LibDem Bloggers Turn on Clegg Over EU Referendum

There seems to be some disquiet in the LibDems about their line on a European referendum. Clegg unilaterally changed their line in his Today Programme interview yesterday, which has not gone down well with some of the Yellow Peril. The party was going to abstain on voting on a referendum but under severe questioning Clegg blurted out that they would actually be whipped to vote against, and support the government.

Norfolk Blogger, Quaequam, Stephen Tall and Gavin Whenman have all slagged off Nick Clegg's refusal to commit his party to a referendum. Tell me, are there any LibDem bloggers at all who support their new leader's calamitous stand? Just asking.

Yes, Paul Walter, I can see you at the back.

Brown Creates a Department of the Prime Minister

Ben Brogan brings us the news that the Prime Minister has replaced his Chief of Staff, Tom Scholar, with Jeremy Heywood. What Ben does doesn't mention is that he won't be called Chief of Staff. Instead, he will be Permanent Secretary at Number Ten Downing Street. There's never been one of those before. Is this the creation of a Department of the Prime Minister? Even Tony Blair didn't go that far.

Fayed Asked Employee to Lie

Can you think of a more despicable man in the public eye than the Phoney Pharoah, Mohammed Fayed? Ok, Ok, I grant you that Max Clifford runs him close. At the Diana Inquest today, Fayed's Head of Security at the Villa Windsor told the court that the Harrods owner had ordered him to fabricate a story that Diana was pregnant and that she and Dodi planned to live at the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's house.

Richard Horwell QC, representing the Met asked Reuben Murrell: "On behalf of Mohammed Fayed you were being asked to rewrite history?

Mr Murrell replied: "I was being asked to be part of something I knew to be a falsification."

Horwell: "You were being asked to pretend that Diana and Dodi were interested in living together at the Villa Windsor?"

Murrell: "Yes".

I raise this to remind people of the Neil Hamilton v Fayed case when Hamilton alleged that Fayed had ordered his employees to lie on his behalf about brown envelopes. On that occasion the court chose to believe Fayed's version of events. The evidence at the Inquest today confirms my belief that they got it wrong, and that Fayed will stop at nothing to get his own way. It's also why I haven't set foot inside Harrods for ten years. Hattip London Evening Standard

Caption Competition: Ed Vaizey

If you are thinking: why has he posted a picture of Ed Vaizey?, read THIS. Then I am sure you will come up with a suitably tasteful caption.

PS May I apologise for the weak joke earlier. Promise it won't happen again. Put it down to low blood sugar levels... where's a lemon lucozade when you need one?!

Telegraph Launches New Online Political Map

The Telegraph has today launched a new online interactive political map. More details on THREE LINE WHIP. You can calculate the effect of electoral swings on each constituency as well as find demographic and social date.

I suspect it will become one of the paper's more popular destinations pages.

FOI Victory in Dodgy Dossier case

Some time ago, when I was at 18 Doughty Street, I was approached by a freelance journalist called Chris Ames, who was fighting the Foreign Office to get an FOI on various aspects of the Iraq dodgy dossier, the most important being: who wrote it? The Foreign Office were refusing to hand over the info he was requesting. I thought he had a good case so I gave him the chance to make a 30 minute documentary on the issue. The result can be viewed HERE.

Today, he won his case at a tribunal. According to the News Statesman... The Information Tribunal has just rejected an appeal by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to stop the release, under the Freedom of Information Act, of an early draft of the now infamous Weapons of Mass Destruction dossier.The September 2002 dossier formed part of the government’s spurious case for war in Iraq. The draft in question was produced by John Williams, the FCO’s Head of News at the time. Its existence tore apart the government’s assertion, to the Hutton and Butler inquiries, that the dossier was the work of the intelligence services.

The Tribunal criticised inconsistencies in the Foreign Office’s account. It noted that the FCO’s chief witness and Director of International Security, Stephen Pattinson,
"was not involved at the time and volunteered no information about the source of
his information". The decision follows a three-year battle by Chris Ames, a
charity researcher from Surrey, who persisted in his quest for the truth. The NS
was pleased to support him, and to provide pages of the magazine for his campaign. We pay tribute to his extraordinary diligence.

