Ted Foan

Labour is dead!

2010-05-11T23:21:00.005+01:00

And so is this blog.

Our work has finished. No need to say any more.... well, until it all goes tits up.

No, really it'll be fine. You can trust the LibDems, can't you? Erm.....well, let's see shall we?

It's time to do something different. And, hey, I agree with Nick.

The end of Labour is in sight!

2010-04-06T01:55:00.004+01:00

For those of you that have been looking on this site for my pearls of wisdom over the last month or so I apologise that I have not been active.

As we are now entering a general election campaign I will be even less noticeable as a blogger as I will be actively campaigning for the Conservatives in and around the area in which I live. I think this will be a better use of my time.

I hope you understand and join me in driving out this discredited and failed Labour government so that the Conservatives can begin to rebuild our country.

Mrs Dromey holds back

2010-02-27T01:47:00.004Z

Phew! No backlash from Harperson about my previous post - yet!

But I reckon Donal Blaney may get a tweet or two about THIS. (For some reason I can't embed it.)

The boy George done good!

2010-02-27T01:02:00.005Z

I don't know about you but George Osborne has always been a bit of a worry for me. The way he sits next to David Cameron at PMQs with his mouth open and head on one side makes him look like the slightly "challenged" friend we used to have to take the pub at the request of his mum and dad. (That is probably so politically incorrect that I will find Harriet Harman has twittered me even before I have finished this post!)

However, THIS piece in The Independent has given me some cause for reassurance. In fact, in the survey they report that 67% of respondents think Osborne would make a better Chancellor than Alistair Darling. And 67% 0f business leaders think Osborne understands business while only 27% say the same about Darling.

Combine all this with the fact that Michael White of The Guardian actually says he likes Osborne then I have had to reassess my view. I am expecting great things from him when he is our next Chancellor. But I just wish he would smile benignly like Darling!

Spinning into the depths of hell

2010-02-24T23:58:00.003Z

If this report in the Daily Telegraph is true then it tells you all you need to know about New (and Old) Labour.

I can't believe that Brown would allow his wife to be used as an attack dog on the Conservatives. After all, she is not a prop, is she?

"As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly."

2010-02-20T23:19:00.003Z

Not often that I use a quote from the Bible to title a post but could not resist linking to this from Iain Dale.

"Take a second look at Labour"? - yep, OK done that. Still a pile of vomit. Next

"A future fair for all"? What, like bumper cars, coconut shies, helter-skelters? No? Oh, you mean a fete worse than death. (Yeah, I know that appeared minutes after the "new" slogan was announced but it's too witty to be lost on Twitter.)

Education, edukashun, ejukajon...oh sod it, I want me fags!

2010-01-30T23:17:00.007Z

The furore over a Tesco store banning people wearing pyjamas seemed a little bit over the top until I heard THIS on the BBC.

What is happening to this country? Why can't we admit that we have a growing underclass who are going to bleed us dry.

Yes! We do have a "broken society" and the pity is that it will take several generations to change even if we start now.

Gordon: you can have your "Operation Cake" - but you can't eat it!

2010-01-17T00:58:00.004Z

The second batch of fascinating insights from Peter Watt - the erstwhile general secretary of the Labour Party - in his book entitled "Inside Out" is now available in the Mail on Sunday.

What a shower of shit! Labour (New or otherwise) is not a political party. It is loose association of rival gangs that are intent on destroying each other.

You can't trust them. You can't believe a word they say. And you must vote them into oblivion at the general election.

Dr Who - so what?

2010-01-11T02:23:00.005Z

This post from Archbishop Cranmer is a tour de force in the way it dissects and refutes the usual load of "Labour luvvie" stuff spewed out by a currently popular television actor.

It appears that David Tennant thinks his so-called 'political' opinions are important because he has played the leading part of 'Doctor Who' which is, at best, an amusing and diverting Saturday tea-time family fantasy/sci-fi extravangza posing as a moral story of our times. Most people have heard of at least one ardent Labour MP blogger who is such a fan that he reverts to references to it whenever things look bad for his Party - which at the moment is quite often!

But of course the main source of this twaddle is The Mirror. What else would you expect?

"He puts the oaf in dauphin" - another quote that characterises Labour's impending defeat?

2010-01-10T02:09:00.003Z

What a terrible thing to say about the current Foreign Secretary! Not!

