Mood: Simon Hughes and Sarah Olney singing Simply The Best at Lib Dem conference pic.twitter.com/M0r6O582eI
— Joshua Dixon (@JoshDixonTweets) September 17, 2017
Simon Hughes and Sarah Olney singing Simply The Best at Lib Dem conference. Since Simon and Sarah both lost in June it seems the voters disagree…
An amazed co-conspirator spotted Keith Vaz leaving parliament in a chauffeur driven Rolls Royce. Could the commissions from his washing machine sales be more lucrative than we thought? Of course if it was a benefit in kind from a generous benefactor he will remember to declare it in the register of interests…
The miserabalist left-wing film director Ken Loach is joining the chorus of anti-Israelis trying to get Radiohead to abandon playing in Tel Aviv. Thom Yorke says Radiohead have performed in Israel for 20 years and “we don’t endorse Netanyahu any more than Trump, but we still play in America”. Quite.
The pernicious cultural boycott that the left is seeking is part of their effort to demonise the only Western-style liberal democracy in the Middle East. Nevertheless you can still enjoy Hollywood movies in Tel Aviv cinemas. You can even enjoy left-wing art house type films. In fact if you pop down to the Lev Cinema in Tel Aviv you catch the afternoon showing of “I, Daniel Blake” directed by, err, Ken Loach…
So much for the proletariat – front row seat for @tom_watson in the Royal Box at Wimbledon!! (Blocking Pippas view) pic.twitter.com/onip5ZZgYK
— Eye Spy MP (@eyespymp) July 5, 2017
In the Royal Box mixing with minor royals and tycoon Martin Sorrell, who just about manages on a million-a-week pay, so a lot of cream on his strawberries. Watson is doing the season; Glasto, Wimbledon…
Frustrated Remoaners have been decrying the Tory government-propping DUP as homophobic because they oppose gay marriage. Yesterday Angela Merkel voted against legalising gay marriage in Germany saying “it should be between a man and a woman”. Where is the outrage from the usual Europhile loudmouths? The virtue signallers who banged on about Trump? Has Chris Bryant tweeted his disgust? Silent hypocrisy.
“I don’t gossip. I don’t go drinking in Parliament’s bars. I don’t often wear my heart on my sleeve. I just get on with the job in front of me,” Theresa May is famously fond of telling us. As a sign of how much things have changed, this evening she is throwing a drinks party for Tory MPs at Number 10, taking the unprecedented step of schmoozing her own MPs. Colleagues say this is a rare occurrence – not many of these events have taken place under May. Good to see the PM finally come round to the merits of a drink and a gossip…
Jeremy Corbyn’s son is planning a “hummus and falafel” victory party at Number 10 Downing Street if his father becomes Prime Minister. In optimistic Facebook comments shared between friends, Tommy Corbyn asks: “Can you guys sort the red red wine? I’m making sure the kebab shop has enough falafel“.
Friends encouraged Corbyn Jnr to put plans in place for a Downing Street celebration on June 9, saying: “Just imagine the party at your dad’s new pad… there’ll be cappuccino and falafel all over the shop“. Another added: “Wall to wall hummus”. Tommy joked about Unite general secretary Len McCluskey finding the party unsatisfactory as he is not a vegetarian: “The last time I saw him he was off for a steak and ale pie.“A glimpse into Corbyn‘s Downing Street, food for thought…
Allies of Len McCluskey mocked Gerard Coyne and Labour Blairites earlier by claiming they would be drowning their sorrows with “Peroni and chablis”. Well, tonight Red Len is drinking champagne at a victory party with Seumas Milne and a who’s who of lefties at Boot and Flogger by London Bridge. A bar in the heart of the City, famous for serving champagne in tankards…
UPDATE: The cheapest bottle of champagne at Len’s victory party is £51. The group have got through 20+ bottles of bubbly as of 8:52pm.
Twitter employee Joanna Geary was in the Red Rooster restaurant in Harlem last night when she bumped into the Foreign Secretary dining with an old friend. She says “I hadn’t seen David until Boris said “‘I suspect you’ll recognise my friend David’ and pointed in his direction”. Team Boris strongly deny allegations of dad dancing, though Reuters‘ Anjuli Davies alleges some standing on chairs:
Boris @BorisJohnson and @David_Cameron dine together and stand on chairs … pic.twitter.com/2bowiUCG3X
— Anjuli (@AnjuliDavies) March 24, 2017
UPDATE: A spokesman for Boris Johnson said: “The picture is of Boris trying to get out of a very tight seating area against the wall in the restaurant. Nearly all the other members of the group on that side had to do the same (step up and over) to get out.”
