Is it compulsory for all Labour's idea's to be doomed to failure?

So ID cards are no longer compulsory. Read this for the full info. Oh well, that's over 4 billion quid saved. Now both parties have less to cut. Isn't maths wonderful! National ID database next anyone? Or maybe the big NHS IT project. Jesus, keep it up and they'll be able to make a hell of a lot of cuts without seriously harming frontline services (apart from traffic wardens, those little nazi bastards need taking down a peg!).

Let's have a party, and lets make it old school! I'm talking champagne and strippers!

Minister for Mendacity

Ed Balls has had a go at Fraser Nelson for calling him a liar in one of his coffeehouse blog posts. Fraser has rightly pointed out that if Ed doesn't want to be called a liar then he should tell the truth and has backed up his position with facts and also illustrated why the old politics of deception no longer work due to the blogosphere. Keep it up Fraser. Fraser has promised he will subject a future Tory government to the same scrutiny. Good, though I think it's fair to comment that Dave is already aware that you can't get away with fudging figures these days when you've hundreds of bloggers ready to factcheck quicker than you can say google. That is why the likes of Balls and Brown are finished.

Just tell the truth!

I think I love Anita Anand. She has just pummelled a labour housing minister for not being honest with the public over public spending. I only wish some of the other political journo's at the beeb would take a leaf out of her book. Brillo (who's got the day off to work on his tan) will be proud of his protege.

If you missed today's daily politics, catch it on iplayer.

A little respect

Another weekend of ministers announcing policy to the media after the Speaker's statement last week. Time for Speaker Bercow to sack up and bring the errant little sods to heel.

Also, the language they use is the one of the foregone conclusion...we are changing, we will set up a committee (Gordon's personal favourite), etc. Not, 'We are proposing a change or we wish to put this matter to parliament. No, the language is, they've decided and they're doing it, parliament be damned. This attitude needs to change...now.

Newsflash - Button in terrible F1 accident

Have a nice weekend!

The PM doesn't want you to know this

I'm not really one for spreading party political videos but since this one is full of truth and fact I thought I'd let it slide this time as it serves to prove what a mendacious swine with the worlds most ineffective moral compass we have for a PM.



As I've already said on here, in the blogosphere there is nowhere for your lies to hide, Gordon.

New Speaker

So John Bercow (or Smeagol as he shall henceforth be known on this blog) has been appointed as Speaker of the house on the back of Labour's desire to piss the tories off. What he does in the next few months will prove crucial to how long he survives in the job. If he is totally impartial and champions intelligent reforms he has a chance. His first test will be PMQ's on Wednesday. He could make a good start by ending the whip-fed questions from the labour benches and also making sure Brown is held to account. Also pointing out that it is 'Prime Ministers' questions, not leader of the opposition's questions wouldn't go amiss as Brown seems to have forgotten that.

In short, he's on probation.



The first part of his reforms is a radical new direction on the speaker's uniform.

I can change, I can change

As we approach relaunch no. 1067 for our embattled PM it's time to reflect on his statement to the PLP that he would change the way he does government.

Today sees the election of a new speaker, this is traditionally a free vote for members of all partys but it comes as no surprise to discover that a labour whipping operation to get Margaret Beckett installed is taking place. A leopard never changes its spots.

Since Frank Field has bowed out the only two candidates I would personally be happy to see as speaker are Young and Haslehurst.

Pimping Iain Dale

Listen to Iain's radio show. It's the only place that would give Andrew Neill a run for his money in terms of political discourse. And he'll have plenty to talk about after this weeks events.



And who knows, maybe I'll finally make the Daley Dozen. (I did after all pimp both his election shows too!) Not that I'm bitter!

More 'brownies' from Gordon

Does anyone remember the question at PMQ's this week.

Q: Has the government been receiving informal briefings from Damien McBride?

A: 'I' have not.

What on earth has the presbyterian church been doing? Are these moral values you would want your children to follow? Article here.



I know it's not Damien McPoison, but it's a glimpse at his near 'whisky-soaked' future. I do hope Labour Party MP's are taking note of what their cowardice has allowed to remain.

