Tuesday, January 30, 2007

It's Manchester! The Hat Eating Begins...

In common with 59 million other people I assumed that this sleazy government would award the Super Casino licence to John Prescott's friends at the Anschutz Entertainment Group. I now realise I was completely wrong and would like to make clear that this government is a 'pretty straight kinda government' and is 'whiter than white'. I think it is amazing that they have awarded the contract to Manchester, New Hampshire and it's an indication of the continuing 'special relationship' and the strength of the trans-atlantic alliance. [er, you sure? ed]. I should like to lead the way in doing this...



Tim Montgomerie is 94.

47 comments:

BJ said...

You look pixellated as a newt, Iain!

Anonymous said...

What have they got against Manchester?

Anonymous said...

You've admitted you're wrong. You'll never make a politician!!!

Anonymous said...

Who's constituency is it going to be in?

Anonymous said...

Don't eat your hat yet...

http://greenwichwatch.blogspot.com/

If they can cancel an SFO enquiry, they can ignore the recommendations of a panel...

Still enough time to go out and buy a chocolate hat

Anonymous said...

AEG will demand their stetson and boots back! they cost a lot for that size...

Anonymous said...

Greenwich will get it's super-casino before too much longer ans so will Blackpool. It's what's going on behind the scenes that counts.

Anonymous said...

That's Prescott's retirement f*cked.

Anonymous said...

Yep, they'll have the extra super-casinos, just won't call them that.

Job done!

Call them maxi-casinos or some such.

Its not like they're lying...

Anonymous said...

If it's Manchester the Casino will be in Tony Lloyd's Manchester Central constituency. The decision could of course be related to Lloyd's dashing defence of political differences vs Doughty's supposed idea that there was a political convergence of epic proportions. In fact Lloyd and Montgomery agreed from fairly polar extremes of the mainstream that the leaderships and the chase for votes in the super marginals was making the messages converge.

Anonymous said...

Iain,

That looks suspiciously like the Stetson that John Prescott was given by Philip Anschutz.

I wonder if he'll be asking for it back now?

Anonymous said...

Those terribly nice men at Anschutz are going to be devastated.... stuck with a jinxed money-drain and after gritting their teeth and associating with The Mouth of the Humber, too.

The Code of the West is quite clear what happens to dirty double-crossers, and quite rightly so.

The only way Deputy Dawg will scramble out of this one is by buying 'em off with tax-payers money - from the Olympic Fund.

Anonymous said...

Iain, time to put up some more articles.

Methinks it is a good day to bury (your) bad news.

Anonymous said...

When you finished that one,Ian, I can let you have a hardly worn cowboy hat!

Anonymous said...

It's because you were on to them Iain,they have just done it to prove you wrong,so in a way you have won,so put that hat away.

Glyn Davies said...

The Government needed Blackpool and Greenwich to stregthen its campaign to have more super casinos accepted. Must have been tough on the media all camped out in the wrong places.

Anonymous said...

Doesn't Manchester have the best type of gangster?

Anonymous said...

Really Mark Senior?Which decisions were those or are just acting like a typical Lib Dem liar?

Anonymous said...

Each Euro-region in what used to be known as England will have a super-casino soon.

You will learn to love the EU whatever the cost to the people of this country.

Anonymous said...

There are some very naive (or very dishonest) people around.

Awarding it to Manchester was simply a tactical decision.

Greenwich and Blackpool have already been given the nod that, after a short period of wrangling, they will get their super-casinos or whatever name they come up with.

That opens the door for other super-casinos around the country.

The whole thing is a con and a charade but should that really surprise anyone after 10 years of New Labours deceit and manipulations?

Anonymous said...

Would have thought you Dutch would have known all about casinos - appears that you have had them since 1975 and surprise surprise society as you know it hasn't collapsed.


http://www.hollandcasino.com/en-GB/corporate+profile/history/default.htm

Anonymous said...

NuLab are clearly rattled. This is the first time I can recall where they have allowed the public knowledge of their corruption get in the way of doing a favour for their mates.A small victory though as Anschluz will get his casino as soon as the news can be buried from the public eye.

Anonymous said...

