A Very UnSpecial Relationship

This is from a good friend of mine who happens to be American - and female. Her experience brings shame on not just those who insulted her, but those who stood by.

Ugh – just had the worst experience on the tube – some dumb liberal heard me speaking with a friend and deliberately started talking in a loud voice about the American Gov’t staging 9/11. I asked her to take her offensive views out of my earshot. Of course the whole carriage started making anti-american remarks and then some Asian girl challenged me to a fight – said I didn’t know anything about the sufferings of her people. It escalated and she spat in my face at Charing Cross. The staff called police – they were really nice and said that since her DNA was all over me they would gladly take her in but I told them I didn’t want to tie them up for 7 hours with paperwork but just to escort her out.

It is really getting to the point that the minute I open my mouth these days I get some asshole on my case and then they think it is a-ok to make anti-American remarks but God forbid I should hit back! I am just soooo sick of it!

Stephen Pollard has had a similar experience when wearing Stars & Stripes cufflinks!

Cameron Signals Change of Emphasis on Tax and Spend

This morning, in a speech in Birmingham, David Cameron will give voice to concerns over the levels of taxation, which will resonate around the country. But more important than that, for the first time he will signal that he believes goverment spending and borrowing are out of control. He will say...

"We have reached the acceptable limits of taxation and borrowing. With the rising cost of living, taxpayers can't take any more pain, and the economy can't take any more pain without losing jobs to lower tax competitors ... We need to start living within our means."

He talks about "good housekeeping" and Britain needing a government which is "careful, not casual with public money". He doesn't actually abandon George Osborne's pledge to match Labour spending for two years, but he might just as well have done. He describes a decade of "reckless" spending, waste and inefficiency.

It will be interesting to see the reaction to this speech as I think it signals the start of a major shift of emphasis to an agenda concentrating on the cost of living and the size of the State.

One thing I do wish politicians of all parties would stop are tjese constant references to 'hard working families'. I'm as much in favour of families as anyone, but isn't it about time someone also recognised that there are lots of hardworking single people too - and they are getting a bit fed up.

How to Make People Suspicious

Anyone who listened to Jean Pierre Garnier, Chief Executive of Glaxo Smithkline, on the Today Programme, will have come away wondering what on earth he has got to hide. Jim Naughtie asked some perfectly reasonable questions, was polite and didn't hector him at all, yet Garnier became increasingly tetchy and in the end refused to continue with the interview. Hopefully his Press Officer will have had the guts to tell him how much had damaged his company's reputation and embarrassed himself.

Michael Portillo is Right

Just so you don't think I am always unfair to Michael Portillo, may I recommend his Sunday Times column today, which is headlined KEEP QUIET, DAVE, AND LET GORDON BROWN WIN THE ELECTION FOR YOU. The column concludes with advice on how to react to Gordon Brown's difficulties...

How should the Tories react? Until recently it was obvious that to avoid too much probing, they should align their economic policy with Labour’s, just as Brown in opposition pledged to stick to Conservative plans. Even now to deviate too far from Brown’s figures might simply invite again the question that has dogged the party at three elections: “What are you going to cut?” But can the Tories go on linking themselves to Brown now that his reputation for economic competence has been entirely lost?

It is not an easy call, but I think the Conservatives should continue to sit on their hands. Labour is destroying itself and the opposition should supply no distraction.

The draft Queen’s speech last week proved that Brown will appropriate any safe ideas that the Tories devise, but anything more radical could provide the prime minister with fuel for political recovery.

Cameron should relax and savour the prime minister’s discomfiture. That will put the Tory leader closely in touch with the mood of the nation.

He's right. Let Labour hang gradually themselves and use the time to work out a new approach to economic policy, which does not involve allying the Conservatives with a failed economic policy.

Incidentally, I am having dinner with Mr P tomorrow night. We're filming an episode of DINNER WITH PORTILLO. I promise to behave myself.

The New Statesman Gets a New Editor

Atticus in the Sunday Times brings the news that the New Statesman has a new editor - and it's not Steve Richards. The man with the poisoned chalice is the NS's former Literary Editor, Jason Cowley, who until recently edited The Observer Sport Monthly and now edits the very worthy literary magazine Granta. For those of us who think the NS contains quite enough 'kultscher' already, and not enough politics, it will be interesting to see what approach he takes in revamping the magazine. As far as I know, it's the first time a NS editor will not have come from a background in political journalism, but do correct me if I'm wrong.

