Sunny Hoondal admits he was wrong on the No2AV campaign…

“But technical arguments rarely work with mass audiences. They are more likely to be swayed by the costs – which is what makes the £250m figure so ingenious…”

Labour’s deep relationship with Libya and Gaddafi is edging ever closer to Ed Miliband. Guido has already highlighted the praise that Ed has heaped on the LSE’s Ralph Miliband lecture series, set up in the memory of his father. Saif Gaddafi was honoured with a speaking slot in 2010. Here’s what Ed had to say about it all:

In a rare media interview yesterday, David wasn’t quite singing from the same hymn sheet:

“It’s horrific… The idea of Saif Gaddafi giving a lecture under his name is just horrific to him and horrific to the whole family, obviously. I think there’s a wider issue – the LSE has announced an inquiry into whether at any stage their academic independence has been compromised. It’s very important that that’s carried through.”

David ended up trending on Twitter yesterday by admitting his brother hurt him. A human reaction, just like his disgust with his family name being used to promote dictators. Is Ed still “incredibly grateful” for the lectures?

Wondering why @SamCoatesTimes just stormed out of Commons press gallery.—
James Kirkup (@jameskirkup) March 07, 2011

Coates outed the “senior government source” that Kirkup was less than subtly dissing on his blog earlier. Calm down dears…

Prezza is rather off message in an interview with the Guardian:

“I ask how he thinks Ed is doing. ”Who?” he says. Ed Miliband, I remind him. Prescott sighs.”

There is an air of chaos in Westminster today. Firstly Craig Oliver was all in a spin after being refused entry by Downing Street security, but that’s nothing on the mess that the capture of the SAS troops and our “diplomat” in the desert has caused. Hague, who has taken his eye off various balls recently, looks like he is being hung out to dry on this one. He will be before the House at three thirty, but not before a Whitehall source mouthed off to the BBC confirming he personally authorised the mission, despite little evidence our overtures were welcome. It’s almost as if No.10 has other matters on their plate…

The Prince Andrew story has gone nuclear, not least because an-as-of-yet-un-named SpAd briefed in Cardiff over the weekend that “one more story” and Andrew would be out. Cue a mass shaking of the branch by every hack. Another briefing, perhaps by the same chatty character, said “no tears would be shed” at Andrews departure. A long cry from the official line this morning that the Duke has the government’s full confidence. It’s times like this that real weak spots are being exposed and a bad day for Dave and co to go gallivanting up north for a gimmicky Cabinet Away Day. No wonder it’s open season on SpAds according to Ben Brogan…

UPDATE: Mark Wallace notices that SpAd’s are even using Malcom Tucker’s favourite “omnishambles”. You could make it up…

Bill Wiggin’s feline survival skills are being pushed to the absolute limit. The Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards has confirmed that he has opened an inquiry in to the Tory whip and a dodgy £5,000 invoice paid to his local Conservative Association. Wiggin might come to regret his rather rushed confession that the invoice may have said the £5,000 was for absurdly expensive room hire, but was in fact for a whole swathe of other work. In other words, a false invoice. Where are the records of this other work? The receipts? The nod from the fees office? John Lyon has his work cut out with this one…

See also :

• Cameron: Wiggin Has To Go
• Piggin’ Wiggin’s Permit Porkie Pie
• Beginnin’ Diggin’ into Piggin’ Wiggin
• Piggy Wiggin and Khan’s Moranic Receipts
• Wrigglin’ Piggin’ Wiggin
• Piggin’ Wiggin Caught Fibbin’
• Diggin’ Into Wiggin’s Piggin (Again)
• Piggin Wiggin Diggin’ a Devine Grave
• Piggin’ Wiggin Reported

There was much speculation about a scandal breaking last month that involved LibDem President Tim Farron. Guido thinks he might have uncovered it. After being outed on EyeSpyMP as a first class train traveller last night, Farron confessed his sins:

@eyespymp not very often, and only if I can get a super cheap advance ticket —
Tim Farron (@timfarron) March 06, 2011

First Class travel ban? What ban…

Were you expecting something else?

UPDATE: As a commenter “Tax Payer” points out:

“He’s claimed £6,513 so far this year for rail travel, which is one of the highest. Looks like he doesn’t manage to get a ‘super cheap’ ticket very often.”

We think of France as far more socialist than Britain yet French middle class families are far better off than their British equivalents in after-tax terms, despite higher basic rates. French taxpayers get an allowance of up to €2,300 per child under 7 years of age called les frais de garde d’enfants towards the costs of child care outside of the home, a small tax rebate called les frais de scolarité for each child in education and up to €6,000 rebated for l’emploi d’un salarie a domicile covering a house-keeper or nanny. In addition there is the quotient familial to minimise the impact of higher rates of taxation on families with children, it actually increases your tax allowance as you have more children. All these fiscal incentives encourage the French tax-paying middle classes to have kids.

The think-tank research out this morning showing that Britain is the worst country in Europe for taxpayers to have kids is only the half of it. In Britain we incentivise those who can’t afford to have children to have kids by paying them more welfare benefits and upgrading their state housing. This has created a multi-generational underclass who vote Labour to keep their benefits. Anyone would think it was Gordon’s deliberate plan…