Three Climbdowns in a Row?

Yesterday we had a climbdown by Peter Hain over the number of immigrants holding jobs in this country. He apologised for saying it was only 800,000, when the truth 1.1 million. Today Education Minister Jim Knight announced that the government wouldn't after all go ahead it its plans to seize 5% of school surpluses.

So a little competition for you. What will tomorrow's embarrassing climbdown be?

UPDATE: Well it's happened today. The government now admits the true figure of immigrants holding down jobs in the UK is actually 1.5 million, nearly double their original figure. It makes you wonder what it will be by the end of next month!

The MPs' Communications Allowance: Trouble Ahead

I was delighted to read last week that David Cameron has promised to scrap the £10,000 a year allowance MPs now receive as a how can I make myself look better Communications Allowance. I think this allowance is going to spell big trouble for MPs who use it, even if they completely obey the rules. There will always be a suspicion that it is being used for subliminal political advertising purposes, even if it isn't. Let's take one example.

Labour MP Chris Bryant and I have crossed swords before, but I want to write this as dispassionately as possible as I think a campaign he is running raises some very interesting issues about the new Communications Allowance. He has written a paper on the future of Broadcasting in Wales, and rather innovatively (for an MP) has created a website (HERE) to explain his arguments. He is also using MessageSpace to virally market a video he has made to publicise the debate he wants to promote. So far so good, and an entirely laudable thing to do. However, the cost of the advertising campaign (which I believe I am benefitting from, although only readers in Wales see the ad on my blog, he tells me) is being met by the House of Commons Fees Office through either the Incidental Expenses Allowance or the Communications Allowance. Let me be clear. I am not accusing Chris Bryant of doing anything wrong. I have spoken to him this morning and talked it over in a very friendly manner. I congratulated him on being innovative but I did ask him if he felt it was right that this sort of thing was funded by the taxpayer. He admitted it raised some very interesting questions but made very clear that he has put it to the House of Commons Fees Office and they have authorised it. Case closed. Sort of.

The interesting point here is that this campaign is not designed to attract voters in his constituency. Why would he need to do that? He has one of the biggest majorities in Wales. But if, for example, a similar campaign were run by his colleague Phil Hope in the marginal seat of Corby, his Conservative opponent Louise Bagshaw could be forgiven for wondering why the taxpayer should be funding something designed - albeit subliminally - to benefit an incumbent.

I don't think even Chris Bryant would pretend that his campaign won't raise his profile both in Wales and more widely. And why not? He's discussing an issue of importance to Wales, but where does it end? He's not being party political in what he says (althought the website design looks very Labour!), but just by existing, the website and video campaign do benefit him, and through him his Party.

My advice to Conservative MPs, for what it is worth, is that they should avoid using the Communications Allowance, and make a positive out of not using it. If one minute David Cameron advocates its abolition, but his MPs then make full use of it, we all know what follows. And if the opposition find that a single Conservative MP voted against it but then takes it up, we'll never hear the end of it. I have to say I wouldn't be too impressed by that, either.

Does anyone else have concrete examples of how the Communications Allowance is being used?

UPDATE: I have just received this clarification from a Tory MP. Very interesting.

I was one of those who voted against the Communications Allowance
because it marked a big increase on the overall level of parliamentary
allowances. It was not accompanied, for example, by any decrease in the IEP. It
is fair for people to debate whether or not MPs should be allowed to fund web
sites and newsletters from allowances at all. But so long as such expenditure is
within the rules, a change in the regulations applied by the House Authorities
that means that probably most MPs will use the Communications Allowance.
Before the Communications Allowance was introduced, MPs could and did fund such
expenditure out of the IEP, but of course that spending had to be balanced
within an MP's IEP budget against all the other costs of running an office. When
the Communications Allowance came in, we were told by the Department of
Finance and Administration that we must from then on allot any spending on web
sites or newsletters to that allowance and not to the IEP. So any MP who
used to pay for communications from the IEP must now pay those sums out of the
Communications Allowance.

So it's actually very difficult to see what extra expenditure is being spent on these publicity projects. Perhaps that's the intention. Perish the thought.

