Miliband Spotting

Spotted this afternoon: the Rt Hon David Miliband emerging from 34 Smith Square. Can it really be that he is seeking to find offices for his leadership campaign in the building that the Conservative Party used to call home? Or could it be that he was visiting top political recruitment consultants, Ellwood & Atfield whose offices are in number 34?

I've never thought of DM as a potential candidate for new Tory MP Tracey Crouch's old job as Public Affairs Director of Aviva, but you never can tell!

Being Bounced

No one likes to be bounced. But that's exactly how Conservative MPs are feeling this evening. At a hastily arranged meeting of the 1922 Committee this afternoon, David Cameron suggested that the 1992 Committee should in future be made up of the whole parliamentary party, and not just backbenchers. This is interpreted as being a power grab by the party leadership. MPs are currently voting on whether to make the change or not.

The trouble with this suggested change is that MPs are being asked to make up their minds very quickly on quite a fundamental change. My suspicion is that they will not react well, and will probably veto it. Unfortunately that will mask whatever the arguments in favour of the change might have been.

The devil in me wonders what the new Minister of State for Decentalisation, Greg Clark, makes of it. He's also my local MP.

PS I'll be on LBC tonight with Petrie Hosken from 8-9 as part of her parliamentary panel, alongside LibDem MP Tom Brake and Labour MP Andrew Slaughter.

Still More Ministerial Appointments...

Jonathan Isaby has written about how odd it is that Downing Street cannot yet supply a list of Ministerial appointments. It's extraordinary that filling the posts is taking so long.

Yesterday we heard that Chloe Smith, Brooks Newmark, Philip Dunne, Michael Fabricant and Angela Watkinson had been appointed junior whips. And then in the evening came the news that James Brokenshire, who last week had been told he would not be in the government, is to be a junior Home Office Minister after all. And quite right too.

There are still quite a few Lords appointments to be made, along with the announcement of several peerages across the parties.

Obviously when one is dealing with two parties these things are bound to take longer, but I hope the full list can be released before too long.

Idea: Is There a Market For an Election Night DVD?

I'm hoping you can help me with a bit of market research. I'm in discussion (with my Biteback Publishing hat on) with one of the major broadcasters about the feasibility of producing a 3 DVD box set of coverage of the election debates, election night and the coalition talks. The bulk of it would be election night itself.

Would you take part in this three question survey so I can ascertain the level of interest in this? As you can imagine, it's a not inconsiderable undertaking (as John Major might say) and I don't want to do it if no one's interested!

One of the questions is for you to suggest ideas for DVD extras which could be included on one of the discs.

Click HERE to take the survey

Ming's Next Move?

Yesterday Ming Campbell saw his dreams of being Speaker of the House of Commons finally slip away, when John Bercow secured his re-election.

But by the afternoon, the GOM of the Liberal Democrats had his eyes set on another high falutin' office - the Chairmanship of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Sir John Stanley thinks the job is his for the asking. He may have to think again.

Can I also offer my congratulations to my old friend from North Norfolk, Norman Lamb, who was yesterday appointed Chief Parliamentary and Political Advisor to Nick Clegg. I still can't work out why he wasn't made a Minister, but it will nevertheless be fascinating for him having a ringside seat.

The Daley Dozen: Tuesday

1. Opposition Studies Forum says it's time to reform the voting in Speaker elections.
2. Modern Survival Blog suggests you start hoarding some tins.
3. Geraldine Dreadful MP writes to Dan Hannan.
4. Richard Willis on the design of the new Routemaster buses.
5. Revolts.co.uk is closing down. Boo hoo.
6. Paul Waugh spots a rule change for new MPs courtesy of Speaker Bercow.
7. Cicero's Songs remains unimpressed by the brothers Miliband.
8. Pink News reports that Ed Balls is apparently the most gay friendly of the Labour leadership candidates. Such a pity then that he is so dog ugly. Saucer of milk?
9. Luke Akehurst wants your vote, if you happen to be a Labour Party member.
10. Harry Barnes on Marx and the Milibands.
11. Guido on the Labour MP who may not have her priorities right.
12. Charles Crawford has a to do list for William Hague.

What About OUR Human Right Not to be Blown Up?

I suppose no one should be at all surprised that we now have human rights laws which allow proven Al Qaeda operatives to escape deportation. Apparently we can't send him back to Pakistan because ministers hadn't received adequate assurances from the Pakistani government about how they would be treated of they were sent back.

Er, and why exactly should we care about people who whose sole reason existence is to find ways of blowing us up? When it comes to human rights, perhaps we need to start caring about the human right of our fellow countrymen to avoid being blown up by Al Qaeda bombers, rather than the rights of the bombers themselves.

