Regular readers will remember how violent thug Bryn Phillips was defeated in his attempt to win a seat on the City of London Corporation council last week. Yesterday he was sentenced to community service and compulsory weekly psychiatric sessions for his role in the London riots last summer. While Guido was disappointed that the cop-assaulting burglar wasn’t sent down, the judge revealed some very interesting mitigating circumstances during his sentencing.

Not only did Phillips hide behind mental issues, but the judge warned that he would have jailed the pint-sized hippy hooligan for 20 months had he not received a glowing character reference from a senior political figure: one Maurice Glasman. Ed Miliband’s one time guru saving a rioting criminal from prison – Guido wonders what the Shadow Home Secretary makes of that…

Today is the City of London by-election in the Farringdon Within ward. Yesterday the candidates met face to face for a hustings, and needless to say, with a convicted rioter and Occupy hippy on the ballot, things got a little spicy.

Bryn Phillips, whose campaign Guido has been keeping you up to date with, couldn’t even rely on his learned friends from lefty chambers Tooks, who appeared to be trying to have reporting restrictions put on the meeting. The transparency for the City campaign has got off to a flying start!

Due to their failure to realise this was a public meeting, Guido can report how Bryn’s opponents described the half-pint hippy as “a violent thug with a penchant for assaulting police officers” and pointed out that he “won’t be serving the City, but serving time.” When Guido tried to question Phillips after the meeting he ran away. Literally.

Despite being convicted of violent disorder and burglary and currently awaiting sentence, bonkers Bryn claimed he has has already paid back his debt to society – because he works in a food bank in Hackney. Guido will let the judge decide that one. Happy voting in Farringdon…

After Occupy tramp Bryn Phillips lied to get on the ballot at the upcoming City of London by-election, you would think he would try to stay on the right side of the law. This rioter, who was recently found guilty of violent disorder and burglary, is hilariously trying to stand on a moral platform.

He’s not too hot on the law though and failed to declare his conviction on his ballot submission.

Guido would now like to introduce him to some new legislation - Section 66 of the 1983 Representation of the People Act. That’s the bit that  that forbids “any statement relating to the way in which voters have voted at the election” being made before polls close.

So perhaps bonkers Bryn could explain his latest Twitter outpouring:

1/2 Postal votes are out in force for me already, messages of support from disgruntled bankers are flooding in…—
Bryn Phillips (@bryn__phillips) July 24, 2012

Labour MP Kerry McCarthy was cautioned for an identical crime during the last election. Either Bryn is lying, and he has not seen the postal votes, or he has broken the law. Which is it?

Despite much excitement in the Guardian this morning, the campaign to bring down the Corporation of London from the inside has not got off to a very good start for “freelance community organiser” Bryn Phillips. This former Occupy St Paul’s spokesman and close ally of Maurice Glasman is planning on standing in the upcoming by-election for the City of London Corporation council seat of Farringdon Within. However, his violent past has caught up with him…

Phillips was arrested during the riots in Hackney last summer for throwing a missile at the police. Wood Green Crown Court have confirmed that he was convicted for violent disorder and burglary and is awaiting sentence. Despite his best efforts to spin the Guardian this morning, (they claim “the case will be heard later this month”) Case S20120099 actually happened back in March. Guilty M’Lord…

In order to stand in the elections Phillips had to be awarded the Freedom of the City, something he only achieved on July 2. On the application form all previous convictions must be stated. Guido understands violent disorder and burglary would automatically rule you out from receiving the honour, and Corporation sources are adamant that a declaration of such would have triggered further investigation. It did not. Instead it is becoming increasingly likely that Phillips has voided any chance of standing in the election due to the fact he has failed to declare his convictions. Just because he has not been sentenced yet, does not mean his conviction does not stand.

Guido was ready to put these allegations to Phillips at his press conference this morning but the violent, rioting thug did not turn up for at least an hour after apparent start time. Which is just as well as given that Guildhall security had sealed off the venue and would not let anyone in…

From: Government Whips Admin Unit (HOC)
Sent: 18 July 2012 15:28
Subject: Message from the Whips Office

Dear Colleagues,

Further to my original message last week, I would like to give another appeal to any colleague who may have accidentally taken a gents black umbrella from No 10 after the PM’s drinks reception. It would be greatly appreciated if you could please return it to the Government Whips Admin Unit or call on ext: 4333 in the House.

