Yes and no. Westminster does not have the big campaign finance demands that Washington has, the cash amounts are smaller and its more favours than cash. Lots of lunches, tickets, hospitality, flirting and flattery. Never underestimate the value of flirting and flattery on the ego of politicians.

However there are a lot of clients paying cash-for-access to lobbyists and pseudo-wonks. Is it corrupt? It’s a little sleazy, and some of the clients are being conned. Business clearly needs to put its case to politicians, for example a company like Capita, a quasi-parisitical business almost entirely reliant on the state bureaucracy and the taxpayers. Capita is going to spend lot of money keeping in with those that could influence contracts.

It’s not bribery, it ranges from the trivial sponsoring of a party conference fringe meeting which provides a platform for a minister to bore on about public service reform whilst you flatter him, to hiring ex-special advisers to lobby their former bosses. SpAds are prone to becoming lobbyists, Quangocrats and MPs, they therefore are keen to trade favours. New Labour types understand what is required without getting a memo. It’s just spivvy, rather than outright corruption, so it would be hard to convict anyone like Jack Abramoff. MPs fiddling their expenses hardly matches the Washington-style six-figure campaign donations which are used to fund US politician’s lifestyles.

A journalist called yesterday to ask what Guido thought about Cameron, is he a free-marketeer or a social democrat? Its all “mood music” Guido said, and the tune is from Mary Poppins. Cameron has said (before he became leader) that he is insinctively a libertarian in favour of campaigning for capitalism. He is just realistic about what is politically achieveable, since he can neither promise or achieve a 10% flat rate tax and get elected, Irwin Stelzer is never going to be satisfied.

Murdoch’s “vicar on earth” (never understood that title, shouldn’t he be his “neo-con rabbi”?) has been let loose to demand tax cuts and the rolling back of the state in The Sun and The Guardian. In the blogosphere the Thatcherite comments over at ConservativeHome.Com and from the libertarians over at Samizdata are full of talk of “sell out” and “blue Labour”. “We don’t want Blair’s heir” is the cry from people who just don’t get it, the voters do want that. Hence Cameron is ahead in the polls. The Conservative party’s right thinks the Tories are heading towards a Neo-Heathite government, but that is just a Hefferesque fantasy. Irwin was almost on to it in his article today:

After the disastrous defeat of the scary conservative Barry Goldwater in the 1964 elections, America’s conservatives realised that it takes a spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down. So we found Reagan, whose geniality made the curative powers of conservative medicine – lower taxes, less regulation, unambiguous defence of the realm – go down.

Zac Goldsmith is not going to be in charge of the DTI in 2010, Bob Geldof is not going to be running the Department for International Development. They are there to sweeten the message. Cameron knows that in our dumbed down celeb-culture they set the mood music, showing in a very symbolic way, that the Tories are changing. So Tory activists – calm down dears, its only modern politics. Don’t you want to win?

Difficult to say with any certainty – will Charlie Kennedy last until next week or until after the May local elections? He is clearly perceived to be a busted flush – after securing the biggest parliamentary representation for the Liberals since whenever.

Guido doesn’t ‘get’ Ming Campbell, he looks like a LibDem version of Malcolm Rifkind, how could he be an improvement on Kennedy? He certainly would look like a retro step to the public in the face of young Dave. With Simon Hughes apparently ruling himself out of the running, a cynic might think that the job isn’t worth having for a couple of years. So best keep Kennedy at the helm, presiding not leading, as someone stingingly described. Better the liberal you know.

Trevor Kavanagh, the Sun’s political editor has given way to George Pascoe-Watson, who at 39 is the same age as Dave Cameron. So that’s the end of an era, but it was signalled well ahead and completely expected. GP-W’s girlfriend is satellite dish, Kay Burley, the redheaded Sky News presenter.

In a telling sign that Murdoch is shifting his support, Jonathan Collett, ex-spinner for Michael Howard, is to take over handling political relations for News International, replacing Alison Clark – who was plugged into New Labour. A connection which is becoming less and less valuable.

UPDATE: Irwin Stelzer does the bad cop half of Murdoch’s good-cop, bad-cop routine. Putting the boot in to any lefty nonsense from Cameron in The Sun. No. 10 will no doubt invite him round again..

That is just as soon as Guido catches up on things. Trying to keep up with the pace of the Tories is exhausting, we have had Gandalf (Letwin), then Geldof and Gandhi from Cameron. Logically Guido expects he could be cited next…

Scanning the New Year honoours list, Guido again fails to see Peter Stringfellow getting a knighthood for his services to politics. Demi-billionaire Michael Spencer has just been made co-chairman of the City Circle Tory fund-raising operation by Cameron – bet he gets his much sought after gong soon.

The Tories owe Stringy, they should put his name forward for a gong – meantime the Campaign for a ‘Sir’ Peter Stringfellow petition to the Queen needs your signature. Do it, and right this wrong.

Previous Campaign for a ‘Sir’ Peter Stringfellow stories.

In / Out
Poverty of Historicism / Make Poverty History
Liberal Conservatives / Liberal Democrats
Debt / Prudence
TaxPayers Alliance / Stealth Taxes
Iran / Iraq
Choice / Stakeholders
Pimp My Party / Traditional Values

(Please add your own in the comments.)

Guido’s prophecy and Gordon’s nightmare are pictured above. David Miliband is now the hot second favourite (an astonishingly short 8/1) to takeover from Blair – Brown still being the bookies favourite. Guido has laid Brown, and put a little on Ruth Kelly @ 250 / 1 – in order to profit from the prayed for re-Catholicisation of England. Guido seems to recall David and Ruth were once rumoured to be an item. Some say Miliband’s oratory is Labour’s answer to John Redwood, has anyone seen him singing the Welsh national anthem?

In a press release which desperately screams “look at me, look at me please somebody”, Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary Tom Brake MP, sent out a tragic Christmas Eve press release in which he advocated that Santa used more environmentally friendly public transport. More environmentally friendly than magic flying reindeer?

UPDATE: Alex Drake in Australia emails to point out that the Hon. Warren Truss MP (really, I know the name sounds like a kinky sex position but it is his name) gave permission for Santa to over-fly Australia. Guido’s mother points out that the Irish government did the same. Why this should be the necessary when we know that Santa uses quantum effects to travel through time and space beats Guido. You didn’t think he really came down the chimney?

Before Guido gets in to the Christmas spirit of goodwill and cheer, perhaps ’tis wise to reflect and to take a moment to consider those unfortunates who were cruelly smitten this past year. The pain caused to expense fiddling MPs, name changing Tory aparachtiks, cut ‘n paste journalists, whoring wonks, Basher Davis and the shower of other hypocrites who have caused me offence. The mocking, exposing and humiliating has sometimes verged on cruel. It was not always dignified or even honourable.

But Guido has enjoyed every minute of it. Back after Christmas and in the New Year, watch out for something a bit special: GuidoandtheMonkey.Com