It's Official: Boris is Fit

I bring good news for all Londoners. The Mayor has the body of a man five years younger than himself! Perhaps he'd like to give it back ... boom, boom. Seriously, Boris had a medical on Friday - it's the rules apparently. All that cycling and giving up the booze seems to have done the trick, as I can reveal that he passed the medical with flying colours.

Boris apparently has the lungs of an ox, after he breathed out 5.5 litres (maybe I have got the wrong measure there...) of air, compared to the norm of 4 litres. No jokes about politicians and hot air, please.

Sir Ian Blair is on His Way Out

The Sunday Times reports that Sir Ian Blair has been told privately by the Labour Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority, Len Duvall, that his contract will not be renewed in 2010. Sir Ian has always felt it was just the Tories who were out to get him. Now he knows different. However, with two years to go, he now knows he has lost the confidence of the MPA and the Mayor. Not a happy position for him to be in, but he has had plenty of opportunities to fall on his sword in the past. Don't expect him to do so anytime soon.

DD: Shoot the Generals

Fraser Nelson reveals in the News of the World that at a Shadow Cabinet meeting David Davis stunned his colleagues with a suggestion of what to do about Burma...

Invade the country, shoot the generals and feed the people

Tamzin Lightwater would have gone weak at the knees. How tongue in cheek the suggestion was, I will leave you to judge.

The Bare Faced Cheek of Moyra Tamsin Dunwoody-Kneafsy

Just received this from a contact, staying at the Premier Inn in Crewe & Nantwich. He had an interesting encounter with Moyra Tamsin Dunwoody-Kneafsy and wanted to share it with a wider audience.

Thought you might like to know of my strange evening last night. I am currently in the Premier Inn hotel in Crewe, sadly missing Mr Dale by about 24 hours having come for the weekend to help the Conservative by-election campaign here.

Last night at about 10pm the was a power surge here which left the hotel without electricity until 5 am this morning. As the hotel room was rendered totally pitch black I decided to make my way to the hotel bar. Now I had previously made friends with one of the girls who works on reception here and she saw me in the restaurant and mentioned to me that they were just about to place a food order with a local pizza\kebab delivery business as one table had ordered food in the restaurant when we lost power. She also mentioned that this table included the daughter of the previous MP. Well, I knew straight away what that ment as I had been out with the Conservatives in Crewe earlier that day campaigning for Edward Timpson and, sure enough, right at the back of the restaurant I was sat in was Tamsin Dunwoody with her 3 children. Apparently they are staying in the Premier Inn hotel too.

Now comes the naughty bit - I like to think of it as a little white lie for the greater good - because when Tamsin came to the bar to check how long her food order would be I took the opportunity of introducing myself – just with one exception – I told her I was a Labour supporter just arrived in Crewe and would be helping her (when quite the opposite is true) the following day (Sunday). Because of my lie Tamsin asked me if I would like to join her and her family on the table and sure enough I did just that.

This was a bit of an opportunity to gently prod her and find out a few things so I did just that, with the following revelations...

Tamsin boasted that on Saturday she had a campaign force of 200 volunteers, and that she had never seen anything like it before. (The Conservative campaign I was involved in earlier that day had 400 helpers).

Related to the above, Tamsin claimed that her campaign was uniting all of Labour and this is why she had so many people come to help her campaign.

Tamsin told me that she had never met Gordon Brown but had had a very long phone conversation with him earlier that day (Saturday) and that apparently Mr Brown liked regular, personal updates via the phone direct from Tamsin.

Tamsin boasted about her family, saying that being an MP was “in her family's blood” and that one day her children (I would guess aged between 7 and 12), who were also sat at the table, would become successful politicians.

When I asked how her campaign was going she said that “It’s going to be very close” and that “it’s a straight Labour/Tory fight”. When I pressed her on if she thought she would win she didn’t answer just repeating,“It’s going to be very close”.

Tamsin said she was “very proud of my campaign" as it was "bringing back proper fighting the Tories". She repeatedly made reference to Edward Timpson’s wealth during our conversation claiming that during his campaign "he was taking his Bentley to Council estates" and "how could he understand what it was like for these people”? Yes, apparently Tamsin really believes this stuff, and it is not just part of her negative campaign.

