Mitt Romney’s London visit is not going well. After insulting the Olympics (a grave crime apparently) and forgetting Miliband’s name, Guido learns that tonight’s fundraiser is struggling to get the numbers.

The Republican candidate has been forced to cut prices from $25,000:

“From: XXXX
Subject: romney dinner…..reduced price for last minute guests has been negotiated

Good news:  The Romney dinner in London on Thursday, July 26th is reaching an all time record for a one event fundraiser.  In order to get us over the top, we have been allowed to invite a few last minute guests at 10,000 per ticket vs 25,000 per ticket.”

Lovely spinning there…

UPDATE: This is an invite to Romney’s reception tonight:

Guido hears the price has been cut to $1,000…

In a bid to prove his foreign policy credentials, Mitt Romney has solved one of the largest ever strains on the Special Relationship. No, he hasn’t declared the Falkands to be British, rather he has promised to restore the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office if he beats Obama. See it is an equal partnership really…

Arriving today for the Olympic opening ceremony and meetings with Cameron and Miliband, the Republican Presidential campaign has been briefing Jon Swaine:

“…advisers told The Daily Telegraph that he would abandon Mr Obama’s “Left-wing” coolness towards London. We are part of an Anglo-Saxon heritage, and he feels that the special relationship is special,” the adviser said of Mr Romney, adding: “The White House didn’t fully appreciate the shared history we have.”

Anglo-Saxon? Not the most subtle dog whistle…

Another day, another Sarah Palin mess.  Her three-year-old grandson used a gay slur in a reality TV show. Tripp Palin, the son of 21-year-old Bristol, screamed at his aunt Willow: “Go away you f*ggot!”

Bristol and Willow responded by laughing and warning the troublesome tot: “God is watching you“.

And the rest of the world…

A cracking prize for you this week in the form £50 to spend on a Mother’s Day bunch of flowers from Arena Flowers. The winner will be announced by close of play today in order to meet delivery requirements for Sunday. Good luck…

UPDATE: We have a winner – and the overall standard of entries was dire – so if Universal Hiss emails back in time he can still send his mum the flowers he won with:

“How’s your pudding Gordon?”

Don’t forget!

Back in June Guido reported that the campaign to end taxpayer funding of trade union officials had gone global. Phil Gingrey, a Republican congressman from Georgia, was attempting to restrict the activity of Pilgrims, or what they call “release time”. Today’s Washington Post has waded into the growing disquiet at “Union business, on the taxpayers’ dime“:

“…if union activities were paid for by union dues rather than tax dollars, there would be less dues money available for campaign contributions to the grateful politicians who negotiate release-time benefits for the contributing unions.

Release-time provisions have existed for 40 years. What is new is a willingness to call attention to them and contest them, a willingness born of the pressure the recession has put on municipal budgets. Just as a recession has the benefit of making private enterprises more conscious of efficiencies, it makes governments less cavalier about expenditures.”

So the barriers to change are the same on both sides of the pond: greedy politicos.

Good luck trying this Mr Romney/Gingrich/Santorum…

Find out where he thinks Obama was born thirteen minutes in to this rabble rousing speech to CPAC.

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) R.I.P.

Given that his kids have a $100m trust fund, you would have thought Mitt Romney would have taken a little more care in organising this photo op.

UPDATE:  It is a Photoshop.

GOP Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich seems to be taking the old saying “aim for the moon, and even if you miss you will land amongst the stars” literally. In a speech yesterday he promised to have established a moon base by the end of his second term. How’s this for blue sky thinking:

“When we have 13,000 Americans living on the moon, they can petition to become a state… I wanted every young American to say to themselves, I could be one of those 13,000. I could be a pioneer. I need to study science and math and engineering. I need to learn how to be a technician. I can be a part of building a bigger, better future. I can actually go out and live the future, looking at the solar system and being part of a generation of courageous people who do something big and bold and heroic.”

Steve Hilton declined to comment…