I do too. The New Statesman and I were the only people to listen to him and provide him with a platform for making his case in public, so far as I am aware. The rest of the media shut him out and ignored him. You can read more on the case on his Iraq Dossier blog. I'm sure that by the end of the day he will tell all about today's events.

Joke of the Day: What Goes Around...

This is apparently going round all the City Trader desks today...

While on his morning walk, Prime Minister Gordon Brown falls over, has a heart attack and dies because the accidentand emergency deptat his nearest hospital is too understaffed to treat him in time. So his soul arrives in Heaven and he is met by Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates. "Welcome to Heaven," says Saint Peter, "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a Socialist around these parts, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in; I'm a good Christian; I'm a believer," says the PM. "I'd like to just let you in, but I have orders from God Himself. He says that since the implementation of his new HEAVEN CHOICES policy, you have to spend one day in Hell and one day in Heaven. Then you must choose where you'll live for eternity."

"But I've already made up my mind. I want to be in Heaven," replies Brown. "I'm sorry .. But we have our rules," Peter interjects. And, with that, St. Peter escorts him to an elevator and he goes down, down, down ...all the way to Hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a lush golf course. The sun is shining in a cloudless sky. The temperature is a perfect 22C degrees. In the distance is a beautiful club-house. Standing in front of it is Harold Wilson and thousands of other Socialist luminaries who had helped him out over the years --- JohnSmith, Michael Foot, Jim Callaghan, etc. Thewhole of the LabourParty leaders were there - everyone laughing, happy, and casually but expensively dressed.

They run to greet him, to hug him and toreminisce about the good times they had getting rich at the expense of 'suckers andpeasants.' They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster and caviar. The Devil himself comes up to Brown with a frosty drink, "Have a tequila and relax, Gord!"

"Uh, I can't drink anymore, I took a pledge,"says Brown, dejectedly. "This is Hell, son. You can drink and eat all you want and not worryand it just gets better from there!" Brown takes the drink and finds himself liking the Devil, who he thinks is a really very friendly bloke who tells funny jokes like himself and pulls hilarious nasty pranks, kind of like the ones the Labour Party pulled with the European Constitution and the Education, Immigration, Tough on Crime promises. They are having such a great time that, beforehe realises it, it's time to go. Everyone gives him a big hug and waves as Brown steps on the elevator and heads upward.When the elevator door reopens, he is in Heaven again and Saint Peter is waiting for him.

"Now it's time to visit Heaven," the old man says, opening the gate. So for 24 hours Brown is made to hang out with a bunch of honest, good-natured people who enjoy each other's company, talk about things other than money and treat each other decently. Not a nasty prank or short-arse joke among them. No fancy country clubs here and, while the food tastes great, it's not caviar orlobster. And these people are all poor. He doesn't see anybody he knows and he isn't even treated like someone special! "Whoa," he says uncomfortably to himself, "Harold Wilson never prepared me for this!"

The day done, Saint Peter returns and says,"Well, you've spent a day in Hell and a day in Heaven. Now choose where you want to live for Eternity."With the 'Deal or No Deal' theme playing softly in the background, Brown reflects for a minute ... Then answers:"Well, I would never have thought I'd say this -- I mean, Heaven has been delightful and all -- but I really think I belong in Hell with my friends."So Saint Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down, all the way to Hell.

The doors of the elevator open and he is in themiddle of a barrenscorched earth covered with garbage and toxic industrial wasteland, looking a bit like the eroded, rabbit and fox-affected Australian outback, but worse and more desolate. He is horrified to see all of his friends, dressed in rags and chained together, picking up the roadside rubbish and putting it into black plastic bags. They are groaning and moaning in pain, faces and hands black with grime.

