Sunday, May 31, 2009

Sunday, a Day to Expense Church Donations

Sunday Sleaze

Post links to sleaze stories in the comments and Guido will summarise them.   It is a dirty job, but someone has to do it…

Frank Cook claimed  back a £5 donation made at a church service to commemorate the sacrifice of RAF pilots.  The left wing MP for Stockton North signed the claim thus: “Battle of Britain church service, Sunday 17.09.06. £5 contribution to offertory on behalf of Frank Cook MP.”  Where do you start?

Multi-millionaire Labour backbencher Mohammed Sarwar claimed £100,000 to cover mortgage interest that he paid from an account with a Swiss bank. Tax needn’t be taxing…

Lord Clarke of Hampstead, former chairman of the Labour Party, admits he fiddled expenses, but he is remorseful. “It looks like I’ve made a terrible error…. I’m responsible for my own actions . . . If I have to go to the wall and my life is finished in terms of political or public life . . . then so be it . . . I regret what I’ve done and shall be seeking to make amends by speaking to the accountants.” Wonder if that “remorseful” line will work for pickpockets?

Chancellor Balls

ballsThe Sunday Times has a claim that Gordon is going to attempt a last reshuffle immediately the day after the Thursday election.  He wants to put Ed Balls in number 11.  Hell why not, the insane Caligula tried make his horse a consul.  The Prime Mentalist making his most loathed acolyte the second most important person in government should be worth another 5% off Labour’s polling.  Go ahead Gordon, make Guido’s day…

Who could the “high-level” source of the story be?  Mandelson blocking Balls by front-running Ed’s ambitions to provoke a backlash?  One bit of the story made Guido laugh -

Balls, who is widely respected in the City, could appear a younger, fresher face than Alistair Darling to take on George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, in the run-up to the elections.

Widely respected by who?  He is despised in the City by everyone who has had dealings with him.  Is Balls pushing this story himself?  If so he must be as mad as his fuhrer.  Is everyone in the bunker bonkers?



LOL-Factor | Harry Cole
Goodwife Brooks Gossiped With the Devil | Standard
Barker: Mad Ministerial Microwaver of Dog Cushions | Scrapbook
Being the ‘Yes’ Man of Europe Has Got Ireland Nowhere | Irish Times
The Battle of 1922 | James Lansdale
Lurch to the Left? | Kirsty Walker
Greek Depositors Withdrew €700 Million Monday | Wall Street Journal
Macrory Off | PR Week
Adam Smith to Testify | Guardian
Britain is Conning the Bond Market | Speccie
SOAS and “Typical Israelis” | The Commentator
Re-moding | Dot Commons
The 1922 Voting Calculations of a Tory MP | Paul Goodman
Irish Referendum – ‘Yes’ is ‘Ticket for Titanic’ | Irish Indy
Lack of Accountability of Anonymous Spokesman | Boing Boing
Simon Hughes Riding Trucker | Crash Bang Wallace

Previously Seen


Peter Botting



Gobby livens up the Brooks’ press conference:

“Have you had any messages of support from the Prime Minister?”



The last Quango in Paris says:

Mr Bryant and Mr Watson managing to make the whole hacking affair look like a farce – the more they moan the less I care about the whole subject! So partisan it beggars belief at all costs. They cannot rise above it ! If I was to call the PM a ‘liar’ I would want to be VERY sure.



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