Many thanks

Claire

Claire Scott
Head of Parliamentary Support
Government Whips Office
House of Commons

If the House was sitting Labour would have an Urgent Question tabled by now…

After resigning as CEO of Barclays this morning, Bob Diamond may yet exact some revenge on the government when he testifies tomorrow in front of the Treasury Select Committee.

There are two LIBOR fixing scandals – the first involves traders massaging the settling of LIBOR rates a few basis points, mere hundreths of a percent, off market reality to flatter their trading books. It appears to have been going on for years and not just at Barclays. This was not so petty corruption.

The second LIBOR fixing scandal is of a different order altogether – it involves the wholesale systematic substantial misrepresentation of true LIBOR, with the encouragement of the Treasury, the FSA and in particular the Bank of England. The policy was to under-report LIBOR rates at much lower levels than were actually trading in the market. This deliberate policy was to cover-up the increased risks to the UK banking system revealed by higher LIBOR rates.

It is emerging that Gordon Brown’s economic adviser in Downing Street, Shriti Vadera, an ex-UBS investment banker, circulated a paper on ”Reducing Libor” at the height of the banking crisis, which she argued would be “a major contribution to the stability of the banking system and to the health of the economy”.

That message will have gone out to the Treasury in Whitehall, the regulators and the Bank of England. They in turn will have given a nod and a wink to the investment banks. Bob Diamond is reportedly furious that the “lowballing” of LIBOR rates by Barclays – which was explicitly encouraged by the authorities  to stabilise already panicked markets – is being used against Barclays. Bob Diamond is expected to testify tomorrow that the Bank of England’s deputy governor Paul Tucker encouraged the “lowballing”.

The politicisation and manipulation of interest rates is ongoing even after Gordon Brown and Shriti Vadera are long gone. The £275 billion Quantitative Easing (QE) programme implemented by Mervyn King with George Osborne’s blessing is designed to artificially lower interest rates. We currently have a false market in Gilts, it is arguably the biggest bubble since the South Sea Bubble. It is cheating pensioners and savers of income on an unprecedented scale. This is a robbery organised from within the Bank of England …

Not Ali versus Foreman but International Development Minister Andrew Mitchell versus Congo’s cash strapped politicians.  Guido noted that last week Congo politicians rejected UK aid, claiming it to be a kind of ‘guilt payment’ to secure access for British controlled offshore mining interests. The UK is giving the Democratic Republic of Congo £790 million in aid over 4 years. DfID is determined to increase aid payments to the Congo despite Congolese opposition politicians rejecting UK aid as a sham. Andrew Mitchell is making UK taxpayers the Congo’s biggest bilateral donor and it was not even a former British colony.

The IMF and World Bank, with the backing of British taxes, are also channeling billions to the Congo Government.  Surely in this austere climate it is time to give the Congolese what they want themselves – aid stopped until the Congo government honours the loan covenants it made to the IMF. Namely “Publish What You Pay“ conditions for mining interests to be honoured, mining assets sales to be made via open tender and an independent anti-corruption body to be established to oversee it all. Yesterday Lord Chidgey raised questions about the activities of British companies via offshore operations in the Congo. Something very fishy is going on here with the tacit connivance of DfID by default. The overseas aid budget should not be used to secure access for British companies to corruptly under-priced minerals…

While journalistic relations with the police are in the headlines, the usual hand-wringers should pause before passing judgement. Whilst slipping coppers cash is morally dubious, is it worse than using what the recent Filkin report described as “long-standing tactics”? The Metropolitan Police report into “The Ethical Issues Arising From The Relationship Between Police And Media“ was clear, “Flirting is often interlinked with alcohol. Designed to get you to drop your defences and say far more than you intended. Be careful.” Such tactics are not unknown to hackettes from papers that consider themselves to be much more upmarket, almost on a different moral plane to the Sun…

A hypothetical dilemma for you to consider, which is less ethical: performing what the tabloid papers call a “sex-act” on a police officer for information, or paying for it? Normally less of a trail left with the former, if the evidence is swallowed…

In about half an hour Chris Huhne will learn his fate. If he’s not charged it will leak within minutes. Westminster waits with baited breath. Runes are being read left, right and centre but nobody has the foggiest. Roll on Ten O’Clock…

The pre-announcement of an announcement does not bode too well…