The Devil comes over to Brown and puts an arm around his shoulder."I don't understand," stammers a shocked Brown,"Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and a club-house and we ate lobster andcaviar and drank tequila. We lazed around and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and everybody looksmiserable!"

The Devil looks at him, smiles slyly and purrs,"Yesterday we were campaigning; today you voted for us!"

Peggy Noonan on Ronald Reagan

Peggy Noonan is not well known in this country, but to anyone who's ever written a political speech, she's a legend. She crafted Ronald Reagan's words throughout much of his Presidency. It was she who wrote the tribute to those who died on the Space Shuttle - "the surly bonds of earth". It was she who wrote Reagan's moving tribute to the Normandy veterans at Pointe du Hoc in 1984. Her memoirs WHAT I SAW AT THE REVOLUTION remain in my top ten political books of all time. She understood Reagan like few others, and it was for that reason that she was able to write such beautifully crafted speeches. However, anyone who has read his diaries knows that he put his all into their creation as well. He didn't just deliver them brilliantly, he played a huge part in the writing of them.

Why am I telling you all this? Because I have just read an article for the WEEKLY STANDARD which Peggy Noonan wrote just after Reagan's funeral in June 2004. I defy any Conservative to read it without having moist eyes by the end of it. Here's a short excerpt...

Walking into a room in the Capitol Wednesday before dusk: A handful of people
were standing together and gazing out a huge old white-silled window as the
Reagan cortege approached down Pennsylvania Avenue. The sun was strong, like a
presence. It bathed the women in glow. One was standing straight, with
discipline. Her beige bouffant was brilliant in the sun. I approached, and she
turned. It was Margaret Thatcher. It was like walking into a room at FDR's
funeral and seeing Churchill.

The cortege was coming toward the steps. We looked out the window: a perfect
tableaux of ceremonial excellence from every branch of the armed forces. Mrs.
Thatcher watched. She turned and said to me, "This is the thing, you see, you
must stay militarily strong, with an undeniable strength. The importance of this
cannot be exaggerated." To my son, whose 17th birthday was the next day, she
said, "And what do you study?" He tells her he loves history and literature.
"Mathematics," she says. He nods, wondering, I think, if she had heard him
correctly. She had. She was giving him advice. "In the world of the future it
will be mathematics that we need--the hard, specific knowledge of mathematical
formulae, you see." My son nodded: "Yes, ma'am." Later I squeezed his arm. "Take
notes," I said. This is history.

When I'm in America the week after next I hope to meet Peggy and interview her on camera about her life working in the White House. If it comes off, it will be the highlight of my trip. Do read the aricle in full HERE.

Quote of the Day

"In politics, friends come and go but enemies accumulate."

Peggy Noonan

Never a truer word spoken. The same can be said of the blogosphere. More on Peggy Noonan in a moment.

LibDems Look Both Ways on Electoral Fraud

I was struck by THIS post by Stephen Tall on LibDem Voice, where he highlights a Council of Europe report on the UK voting system, which is open to widespread fraud. Funnily enough, Stephen makes no mention of this report from yesterday's Birmingham Post, which tells the story of a Lib Dem Councillor charged with 11 counts of forgery due to postal vote fraud...

A local election candidate arrested in a major electoral fraud inquiry is to be
charged with forgery. Mohammed Khan, aged 54, of Hob Moor Road, Small Heath,
Birmingham, will be summoned to court this week to face 11 counts of forgery. He
is one of several people at the centre of an investigation into alleged postal vote fraud during the 2006 Birmingham local elections. In April 2006, Mr Khan was arrested and bailed by West Midlands Police detectives working for the economic crime team on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud the election process. A day earlier, his wife Naseem Akhtar had been arrested following the discovery of a number of postal voting forms at an address in Ronald Road, Bordesley Green. Last year, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) advised the police that fraud charges against a number of individuals including Mr Khan could be brought. A spokeswoman said: "Our lawyers have been considering this case for some months and this week we advised West Midlands Police of our decision.

Strangely there was also no mention in the LibDem Constitutional Affairs Spokesman, David Heath MP's press release on the subject.