Redact this

Well looking through my own MP's expenses (Chris Bryant, Rhondda) I've been met by a sea of black. Though some of what is there is puzzling me. Why is he claiming food allowance in the first place? And why is it often at the £400 limit? Mr Bryant is openly gay so it is not as if he's got a large family to feed. I don't know about you but I've never managed to eat £400 a month. In fact in a house with 5 people eating there regularly I doubt we get through that much in Casa de Bob. Also, as a government minister (was formerly Harriet Harman's 2nd in command, now at the foreign office.) I assume that he spends most of his time in London, making his second home in the rhondda. House prices in the Rhondda are amongst the lowest in the country and as stated previously, being openly gay and having no large family he needs to house how on earth can he justify his mortgage payments. Using a mortgage calculator, I estimated that over a fifteen year period with interest at a generous 7% that would lead to a mortgage of near 140,000. In the Rhondda, that is near palatial. Why does he need such a large property for what is his justification? Why are we paying for a Virgin Media subscription? He says he only 'flipped' properties when he found he was now spending more time in one place than previously. Why was the amount paid to him for his october 07 claim redacted. That included a large maintenance claim. Was it not kosher? I'm sure you can all have a field day with your own MP.

Types of lies

After this weeks ever enlightening edition of PMQ's, I looked up the word lie on wikipedia. Here's what I found. The various types of lies include the following:

Fabrication
A fabrication is a lie told when someone submits a statement as truth, without knowing for certain whether or not it actually is true. Although the statement may be possible or plausible, it is not based on fact. Rather, it is something made up, or it is a misrepresentation of the truth. Examples of fabrication: A person giving directions to a tourist when the person doesn't actually know the directions. Check
Bold-faced lie
A bold-faced (often also referred to as bare-faced or bald-faced, although all three have slightly different meanings) lie is one which is told when it is obvious to all concerned that it is a lie. For example, a child who has chocolate all around his mouth and denies that he has eaten any chocolate has told a bold-faced lie. Check
Lying by omission
One lies by omission by omitting an important fact, deliberately leaving another person with a misconception. Lying by omission includes failures to correct pre-existing misconceptions. If a wife asks her husband if he's at a bar, the husband may tell his wife he is at a store, which is true, but lie by omitting the fact that he also visited a bar. Check
White lie
A white lie would cause only relatively minor discord if it were uncovered, and typically offers some benefit to the hearer. White lies are often used to avoid offense, such as complimenting something one finds unattractive. In this case, the lie is told to avoid the harmful realistic implications of the truth. As a concept, it is largely defined by local custom and cannot be clearly separated from other lies with any authority. Chortle!
Noble Lie
A noble lie is one which would normally cause discord if it were uncovered, but which offers some benefit to the liar and assists in an orderly society, therefore potentially beneficial to others. It is often told to maintain law, order and safety. In your dreams
Emergency lie
An emergency lie is a strategic lie told when the truth may not be told because, for example, harm to a third party would result. For example, a neighbor might lie to an enraged wife about the whereabouts of her unfaithful husband, because said wife might reasonably be expected to inflict physical injury should she encounter her husband in person. Alternatively, an emergency lie could denote a (temporary) lie told to a second person because of the presence of a third. Technically, the only person he's trying to save is himself
Perjury
Perjury is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under oath or affirmation in a court of law, or in any of various sworn statements in writing. Perjury is a crime, because the witness has sworn to tell the truth and, for the credibility of the court to remain intact, witness testimony must be relied on as truthful. Since the house of commons is the highest court in the land I suppose it technically counts as perjury, certainly as misleading the house of commons which is a serious enough offence in itself.
Bluffing
To bluff is to pretend to have a capability or intention which one does not actually possess. Bluffing is an act of deception which is rarely seen as immoral, because it takes place in the context of a game where this kind of deception is consented to in advance by the players. For instance, a gambler who deceives other players into thinking he has different cards to those which he really holds or an athlete who indicates he will move left and then actually dodges right is not considered to be lying. In these situations, deception is acceptable and is commonly expected as a tactic.Check. And the country has called it.
Misleading/Dissembling
A misleading statement is one where there is no outright lie, but still retains the purpose of getting someone to believe in an untruth. "Dissembling" likewise implies presenting facts in a way that is literally true, but intentionally misleading.A big resounding CHECK!
Exaggeration
An exaggeration (see also hyperbole) occurs when the most fundamental aspects of a statement are true, but only to a certain degree. It is also seen as "stretching the truth" or making something appear more powerful, meaningful, or real than it actually is.Check. He lies about spending like other men lie about the size of their penis...'My growth projections are bigger than yours, etc.
Contextual lies
One can state part of the truth out of context, knowing that without complete information, it gives a false impression. Likewise, one can actually state accurate facts, yet deceive with them. To say "yeah, that's right, I slept with your best friend" utilizing a sarcastic, offended tone, may cause the listener to assume the speaker did not mean what he said, when in fact he did. Check
Puffery
Puffery is an exaggerated claim typically found in advertising and publicity announcements, such as "the highest quality at the lowest price," or "always votes in the best interest of all the people," or "even a jeweler cannot tell it from a genuine diamond." Check


