Clearly not content with the royalties from his best selling book about the exploitation of the working classes, higher rate taxpayer Owen Jones wants more:
MP-in-waiting @OwenJones84 in the Independent canteen trying to extract more money out of Indy managing editor Sean O'Grady for his column.—
Eye Spy MP (@eyespymp) May 17, 2012
Don’t tell Laurie!
Former FCO Perm Sec Lord Jay, Lords foreign pol debate: it was a mistake for Cameron to refuse to meet Hollande in run-up to French election—
Stewart Wood (@StewartWood) May 17, 2012
Guido is still perplexed to why Labour have got it into their heads that this Cameron not meeting Hollande line is so effective. Sarkozy was the head of state and Hollande was visiting the UK as a mere candidate out field of many others.
Dripping wet Hollande is not politically aligned to Cameron either. Should the PM have met Marine Le Pen, Stewart?
Ian “it undermined what it means to be British” Austin has, thus far, declined to comment…
When a drunk Tory MP attended a party with someone dressed as a Nazi, Brownite boot-boy Ian Austin went off on one:
“For me, what Britain did in the Second World War – defeating the Nazis, standing up to fascism alone when the rest of Europe was overrun – for me, that’s our finest hour. It shows why we can claim a particular attachment to values like democracy and freedom and fairness. It’s what makes us the country that we are. So, far from simply disgracing himself, I think he has actually undermined what it means to be British. That’s why I think that we should all be taking this much more seriously.”
So presumably his reaction to the news that Labour have managed to select a woman who was an actual Nazi in Milton Keynes is going to be cataclysmic?
Oops! Labour Treasury Whip Lyn Brown sees sparse Labour benches & accidentally texts me "please please come to Chamber, Ed Balls opening"—
Greg Hands (@GregHands) May 17, 2012
After Guido revealed this week that Patrick Mercer, the Chairman of the All Party Group for Security, has been taking fees for introducing clients to security consultant who pays him a monthly fee, Labour MP Thomas Docherty has reported the Tory backbencher to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner. Docherty says: “There are serious questions to answer. This appears to be another example of a cosy arrangement between shady businessmen and a senior Conservative.” Quite…
Guido has got hold of the letter:
Dear Mr Lyon,
You may be aware of media reports concerning the Chairman of the All Party Group on Specialist Security and Member for Newark Patrick Mercer.
http://order-order.com/2012/05/14/the-bodyguard-the-tory-mp-and-the-mystery-cash/
Mr Mercer sponsored a parliamentary pass for a security consultant named Kevin Horak until November 2011, when Mr Horak became the passholder for the Security APG. He still has this pass.
Whilst a passholder Mr Horack’s company Clearwater Security has paid Mr Mercer £9,500 in consultancy fees.
Mr Mercer in his own words told a journalist that these fees were introductions of potential clients to Clearwater.
When questioned on a potential conflict of interest Mr Mercer responded that this was “a moot point”, but was seemingly unable or unwilling to provide evidence to the contrary.
Though Mr Mercer claims that these introductions are done “exclusively of Parliament” it is my belief that there is scope for investigation to determine that this is indeed the case.
There is prima facie evidence that Mr Mercer’s private business interests are being benefited by his role as the Chairman of the group and given the access granted to Mr Horak, it would appear the parliamentary estate is also potentially open to abuse.
It certainly does not pass the “sniff test”…
The Prime Minister will do an impersonation of Margaret Thatcher and say shortly:
“Let me be clear: we are moving in the right direction – not rushing the task, but judging it carefully. And that is why we must resist dangerous voices calling on us to retreat…”
Whilst the government may be sticking to Plan A on the deficit, is Dave really one to lecture on retreats?
The forests were going to be sold off, then they weren’t. The Book Trust was unscrapped. VAT wasn’t going to go up, then it did; there was meant to be a real right of recall, but that has been scrapped too. Rape suspects were going to get anonymity and who can remember “no top down reorganisation of the NHS”? There was a promise not to cut frontline services, but then we got rid of our aircraft carriers. Child benefit plans have been watered down, as have sentencing plans and the about turn on jump-jets cost millions. There was going to be a referendum, then even discussing one was whipped. Who can forget that there were no circumstances in which the government would give money to the IMF to bailout the Eurozone before they gave the IMF £20 billion to bailout the Eurozone. The 1922 Committee still exists, the public isn’t paying for Dave’s personal photographer and last time Guido checked, under 5s still have free school milk. Has he missed anything?
UPDATE: Sky New’s Jon Craig points out that in the last 24 hours alone Dave has u-turned on the date of a Scottish referendum and after Osborne said “open speculation” about the break-up of the euro was damaging for Europe’s economy, Dave immediately started speculating about it making-up or breaking-up.
Dave and Sam stepped out to Oslo Court in St John’s Wood last night before he departs for the states. Lovely anorak…
If Dave Were President He’d Have Resigned By Now | Alex Wickham
Loongate: What Happened in the Blue Boar Bar | Simon Walters
Feldman’s Tennis Days With Dave | Telegraph
How Geoffrey Howe Has Lost the Debate | Robin Shepherd
Dave Has Lost Control on Europe | Geoffrey Howe
Lib Dems Should Support EU Referendum | LibDemVoice
Feldman’s Denial | Fraser Nelson
Obama’s Presidency is Imploding | Nile Gardiner
Miliband Could Be a Great PM | Thomas Pascoe
What Are You Really Paying in Income Tax? | TPA
Galloway’s Mad Month | The Commentator
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Tom Harris bemoans the public’s attitude to politicians…
“Mr Oborne echoes the lazy, anti-politics whine we hear so often these days, all based on the absurd notion that politicians were once loved and only fell out of public favour during the expenses scandal. He should take a walk to the Strangers’ Bar. But not to sup with the patrons he seems to despise so much, dearie me, no; he should instead look at the paintings on the corridor outside the bar, which depict the devastating fire which consumed most of the Palace in 1834. And he should reflect on the fact that on that dramatic night, as the Commons went up in flames, a crowd gathered on the South Bank to clap and cheer.”
The thing that Dave needs to work out is which group is more likely to vote Conservative. Mad swivel-eyed loons or mad homosexuals wishing to get married.
