I have already thanked Cassilis for the redesign of the blog. The consensus seems to be that he has done a great job, but we are already acting on some of the suggestions you have made for some tweaks.The reason for this post is to thank Russell Brown for designing my new personal site, which was used as the template for the blog. I first came across Russell through his now defunct IronLady.com website. Since then he's done several sites for me and I can thoroughly recommend him - and his prices are very reasonable too. He's also done several websites for Tory politicians. If you'd like to know more, email russ@russellbrown.co.uk.
Today I have been out and about in a very rainy Washington DC. This morning I got the Metro to the Pentagon City Mall, where I got a US adaptor for my plug. Idiot that I am, I had brought a European one with me. I also bought a light for my video camera. This afternoon I went to see a couple of the senior managers at C-SPAN to talk about... well, that would be telling. And I am about to go out for dinner with an old friend, Mark Milosch, who I first met when I was a lowly researcher at the House of Commons in 1986. A lot of reminiscing will no doubt be done. Tomorrow I'm going to drive out to Gettysburg, assuming the weather clears up. Anyone got the address? ... er, I'll just get my coat.
By the way, if anyone is coming to Washington in the near future, can I recommend the Washington Suites, which is where I am staying? It's on Pennsylvania Avenue at the Goergetown Bridge. You get a big bedroom, a living room and a kitchen for less than the price of most hotels. I'm paying an average of $129 a night - and it's luxury compared to where I stayed last time and paid about 50% more.
14 comments:
"Well I like it", said Florence,
hopefull.
Alexander ordered to name donors in campaign funding row
By Gerri Peev
Political Correspondent
THE controversy surrounding Wendy Alexander's campaign funding reignited last night after a Holyrood watchdog told her to register the names and gifts of every donor.
Dr Jim Dyer, the Standards Commissioner, ruled that Ms Alexander had been wrong not to declare some donations to her campaign for the leadership of Scottish Labour.
After taking the advice of a QC, Dr Dyer warned Ms Alexander that gifts in excess of £520 needed to be declared.
Ms Alexander rushed out a statement yesterday afternoon listing the ten top donors and pointing out she had attempted to unveil the names on the MSP register of interests in November – only to be told by clerks that she did not have to.
Her announcement was made in a bid to calm the furore surrounding donations that has gripped both Holyrood and Westminster in recent months.
Ms Alexander's list included a string of gifts just under £1,000, the threshold where donations have to be legally registered with the Electoral Commission.
The body is investigating a £950 donation from Paul Green, a Jersey-based businessman, which Ms Alexander has since forfeited as it broke the rules.
Last night, the Electoral Commission said it had not yet decided whether to refer the matter to police.
Ms Alexander said she was now updating her register and has challenged MSPs from all parties who have stood in previous leadership contests to follow suit.
She said: "In light of the Commissioner's opinion, and in the interests of transparency, I am making a voluntary registration of the relevant donations. I am grateful to the donors concerned for their consent in allowing me to do so.
"It is also appropriate this decision is drawn to the attention of colleagues from all parties who have been involved in internal elections, but have not, I understand, registered donations to their election campaigns. It is important that the position is now clarified.
Ms Alexander said it was "not in the interests of Scottish politics or the public" for there to be "a further raft of formal complaints or investigations".
She called for fellow MSPs Roseanna Cunningham, Nicola Sturgeon, Fergus Ewing, Christine Grahame, Annabel Goldie, Nicol Stephen and Mike Rumbles to "consider identifying and registering any donations they received but did not report" during their respective leadership campaigns in the last parliament.
The list unveiled yesterday includes leading entrepreneurs, big businesses and the GMB Union, which gave £999.
Neil Davidson, QC, a former solicitor-general who in 2006 became Advocate General for Scotland – Westminster's senior Scots legal adviser – gave £995. Michael Rutterford, an Edinburgh-based entrepreneur, gave £999.
Donations of £995 were also given by Nicholas Kuenssberg, a former Scottish Environmental Protection Agency deputy head, John Lyons, a former Labour MP, and the Phoenix Car Company, which previously gave Ms Alexander £300, according to the MSP register. Donations of £995 also came in from Strathvale Holdings, owned by Brian Dempsey, and City Refrigeration Holdings, started by the Gorbals entrepreneur Willie Haughey.
The total amount of donations to Ms Alexander's campaign, which saw her elected unopposed, was about £16,000.
Mr Rumbles, the Lib Dem MSP who lost his party's leadership race, said: "It is outrageous for Wendy Alexander to attempt to deflect attention from her failure to operate within the rules by attempting to drag in other politicians."
A spokesman for Ms Goldie, the Scottish Tory leader, said: "She was unopposed, she received no money, she spent no money – there is nothing to declare."
The SNP said its party headquarters, along with individual candidates, paid for leadership contests.
Iain, you're missing snow at home! :)
Iain, big debate going on here at the moment! Does Henry Conway deserve the title, 'Queen Sloan' I'm sure with your deep and intimate knowledge of the Conway family, you'd like to make a contribution: yes or no?
Makes 'yer proud to be British, donit'
Don't go to Gettysburg which means nothing to the British; Bismarck described the Civil War as farmers chasing each other through the woods.
Instead show your face in Jamestown which is celebrating its 400th year without significant English participation. It was our contribution to the progress of the world, although Bush has given us all pause for second thoughts.
Iain, that's easier to read now, thank you.
I note that you have extensively pruned your links. Does this mean you no longer want reciprocal links?
All a bit tumbleweed round here isn't it. Is this a new Peter principle, before a blog collapses it gets a makeover?Hope not , come on Dale , digit extraction as my old Physics teacher used to say . Whats going on?
Peter,
As I explained in a post below, the links section is under construction and will be added shortly. You will, of course, be included in it. It was getting very unwieldy on the old site.
This is so much fun having Iain's blog in not exactly real time, but quite close - instead of six hours away. It just feels so immediate!
How come I can't see the Morning Star in that pile of newspapers on the left of your new blog lay out?
Please make the font size BIGGER Iain!!!
I don't know if anyone has mentioned a possible bug in the new design?
The body of Iain's posts are contained within a grey outline. Except that, currently, the last post within the grey lines is the 'Last Night's Obama v Clinton Debate' one.
Then the posts continue with the heading of the Telegraph column one not showing and the final post being the 'New Day, New Design' one.
Hi Iain
Just thought I'd drop a line to say, love the new Blog design!
It's excellent! Certainly sets you apart from the usual designs out there.
Still enjoying reading your blog.
All the best
John Demetriou
http://boatangdemetriou.wordpress.com/
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