Guido has been greatly enjoying the Huffington Post’s coverage of I’m a Celebrity, in particular their entire posting “Helen Flanagan Shows Off Weight Loss As She Strips In Jungle Shower (PICS).” Not even the Mail would also include a gallery of 29 “Almost Nude” shots that leave Page 3 looking like a walk in the park. Talking of the Sun, it seems the lefty liberals over at HuffPo are hardly consistent in their policy:

How long before they join their US counterparts and have a whole section of the site devoted to “sideboob”?

UPDATE: HuffPo UK Editor Carla Buzasi is very passionate about this subject:

There’s been an awful lot written about women’s bodies recently. What with the endless articles devoted to Kate’s boobs, the revelation that the ‘average’ woman spends 17 years of her life on a diet, not to mention the ongoing political battle about who gets to decide when she keeps or doesn’t keep her unborn child. All in all, that’s a lot of column inches devoted to fatness, thinness and everything in-between. No wonder we’re all so f*cked up about our figures. The fascination with bodies, celebrity or otherwise, isn’t exactly something new, of course, and shows no sign of abating. But here’s a thought: why don’t we just stop?

No comment.

The Guidogram round-up of the week is going out shortly.

Thousands of Westminster insiders read the Guidogram, everyone from Downing Street insiders to Fleet Street never miss it. Don’t miss out on Margaret Hodge’s tax hypocrisy, Steve Bell’s lost credibility and “Dr” Eoin Clarke’s latest apology.

Join the conspiracy and become a subscriber to the Guidogram, free, to keep in the loop. You’re either in front of Guido, or behind…

As the Spectator reported yesterday, Brian Leveson is off to Australia on a speaking tour as soon as his report is published next Thursday. Ben Webster in the Times has more detail:

Lord Justice Leveson is to fly to Australia on an expenses-paid trip within days of delivering his recommendations on the future of press regulation. The judge has accepted invitations to speak on “Privacy in the 21st century” in Sydney on December 7 and on “News Gathering in a Time of Change” in Melbourne on December 12. He is expected to be accompanied on the trip by his wife.

Now we know why the good Lord will be refusing any questions next week. He’s saving himself for punters paying £620 a head to hear his views. On media ethics…

A laughable interview on the Today programme this morning by Sir Ian Kennedy, the head of IPSA and the man in charge of a review of MPs’ pay. Kennedy says it is time to trust MPs again on expenses:

“Two and a half years ago Parliament was mired in controversy about expenses scandal and looks what’s happened in those two and a half years: an independent body has been created, we’ve addressed business costs, we’ve addressed expenses, we’ve got a good system in place which works. What we’ve got to do is say, look, 2009 is not back with us. MPs are not in a situation where they’re not to be trusted and that there’s no system in place. Quite the opposite, there’s a new system and it’s quite unfair to say that MPs are not to be trusted.”

He must have forgotten all about Stephen Dorrell, Denis MacShane, Margaret Moran, Linda Riordan, Meg Munn, Andy Burnham, Chris Bryant, Helen Grant, Bill Cash, John Whittingdale, Peter Luff, Jessica Lee, David Amess, Kevin Barron and Don Foster. And that’s just during the last month…

Part time Tory MP Tim Yeo’s latest musings on the state of the economy read more like something out of the Ed Balls textbook of treasury tragedy. Despite yesterday’s worrying borrowing figures, the conflicted MP ludicrously says we should borrow more money:

“If borrowing is for long term infrastructure assets it should be considered, providing a direct economic benefit can be demonstrated. I do not approve of borrowing due to a failure to cut current spending quickly enough. But where the economic benefit is evident borrowing is acceptable.”

Maybe he’s hoping that economic benefit he mentions might apply to one of his own copious outside interests…

ITV will pay Lord McAlpine £125,000 after reaching a settlement over his libel claim. A statement will be read out in court on behalf of Phillip Schofield apologising for accidentally flashing his name on screen during an interview with the PM. Now they’re shelling out a six-figure sum. Pesky bloggers eh…

Am hearing that Tony Hall, chief exec Royal Opera House, has been appointed as new DG of BBC. Announcement soon—
Robert Peston (@Peston) November 22, 2012

It looks like Michael Gove will have to wait a little longer to see his dream of a conprehensive educated, female DG. It’s Tony Hall, or Baron Hall of Birkenhead to his friends.

Developing…

UPDATE: BBC have confirmed.

Sir Tony Baldry, resplendent in his bright pink shirt and salmon and cucumber Garrick Club tie, fulfilled his duty in the House today at the Second Church Estates Commissioner (the Church’s representative in Parliament, aside from that constitutional abomination that lets Bishop vote of legislation, of course.) Baldry was arguing for Women bishops, but as Ann Treneman points out, the Garrick still do not let women join. Nor do the Freemasons…

A great piece of digging coming up in this week’s Speccie. Green businesses have been taking part in a scam known as ‘de-rating’, deliberately producing less energy than they are capable of in order to cash in on disincentivising government subsidies. With low-energy wind turbines given almost double the subsidy of their high-power alternatives in order to encourage new businesses to enter the market, owners of giant wind farms have been running their turbines at half capacity so they can trouser the top rate.

DECC are aware of the scam but have yet to do anything about it…

Leveson Inquiry report to published on Thursday 29th November – a week today.