Home Secretary Theresa May calls the decision "disappointing". I'd call it bloody terrifying. These two people, who the judge deems a threat to our national security, are now being released onto the streets.

I helped elect a new government to pass laws to stop this sort of thing happening. I don't want to hear from ministers that it is "disappointing". I want to hear what they intend to do about it.

Same Old Labour...

I wonder what the reaction would be if in a Tory leadership race two of the candidates were brothers and one of the other candidates was married to another potential candidate, who is female but had decided to stand down in favour of her husband. Same old Tories would be the cry from the other side. And understandably so. But this hasn't happened to the Tories, it's what's happening in the Labour Party.

Tomorrow Ed Balls joins the Miliband brothers in the race to be Labour leader. So at the moment, the next Labour leader will either be called Ed or Miliband, or both. There is speculation that the eyelid flutterer in chief, Andy Burnham may also stand, but quite how he could differentiate himself from the Milibands is open to question. He does speak northern, I suppose.

Jon Cruddas has bottled it again. It's a serial problem for him. This time he realised he didn't have what it takes to be leader, which is hardly surprising when only three years ago he realised he didn't have what it took to be Housing Minister. Cruddas has always beebn overrated. His performance as Dagenham MP has been lamentable - just ask Margaret Hodge, who will be only too willing to tell you.

I still wouldn't rule out a bid from Harriet Harman. I know she's ruled herself out but she has until the end of July to change her mind. You can just imagine the circumstances. She could come under huge pressure from the Labour sisterhood to stand, purely because there is no other woman candidate. I can hear them now. "Harriet, it's your duty," they will cry in unison. And this may be especially true if she shines in the Commons over the next few weeks as she speaks for Labour at PMQs.

You watch, stranger things have happened.

Why I'd Vote for Bercow

It's interesting that many of the left have interpreted the blogpost last night on Ming Campbell and the Speakership as proof that I want to see the back of John Bercow and that I therefore automatically support Nadine Dorries and Kat Hoey in their bid to oust him. Read the post again. I said no such thing. I was merely reporting a good old fashioned journalistic scoop. The kind of scoop which is alluded to on Newsnight, and is now being reported elsewhere.

Ben Brogan speculates that David Cameron is exerting pressure on Tory MPs to avoid a divisive vote. He also thinks that the eighty year old Sir Peter Tapsell may well indulge in a bit of selective hearing. I think that is far fetched, but whatever happens, his opponents must not let the occasion dive into the gutter. They won't be easily forgiven.

I supported Sir Alan Haselhurst in the original election for Speaker ten months ago. But if I had a vote this afternoon, I would have come to the conclusion that I would support the right of Speaker Bercow to stay in his post. That's not to say I do not have reservations about the way he has handled certain aspects of the Commons in his first ten months. I do. But I also think he is an intelligent man and has probably recognised that he didn't get everything right. Picking on certain individuals was not edifying and it should stop. But he is a reformer and clearly has the interests of the Commons at heart and my view is that he should be given a second chance to demostrate that he can be the Speaker his supporters always hoped he could be. As I wrote last night...

If he does indeed win, then the whole House should unite behind him and the office of Speaker and put the difficulties of the last few months behind it. And Mr Speaker Bercow should try to understand the reasons why so many Conservative MPs have turned against him. Whatever the result tomorrow, he needs to extend the hand of conciliation.

I hope he does so.

Davis Attacks the 'Britvic' Clause

David Davis has written a good piece for today's Telegraph on the Britvic Clause. You can read the article HERE.

EXCLUSIVE - Ming: Vote Out Bercow & Let Me Be Speaker!

I can exclusively reveal that former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell is urging MPs to oust John Bercow as Speaker of the House of Commons and elect him in his place. Tomorrow afternoon MPs meet to either confirm Bercow in his place or oust him. The Speaker has launched a PR campaign tonight to rally support but it appears to be hitting the buffers with Ming's astonishing intervention.

Ming has let it be known that he is willing to be included as a possible alternative to Bercow in an email due to be sent out to all MPs tomorrow morning by Labour MP Kate Hoey and Conservative MP Nadine Dorries. They will tell MPs that Sir Alan Haselhurst, Margaret Beckett and Edward Leigh are ready to stand for the office of Speaker and they will urge their colleagues across the House to oust Speaker Bercow. But the addition of Ming's name on the email will send shockwaves through the House of Commons tonight.

The key to the vote will be the 232 newbie MPs. How will they vote? Conservative whips are unlikely to rally to Speaker Bercow's defence. After all, at their final dinner of the last parliament they voted Bercow 'C*** of the Year'. David Cameron is thought to have lost faith in him too, despite endorsing his reelection campaign in Buckingham. What is less certain is the stance of Labour MPs. The bulk of them may well support the man they elected only a few months ago, but Ming Campbell's intervention may give them pause for thought.

