Guy Fawkes' blog of parliamentary plots, rumours and conspiracy

Friday, March 31, 2006

Sainsburys "Forgets" £2 Million Loan

You know how it is, you give your money over and the Sainsbury’s girl on the till “forgets” to give you your change. Lord Sainsbury “lent” an extra £2 million quid to Labour that he forgot to mention to anyone. Is he planning to buy the Labour party outright? How many millions has he “lent”? Can they afford to ever sack him and risk him calling in the loans?

Hardline Tories will want to switch to ~~Waitrose~~ (backs Co-operative Party) or ~~Tesco~~ (backs LibDems), buy organic from your local Tory huntin’ ‘n shootin’ farmer and boycott the GM loving, Blair backing, Lord Sainsbury.

Michael Crick Couldn’t Investigate a Paper Bag

Newsnight earlier in the week had Crick doorstepping Cameron. Iain Dale won’t mind me mentioning that Crick even called him for info.

Crick in his report ruled out Johan Eliasch giving the Tories money – he actually gave £2.6 million. (Guido had guestimated he gave a £1 million.) Guido had also guestimated Michael Spencer had given a £1 million in cash and kind, Crick ruled Spence out as well. The Times quoted Spencer later in the week saying it was not quite a million. Crick’s glory days are clearly behind him.

The full list is here.

Tory Loans Announcement Due 2.30pm 3.30pm

Will there turn out to be any bogeymen financing the Tories?

UPDATE : Cameron says he will meet Blair on Monday.

UPDATE : 3.30pm now.

Support the General Strike!

Following the strike by local government workers on Tuesday, the agitators at the TaxPayers’ Alliance are calling on supporters and fellow taxpayers across the country to join a retaliatory one-day Council Tax strike on Saturday (tomorrow).

Guido will definitely be supporting this General Strike.

The TaxPayers’ Alliance has emailed its 10,000 supporters, urging them to withhold 1/365th of their council tax for the loss of local services on Tuesday. The Taxpayers’ General Strike involves strikers writing to their local councils advising them that they will be withholding 1/365th of their annual bill when they make their payment next month.

Strike leader Matthew Elliott says: “Council taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for the local services they missed on Tuesday due to the strike action, so we urge taxpayers from across the UK to support the first ever Taxpayers’ General Strike. The principle is simple: no services, no council tax. Join the strike this Saturday.”

What Does the Strange Case of Ashok Kumar Tell Us?

When an MP on the government payroll, even in a position as lowly as Hilary Benn’s PPS, attacks the PM, he is fired. No question about it he has to go.

What does it say about the fragile state of the Blairite’s grip on control of the party that Ashok Kumar can hold on to his job after telling the PM to go, and go soon?

Guido thinks that those Blair Switch Project odds are looking attractive on Betfair again.

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Newsnight’s Crick is Still After Cameron

Even after last week’s aggressive doorstepping of Cameron, Michael Crick is still chasing after him about cash for Conservatives. Scotland Yard is publicly confirming that the investigation will, if necessary, be multi-party, after telling the Standard yesterday it was Labour only.

Guido hears that Cameron is genuinely keen to get the names out and move on. Just like Tony Blair…

Will Galloway Get the Fake Sheik Nicked?

George Galloway has turned the tables on the News of the Screws’ investigative reporter Mazher Mahmood, otherwise known as the “fake sheikh”.

Mazher attempted to entrap Gorgeous in “a blatant and outrageous attempt to suborn a member of parliament,” said Mr Galloway. Now, because they offered him money, they could be done for attempting to corrupt a member of parliament. How ironic.

Genuine or Scam?

Guido has just received this email:

Dear Sir;

I am Abacha Blair, nephew of the Head of State and Commander In Chief of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom.

We have come into £14,000,000 (Fourteen Million Pounds) which has been lent to us by noble supporters of the regime, which we must transfer to an account in your country before it is found by agents of the security services (The Electoral Commission, Parliamentary Standards Committee and Scotland Yard).

These moneys must only be used for the doing of good works which is why we have contacted you as an upstanding member of the community. As a trusted individual, please send us your bank account details and we will TRANSFER IMMEDIATELY the sum of £14 Million UK Dollars into your account. It is very important that you only spend these moneys on community benefit projects although as a consideration we will pay you a HANDLING FEE of 20% (TWENTY PER CENT) and nominate you for a PEERAGE in the HOUSE OF LORDS in the British Parliament.

Please send your BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS today as it is urgent that you help us in the doing of these good works.

Thank you many times for your kind assistance which God will thank you for

Yours sincerely

Abacha Blair

What is Chairman Maude Up To?

He has, a Guido co-conspirator says, cancelled all appointments this afternoon. Knocking off early for the weekend? Something more urgent perhaps?

Ain’t the boys and girls at CCHQ overjoyed with their new job contracts? (They almost all had to re-apply for their jobs.)

The Abramoff Precedent Must Be Worrying Sleazy Levy

Jack Abramoff, the Republican lobbyist at the centre of a Washington corruption scandal, was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison yesterday.

Just goes to show that no matter how close to the powerful you are, no matter how well connected you are, the criminal justice system can’t be spun as easily as newspaper headlines.

How long before we see Levy do the “perp walk”?