Once a Bullingdon boy…
The Sun have got hold of a wince-inducing video of new Tory MP for Copeland Trudy Harrison riding on the back of her husband at a Christmas party, before falling off and smashing her front teeth. Ouch!
First she smashed her face, then she smashed Labour…
According to a Reuters report magic mushrooms could boost economic productivity and make investors money. Recent clinical trials of psilocybin mushrooms, the psychedelic fungi, show it helping mental health patients without causing significant side effects.
As well as health gains for individuals the positive ramifications for society are huge.
The cost of mental illness globally was as much as $2.5 trillion in 2010 and could more than double by 2030, reckons the World Economic Forum. Using those numbers, medical journal the Lancet has argued that investments in mental-health treatment have high returns. If $10 billion were invested every year from now until 2030, the net present value of enhanced economic productivity might be $400 billion.
Investing in psychedelic medicine could be both profitable and increase productivity. Two clinical studies of cancer patients with depression or anxiety found meaningful improvements in mood without serious adverse reactions. Laboratory work on the use of trippy pharmacology had been similarly problem-free in the 1960s. In 2005 New Labour criminalised harvesting and using naturally growing mushrooms. Maybe the prospect of boosting economic productivity might reverse that decision…
From 2005: New Labour Attacks Pagan Minorities
See also: Food Of The Gods: A Radical History of Plants, Drugs and Human Evolution
Parliament is in recess, Guido’s liver needs to go into remission, the parliamentary news sausage machine has been switched off. The Dead Tree Press will be empty of news. We too will be taking a break from breaking news…
News flow will be light, we will still be uploading this and that, highlighting things that have amazed, amused and angered us and our co-conspirators. The daily Guidogram email will be as intermittent as if it was delivered by the Communications Workers Union. To all you news junkies and political obssessives, Guido’s advice is, take a break. We wish you all, a very merry Christmas…
Jeremy Corbyn issued a snub to The Canary last night by only inviting the MSM to his Christmas drinks party. The Labour leader catered for a non-veggie crowd with a spread including pork pies and chicken legs, as well as a selection of ales, lagers and wines, and his “leader’s boardroom” was decorated with Christmas lights and a tree topped with a red star. They never had this under Miliband – good to see Labour’s newfound riches from their new members being put to good use…
Guido was however most amused by Jezza’s choice of doorstop. A copy of the Chilcot report…
He came, he danced, he entertained a nation. And @EdBalls always finished a routine in his own inimitable style. #EdBalls #Strictly. 👏 pic.twitter.com/uHCC31MTvI
— BBC Strictly✨ (@bbcstrictly) November 27, 2016
Balls finally leaves the dance-floor, to acclaim…
With all the controversy about Wikileaks and the hacking of Hillary and the DNC this invitation is certainly appropriate. Russia’s London Ambassador, Alexander Yakovenko, is really spoiling trolling us with his pre-Christmas cocktail party’s topic for discussion, “Hacking the Algorithm”. Maybe guests should leave their smartphones at home…
Ed Balls. Dressed as a knight. Dancing. pic.twitter.com/wPzzHntbrh
— Ben (@Jamin2g) October 15, 2016
Beginning to think he is going to win…
Those are the moves that helped him go through to the next round.
All those annoying hand jives on the frontbench, turns out were useful practice…
For the first time in recent memory there will be no Telegraph party at Tory conference. Traditionally the Torygraph bash has one of the more exclusive guestlists – Dave and George used to show up, Philip Hammond was once turned away – this year they’ve canned the whole thing. Sticking five figures behind the bar so execs can get sloshed with the Cabinet wouldn’t be a good look in a year when they’ve laid off so many journalists. Shame, the Facebook live stream would have gone totes viral…
The popularity of e-cigarettes is seeing a seismic shift away from burning tobacco – smoking is down to 16.9% or 1 in 6 adults. Deborah Arnott, the fanatical £160,000-a-year chief executive of the taxpayer-funded pressure group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), still has to continue justifying her taxpayer subsidy.[…] Read the rest
Len McCluskey speaks from the Corbynista alternative universe:
“To the whingers and whiners who say we didn’t win, I say this. We did win.”