My own view is that despite this shock news tonight, Bercow will squeak home, but with his authority tarnished.

If he does indeed win, then the whole House should unite behind him and the office of Speaker and put the difficulties of the last few months behind it. And Mr Speaker Bercow should try to understand the reasons why so many Conservative MPs have turned against him. Whatever the result tomorrow, he needs to extend the hand of conciliation.

Tomorrow looks as if it might be more interesting than we all first thought.

UPDATE: Readers should be aware that the vote on whether the Speaker should remain in office is not a secret ballot and MPs will proceed through the voting lobbies as in normal votes. For this reason I expect John Bercow still to be Speaker by the end of tomorrow. New MPs will not be keen to make enemies.

UPDATE 9.15am: Kate Hoey has decided against sending a letter to Labour MPs in favour of addressing a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party at 1pm.

The Daley (Half) Dozen: Monday

1. Pippa Norris analyses the number of female MPs.
2. Liberal Burblings has a novel idea for new LibDem peers.
3. Quaequam Blog explains how the LibDems nominate new peers. Complicated, or what?
4. Ben Brogan on the Osborne-Laws double act.
5. Stilettoed Socialist asks what now?
6. Ellee Seymour suggests Hazel Blears for Speaker. Really. Chipmunktastic!

What's Madder Than a BA Flight Attendant? Answer: A High Court Judge

The decision by BA cabin crew to strike is barking mad. But the High Court decision today could be desribed as even madder. I have absolutely no sympathy with either the strikers or their trade union, but when either side go to court in an industrial dispute the least they can expect is justice to be done. When BA went to court the first time, they deservedly won their case as there were obvious defects in the Unite ballot. For instance, they were balloting people who were no longer working for BA, or indeed union members.

But this time it was different. The High Court found in favour of BA today because Unite had not told its members that there were eleven spoiled ballot papers when they emailed or texted them the result of the strike ballot.

So there was nothing wrong with the ballot itself.

It is this sort of decision which brings industrial relations law into disrepute. I'm glad BA cabin crew won't be on strike, but I'm concerned at how the Judge in this case defied all common logic in his findings. Surely common sense has a part to play here, as well as the literal wording of the Act. It can surely never have been meant to be interpreted in this way.

When people go to court they need to know that they are being dealt with equitibly. That applies to unions as well as employers.

Election Stats: Winners With Lowest Votes

The Daley (Half) Dozen: Sunday

1. Mark Reckons reports from the LibDem conference in Birmingham.
2. John Rentoul on the Lib-Lab blame game
3. Coffee House on the life of a Tory MP.
4. Jack of Kent on what the David Osler decision means.
5. Tracey Crouch wins the Cup. Well, she manages the team that has. And HERE she describes her first week as an MP.
6. EU Referendum says Germany is falling.

Podcast: The 7 Days Show Episode 24

The lastest edition of the Seven Days Show is now online.

In this week's episode we talk about the Conservative Lib Dem coalition; whether the Lib Dems did well with the number of Ministers they have from their ranks; whether some Tories should feel slightly aggrieved; the possibility of certain Lib Dems joining the Tories and other defecting to Labour; Gordon Brown resigning and Labour’s leadership race.

To listen to the podcast click HERE, or you can also subscribe to the show in the Tory Radio section in the podcast area of Itunes.

Did No One Notice Charles Kennedy?

The revelation, if you can call it that, that Charles Kennedy abstained on the vote on Tuesday night to ratify the coalition agreement, raises a concern about LibDem truthfulness. Spokesman after spokesmen went on live TV - including Nick Clegg -and told the nation that the vote among LibDem parliamentarians in favour of the coaltion agreement had been "unanimous". It clearly was not.

Why did Nick Clegg and his colleagues feel the need to lie? Or was it simply that no one noticed that Charles Kennedy had taken the coward's way out and abstained?

Election Stats: MPs With the Most Votes

Click on image to enlarge

Discussing the Change Coalition

This is a 25 minute discussion on the coalition for INSIDE STORY on Al Jazeera English. Participants are myself, Mehdi Hasan from the New Statesman and Robin Shepherd from the Henry Jackson Society. Enjoy.

The Daley (Half) Dozen: Saturday

1. Capitalists@Work says Gute Nacht to the Euro.
2. Douglas Carswell has some advice for newbie MPs.
3. Tory Bear on a tale of two launches.
4. Dan Hannan on how the BBC like to stereotype him.
5. Hopi Sen reports from the Fabian conference and is not convinced by Ed Miliband.
6. LibDem Voice on what LibDem activists think of the coalition.