As we can see, Gordon has, and I'm speaking statistically here, committed approxiimately 83% of these lies in his responses to Cameron. Is that the sort of Prime Minister we want running our country. He'll have a nose like this if he carries on. The public has seen through it and us bloggers aren't going to go away. If it's going to be a choice between 'Mr 10%' and Walter Mitty. I'll take honest, upfront public sector restraint every time.

It started in Am...No. 11?

You see Gordon, all that arse kissing has done you no good. You're just left with chapped lips and shitty breath. Maybe it wasn't so wise to utter that mantra 'It started in America!' for America is now looking at you with the benefit of hindsight and now realise why we dislike you so deeply. From the Wall Street Journal

By KEITH MARSDEN From today's Wall Street Journal Europe.

Shocked by the parliamentary expenses scandal and suffering from the recession, British voters have shown their displeasure with Gordon Brown's government. Labour was trounced in local and European elections earlier this month.

Despite this electoral drubbing, Labour lawmakers expressed their confidence in the prime minister on June 8. Given his supposedly successful management of the economy while chancellor of the exchequer, the majority felt that he was best qualified to lead Britain out of the recession, which, they claim, was caused by external forces, not by Mr. Brown's policies.

The facts show otherwise. Britain's economic downturn began when its house price and household debt bubbles inevitably burst, beginning with the run on Northern Rock in September 2007. These bubbles had swollen to higher levels, relative to average price and income levels respectively, than in the U.S. and other major economies.

In relation to their long-term average, British house prices soared by 88.5% between 1997 and 2007, according to the OECD. In the U.S. the rise was 64.5%. Britain's household debt rose to 176.9% of disposable income in 2007 from 104.8% in 1997. During the same period, U.S. household debt rose only to 105.8% of disposable income from 64.3% in 1997. The increases in Germany and France were considerably lower.

Gordon Brown tolerated and even encouraged the formation of these bubbles for several reasons. The traditional sources of Britain's economic strength, the mining and manufacturing industries, shrank during his term as chancellor. Total mining sector output, including oil and natural gas, dropped by 31% between 2000 and 2007. Total manufacturing production was stagnant during this period.

The gross value, in inflation-adjusted prices, of output from all production industries combined fell by 3% between 2000 and 2007. Their employment level dropped by nearly 1.1 million over the same period. These trends were not an inevitable result of shifts in comparative advantages that are said to occur in advanced economies. Real manufacturing output rose at an average annual rate of 2.2% in the U.S., 1.2% in Germany and 1.1% in France between 2000 and 2006, according to the World Bank.

Eager to achieve the illusion of steady progress in the overall economy, Mr. Brown needed the rapid expansion of financial services, and the real estate and business services industries. Their output soared by 48% and 33% respectively from 2000 to 2007, compared with 19% for the overall economy. Their combined employment level reached nearly 6.7 million in 2007, an increase of more than one million.

Rapid expansion of consumer credit in turn boosted demand for wholesale and retail products and services. The booming financial and real estate sectors, with their inflated salaries, bonuses, and profits generated by unsustainably rapid credit growth, also filled Mr. Brown's tax coffers.

