Galloway Endorses Physically Impressive Red Ed
Gorgeous George is enjoying himself this morning:
“I want to see Ed Miliband as prime minister and the sooner the better. I thought he was quite impressive, physically and intellectually. I respected his father very much. He said we should do this again. Possibly now we never shall. I have always said that I love the Labour Party a lot more than those who led it. If Labour became Labour again, everyone on the left, including me, would have to reconsider their attitude. I’m too socially conservative for the Lib-Dems, but Vince Cable’s instincts on the economy are better than Ed Balls’. Ed Balls is the City’s man.”
That faint sound you can hear in the distance is Ed praying that he shuts up…
UPDATE:
Labour source on Galloway: 'He may want Ed to be PM. Ed doesn't even want him to be an MP.' Feisty!—
Tim Shipman (@ShippersUnbound) April 24, 2013
Six-figure salaries, generous expenses and first class seats on the gravy train to Brussels, no wonder there were hundreds of applicants to become Labour candidates for the European Parliament. As Guido revealed in yesterday’s Sun column, two of their London candidates are Ivana Bartoletti, who in 2007 was elected to the Italian parliament in Rome, and Andrea Biondi, an unsuccessful candidate for the Italian parliament in January. His campaign website is still in Italian and he has yet to replace the Italian socialist party logo with the Labour Party’s logo.
As Guido revealed in his Sun column yesterday, Maggie’s funeral played host to a classic awkward Ed Miliband moment. Dropped off some walk from St Paul’s Cathedral, Guido hears Ed was caught short and ended up popping into the plush marbled reception of a nearby bank. Given Labour’s banker bashing, the investment bankers inside would hardly be ecstatic about his impromptu visit. Friends of the Labour leader insist he merely wanted a mirror to ‘straighten his tie’. 
“The reality is the grass-roots model is gone, I think. I mean, you know, Dunfermline – Gordon Brown’s constituency in Dunfermline – had nearly 1,000 members in the mid-1990s. At the time of the Labour Leadership election when they gave us fantastic data – which they’ll never do again – it had 163 members. Where did those people go?”
Labour are getting into a spin over this morning’s Indy splash claiming they will pledge to outspend the Tories in 2015. Balls has told LBC the story “is an exclusive but it’s wrong”, blaming a report from the Fabians: “it is not our policy, it is not our position”. As Damian McBride speculates, the Indy front page is manifestly true, Labour just won’t confirm it until they release their manifesto in two years’ time.
Tony Blair: “Parts of the political landscape that had been cast in shadow for some years, at least under New Labour and the first years of coalition government, are illuminated in sharp relief. The Conservative Party is back clothing itself in the mantle of fiscal responsibility, buttressed by moves against ‘benefit scroungers’, immigrants squeezing out British workers and – of course – Labour profligacy. The Labour Party is back as the party opposing ‘Tory cuts’, highlighting the cruel consequences of the Conservative policies on welfare and representing the disadvantaged and vulnerable.”
“From this comment, it is clear that Chuka has not experienced the wealth of places London has to offer. We are one of the most diverse capitals in the world and certainly have a variety of venues to showcase this. We would therefore love to invite Chuka in to experience Chukka when we launch. We would invite Chuka in to experience our entertainment from the all-singing, all-dancing bar staff whilst he sips on a glass of fizz from London’s first Billecart-Salmon Champagne bar. If this wasn’t enough to get him dancing and to change his mind, we would encourage him to delve into our new equestrian themed fancy dress box.”
In Sunday’s Sun column Guido revealed how a controversial gambling lobbyist was claiming to be a “Business Adviser” to Ed Balls, despite the Shadow Chancellor denying ever having appointed him. Neil Goulden is the chairman of the Association of British Bookmakers, boss of Gala Bingo and the man in charge of the Coral high-street betting shop. He claims to be a “Business Adviser to Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls”, yet that is the first Team Balls have heard of it.
