open government and the surveillance state, the digital economy, drones and the future of conflict, the child abuse inquiries, the aftermath of the Murdoch scandal and grass roots responses to austerity.
Having resigned a couple of times before, I know how puckish lobby hacks might choose to misconstrue the departure. So to make it harder for them let me say this: I’m proud of your Buddha-like qualities of patience, deep thought, compassion and resolve. I remain your loyal servant. I’ll always be on hand to help you if you need me. I just don’t think you need me in the Shadow Cabinet any more. After nearly thirty years of this, I feel like I’ve seen the merry-go-round turn too many times. Whereas the Shadow Cabinet’s for people who still want to get dizzy.
You have it in you to be an outstanding Labour Prime Minister. The road ahead is always rocky but I will be with you all of the way, cheering you on from the backbenches. You’re my friend and leader, and I’m going to do all I can to make sure you win in 2015.
Here’s my parting thought:
John Humphrys asked me why you were not at Glastonbury this weekend. I said Labour leaders can’t be seen standing in muddy fields listening to bands. And then I thought how terribly sad that this is true. So: be that great Labour leader that you can be, but try to have a real life too. And if you want to see an awesome band, I recommend Drenge.
Yours sincerely,
Tom Watson

It was Hodges wot won it…

Drug Paraphernalia on the State

Theresa May’s taxpayer-funded foil for heroin and crack cocaine users, announced this afternoon, will certainly put the khat among the pigeons:

“The provision of foil can encourage people to take their first steps into treatment, reducing the immediate harm and facilitating the onward journey towards recovery and abstinence. By lawfully providing foil under strict conditions, we also tackle the significant health risks associated with injecting behaviours, including the transmission of dangerous blood borne viruses.”

Makes sense if you think about it… 

Another Ringing Eddie Izzard Endorsement

The Euro, Gordon, Ken, AV, press regulation – Eddie Izzard has never backed a winner. Introducing the new face of PR for Chinese lanterns…

Via @dylsharpe

Call for Union Regulator to Investigate Unite for Fraud
Unite Officials Could Face Four Fraud Charges Over Falkirk

The official trade union Certification Officer – who by law regulates trade unions – is being asked to investigate Unite over allegations that the signing up of Unite union members to the Labour Party in Falkirk without their knowledge or permission is an act of fraud. The Trade Union Reform Council (TURC), which is backed by 12 MPs, alleges that there are legal grounds for making 4 criminal charges of fraud against Unite union officials.

The Certification Officer has statutory powers to direct an organisation at any time, if he thinks there is good reason to do so, to produce relevant documents to aid his investigations, this could mean the Labour Party is forced to reveal the suppressed report of its own investigation into the goings on in Falkirk. The Certification Officer is almost certain to begin an investigation which could result in all the dirty washing being revealed.Fraud is an imprisonable offence…
Full text of TURC call to Certification Officer for Unite investigation:

View this document on Scribd

Bercows Take a Break

The increasingly grumpy Speaker has spent almost£100,000 of taxpayers’ money jet-setting around the world, as well as clocking up a £16,000 chauffeur bill with Sally.
Not missing home?

Via Mail.

See also: today’s Quote of the Day

How Much Do You Pay in Energy Taxes?

Your average gas and electricity bill has you paying £192 a year in taxes. Bad enough, you would have thought. If we carry on down the same road average bills will rocket to £1,883 by 2020 and £2,920 by 2030. You can calculate just how much you will be paying under current plans using the Taxpayers’ Aliiance’s new energy swindle calculator:

Madness.

Read Leaked Unite Plot to Stitch Up Seats in Full

View this document on Scribd

Including:

• Unite’s uniformed army plot to win seats: “Efforts will be made to develop an esprit de corps, including clothing”
• Selections “like a swan, all that can be seen is indication of support while below the water activity is furious”
• “as much involvement in candidate selection at local/regional level is our aim”
• “our political department work is dominated currently by candidate selection matters”
• “I do not intend to give a detailed written report. Previous reports to the EC have found their way onto web-sites and then been quoted in the press, so of necessity some of this will be verbal”
• Lobbying exposed: “Enterprise and regulatory reform Bill -The union provided significant contributions to MPs and the Shadow teams in supporting attempts to block the worst aspects of both the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill and the Growth and Infrastructure Bill”
• “A meeting was arranged with the Labour members of the BIS select committee together with AGS Tony Burke and Simon Dubbins, Director of Research and International. The meeting was to look at opportunities to work with Labour members on this committee in shaping the agenda and ensuring that Unite’s perspective on the issues under discussion is being heard. BIS’s role in both employment law and industrial policy makes this a potentially very influential body and through looking at how the research and knowledge we produce as a union can be used to support their work on the committee it is hoped to develop a strong relationship with those Labour MPs to the benefit of our members”

Confirming what we knew all along, it’s a stitch up…