Loved this quote from Matthew D'Ancona's article in the Sunday Telegraph:

"Other than Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt, who called on Wednesday for a leadership ballot, the chosen fall guy for last week's failed regicide has been David Miliband. "He puts the oaf in dauphin," as one of his Cabinet colleagues put it. And it was to Miliband that the Labour MP Eric Joyce was clearly referring on Thursday's Today programme when he said – devastatingly – that "there are one or two aristocrats at the top end of the Labour Party who think if they act coy, they may inherit the leadership of the party".

More please!

Labour: "This is not so much a government in crisis as a crisis pretending to be a government."

2010-01-10T00:34:00.003Z

This must surely be the phrase that will epitomise the last days of this discredited Labour government.

Peter Watt, the ex-General Secretary of the Labour Party, who was sacked after the 'Donorgate' scandal a couple of years ago which involved dodgy financial transactions by the Labour Party (nothing new there) has written a book about his experiences in the job. Already he is being described as a man with a grudge just trying to get revenge on those who kicked him out. Maybe so.

However, the Mail on Sunday's serialisation is likely to make for very interesting reading. Read the first part HERE.

Our children's legacy

2010-01-02T01:24:00.002Z

I last posted this in February 2009 and it is still relevant today.

The real Gordon Brown revealed by Marr's incisive interviewing technique

2010-01-01T22:54:00.003Z

Just have to have this in my collection:

And this too!

Are you prepared to upset people?

2010-01-01T02:21:00.003Z

If you haven't got the stomach for it, turn away now.

THIS article by Neil O'Brien of Policy Exchange contains some brutal language which might upset those of you with a delicate disposition. For example,'..we need to end "nice to have" items of spending. Would you notice much if the Department for Culture, Media and Sport had its budget halved?"

OK, that was a rather mild example. Try this instead:.."the next government is still going to have to upset a lot of people. It will have to raise taxes a little at first and cut spending a lot."

Read the rest of the article and learn why tough love will be the motif for the next five years.

Read, inwardly digest and then vote Conservative!

2009-12-29T01:12:00.003Z

Who can dispute that Brown is the Wrong Man to lead this country for another five years?

Just read this to remind yourself why he has been an unmitigated disaster and why he and his discredited Labour Party should be cast into oblivion at the General Election.

They have done more damage to this country than Adolf Hitler ever achieved.

Enough is enough!

2009-12-22T22:52:00.005Z

According to the Telegraph the Government scheme to help protect householders who can't pay their mortgages from repossession has cost £2.5 million. Doesn't sound much, does it?

Except that only 15 households were saved. That's a massive £165,000 per case!

As Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps said: “These figures will be a slap in the face for the 1,000 families who are being repossessed every week. It’s unbelievable that during the deepest recession since records began the Government is spending millions on a scheme that has been mired in uncertainty and helped just 15 families"

Surely, no one has the stomach for another five years of this singularly incompetent Labour government?

Just remember that it's yours, your children's and your grandchildren's money that they have been wasting for the last 13 years. Don't be fooled by their class-based attacks on the Conservatives or their desperately pathetic attempts to pretend they are competent to run the economy. They are not. Vote them into oblivion.

Politics - New Zealand style

2009-12-19T00:04:00.002Z

This is the way it should be done.

Trafigura Newsnight film that Carter Ruck has tried to ban

2009-12-15T22:57:00.003Z

When Ian Dale asks you to do something, you do it, don't you? If you give a "Carter Ruck" you do!

The Thick of It? Who gives a f**k?

2009-12-11T03:06:00.002Z

So, what has Labour really done to help business?

2009-12-11T01:21:00.003Z

We are all used to hearing the Great Lord Protector of All-of-Us announcing schemes to save British business from the effects of US sub-prime bank lending-induced recession. And we are used to hearing how successful these have been in reducing the numbers of people that would have become unemployed if they had not been introduced.

But have they really been effective?

Lobbydog has been passed some interesting information by the Conservative Party which sheds some interesting light on what has really happened.

Capital for Enterprise Fund
A £75 million fund to invest in small businesses needing equity, announced on January 14th 2009. Only seven businesses have received money from the fund in its eleven months of operation.

BIS Working Capital Scheme
A scheme pledging £10 billion in guarantees to cover credit to businesses with a turnover of up to £500 million a year, announced January 14th 2009. The Government provides banks with guarantees covering 50% of the risk on existing and capital projects worth up to £20 billion. It was delayed for months, and then agreements were only signed with three banks (RBS, Natwest and Lloyds) for £2 billion, a fifth of the scheme’s original allocation. Rosie Winterton recently announced that the remaining funding for this has been reallocated.

UK Innovation Investment Fund
A £1 billion scheme to invest in innovative business, announced 6 months ago. No investments yet made. It has not appointed a fund manager.