I think Manchester got it as thank's for hosting the Commonwealth Game's which was excellent ,they could have easily hosted the Olympic Games a lot cheaper with a lot less jigary pokery

Anonymous said...

Ian, I can recommend a very good ointment for that rash. Must be all the poison coming out (at least that's what my grandmother used to tell me when I was very young. Failing that, see a doctor, but not on the National Health or you'll wait forever. If all else fails I can only suggest that when walking about in public you should be waving a little blue flag and shouting "unclean!, unclean!".

Anonymous said...

I can't begin to write how warmly smug I feel at your current low ebb,Iain.

Now all you have to do to gain the full forgiveness of the whole Labour(three times winning)movement, is to offer a full and frank apology to John (hero) Prescott and grovel in the process.

It matters little if no-one believes a word of it, as no-one believes a single word that leaves the flower power, windmill, solar pannelled 'modern' Tory party anyway.

Can't wait to witness the unearthing of WMD soon, that puts a top hat on Tony's career.Then you'll beg my son and beg you will!

Sheer joy!

Gary

Anonymous said...

But the problem, he-up-lad is that the IOC would never have picked Manchester.

Anonymous said...

Can you please predict that Bliar will not resign this week, that Anschutz will not spill the beans on Prescott, that Bliar and Moron will not be convicted and reunited in a small cramped place, and that the NuLab project will go from strength to strength.

Anonymous said...

After Prescott's shenanigans Greenwick could never have won this HEADLINE announcement. but they will get their casino. It'll be announced just before a recess (I will take any bets on that)

NuLabour have given up on the south, they are building a Paradise Up North. Be very interesting to see just how much of our taxes and the lottery pile have gone to fund sports centres, hospitals, public halls north of Oxford.

Anonymous said...

Don't worry Iain, I don't think even Manchester predicted this one!

Anonymous said...

At least it'll give those useless Northern scroungers something to do, so they can fill their idle hours.

Anonymous said...

The Yardies in Moss-side have beeen worrying about drying-up of drug and protection monies for some time now. It is good that blair has seen the need for their 'economic development'

Anonymous said...

2:15 PM

talk about hospital's in the North West ,went to the Wirral one this morning not been in that hospital for about 12 years thought Id walked into a shopping centre ,the ground floor was full of shops and cafes ,evan a bank , got to admit the staff were very nice and helpful

Anonymous said...

2:31 PM
Compared where the BBC are moving to ,Moss side is a holiday resort

Anonymous said...

I hope you enjoy this Mr. Dale:

http://conservativemindblog.blogspot.com/2007/01/breaking-news-cannibal-kills-public.html

Anonymous said...

Manchester was the sensible choice, I could get to Manchester from west London quicker and with less inconvenience than I could to that godforsaken shithole site they built the dome on, and you will be able to park, the drugs are cheaper and better, same with the lap dancers.

Anonymous said...

Iain, If only I hadn't been out to a lunch with a lady friend I could have saved you from this ignominy.

You only need to eat your hat IF NO CASINO COMES TO THE DOME !!!!

This will not be the case. The award to Manchester is surely to throw the masses off the scent that EVERYWHERE is going to get a Casino! Even Bath.

Of course, they will not call them all 'Super Casinos'. They are now rummaging around in the thesaurus as we speak.

In Bath it will be a 'Casino Metro'.

In Swansea a 'Casino Enfawr'.

In Blackpool it will be 'Casino Max'

In Newcastle they will call it a 'Casino Great, smashing [but not 'super', oh no sirree, not at all]'

In Windsor it will be called 'Casino Royale'.

In Cardiff it will be 'Casino Extra [bach llai o faint na 'super']...

In Bristol it will be called 'Casino Merchant's Quarter' until the slave owners complain that is casting aspersions, and it is re-named 'Casino Bog-Standard'...

Birmingham will have two casinos, one called 'Casino Medium' and the other called 'Casino Regular' until a dispute breaks out over which of these should be the larger size...

In Brighton it will be called 'Casino Grande' until Starbucks sue because they own that name, and are then even more annoyed that they can't sue when it is re-named the 'Casino Tall'...

