PCS Forced to Hand Out Direct Debit Forms After Pickles Decree

Sir Humphrey is Angry With Me | Douglas Carswell
Blairite Europhiles Back to Repeat Mistakes | ConHome
How Students Would Wipe Out LibDems | Telegraph
Stuart Wheeler Bets on Tories | Speccie
Lynton Crosby is a Showman | Tom Watson
UK Porn Filter Architect Sued | Paid Content
Tory Plan to Stop UKIP | Tim Wigmore
More Monbiot Hypocrisy | Peter Glover
An Anarcho-Capitalist Defence of the Royal Family | Backbencher
Fingers Crossed Miliband Can Survive Until 2015 | Toby Young
Why Britain Would Be Better Off Out of the EU | Rory Broomfield

THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013

PCS Forced to Hand Out Direct Debit Forms After Pickles Decree

The revolting PCS union are taking Eric Pickles to court over his changing the rules to stop union subscriptions automatically being docked from the wage packets of DCLG civil servants. A few of them have even  bothered to protest today. Their latest leaflet would imply that they don’t have much hope for the court battle – they’ve already starting handing out Direct Debit forms for membership fees. Guido could not help notice that despite the PCS finding room for tick boxes for every conceivable sexual orientation and/or gender identification, they fail to fit in a box to opt in or out of the union’s political levy. How queer…

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. Don’t miss the latest on Claire Perry…
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…

Certification Officer Now Free To Investigate Unite

Pressure is mounting following the launch of the Enforcement Department investigation into Unite. Last week the Certification Officer, who by law regulates trade unions, made clear he could not become involved himself while the police investigation was ongoing. Now the police investigation is over, he is free to do so. You can read his letter here. Mark Clarke of the Trade Union Reform Campaign, who made the original complaint, has this afternoon written to the the Certification Officer once more, asking:

“that with the closing of the police investigation, you exercise the responsibilities which Parliament has given you to stand up for the rights of ordinary Union members and ensure that Union funds have been properly spent.”

Guido can’t see any reason stopping them from doing so now…

Information Commissioner Confirms Falkirk Fraud Investigation

Guido understands from a source close to the Information Commissioner that the Enforcement Department has launched an investigation into the Unite Falkirk scandal. Specifically looking at the purchasing of Labour memberships for Unite members. Meanwhile Miliband is still refusing to release the Falkirk report Labour handed to the police. He seems just about the only person who still thinks it should be kept secret: Tory chairman Grant Shapps has written to Ed backing up Tom Watson – who said “the report should be published – in full – and the whole truth told as soon as possible so that the record can be made clear” - and Len McCluskey, who says he needs to “bring out the truth”. Just as Unite say they want Karie Murphy reinstated as Labour’s candidate. The story will just get more and more awkward until Labour reveal what they told the police…

Swedish Meatballs-Up

Another day, another politician posts a picture of his manhood on the Internet. Lars Ohly, upstanding former chairman of Sweden’s hard leftVänsterpartiet, got his meatballs out as he tried to upload a photo of his Liver bird tattoo. Here is the unfortunate pic posted on Instagram before Lars pulled it off:

In the end he had no choice but to suck it up and explain himself:

“Ha, ha, I accidentally posted a picture on Instagram that showed more than intended. Now corrected. Summer’s wonderful. The willy picture is today’s hot topic. Completely by accident, though. The future will see a more thorough uploading review process.”

The final word goes to ex-Swedish Social Democrat leader Hakan Juholt:“I’d planned to grill sausages tonight but now it’s going to be chicken.”

Bad Al’s Firm Spins for 3,943% APR Pay-Day Lenders

Though he’s more of a Herod than a Jesus, Mad Al Campbell got all righteous on us earlier with the news that Archbishop of Canterbury is declaring war on pay-day lending firms like Wonga. Once again he should check his own parish. Campbell is retained by spinmeisters Portland PR, so he might want to have a look at his firm’s client list. Portland represent TxT Loan, who just happen to offer pay-day loans with 3943% APR. Is he attacking Wonga for commercial rivalry reasons?

Party Funding Figures in Full

How much money is there in politics? £72,405,726 is the total income reported by Britain’s political parties in the last year.

 72,405,726 reasons for reform…

Cops Say Not Enough Evidence For Falkirk Investigation
Now Ed Has to Publish the Report

The cops don’t want to go near the Unite vote rigging scandal in Falkirk. Which means the ball is back in the court of the Certification Officer, whose review prompted by the Trade Union Reform Campaign is now free to continue without fear of interfering with a police investigation. Now the police say there is not enough evidence for their investigation to continue, we need to see what Ed gave them. Time to publish the report to avoid allegations of wasting police time…

Q2 GDP Up 0.6%

As widely predicted, GDP increased by 0.6% in the second quarter. Good news all round as all four main industrial groupings within the economy (agriculture, production, construction and services) increased in Q2 compared with Q1. Services were up by 0.6%, production by 0.6%, manufacturing by 0.4% and construction by 0.9%. That’s almost healthy…

PCS are Revolting

A nice day for civil service protest. What could the PCS be agitating over today? Poor care at the NHS? MPs getting a pay freeze while theirs is capped at 1%? Something the public could really get behind? No. Today they are protesting at Eric Pickles fulfilling his promise to end union “check off” – where union subscriptions are automatically taken from civil servants’ pay packets and instead making them opt in to pay it and the subsequent political levy. DCLG is the first department to make this entirely reasonable move, but it seems Pickles has bigger plans:

“Reducing such public subsidies to trade unions is a practical way that councils can save money, to keep council tax down and protect frontline services for local residents – including union members themselves. And my department is practising what we preach to councils. Trade union activities and campaigning should be funded through consenting members’ subscriptions, not bankrolled by the taxpayer. Freedom from state dependency will mean that trade union bosses will better reflect and respond to the wishes and views of the grassroots members.”

To the barricades!