Tamsin's children also asked “how can a millionaire represent you” and “who would want a millionaire as their representative?” I was unsure if they were just parroting what there mum had said or if they were saying this to be supportive of their mum.

How this woman has the bare faced cheek to slag off Edward Timpson for living a few miles outside the constituency when she is staying in a hotel, God alone knows. It sounds to me like the only way she can get through this campaign is to believe her own propaganda, which she has also indoctrinated into her children, who she also thinks should then inherit the seat from her. If ever the Tories needed any further incentive to campaign hard, all they need to do is read this blogpost.

Last night on the BBC News paper review I criticised the Labour leaflets for bringing political campaigning into disrepute. Even Labour MP Sadiq Khan couldn't bring himself to disagree with me. If Labour win this by election, this kind of campaigning will become the norm, and Labour will roll it out all over the country. They must be stopped from doing so.

UPDATE: This post seems to have caused a bit of a reaction. I did think about whtether to post it or not, but in the end came to the conclusion that it warranted it on the basis that if she really is "proud" of her campaign then it says a lot about her as a person. She and her people have lied and lied and lied about the Tory candidate - even going to far as to calling him a "Con Man" in their latest, desperate leaflet. Her mother would be ashamed of her daughter's campaign and would never have stooped to such a level. So please don't anyone come the high and mighty and slag me off for posting this. If the Labour candidate thinks her tactics are something to be proud of, I think people deserve to know it.

Great Ripostes of Our Time: No 94

From tomorrow's Independent on Sunday...

Comedian Jim Tavare opened on stage with the line: "Hello, I'm a
schizophrenic", to which one audience member's riposte was, "Well you can both
f*** off then."

Should Burma Be Invaded?

Sunny Hundal is suggesting we start thinking about invading Burma. Having read the BBC article he links to HERE, it is easy to see why. However, military action against a country so close to China would be a big step indeed. Isn't it issues like this which show the United Nations to be such a useless and toothless organisation? Whatever China's failings - and it has many - its response to its own devastating earthquake has been in marked contrast to the lamentable failure of the Burmese regime to help its people.

While an invasion by western countries in unthinkable, a pan Asian force is something which could be considered. Discuss.

Fantasty Football League: The Top 20

Now that the footie season is over, it's time to tell you who won the Iain Dale Fantasty Football league. Congratulations to Simon T's Dossing FC (who wins a hundred quid's worth of books & DVDs), and also to my friend Alan Sendorek, who is the man charged with handling the Tory Press operation in Crewe and Nantwich. He may have achieved second place in this league, but he needs to go one better on Thursday!

1	dossing FC	Simon T	59	2382
2	Leverkusendorek FC	Alan Sendorek	59	2201
3	Mad For It!	Mike Vaughan	71	2170
4	4D9ers	Simon Ford	55	2148
5	Real Royston	Paul Grimes	47	2144
6	Cathays Specifics	Andrew Sherwood	74	2139
7	Arry's Dogs'o'war	Harry Bridgen	64	2131
8	Baker's Dozen	Alexander Baker	47	2129
9	Las Ardillas Azules	Erlend Methi	67	2127
10	Big Al's Big Ballers	Alix Hampton	46	2126
11	Albert's Lions	Mike Steele	43	2124
12	Salty FC	Steve Salthouse	50	2120
13	Sven Eleven	Dave Radcliffe	48	2118
14	Roque Stars	Robert Foot	59	2114
15	AFC Lionel Scaloni	Jonathan Moore	72	2112
16	AFC Rosepimps	Jonny Rosemont	35	2108
17	Feet of Fury	P Doyle	62	2102
18	P J Select	Peter Doherty	58	2097
19	erm.....united	Rick B	63	2096
20	General Krulak XI	Joe Caluori	63	2092

Tories Lead by 8% in Crewe & Nantwich

I've just got word of a poll which will be released in one of tomorrow's papers (don't know which one, I am afraid) tomorrow's News of the World, which puts the Conservatives eight points ahead of Labour in the Crewe & Nantwich by-election.

Conservatives 45%
Labour 37%
LibDems 14%

Labour's smear campaign reached a new low today. See HERE.

UPDATE: New YouGov Poll in the Sunday Times puts the Tories on 45%, twenty points ahead of Labour. Details HERE.