[That's enough casinos, Ed]

Well, Ed, I don't think you know what you are talking about, and we won't know if there is going to be an increase in problem gambling until we've got ALL 355 new casinos up and running. Tessa Jowell, DCMS

Anonymous said...

I gather the sites going to be in Beswick, so i think that puts it im Gerald Kaufmann's seat

Anonymous said...

OT: Iain- Sorry to moan, but those preview pop-ups on all your links are a bit annoying.

Anonymous said...

Yes Malcolm, there weren't any dodgy deals under the Tories. Back on planet earth meanwhile...

Anonymous said...

BBC Radio 2 News just used the headline "Manchester has won the jackpot". Obvious government propaganda on the BBC. The "jackpot" will consist of (a) more poverty, despair and social dislocation, (b) increases in broken families, (c) increases in all types of violence and crime both near the casino and further away, (d) dramatic increases in problem gamblers and (e) increases in drug taking and alcoholism. But it's all fine because a few very rich people are going to get even richer, and a piffling amount of the money they make will go in extra taxes to the exchequer, taxes paid mainly by the poor and stupid.

Anonymous said...

Of course there will be a casino at The Dome. PM Dave will see to that when Gordon thrown out.

Anonymous said...

griswold said...
there may be a casino at the dome but Dave wont be saying it ,maybe a UKIP PM
:
BBC Bill Gates the great inovator

Anonymous said...

As a football commentator said, 'It's deja vu all over again..'.

I remember the last time I felt like this was when Nulabour were promising that we were on the cusp of a new Jerusalem in our towns and cities, if only we would stop being so awkward and dropped our objections to 24hr drinking... I wonder if super-casinos will result in just the same sort of 're-think' in two years time.

Anonymous said...

There's very little we can (calmly) say at the moment, other than express how dejected and angry we are about this absurd decision.

Manchester's eaten its cake and now it's working its way through the bakery. Blackpool doesn't even get the crumbs.

Well done to Labour for screwing Blackpool. Again.

It doesn't take much to imagine how a Manchester-centric group of MPs and councillors must have leaned on the Government and in turn, the CAP.

It just shows how impotent Blackpool's Labour MPs and councillors are- they can't even hold much sway for what should have been a winning bid. It perhaps doesn't help that Labour councillors are happy to sit through meetings where casino and redevelopment proposal are discussed reading Avon catalogues.

Tessa Jowell's address to the Commons that she understands our disappointment doesn't even touch close to empathy for our predicament.

The right thing to do now is for MPs to vote with their consciences when it comes to the vote and reject Manchester as the site for the supercasino.

The country has spoken- it wanted Blackpool.

The experts have spoken- they wanted and recommended Blackpool.

Blackpool has spoken- it needs this catalyst.

Manchester came to the table late and muttered something about considering a casino, if it had the time somewhere in between relocating the BBC, expanding the city centre, maintaining the largest concentration of sports facilities anywhere in the UK and basking in the glory of having hosted the Commonwealth Games.

Whilst I love Manchester- it's a great city which in many aspects is preferable to Blackpool- the council could have shown some consideration for the city's regional cousin by supporting its bid, rather than competing against it. Manchester does not need a supercasino.

Anonymous said...

machiavelli - I can understand your disappointment, but do you not share my rather cynical view that eventually ALL the super-casinos [or 'max-i' etc.], yes all 30-40 of the ones they had planned will get built ?

Oh, of course Tessa will say, no new licences till 2010, but it takes 3 years to build one. Don't you think that Blackpool will have its casino up an running, albeit 12 months after the Manchester one is open ?

'Las Vegas isn't coming to Britain' says Jowell - then what the fuck has all this fuss over the past 2 years been for then ? And why did Prescott go to the ranch if Vegas was going to stay firmly in the Nevada desert?

Anonymous said...

Some of tomorrows papers reveal that the contract for the Manchester super-casino has in fact, gone to a "vulgar" South African multi-billionaire businessman with a reputation for buying off politicians.

Does that make things a little clearer?

neil craig said...

I admit to having been caught out underestimating the integrity of Labour too.

At the considerable risk of making the same mistake twice I should point out that Manchester officially got it because it makes a good test bed for casinos in large urban areas which implies they are going for a 2nd round, which presumably could include the Dome.