Thus, despite the decline in corporate and personal income and national insurance tax revenues from the production industries, he was able to fulfill Labour's 1997 election promise of expanding public services. The output of health and social services increased by 26.3% from 2000 to 2007. Employment in the category "other service activities," which includes public administration and government services, grew by 1.3 million between 2000 and 2007, reaching almost 10 million -- nearly a third of all British jobs.

So the boom in the financial and real estate sectors served Mr. Brown's political interests well. And he was by no means a passive bystander to their growth. He urged them along in several policy speeches. Introducing on April 1, 2005, a policy document entitled "Homebuy: Expanding the Opportunity to Own," he insisted that "this Britain of ambition and aspiration is a Britain where more and more people must and will have the chance to own their own homes."

Ignoring the inability of many house buyers to pay their mortgages, he touted this message to City bankers in successive annual speeches at the Mansion House in London, promising them "light-touch regulation." Already in 1997 he transferred the responsibility for bank regulation from the Bank of England to the inexperienced Financial Services Authority. He also curbed the central bank's ability to keep asset inflation in check by removing housing costs from the price index.

Mr. Brown also repeatedly praised the City's "innovative skills," bragging in 2006 that it was responsible for 40% of the world's over-the-counter derivatives trade -- which includes the now infamous repackaged subprime mortgages. He gave financial institutions a false sense of security by telling them on June 16, 2004, that "I am determined to ensure that we can lock in greater stability not just for a year, or for an economic cycle, but in this generation."

With this assurance from the chancellor, how could anyone expect bankers to forego juicy profits and bonuses by avoiding innovative but unduly risky practices? Because of the large size and global reach of Britain's financial sector, and the many newfangled financial instruments it created and marketed, Mr. Brown cannot honestly deny all responsibility for Britain's recession.

Given these historic facts, Britain's Labour legislators should think again about sticking with the prime minister. Choosing a new leader with integrity and managerial competence is the party's best chance to win greater respect from voters.


Mr. Marsden, a member of the Council of the Centre for Policy Studies, was formerly an operations adviser at the World Bank and senior economist at the International Labor Organization.

For you Tommy, ze varr is ovver!

Try and muster all the faux outrage you have. Then watch this video.



You laughed didn't you? Go on, it's all right to admit it, it was a funny line. Just pray the PC police don't catch you or you'll have to answer to DCI Helga Harman (Heil Mandleson!)

Still it's not like he's the first British Politician to do a german impression is it...

New secret Iraq Inquiry must not blame anyone

What a farce. A full inquiry on the run up to and events during the Iraq war. A crack team of independant 'yes men' have been hand-picked by the lying twat formally known as Gordon to investigate. Their only conditions :-

1. Make sure your findings are published after the general elections.
2. Don't seek to apportion blame to anyone...and by anyone I mean the labour party...and by the labour party I refer to myself, The Great Leader!

A leopard never changes its spots, even scotch labour MP's have had a titful of him now.

ComRes poll shows Labour would perform better if they changed Leader

The figures indicate the scores if each individual here were made leader of the Labour party.

Alan Johnson
CON 36 LAB 26 LD 19

Jack Straw
CON 36 LAB 25 LD 19

David Miliband
CON 37 LAB 25 LD 19

Ed Balls
CON 37 LAB 23 LD 20

John Cruddas
CON 36 LAB 22 LD 21

Gordon Brown
CON 38 LAB 22 LD 20

Harriet Harman
CON 38 LAB 22 LD 20

James Purnell
CON 38 LAB 21 LD 21

Looks like the inverterbrates made a bad call yesterday. But couldn't the Indy have got these fugures out earlier? It would certainly have put the cat amongst the pigeons at that PLP obedience rally yesterday.

The party is behind you, Prime Minister (sharpening their knives!)

Jack Straw talking utter bollocks on News 24, joing the likes of Bob Ainsworth and Ben Bradshaw. Inverterbrates seems about right.

The life of an invertebrate

The Jellyfish, drifts about on the Ocean and has no spine. Remind you of a political party?

Now, the PLP are having a meeting. Are there enough MP's with a spine or are they all just jellyfish?