Eric Pickles is My Twin

After a six hour journey, and an exhausting day, I have finally got home from Crewe. The day did not get off to a good start, when my Telegraph TV Camerawoman Debra and I arrived in the town centre to find that Miss Great Britain had taken to her bed. Interview number one cancelled. We then did some Vox Pops in the street, showing voters four Labour election leaflets, which are among the most disgraceful I have ever seen. All they did was thrown cheap personal abuse at the Conservative candidate in the most purile and idiotic manner. John Harris had it right, when he described New Labour as the new 'nasty party' in the Guardian. Anyway, we interviewed about 25 people and most of them were appalled by the leaflets. Out of the 25, six were committed Labour voters who intended to go to the polling station next Thursday and vote Tory. Two more said they had only voted Labour because of Gwyneth Dunwoody, but wouldn't be doing so again. I don't pretend this was a representative sample.

We then interviewed William Hague, Edward Timpson and the chairman of the local Tory Party, Donald Potter. I take back what I said yesterday about not seeing any posters. Nantwich and the surrounding roads and plastered with Tory posters, in exactly the sort of houses which in previous by elections would have been plastered with LibDem posters.

The other interview was with Eric Pickles, who has been masterminding the Tory campaign. After we had finished someone came up to me and started asking me about the campaign and what was going to happen in the next few days. Bizarrely, this person had mistaken ME for Eric Pickles! I ask you. Mrs Pickles, I suspect, would not be a happy lady.

So, after a day and a half what do I make of things in Crewe & Nantwich? I'd make the following points...

• The Conservative campaign is the best organised I have ever seen
• The number of people pouring into the constituency to help has to be seen to be believed
• I didn't see a single LibDem or Labour campaigner on the streets in the entire time I was there
• The level of personal dissastisfaction with Gordon Brown is palpable
• There is a level of disgust at the Labour campaign
• It's the first time I have heard the phrase: 'I've voted Labour all my life, but...' since the days of Margaret Thatcher
• Press interest in this by election is huge
• The lobby is split. Half believe the by election is in the bag for the Tories, half think it's too close to call
• The Tory campaign is trying hard to manage expectations
• Turnout will be crucial. The Tories have to get their vote out in the outlying villages & in Nantwich. If turnout is low in Crewe and high in Nantwich, it's good news for Edward Timpson
  
• What happens to the LibDem vote us crucial. If they have given up (and decamped to Henley) it's not good news for the Tories. There is a type of Labour voter that will never vote Tory, but may vote LibDem to poke Brown in the nose.
  
• If anyone is going to Crewe over the next week do visit an Italian restaurant called Giovanni's. It's the best meal I have eaten anywhere in many months. And the Premier Inn is highly recommended too!

All my interviews will be shown on Telegraph TV from Monday through to Thursday next week.

Tramping the Streets of Crewe

The first by-election I ever campaigned in took place 25 years ago in Darlington. Several of us from UEA spent a couple of days campaigning for Michael Fallon, who just lost out to Labour's Ossie O'Brien. Fallon, however, had the last laugh as he won the seat three months later in the 1983 Thatcher landslide.

The reason I mention this is because Crewe and Nantwich is in some ways similar to Darlington, and it's not just because of the railway connection.

I've been out delivering in some terraced roads this evening and it feels very much like Darlington felt all those years ago. However, I still didn't detect much sign of any real knowledge that a by-election is even taking place - very few posters to be seen and no sign of activity by the other parties.

Just ran into George Osborne and his entourage of six or seven very happy little helpers who had been out campaigning with him all day. George was boasting of a very good poster site he had just found.

All in all, there seems to be a very happy, optimistic and well organised team up here. Win or lose, no one can say that any stone was left unturned.

Reporting from Sunny Crewe

Thank God I didn't get the train to Crewe. The whole line was shut for much of the day. Anyway, I arrived mid afternoon, just ahead of David Cameron who made his third visit to the constituency today. The number of volunteers in the Campaign Centre has to be seen to be believed. I caught a few words with the candidate, Edward Timpson who seems to be bearing up well under the strain. I wouldn't want to be a by election candidate if you paid me.

