Not Dan Hodges says:
Owen Jones walks into a bar, and finds it staffed by a dinosaur. “Bloody hell, shouldn’t you be extinct!?” says the dinosaur.
QE is a Fool’s Paradise | Jim Rogers
Red Len Loves Claridges | Speccie
Red Len Loves Claridges | Speccie
LibDem MP ‘Denigrates Holocaust’ | The Commentator
Labour Block Nationalisation of Fee-Paying School | Seb Payne
Keith Simpson MP’s Summer Reading List | MediaGuido
Margaret Hodge Could Run For London Mayor | LabourList
Public Support For BBC Plummets | The Commentator
Guardian Promotes Extremist Mosque | Harry's Place
FRIDAY, JULY 12, 2013
Mini-Government Reshuffle Pencilled In for Next Thursday
The FT say Wednesday, Sky say otherwise , but the reshuffle speculation is reaching fever pitch before the summer break. A Downing Street source explains it well: “there are two very good rules with reshuffle speculation. 1. If you hear if from a journalist it is almost certainly b****ks. 2. If you hear from an MP it is undoubtedly b****ks, unless, in this case, that MP is called David and he lives in No.10.” Bloggers, on the other hand…
Guido hears that, provided that the plan does not change, Claire Perry has less than a week to clear her desk – the mini-reshuffle is ‘pencilled in’ to the grid for Thursday 18 July. It may have been pencilled in, but with the hype growing it could well be brought forward.
You can read all of Guido’s speculation about the minor-movements from over the last few weeks here. There are no big changes expected, but plenty of deckchairs rearranged and deadwood shifted from the lower rungs of government. The ladies will do particularly well.
THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2013
Another LibDem MP Smears Israel
If anyone was wondering whether Bob Russell was a good judge of character, all they need to do is take a look at his choice of old flatmate: that Mike Hancock fella. The LibDem MP is in hot water for comments about Israel. Questioning Michael Goveabout the new curriculum on Monday, the oddball repeated a now common smear from LibDem lawmakers: that the State of Israel is organising the government-sponsored and mechanised ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Remember Jihad Jenny Tonge and David “the Jews” Ward? Well Russell is clearly on the same page:“On the assumption that the 20th century will include the Holocaust, will he give me an assurance that the life of Palestinians since 1948 will be given equal attention?”One for “questions to which the answer is no”…
Via The Commentator
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. Will Dave give up his pay rise?
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…
Not Dan Hodges says:
Owen Jones walks into a bar, and finds it staffed by a dinosaur. “Bloody hell, shouldn’t you be extinct!?” says the dinosaur.When Owen Jones Met Red Len
Of course Owen Jones is definitely not a union lobbyist. He’s far too busy writing his book to get involved in that unfortunate business any more. After all it was only a bit of “public policy work”that he used to do for the union-funded CLASS think tank anyway. Yet now he doesn’t have the time for all that. Who should Owen be spotted with in Portcullis House this afternoon? One Len McCluskey…“Bol****ed By Bercow”
When Michael Gove sat in John Bercow’s chair during the Tory parliamentary party photograph last week, his impressions of the Speaker had his colleagues in stitches. Following Bercow’s savaging of Philip Hammond, Gove ripped into the Defence Secretary in the style of the increasingly short Speaker. Much to the amusement of his backbench detractors. The Mail has a prototype of a badge disgruntled Tories are planning to wear as members of the new “Bol****ed by Bercow” club.The Education Secretary would be the perfect patron…
McTernan the Tables
Former Brown strategist turned Aussie spin merchant John McTernan’s downfall down under sees him back on these shores offering glowing praise for Ed Miliband today.“Can [he] turn it round? Almost certainly. [He] has grown in stature, is a robust parliamentary performer, more than able to hold own in a rowdy chamber, is a very effective communicator… and is likely to get Labour back on track for re-election.”Only that wasn’t from McTernan’s piece on Miliband today, rather it was a2010 article promising great things for one Julia Gillard. This morning he describes Ed in similar terms:
“No one should ever have doubted that Ed Miliband had steel. He took the crown at the first go – the top job, he reminded us, is not for the fainthearted or weak-willed. Having seized power he briskly rebranded the Labour Party”Safe to say things didn’t quite turn out as he predicted first time round…
MacShane Charged
Denis McShane is to be charged with a single count of false accounting.
Perfect timing…“Having thoroughly reviewed the evidence gathered by the police, I have decided there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to bring a criminal charge against Denis MacShane. This charge relates to fraudulent claims with a total value of £12,900.
“The charge is of false accounting, contrary to the Theft Act 1968. It is alleged that Denis Macshane claimed expenses for research and translation services carried out by a company that did not carry out that work.”
Read the allegations against MacShane and all Guido’s stories about the claims against him here.
Trade Union Certification Officer Opens Falkirk Fraud Review
The Trade Union Certification Officer has opened a “review” into the Unite union and the Falkirk mess. Responding to a complaintfrom the Trade Union Reform Campaign, Guido understands that the body that regulates unions wants the Information Commissioner to investigate possible Data Protection Act breaches. The regulator is gathering evidence…New MPs’ Pay Package Costs Half a Million More a Year
IPSA’s 11% pay increase for MPs includes:
a salary of £74,000 in 2015, indexed to average earnings in the whole economy thereafter;- a new pension on a par with those in other parts of the public service, saving the taxpayer millions;
- scrapping out-of-touch “resettlement payments” worth tens of thousands of pound per MP and introducing more modest, modern redundancy packages, available only to those who contest their seat and lose; and
- a tighter regime of business costs and expenses – ending the provision for things such as evening meals.
Watson Replaced on Labour NEC by Former Brown SpAd
How’s this for the dawn of a new politics? Tom Watson has been replaced on Labour’s ruling NEC by Jon Ashworth: a former Brown Special Adviser who was parachuted into a safe Labour seat at a by-election.
“Johnny Sparkle” used to be in charge with liaising with the unions for the party, and as the Standard once noted, his contact book is “stuffed with constituency officers and union organisers”. Continuity Labour.
Tags: Labour, Tom Watson
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