He'd get my vote for Speaker

Frank Field has now posted on his website and critised the leadership of Brown and picked through the aftermath of the Elections. I've got a lot of time for Frank Field, he's a politician of conviction and principle, not a slave to his party's machine. Read what he has to say HERE.

Downfall Part 67

Just spotted on Dizzy Thinks. Cheered me right up!

A New Low

I was going to write a new post last night after the euro election results were out in the wee hours of the morning but decided against it as I was fully locked in rant mode. Instead I went to bed and decided to sleep on it...to no avail for the urge to vent my spleen has won out.

I've said a lot about Gordon Brown lately, but last night justified every word. The fact that Labour polled only 15% of the vote, finishing 3rd nationally behind UKIP. That they were well beaten by the SNP in Scotland and were beaten by the Conservatives in Wales for the first time since 1918. That in many areas of England they came 4th or 5th place. That they (And it was the Labour Vote that went BNP) allowed 2 members of a fascist party get elected to the european parliament in one of the most shameful nights in our democratic history. What more does the Labour Party need to see. They have two options, either Gordon goes down to the palace and asks for a dissolution, or Labour have to replace him and the new leader needs to dissolve it within weeks. Or you'll see more pictures like the one below.

Another high profile ex minister calls on Brown to go

How many more do you need Gordon?

Former Lord Chancellor Lord Faulkner has spoke n out against Gordon Brown's leadership and called for a change at the top.

See the BBC article HERE.

You see Gordon, all that smearing and stitching up of Tony and his mates is coming back to bite you on the arse. Poetic justice?

Let the mashup's commence

Here's the first of hopefully many mashups on the past few days events. Bravo The Crown.

Hope someone does another downfall one soon.

More delusional spinning

This time from Neil Pillock.

Here

2 more terms for Brown? At least Gordon'll have a familiar face next to him when he's carted off to the nuthouse.

They just don't get it do they...Kinnock, Mandleson, all the rest, YOU CANNOT POLISH A TURD!

What have we done to deserve this?

Two words :-

Obama Beach

One word :-

Fuckwit

Brown's Law

'When in trouble, pretend to do something...and set up a few committees.'

Jesus Horatio Christ! Resign already! Your reshuffle is a disaster and your leadership a joke.

Update

Caroline Flint has resigned mid press conference. This trainwreck could be de-railed at any moment.

The numbers keep stacking up

The defence secretary John Hutton has joined his colleague James Purnell and resigned from the cabinet. Hutton strikes me as a man of principle and couldn't swallow the stench at Downing Street any longer.

Fraser Nelson has written a good piece about it here.

Tick Tock

Ten O'Clock is rapidly approaching. Thanks to Tory Bear for the graphic. I would donate money to his beer fund but my need for booze is far greater!

Update

James Purnell has resigned from the cabinet and has asked for Brown to go. Time for other ministers to stand up and be counted.

Maybe he read my earlier post :

Time to go PM

Another Reminder

Repeat Reminder! Be good boys and girls. (Yes, all three of you) and make some time to listen to the only show covering the Local and European elections. Check out Iain Dale's blog for contact details if you want to get involved. You can, phone, email, skype, carrier pidgeon, etc. If you do send them an email, tell them I sent you and maybe we can get the people reading this blog into double figures!

Time to go, PM

Just saw the post on Ian Dale's blog about the meeting between John Reid and Gordon Brown. El Gordo asked him to be Home Secretary, John Reid asked him to resign. When the big beasts on the back benches start conflagrating in defiance, it'll only take a cabinet minister or two to put the final nail in the coffin. Step forward messrs Purnell and Miliband (Dave that is, not loyalist Ed). These two both want to be party leaders in the future. Now is the time to show a bit of moral courage and leadership. Let Johnson lose the next election and prepare to take over for the following one. All you've got to do is speak up.

Vultures are circling

There's a letter going around the backbenches of labour in their attempt to topple Brown. Apparently there are over 40 signatures already, 72 are required for a Leadership challenge to be mounted. And the rebels say this could be done as early as tonight.