I lost count of the Tory MPs who had managed to get to the Campaign Centre, despite the train difficulties. David Cameron paid a visit to the nearby Freightliner terminal where he was besieged by journalists, including the redoubtable Michael Crick. If the press presence is anything to go by, this by-election has certainly captured the imagination, although I am not sure if the people of Crewe are as fascinated as the press. Admittedly I haven't been out and about much yet, but so far I haven't seen a single poster from any party.

Anyway, I am now about to go and knock on a few doors and sniff the electoral air. More later from my luxury accomdation in the disabled suite of the Premier Inn Hotel in Woolaston. It's a really nice place this, and a Beefeater next door. What more could one want in life?

PS At 10am tomorrow I shall be interviewing Miss Great Britain for Telegraph TV. Yes, I know she's a bit wasted on me, but if you have any line of questioning you'd like to suggest, please feel free...

Kate Hoey's Letter to Vauxhall Labour Party

This is Kate Hoey's explanation to her local Labour members for her decision to join Boris Johnson's administration as Commissioner for Sport. They are not going to be pleased.

Dear Member of Vauxhall Labour Party, 
The Members of this Party are its lifeblood and so I wanted you to be the first to know that I have now agreed to be the Mayor of London's Commissioner for Sport.
I have been asked to develop the London legacy plan for sport arising from the unique opportunity that the 2012 Olympics gives us, and to help increase grass roots sport participation and access to sporting opportunities across London.
As you may know, for my whole political life I have been passionate about seeing that the power of sport be used to change the lives of our young people.  Sport crosses all political divides and just as the Prime Minister appointed non-Labour MPs to advise on issues such as housing, I too feel that on some issues the "big tent" approach to politics is in all our interests.
I will not, of course, be involved with any other aspect of the Mayor's administration and nor would I ever want to be.  I do see substantial benefits for this and neighbouring constituencies and am confident that I can make a difference in this unpaid role.
Of course just like a Minister, my duties and responsibilities as a Labour MP will always come first.  I look forward to explaining this in more detail either at a ward meeting or at the GC but as I said, I wanted you to be the first to hear the formal news today.
On a personal note, I would add that I am all too aware of how this news first came out and how upset some of you were and are.  It is a matter of deep regret to me.  I share your sorrow at the loss of the Mayoralty.  In campaigning across the constituency I saw just how hard so many of you were working. 
But we are now where we are and I know that the people who elected me to serve in Parliament are very supportive of politicians from different parties working together for the common good.  Our challenge in Labour is to work together in the coming years to win for Labour in Europe, again in Lambeth in 2010, and after again in Parliament.  I look forward to serving you, and working with you.
Best wishes & see you soon.  Please do email me or call me if you would like to discuss this issue further - I would be delighted to hear from you.
Kate

Jacqui Smith Admits She Shouldn't be Home Secretary

Do listen to THIS clip in which a Radio 5 Live listener ties Jacqui Smith in knots over her use of cannabis.

An Evening of Political Chat

Just got back from speaking at a private dinner at Grand Paradiso restaurant in Victoria. It was to a group of about 15 under 30s, all of whom are interested in politics to one degree or another, but only one (so far as I could tell) was active in overt party politics. Instead of asking me to do a preapred speech the organiser of the event, Jake Hayman (son of Baroness Hayman, the Speaker of the House of Lords) asked each person to introduce themselves and tell me one thing they would be interested in hearing my views on. It was a really good way to do it as a) I didn't have to prepare anything and b) it ensured I addressed subjects they were interested in. I really did sing for my supper as it entailed nearly three hours of fairly intense, but very enjoyable political banter. I was amused to find out that their guest next month is John McDonnell.

Looking Forward to Sunny Crewe & Nantwich

Later on tomorrow I shall be heading up the M1 and M6 towards Crewe, ready for a day's filming for my new (still unnamed) Telegraph TV programme. However, I want to get there in good time tomorrow to do a bit of campaigning myself and sniff the electoral air. Virtually every Conservative I run into has just been there or is about to go, so there can be no complaints about a lack of troops on the ground.

There is a huge expectation in the political media of an easy Conservative win. I don't subscribe to that school of thought at all. I think it is going to be incredibly close, and the Conservatives have got to guard against any false over-confidence. There is no shame in narrowly missing out on the party's 165th target seat, but the political media - which increases in its fickleness almost by the day - would undoubtedly write it up as a major crisis for David Cameron. It would be nothing of the sort. All I am saying is that expectations are far too high at the moment and a reality check is needed.