“We should be deeply ashamed that the United Kingdom, which throughout history
has been seen as the cradle of parliamentary democracy, has been found so wanting by our international counterparts. The defects highlighted in the report, such as the fact it is ‘childishly simple’ to register bogus voters, were pointed out in recent legislation. However, the remedies suggested by the Liberal Democrats have been summarily rejected by this Government. For the sake of our democracy and our international reputation, ministers must now deal with the opportunities for abuse.”

He may like to look closer to home, too. This may seem as though I am making of party political point, and I suppose I am, but I do recognise that all parties suffer from individuals who abuse the system. Stephen is right to say that it is a problem of Labour's making, but he falls into the usual LibDem trap of trying to appear as white as white, when in fact their bed linen is a peculiar shade of grey.

The Daley Dozen: Tuesday

1. The Taxpayers' Alliance slates council charges which it reckons are taxes.

2. Ken Livingstone is a flawed political genius according to Paul Linford.

3. Tory Radio has a great quote from a Labour MP on Nick Clegg.

4. Tim Worstall implores the blogosphere to come to the aid of a British blogger in need.

5. Rupert Read says fossil fuel industries must pay to deal with theor waste.

6. Robert Winnett on how Brown misled us on duty free allowances. Not once but twice.

7. Peter Diapre on Boulton & Co on why Harriet Harman isn't a fan of James Purnell.

8. Shane Greer notices that Nick Clegg appears to have adopted the Patients Passport.

9. Red Box thinks Jacqui Smith might be displeased with the impossibly pompous Keith Vaz.

10. Stephen Tall on voting fraud. Hmmm, we might return to this tomorrow, Mr Tall.

11. Donal Blaney wants to ditch Michael Martin. Don't we all.

12.Mike Rouse wants to ban Facebook requests. Hear, hear!

Gordon No Mates

Four times Gordon Brown has invited me be his friend on Facebook, and four times I have rejected his advances. Does he not get the message? I don't want to be his friend! Go away!

Lefties Line Up to Attack Martin Bright

Read THIS article on LabourHome attacking New Statesman political editor for his DISPATCHES programme on Ken Livingstone tonight. The article makes no attempt to refute any of the serious allegations Bright made against the Mayor, but instead concentrates on giving Bright a good kicking. Typical New Labour tactics.

When the political editor of a left wing magazine writes that: "The voters of London should kick Ken out when they go to the polls in May," the Labour Party should recognise it has a big problem. If they want to continue to stick their heads in the sand they will reap the reward in May.

Hansard Society Invites Three Scots To Discuss English Votes

The much respected Hansard Society has an interesting event planned for 6th February. They have a debate on the West Lothian Question. The question being put is this: Is the West Lothian Question unanswerable? Sadly I will be in the US, so I won't be able to go, but I shall certainly miss some cracking debate. This is what the blurb says:

The Scottish voters have elected a nationalist administration to govern
them but where does this leave the rest of the UK? Is the West Lothian Question
unanswerable? will consider questions such as; Is the Union under threat? Is an
English Grand Committee the answer? Could a federal UK work?

So, then, you might ask: who are the speakers?

They are Lord Falconer and Sir Malcolm Rifkind. The debate will be chaired by the broadcaster Sheena McDonald (an ex girlfriend of Gordon Brown).

Now dear reader, what do this august threesome have in common? They're all Scots! Nothing wrong with that, but if you hold a debate on the unfairnesses towards the English in the current arrangement, wouldn't it be a nice idea to have a token Englishman/woman on the panel? Not according to the Hansard Society. Steve Uncles from the English Democrats made a gentle enquiry and was told:

The reason we chose these speakers is that they are both representatives of
the Westminster parliament and have considerable experience of the issue we are
debating. We do not choose speakers on grounds of their nationality for this or
any other meeting, but on their experience of the issues we wish them to
debate.

So that's alright then. I can't actually think what expertise Lord Falconer has in this subject beyond being Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, a period during which I cannot recall a single utterance he made on the subject.