Arise Dame Hazel Blears. You've done your country a great service today, all is forgiven. Cancel that cheque to the revenue and treat yourself to a nice bottle of bubbly!

The farmy farmer will not go without a fight though so now is the time for the backbench to show some nerve and deliver the killing blow. The country will not forgive you if you back down now.

Update

ITN are reporting there's about 100 signatures. I'd expect events to move on Friday now.

It's kicking off early today

Hazel Bears is resigning. The only question is, will she be going quietly? Let's hope this chipmunk has some teeth!

Link

The government are now spinning for their lives trying to salvage the situation. I personally can't wait for PMQ's!

The fat lady is clearing her throat

Everyone can remember these sort of days, ones that have been a right shitter. Gordon Brown's had quite a few in the last two years but never one quite as bad as this. Now even the Guardian, the thinking labour supporters paper of choice (A slight oxymoron there!) is calling for his head and two days before the European and Local elections too. I'd almost feel sorry for the poor desperate bastard....if only he hadn't brought it on himself. Changing leader won't save the general election for Gordon but it might mean Cameron and the Tories have some form of opposition. A lot of the problems of the last 12 years was because the government was able to wield power too easily, as much as I want a Tory government at present I don't want a party so drunk on power that all it cares about is the power itself.

Go...Plaid?!?

A monumental shock from me here. Plaid are doing something I actually support for once. This has left me feeling very conflicted. They in conjunction with the SNP are tabling a motion for the dissolution of the current parliament on opposition day next Wednesday. Clearly all other opposition parties will get behind this but an appeal must go out to any of the decent labour ministers remaining to back this motion or if you can't cross that rubicon to just abstain. Your country will thank you for this great service, though Gordon may come and defecate on the rug in your parliamentary office. But don't let that put you off, the country will gladly cover the hazardous waste cleanup team on expenses. Now I have to lie down in a darkened room....Plaid doing something useful, have I entered some weird parallel universe?

Ding Dong, the Witch is dead!

Jacqui Smith has announced she's standing down as Home Secretary next week. Good, she has jumped before she was pushed, hopefully this is just the first government minister to go as the whole rotten deck of cards come tumbling down. Expect her to be joined by Blears and Darling (Can't see him accepting a demotion to another department). Let's hope Gordon follows her soon as well.

If the labour party won't push him, the motion of no confidence is looking inevitable. Gordon picked a silly time to snub the queen didn't he?

Update


Tom Watson is standing down from the cabinet as well, so he can spend more time with...Gordon? The question is, will he get a turn to play with farmy farm?

Update II

Looks like a dissolution motion will be tabled on Wednesday. Details will follow shortly.

Urgent Stock trading tip

Buy Nokia, I repeat...'BUY NOKIA!'

IPSOS MORI poll in has Labour on 18% tied with the Lib Dems and Conservatives with a 22% lead. Schadenfreude...what a brilliant word!

The People's Politician

No real political point to this post, just a massive doff of the cap to the irreverant genius that is Boris Johnson. Why use a few words to call Simon Heffer a big girls blouse...when several hundred would do it so much more eloquently.

Read this column and appreciate.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5419788/MPs-expenses-Everything-will-be-all-right-when-Simon-Heffer-rides-to-the-rescue.html

When Boris eventually steps back from politics there is little doubt he will become a chatshow fixture and a raconteur to rival the great Peter Ustinov. I admire David cameron greatly but what I wouldn't have given to have Boris just once question Gordon Brown at the despatch box. I'm sure Gordon's head would have possibly exploded trying to unravel a pithy putdown delivered in a mix of English, Greek and Latin. Once his time as Mayor of London is up can't we persuade him to relocate to the principality? First Minister Boris Johnson has a nice ring to it...and the people here would certainly pay more attention to the dross (sorry, meant debate) than we presently do here in Wales.

Gordon finally locates his Balls

So Alistair Darling is for the chop apparently and is going to be replaced by Ed Balls. Why was the country never informed of Gordon's prevelance for smoking crack? I hope it happens. The sooner Balls is in place, The sooner Gordon gets toppled by the few sane members left in the cabinet and the sooner we get the General Election we need. Let us pray!