Parliament Loses Power

Most of the Parliamentary Estate suffered a power cut this morning for a few seconds. It is said that produtivity rose massively... Sadly, access to Parliamentary TV channels has still not been restored, so in the absence of MPs to entertain them, the staff are actually putting their noses to the grindstone rather than watching Jeremy Kyle (or reading blogs). What a novelty!

Cue outraged howls from secretaries and researchers who now vow never to read this blog again...

UPDATE: I have been upbraided by a researcher who says I have omitted Facebook from the list of diversions used by him and his colleagues to avoid doing their masters' and mistresses' bidding. Indeed, he sent the message on Facebook, so I rest my case, your Honour!

Alex Deane: Report from the Aussie Election Days 15 & 16

CAMPAIGN DAY 15 – 26 TO GO
It has emerged over the weekend that, shortly before the campaign began, there was disagreement in the Cabinet about whether or not Australia should ratify the Kyoto protocols. Malcolm Turnbull, the Environment Minister, supported ratification. Others, including the Prime Minister, did not. The latter view prevailed. The Prime Minister has attempted to support Mr Turnbull. In turn, Mr Turnbull has declined to comment on the issue in public.

Recently, British researchers offered support for Australia’s position on Kyoto. However, it is my view that this debate is no longer about the facts – it is about whether or not one passes the “decency test” on the environmental question, and Kyoto is the leitmotif of that question. From that perspective, ratification – regardless of factual truth or untruth – might be worthwhile, given the potential political gain.

Moreover, the fact that the disagreement has been made public despite a pretty well known principle might be considered by observers to be a sign that, in the face of unpleasant polls, there are some within the Coalition more interested in their own positions than the fortunes of the Party as a whole.

And finally, for my persistent and constructive critic “Howard” – yes, I am biased. I support the Liberal Party. If you want to convey an alternative POV boosting Labor, write it yourself.

CAMPAIGN DAY 16 - 25 TO GO
Treasurer Peter Costello debated Shadow Treasurer Wayne Swan this afternoon. There had been some to-ing and fro-ing between them before the debate over Swan’s supposed economic conservatism (a claim made echoing that frequently made by his leader, which I’ve ridiculed elsewhere). However, on the day itself things were pretty civilized. There was no killer punch. I’d say that Costello won, but as Mandy Rice-Davies would say, I would say that, wouldn’t I? As I’ve mentioned previously, I think that – barring disasters for one side or another – these debates are pretty much for insiders.

New Newspoll results are in: we’re up 4 points (I say this to satisfy the constant requests for references to polls) – not enough yet, but good.

People fairly ask, why does Labor consent to fight on the Coalition’s strong suit – the economy? Why not fight on health and education, as – for example – Blair did in 1997, areas in which the Coalition is far less dominant or on the back foot in polls?

My answer would be that Labor dominance of the State governments – which (despite the occasional federal foray) run both health and education – makes that problematic. In particular, Labor needs a swag of seats in New South Wales to form government. Polling would suggest that those seats are poachable. But the New South Wales Health system is in a parlous state. NSW Minister of Health, Reba Meagher, is in some trouble. So Labor avoids the debate, for fear of contamination from the State brand.

Plenty of people have challenged my assertion that the Australian media is biased leftwards (or alternatively, simply dislikes this government and wants a change). Well, let’s see what happens: when it was revealed that there had, some time in the past, been abortive cabinet discussion of a policy change on Kyoto, the story ran widely for three days. Today, Kevin Rudd has thoroughly u-turned on Kyoto. It is obviously a bigger story. Coverage thus far is along the lines of “the Coalition says…” rather than the actual “U-turn” story it should be. Let’s see how long it runs.

The Imminent Take-off of Video Blogging

Video blogging is going to be big. Soon. It won't just be bloggers posting videos of themselves on TV like I've just done above. It won't even be films made by bloggers wearing their pajamas in their bedrooms. At least I hope it won't be. It'll be videos that sometimes make or break the news. With the advent of things like Blip and Mogulus, video blogging is about to take off. One of the big decisions I have to make is how to utilise this new facility on my blog. Ideas anyone?

Who's the Best Paid PM or President?