I think this comes under the category of 'you couldn't make it up'.

Full details of the debate can be found HERE.

The Daley Dozen: Monday

1. Matt Wardman has all you ever needed to know about Mike Rouse.

2. Capitalists AT Work on The Guardian's endorsement of 125% mortgages.

3. Ellee Seymour reveals the violent side of Hackney which explains Jacqui Smith's Ratners moment.

4. Shane Greer thinks Fixed Term Parliaments are "undemocratic". As Captain Mainwaring might say: "stupid boy".

5. Nadine tells of her encounter with a local farmer. Viagra was requested. No bull...

6. Norfolk Blogger questions our £800m aid budget to India.

7. Mike Rouse on the KINDLE, an iPod for books.

8. Danny Finkelstein on Barack Obama's "awesome speech".

9. The FIRST POST writes the speech many politicians would love to give.

10. Kiwiblog on Japanese whaling.

11. Cranmer reckons the Commons debates on the EU Constitution will be a farce.

12. John Redwood tells of his battles with the BBC over Northern Rock nationalisation.

Has Jacqui Smith Fallen on Hard Times? :)

From Melanie Phillips' blog over on the Speccie, comments retired cop Frank Pulley:

"Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, has admitted she would feel unsafe walking the streets of London late at night." Jeez! Isn't she earning enough as home secretary?

hat tip to: Verity

Parliament Bypassed Again

So the government has this morning announced its plans for Northern Rock. Er, just a cotton pickin' minute. Shouldn't this have been announced to the House of Commons first?

UPDATE: A commenter has pointed out that it had to be announced to the Stock Exchange. I understand that, but if the announcement hadn't been pre-briefed the Stock Exchange could have been told at exactly the same time as the House of Commons.

And let's be clear. This is nationalisation by another name. It may not be civil servants who run the reconstituted bank, but the taxpayer is still guaranteeing it.

UPDATE 12.30: By preannouncing this at the weekend the Prime Minister, together with Branson's comments, effectively created a false market in Northern Rock shares. I'd have thought that this must have transgressed some FSA or Bank of England rule. Any of my City readers care to shed some light?

New Interview Resource Launched

Check THIS site out. It's called Access Interviews and aims to archive every interview since 1859. Quite an undertaking. It's the brainchild of celebrity interviewer Rob McGibbon, who is also adding video content on the site as well as articles on the art if interviewing. The politics pages are a bit sparse at the moment but are being added to every week. Users can submit interviews themselves too. What a great resource!

EXCLUSIVE: Ann Widdecombe's Successor is...

Helen Grant has been selected to succeed Ann Widdecombe in Maidstone & the Weald. The selection meeting has just concluded, having started at 9am this morning! I confess to not knowing anything at all about Helen, but I do know she topped the voting in the first round, so she has had them all on side right from the start. Good for her!

UPDATE: Helen's website is HERE.
UPDATE: Vicky Ford, who was in the final 9, has just blogged her thoughts in a typically magnanimous way.

The Daley Dozen: Sunday

1. John Redwood on why Gordon Brown's latest Northern Rock wheeze is wrong-headed.

2. Bob Piper has some sensible thoughts (insert cheap jibe here) on doing deals with the LibDems.

3. Donal Blaney has some astonishing revelations about Shaun Woodward's foreign travels.

4. Daily Referendum is in a naming and shaming mood.

5. Paul Flynn MP half expects David Miliband to ask him about the facts of life.

6. Justin Webb denies the BBC is overexcited by the Democrats.

7. Cassilis has a new look.

8. Tracey Crouch on her live TV debut, talking about the Maidstone & the Weald selection.

9. Norfolk Blogger has it in for that nice Francois Mitterand.

10. James Kirkup suggests the Electoral Commission should handle all political donations.

11. Adam Boulton on the good and bad sides of Gordon Brown on foreign trips.

12. Mark Pack from LibDem Voice disovers he is not a real person.