What has happened to Hollande? After coming to London and showering the capital and the Prime Minister with praise, he even managed to crack a funny:
“We also have an excellent relationship, as was shown again today at all levels, including in the field of defence where we have some ongoing, active cooperation. This shows that, beyond our differences, the most important thing is what unites us. It is the third time that David Cameron has welcomed me to London, though I did invite him to come to Paris even though we are not planning to organise the Olympic Games any time soon.”
Now this afternoon it’s reported that Hollande is going to be furthering his planned spending cuts. After his gold-gaffe and three months in power, it seems reality is starting to bite for Flamby.
The jet-setting former Prime Mentalist claims eighteen times the amount of expenses asked for by value-for-money lowest claiming MP, despite the fact that he never turns up for work…
David Miliband is earning £500,000 a year and rarely takes part in the cut and thrust of Westminster any more, but that hasn’t stopped him from being one of the highest expenses claimants in the figures released by IPSA today. Miliband is the 20th greediest MP, trousering £170,500 in expenses over the last year. He needs it, they only pay him £116 a minute for his speeches…
Meanwhile the former Prime Mentalist claimed £127,197 despite the fact that he’s only spoken in one debate during the last twelve months.
Why are we paying so much for his travel when he never turns up?
A Labour MP has distanced herself from her mother’s call for a book burning of best-selling erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey. Clare Phillipson, the director of a woman’s charity and mother of Sunderland South MP Bridget, frothed:
“Our concern is not the graphic depiction of sex – this is an abusive relationship presented as a love story. It normalises abuse, degrades women and encourages sexual violence. There is lots of abuse in the book, not just sexual abuse. Do millions and millions of women suffer from secret self-loathing? Do they all want to be treated this badly? Some of what happens in the book, Fred West did to his victims in his cellar. I fail to see what is erotic about that.”
Phillipson went on to refute the obvious comparisons:
“There’s an assumption that Nazis are the only people who burn books. What we are saying is, this book is rubbish and we would like to reduce it to ashes.”
When Guido spoke to Bridget about her mum’s S&M shocker, the Labour MP refused to be tied down by her parents’ strict views:
@MrHarryCole of course I don't
— Bridget Phillipson (@bphillipsonMP) August 24, 2012
Ouch…
Self-proclaimed Russian expert Denis MacShane has been sticking the boot in to the Conservative Friends of Russia today. There is plenty to attack CFoR for, but Denis was up to his usual trick of stretching the truth:
Tory Friends of Russia now saying Malcom Rifkind has nothing to do with their group.
— Denis MacShane (@DenisMacShane) August 22, 2012
Imagine Guido’s surprise when that turned out to be rubbish:
https://twitter.com/CFoR1/status/238272886048178176
He just can’t help it…
Blogger and campaigner Mark Wallace is offering a generous reward for a brave upholder of the British justice system to set off the Ecuadorian embassy fire alarm and flush out Julian Assange.
The great and the good on Twitter have chipped in, and as we go to pixel the total stands at over £6,500.
Guido is heading towards Knightsbridge this evening…