Robin Lustig, the excellent presenter of Radio 4's THE WORLD TONIGHT, has started a blog HERE. He's discovered that the highest paid Prime Minister or President in the industrialised world is none other than the Irish Taesoiach Bertie Ahern, who trousers a whopping £250,000 a year. And he's just been awarded a 14% pay rise, to be sure. Click HERE to discover how much other world leaders earn.

Chris Huhne and the Other Iain Dale

Several people have emailed to query why I am listed as a registered supporter on Chris Huhne's (terribly designed) campaign website. To put your minds at rest, there is, believe it or not, a LibDem blogger called Iain Dale. My namesake comes from exactly the same part of Scotland which my own family hails from. Spooky.

Saying Goodbye

Over the past week my beloved Godmother, Eleanor Daniels, has been slipping away. Tomorrow I am going to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge to say goodbye to her. She's dying of cancer. Sadly, she has given up the fight and just wants to let go.

Eleanor has been more than a godmother to me and my two sisters. She was such an integral part of our childhood that we can all say she has played a major part in making us all what we are today. I remember all the wonderful daytrips we went on as children. Off we'd troop in her Morris Minor - I still remember the numberplate 00 2163. Hunstanton, Walton on the Naze, Wicksteed Park, Wells-next-the-sea, Gosfield - the memories come flooding back. She never had her own children and has been like a sister to my mother. A kinder, more giving and caring person you could not hope to meet.

To be honest I am dreading seeing her in this state. I've never had to say 'good-bye' to anyone in this way before. The three of us will go together. I suspect a lot of tears will be shed. If you're religious, say a prayer for Eleanor tonight. If anyone deserves to go to heaven, she does.

UPDATE Mon 10pm: Many thanks for all the wonderful messages in the comments. It has been a very traumatic day. I won't labour the details but Eleanor was very peaceful, recognised us all and we were all able to say our thank yous to her and tell her we loved her. Saying goodbye was awful, but I am so glad I went.

Training Conservative Leaders of the Future

This weekend I did some media training in Berkshire for an organisation called The Young Britons' Foundation. I like to call it a ‘Conservative Madrassa’, as it seeks to radicalise young Conservatives to become more political, and not treat their membership of the Conservative Party as some sort of social deal. It’s interesting that Conservative Future now has far more members than the Labour and LibDem youth organisations put together. This sort of training course teaches them debating skills, media skills and how to campaign. It may sound dull to those not involved in the political process, but this sort of thing is vital for young people from all parties if they are to acquire the skillset to become our politicians of the future. Some people believe we’d be better off without political parties at all, but whenever I speak at these sort of events I leave feeling very optimistic about our political future.

The YBF is run by my two colleagues at 18 Doughty Street, Donal Blaney and Shane Greer. They put on a terrific conference with a lineup of speakers the like I have never seen before. The seventy-odd under 30s who attended can count themselves very lucky indeed.

Donal’s work with the YBF is vital in building a wider conservative movement in the UK and has now decided that’s where he wants to concentrate his efforts. He’s leaving 18Ds at the end of the month to concentrate more on expanding the YBF and I really wish him well in his efforts. If this weekend’s conference is anything to go by, he’ll be amply rewarded by the future political success of YBF graduates.

An English Grand Committee: I Hope It's True

The Observer will report tomorrow that David Cameron is being urged to support far reaching plans to strip Scottish MPs of the the right to vote on English matters at Westminster. The proposal, drafted by Sir Malcolm Rifkind has been put forward to the Democracy Task Force led by Ken Clarke. According to PA...

Under the plan, a new English Grand Committee - open only to English MPs - would be established to deal with matters, such as schools and hospitals, relating solely to England. MPs from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would continue to sit together in the Commons to vote on UK wide matters such as taxation, foreign policy and defence. A Conservative Party spokesman confirmed that the plan was being considered, but said that no decision had yet been taken on whether it would be adopted as party policy. "Ken Clarke's democracy taskforce is looking at the issue and will report back on it, but nothing has been decided yet," the spokesman said... Sir Malcolm told The Observer: "Since devolution there has been a growing English consciousness and that has given credence to the unfinished business of devolution. The issue is not an English Parliament. It is how you reform the way in which the House of Commons operates so that on purely English business, as opposed to United Kingdom business, the wishes of English members cannot be denied." However the plan was denounced as "utterly unworkable" by Scotland Office Minister David Cairns. "Once you breach the principle that all MPs should vote on matters before them in Westminster you get constitutional anarchy," he told the paper.

