UKIP are kicking off conference season this week, and have announced they will be re-branding and dropping the pound sign from their logo – apparently that battle has been won. Tim Montgomerie has been bandying about ideas for a new design. According to the Telegraph the party have drafted a “friendly design consultancy is helping the party”. Guido’s done their work for them:
Obviously the old freedom torch introduced by Margaret Thatcher in 1987 has an obvious appeal, though UKIP have to be careful not to put off the 20-25% of supporters who are previous Labour voters. Guido’s personal politically correct gender-balanced suggestion would be Boadicea – the historic heroine of those fighting occupying forces from Europe. Or why not a swan?
This week 203,685 visitors visited 397,416 times viewing 600,399 pages. The top stories in order of popularity were:
- Kate Middleton Topless Photos
- Full Kelvin MacKenzie Statement on Hillsborough
- Awkward Ed Silent on Thatcher Death Taunt T-Shirts
- Nadine: “We Need a Kill Cameron Strategy, Not a Voice”
- Tory MP Damns Public Money for Maggie Death Dancers
- TUC Say: Maggie! Maggie! T-Shirts, Out! Out! Out!
- Tim Yeo Quits Lucrative Green Job
- Union “Wealth Creators” Give Chuka £24,500
You’re either in front of Guido, or behind…
The Guidogram round-up of the week is going out shortly.
Thousands of Westminster insiders read the Guidogram, everyone from Downing Street insiders to Fleet Street never miss it. Read all about Tim Yeo quitting one of his many green jobs following a series of Guido revelations, and get all the latest on the Thatcher death taunt t-shirt storm.
Join the conspiracy and become a subscriber to the Guidogram, free, to keep in the loop. You’re either in front of Guido, or behind…
What could possibly make the Thatcher t-shirts that have been causing the TUC so much grief this week even more offensive? Well the fact they are paid for out of the public purse registers pretty high on the scale. Mark Wallace has exposed the fact that the Derbyshire Unemployed Workers’ Centre who were selling the t-shirts are publicly funded organisation:
“According to the DUWC 2011 Annual Report, their Chairman is Cllr Graham Baxter MBE, the Leader of North East Derbyshire Council… On page 8 of the same report, the “Fundraising” section lists money received from Bolsover District Council, North East Derbyshire District Council and Chesterfield Borough Council, as well as grants from no less than 11 County Councillors.”
Why the taxpayer is picking up the tab for this lot remains to be seen, but Conor Burns MP, who is a close friend of Baroness Thatcher, is not happy:
“Whilst we are well used to these grotesque and deeply unpleasant sentiments from the left – something ironically that is absent in reverse from the right – this plumbs new shallows.
More than twenty years after she left office the left cannot forgive her for one thing above all else: she won.
To ask people to celebrate when Lady T dies is obscene. To ask the tax payer to pick up some of the bill to produce this Frankenstein merchandise is possibly unlawful.
I am asking the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to ask his Department to launch a full investigation as to whether this so-called “Unemployed Workers” (surely an oxymoron?) Centre has misused public money.
Lady T always belived in protecting the taxpayer.”
Sound.
Talk about an awkward Ed Miliband moment. The Telegraph reports this morning that t-shirts bearing the slogan “Thatcher: a generation of trade unionists will dance on her grave” are being sold at the TUC congress in Brighton. Guido has also found sick so-called Thatcher “party packs” on sale for those inclined to celebrate the death of an old lady.
According to the seller they have been pretty popular:
Thatcher Party Packs selling well today at #tuc12 #istillhatethatcher
— Bookmarks Bookshop (@Bookmarks_books) September 10, 2012
While Labour types on twitter have issued heavily caveated criticisms, so far there has been no comment from Ed on the taunting of Lady T.
Being stuffed full of union cash does put him in quite a tricky position – hardly wants to upset his paymasters who are obviously keen on dancing on Maggie Thatcher’s grave.
But maybe there’s another reason he hasn’t condemned them…
In July 1990 the then Aviation Minister under Thatcher, Patrick McLoughlin, told the House:
“I am afraid that I cannot say to my hon. Friend the Member for Spelthorne, who so ably introduced the debate, that I can wholly rule out Heathrow. If I did that, my hon. Friends who have spoken on behalf of other areas would ask me wholly to rule out their airports as well. That is not the way forward. The way forward is to do as the Government have done—to set up a working group. [Laughter.] It is easy for Opposition Members to mock—we are used to that, but they never come forward with any constructive suggestions.”
The new Transport Secretary’s Derbyshire seat is a long way from Heathrow, though the Tories would be fools to reverse on their Heathrow election pledge. It’s as if they want to lose every seat in West London…
Boris is not very happy about the Greening move:
“There can be only one reason to move her – and that is to expand Heathrow airport. Clear that the government wants to ditch its promises. We will fight this all the way.”
This could get messy.
