This propaganda video is to be shown at the upcoming Conservative Party conference.  It is an attempt to convince the rank and file that they are on the “progressive” side of history.  It emphasises every centrist “progressive” piece of legislation Tory leaders have ever done. The video points to Peel’s repeal of the Corn Laws (urged on by the free market radical Richard Cobden) neglecting to mention that it split the land-owning Tory party. Note how it highlights Thatcher’s 1981 budget that put up taxes and cut spending. You don’t think they might be softening up the faithful?

Not easy to highlight Hague’s “progressive” side, so it claims that fighting the Euro was “progressive” as apparently was Heath taking Britain into the European Common Market.

Gordon’s latest book Wartime Courage: Stories of Extraordinary Courage by Ordinary People in World War Two seems spectacularly ill-timed for release.  It reminds us of Gordon’s personal lack of courage – never around when trouble hits the fan, the latest example being his invisibility over the Libyan Oil-for-Prisoner deal. Secondly, it reminds us of his personal culpability for the fatal under-equipping of the Afghanistan campaign.

Guido hasn’t seen a good review for it and unsurprisingly it is in the remainder bins straight away.  You can pick it up on Amazon for less than £2…

From beyond the grave:

Purpose of visit : photo op – note how he carefully refers to the reinforced vehicles posed behind him in the interview.  The protection looks like they have welded extra steel grating to the exterior of the vehicles. Cheaper than buying helicopters…

UPDATE : Many think Brown deliberatelyorganised a surprise visit to scupper a scheduled Cameron visit. Petty.

It seems to have gone unreported that Nassim Nicholas Taleb has written a scathing letter to Alan Rusbridger about the Guardian’s reporting of his public conversation with David Cameron accusing them of a lack of ethics.

He rejects the charge of being a “climate-change denier” made by Lucy Mangan, and the suggestion that he thinks “climate change is not man-made” as alleged by Nicholas (20) Watts.

Taleb points out that “A minimum of homework on the part of your staff would have revealed that I am one of the authors of the recent King of Sweden’s Bonham Declaration on attitude to climate change.”

Nicholas (20) Watts is the senior political correspondent, he hasn’t had a very good silly season.  Made a monkey of over the Baltimore Mayor Hoax and accused  again of not doing his homework.  Hencke might have been slower, but he wouldn’t have screwed up twice like this…

Even if James Murdoch is talking his own book it is manifestly true, as he says, that “the expansion of state-sponsored journalism is a threat to the plurality and independence of news provision, which are so important for our democracy. Dumping free, state-sponsored news on the market makes it incredibly difficult for journalism to flourish on the internet. Yet it is essential for the future of independent digital journalism that a fair price can be charged for news to people who value it.”

The BBC destroys the ability of competitors to make a profit. We would have a more vibrant culture if the BBC wasn’t destroying the hopes of start-ups unable to compete with a rival that has almost unlimited funds and no need to make a profit. The BBC simply should not be in a whole range of areas, why did it need to nationalise the successful Lonely Planet publisher? Why is it competing to crush the Virgin and Capital radio stations?

The Tories don’t really have a plan to deal with the cultural monolith that is the BBC.  A permanent freeze on the licence fee would be a start.

In what is a bit of surprise (in that it didn’t leak) the Speccie will have a new editor starting next week.  36 year-old Fraser is taking over on Monday.  He is no Cameroon and will push for sound economic policies from the next government.

Matthew leaves the Speccie in fine fettle, it has a circulation at an all time high of 75,000 and the website sometimes has even more traffic than this blog.  In June Guido reported a rumour that “Matthew d’Ancona is thinking of moving on from the Speccie”…

UPDATE : “After more than three and a half delightful and rewarding years as Editor, exciting opportunities are arising and I have decided to move on…” No news yet as to where d’Ancona is going next, but he confirms he will still be writing his Telegraph columns.  Which suggests Dacre’s job is safe…

Seen that story everywhere about the Mayor of Baltimore condemning Chris Grayling for his referencing of The Wire?

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon's fake website

Alex Hilton (also known as Recess Monkey) set up a fake MayorofBaltimore.org site. The fake press release was riddled with clues – the British spelling, the jokey references and of course the copyright notice at the bottom (R Monkee Esq).

The Guardian, Indy and the Labour blogosphere lapped it up without checking their sources.  Doh!

UPDATE : Chris Grayling tells Guido “it made me laugh”.