I'm very excited by this. It's radical thinking and deserves full consideration. It's not quite an English Parliament but it's as close as we're going to get. So I hope those who believe in an English Parliament will back it, at least as an interim measure.

UPDATE: read The Observer story HERE.

The Duke of Edinburgh in Fine Form

A great anecdote from a speech by Gerald Howarth MP to the Young Britons' Foundation dinner. He was waiting in line to be received by the Duke of Edinburgh at a defence related event and was rather surprised when the Duke looked him up and down and said to him "What does your party stand for nowadays then?" Unabashed Gerald looked the Duke in the eye and said: "For the defence of the Kingdom, sir". The Duke of Edinburgh, looking doubtful, hit straight back with a single word. "Bollocks". There's no answer to that really.

You Couldn't Make it Up: No 94

Two facts about the United Nations which demonstrate what a joke it has become...

1. The Head of the UN's economic development commission comes from .... Zimbabwe.

2. The next Head of the United Nations Human Rights Commission comes from .... Saudi Arabia. Cuba and China are also leading members.

Coming soon: Iran to head up the Nuclear Non Proliferation Commission!

Why Did the BBC Not Name the Shamed Labour MP?

On Thursday evening a reader sent me a link to THIS BBC story, about an unnamed MP who has been reprimanded by the House of Commons Standards & Privileges Committee - see the report HERE. A bit odd, I thought, not to name her. It seems I am not alone. Liberal England and Andy Mayer have had the same thoughts. Jonathan Calder of Liberal England has done a quick Google search and found that the MP the BBC feared to name is in fact Emily Thornberry, Labour MP for Islington South. One wonders whether the BBC would have been quite so reluctant to name the MP if she had been a Conservative. I'll leave that question hanging in the air as I direct you towards THIS story on ConservativeHome and the Daily Mail that 80% of BBC staff of Facebook describe themselves as "liberal" rather than "conservatives". And in other news today, the Pope reveals he is a Catholic.

I'm on a panel tomorrow morning with BBC Head of News Peter Horrocks. I'll let you know what he has to say on the subject.

Alex Deane: Report from the Aussie Election Day 14

CAMPAIGN DAY 13 – 28 TO GO

Veteran Aboriginal rights campaigner Galarrwuy Yunupingu backed John Howard’s pledge to recognise Aboriginal rights yesterday. In his speech at the University of Melbourne, he spoke of this being “the most serious business we have faced as a nation” and as an issue on which the Prime Minister “trying, on behalf of the nation… to get it right”.

This area has always been problematic for John Howard. As his biographers have stated, he has always believed in integration rather than multiculturalism. At the time that the policy was announced, he talked about how this has been an area with which he has long struggled; it is one in which his background has shaped his views. It is easy to mock his position as electoral jockeying. It will certainly have surprised many amongst both admirers and detractors. Personally, I really do think that it’s the result of a process, a long journey on which his opinions have changed over time.

In any case, if Yunupingu’s speech had been made in praise of Rudd, it would have received widespread coverage – even though it would have been less newsworthy, given the long and understandable affinity between such campaigners and the left. Instead, when an Aboriginal rights campaigner has endorsed the position of one of the most conservative figures in politics, it has been received in all but silence from the media, with only the Australian giving it an outing (apart from The Age, a remarkable home of leftism, which managed to covered the story and reprint the speech without discussing any of the positivity towards the PM). Such is life.

Ashcroft Accuses Labour Minister of Being "Cowardly"

Earlier this week, Labour Minister Bill Rammell wrote an ARTICLE in The Guardian attacking the Conservatives' target seats campaign chaired by Michael Ashcroft. Rammell is in the fight of his political life with Conservative Rob Halfon and has a majority of fewer than one hundred votes. Today, Ashcroft hits back with THIS letter to The Guardian and says: "It is cowardly for sitting MPs to seek to restrict the campaigning capacity of their opponents while protecting their own sources of support and exploiting the advantages of incumbency".

