Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Dave the Chameleon II is Available!

It is mostly a repeat. It also again re-inforces the “Change” meme that is Cameron’s central message. Half of it could have been produced by CCHQ. Exactly as Guido predicted in February.

Go here to watch.

UPDATE : Look out Labour, The Chameleon Army is online and on the march.


Podcast with John Bercow MP

Uploaded over at GuidoandtheMonkey.

Murdoch’s Sun Abandons Blair

Guido said some time ago that it is axiomatic that Murdoch only likes to back winners. Sun reader Tim Ireland has noticed the tit-tonic plates of page 3 political commentary are slowly moving. Page 3 is, believe it or not, a key place where the Murdoch message is transmitted and the message clearly is not good for Blair, or Blairites like Charles Clarke.

Gordon is still getting the personality cult treatment - for now. Cameron is not liked by Irwin Stelzer (Murdoch’s emmissary), but the drip-drip of news slanting is neutral for Dave. Andrew Neil reckons that this is the crunch year for The Sun, either it backs Dave this year or sticks with Gordon. We shall see…

Laithwaites - Specialists in great value wine.

Who Said This?


“They are up to their necks in sleaze. The best slogan he could think up for their conference next week is Life’s better under the Tories. Sounds to me like one of Steven Norris’s chat up lines. Can you believe that this lot is in charge? Not for long, eh? Then after 17 years of this Tory government, they have the audacity to talk about morality. Did you hear John Major on the Today programme? – calling for ethics to come back into the political debate? I’m told some Tory MPs think ethics is a county near Middlesex. It’s a bit hard to take: John Major – ethics man. … For too many Tories, morality means not getting caught. Morality is measured in more than just money. It’s about right and wrong. We are a party of principle. We will earn the trust of the British people. We’ve had enough lies. Enough sleaze.”

He was on the moral high ground once. Perhaps Pauline will quote it to him.


Hat-tip :
Iain Dale

Question of Timing

As the NHS stumbles from one funding disaster to another sacking thousands of nurses, a rather ill-timed press release arrives in Guido’s email from Rosie Winterton MP (Minister of State for Health Services) and Patricia Hewitt, the Secretary of State for Health. This week sees the 60th Birthday for the NHS and they have baked a cake. Hope it tastes better than the usual hospital food.
Is it really a good time to be celebrating and sending out smiling pictures, with the current news? You would think that they would want to keep a low profile.

Two Jags Has Two Three Shags

The Humberside Humper has been exposed for having a two-year affair with a secretary, Tracey Temple. Guido knows that where there is one blousy mistress, there is often another…

Inquiring minds should be looking for a local grammar school girl (this would be prior to him becoming DPM). The girl has since done very well for herself.

More revelations to follow…

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Hemming Can Save NHS £500m

Guido interviewed John Hemming and came away impressed with the sharper than average MP. So it comes as no surprise that he has spotted a way to save the NHS £500 million and balance the books at a stroke.

The LibDem MP has noticed that when drugs go off patent the generic alternatives become available for a fraction of the old rip-off price. Looking at only three drugs, he has identified savings of £500m, but there are plenty more Big Pharma rip-offs. If the NHS is looking to save money, sourcing drugs more cheaply is a good place to start.

Coincidentally, Pfizer, the most rapacious profitable pharmaceutical corporation in the world, recently gave £40,000 to Progress, the ultra-Blairite faction organising operation. That should help keep this eminently sensible policy off Blair’s reform agenda.

Euan Pissed Again

Euan is having fun in Washington and Guido is growing in respect for Tony’s playboy son. However, when out drinking this weekend he had to apologise to staff after being caught trying to set fire to the underside of his bar-table with candles. “Look, I’m a straight kinda boy”… Do they have ASBOs in Washington?
He was in Washington’s Madam’s Organ bar (rated one of the best in America by Playboy magazine). He spent the evening ogling cowgirl-costumed girls dancing on the bar-top Coyote Ugly style. Euan stumbled into a taxi later having failed to pull.
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Domestic Disaster

Guido quaffed pink champagne at the launch party for Madsen Pirie’s new book How to Win Every Argument: The Use and Abuse of Logic.

When the champagne ran out Guido went on for a few Guinesses before winding his way back home. Mrs Fawkes was not best pleased. Mercilessly unamused she kicked a hungover husband out of bed at 5.30am to deal with a teething, screaming baby Fawkes. Mrs Fawkes then continued to berate Guido (before breakfast) for snoring, failing to sleep on the sofa and I think (though it is a little unclear) my role in the Middle East peace process or something. Generally adding to Guido’s throbbing headache.

As she was going out the door she picked up the book, looked at me and put it in her handbag. As if she bloody well needed it…

Educational Failure

The frankly shocking discovery that this blog is being used as an educational aid for A-Level politics students is proof, if proof were ever needed, that state education is failing our children.
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Seen Elsewhere

Attorney General Warns Press Over Rebekah & Andy | Media Guido
UKIP Pros and Cons | Allister Heath
“The Double Income No Kids Existence” | Alex Deane
David Nicholson to Quit NHS Next Year | HSJ
We Don’t Have Gatsby-esque Inequality | Tim Worstall
Dave Will Still Win in 2015 | Toby Young
Activists Should Ignore the Sneerers | Jacob Rees-Mogg
NHS Can Kill Tories | James Kirkup
Dave Lets Labour Take Credit For Gay Marriage | FT
UKIP Set to Out-Poll Tories | Telegraph
UKIP Spokesperson Slaps Down BBC | The Commentator


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Ai Weiwei in China fighting the taxman…

“Under totalitarian rule, no one is protected by law. We will all be the same helpless victims. When a country insists on its lies, it’s time for an artist to bring forth change.”



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