I really do find it strange that no one mentions the fact that Lord Sainsbury has given far more money to the Labour Party than Michael Ashcroft has ever given to the Tories. And where does most of Sainsbury's money end up? Funding Labour's target seat campaigns. The hypocrisy is breathtaking. I will be writing more on this in the next few days as a very interesting document has come into my possession.

Brown to Spotlight Immigration in Bid to Woo Back Middle England

A reader tips me off that according to a government minister he spoke to tonight, Gordon Brown sees immigration as the issue which will set him back on the straight and narrow. He will be making a big speech on it in the next couple of weeks. Apparently he's been on the phone to Michael Howard tonight asking to borrow his dog whistle.

Friday Night Joke

A Conservative and a Socialist are walking down the street. They come across a homeless man. The Conservative reaches into his pocket and gives him his business card and tells him to turn up at nine o'clock on Monday morning for a job. He then gives him two crisp ten pound notes to tide him over the weekend. A few yards later they come across another homeless man. The Socialist, having been impressed with the actions of his Conservative friend, gives the homeless man directions to the local benefits office then reaches into the Conservative's wallet, takes out two ten pound notes and keeps one of them as an administration fee.

And that, Ladies and Gentlemen is the difference between a Conservative and a Socialist. Maybe it was better done verbally...

Eustice to Build a Conservative Coalition

In a recent Telegraph column I wrote this...

In the Bush White House, there is a director of coalition relations called Tim Goeglein. His job is to keep the Republican Party and the wider conservative
movement sweet. Cameron could do worse than appoint his own version of Goeglein, whose job would be to liaise directly with the party and hoover up good ideas and suggestions.

To be fair, I shamelessly nicked the idea from Donal Blaney's column on ConservativeHome...

As the conservative movement in Britain grows at an impressive rate, Team Cameron likewise need to ensure that the members of the conservative movement, and in particular its leaders, are kept in the loop and feel they have a channel of communication to the Party leadership. The appointment of someone with a role similar to Tim Goeglein at the White House (who is in charge of White House relations with the conservative coalition) will help ensure the broader conservative movement remains if not wholly on side then at least broadly on side, thereby avoiding future misunderstandings and rows.

I'm pleased to learn therefore from ConservativeHome that David Cameron is about to appoint George Eustice to this role. George has been Cameron's loyal and very hard working press secretary for the last thirty months. He has now decided he wants to stand for Parliament and cannot do so from the vantage point of press secretary. George has a fine record in campaigning, having been the driver of the 'No' Campaign and Business for Sterling.

George was a pleasure to deal with during the leadership campaign and has been unfailingly polite and helpful ever since. I really wish him well in this new and much needed role.

The Scottish Question on Newsnight Tonight

I have spent most of today parked on the M25 on my to and back from the Newsnight studio. They are doing a feature on Alex Salmond's astonishing assertion that Scotland doesn't get enough taxpayers' money spent on it! Last time I looked each person in Scotland gets an extra £1,000 spent on them compared to the English. Newsnight will be playing an extraxct from Justice for England's Part of the Union video which I posted earlier this week (to much joy and horror in equal measure!). I made the point that the Barnett formula needs revisiting, as well as the question of an English Parliament or Grand Committee.

I was told today - and if someone can provide the evidence I'd be grateful - that under the Barnett formula Scotland will actually benefit from the Crossrail project. Bear with me. If the Government commits £5 billion to an infrastructure project in England, it has to whip eleven eighty-fifths of the cost up to Edinburgh pretty damn quick. Seems lunatic and improbable to me, but nothing would surprise me. Can anyone shed any light on it?

Peter Oborne & The Triumph Of The Political Class

Earlier this week I interviewed Peter Oborne about his book THE TRIUMPH OF THE POLITICAL CLASS. This short excerpt (above)looks at the relationship between the media and politicians. In the excerpt below we discuss the rise of the professional politican who has never held a job outside politics.



I must say, this was one of the most enjoyable interviews I have done. Do watch the full interview HERE.