BIS Trade Credit Insurance Scheme
The scheme allows suppliers which have seen trade credit reduced to buy taxpayer-guaranteed ‘top-ups’ worth up to £2 million, announced in April. Some £5 billion in insurance was pledged, but only 72 firms have benefited. Only £13 million – or 0.4% of the £5 billion allocated to the scheme – has been handed out.

BIS Automotive Assistance Programme
The programme involves two forms of help for car manufacturers. One involves guarantees to unlock loans of up to £1.3 billion. The other involves loans or loan guarantees to support up to £1 billion of lending. No loans have been made. A loan was offered to one car firm, but the company rejected because it thought it could get a better deal elsewhere.

So, how credible is it for Brown & Co to claim that they have done more than any previous government to help business ride out this recession? Remember that this a recession that they told us we were in a better position than other countries to survive because of their brilliant management of the economy.

Never trust a Labour Government with your money!

Brown's tax policy has been formed "on the playing fields of Eton" since 1997

2009-12-06T23:11:00.003Z

The unmissable Prodicus's blog has made a brilliant point that Gordon Brown seems to have forgotten.

The current Permanent Secretary at the Treasury is Sir Nicholas Macpherson who is an old Etonian. In fact, he has been in this post since Brown appointed him when he became Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1997.

You'd think that Brown would keep his head down instead of making a complete twat of himself about "Tory toffs". But he won't....

The best a man can get?

2009-12-05T00:59:00.007Z

I have a small confession to make. (Maybe it's a bit bigger than I care to admit.)

I test Gillette razors. There, I've said it. I've done this for the last 15 years quietly, surreptitiously and out of the public eye. Every two weeks I have been sent a new razor and have reported back faithfully to Gillette's Product Research Testing Department on various aspects of its performance while I shave my (admittedly) sparse beard.

As a faithful tester, I have today received my usual Christmas card from the Department and I am pleased to note that Roy is still there along with his highly efficient 15-strong team. I have the utmost respect for Roy and his people. They have never let me down - I have not had to buy a razor blade in all this time.

However, in the light of recently reported events, I have begun to wonder if I have been missing out on the perks that Roy and his team seem to be able to dish out to some people who are associated with the Gillette brand.

Do you think it could be because I'm useless at golf? Or that I prefer to play handball rather than football? Who knows - but a bit of wonga would be nice!

One in five Scots unable to read and write

2009-12-04T22:41:00.005Z

According to this report in the Times, 20% of the adult Scots population do not have the basic literacy skills they need for their daily lives.

What it failed to mention is that at least one Scot does not have any skills in basic arithmetic.

These are truly sad people!

2009-11-19T23:39:00.001Z

Is this all they can offer? Poor deluded souls. They need to be put out of their misery - very soon.

Oh joy! No more Labour!

2009-11-09T01:01:00.004Z

This link from Tim Montgomerie at ConservativeHome is music to my ears.

Apparently Jackie Ashley (Andy Marr's missus) has written in today's Guardian the following:

"Some Labour people may think I'm sounding too gloomy, but those who have been privy to recent private polling are a lot more than gloomy. This suggests that Labour could return to the Commons with just 120 MPs or thereabouts, taking the party back to 1930s territory. As ministers look for jobs to keep themselves going after politics, a Miliband move to Europe looks sensible."

If it's true then all that will be left of the Labour Party after the General Election is some rather unpleasant road kill!

As Donal Blaney says: WTF?!

2009-11-06T23:14:00.000Z

The warmist fanatics have recruited another two nutters! Thanks Donal!

A musical tribute to Gordon Brown's legacy to us all

2009-10-31T23:40:00.000Z

This deserves a wider audience so pass it on! (Thanks to Subrosa - I pinch everything from her!)

Another nail in Labour's coffin!

2009-10-23T23:48:00.003+01:00

According to Andrew Neather, a former adviser to Tony Blair, Jack Straw and David Blunkett, Labour wanted mass immigration to make the UK more multicultural.

If this report is correct, it is conclusive proof that Labour has created the conditions for the increasing (albeit, small) rise in the BNP's support in some parts of the UK.

You reap what you sow.

Prezza's people's flats are their castles

2009-10-07T23:08:00.003+01:00

You have to give John Prescott some credit for trying to help Labour get a fourth term in office but his current effort is unlikely to resonate with anyone other than the most dyed-in-the-wool folk who think the prospects of a Conservative government will spell the end of civilisation as we know it.

Part of his criticism is countered by the response that Grant Shapps was reported to have made in THIS report:

"Interviewed in the London section of (last Sunday's) Politics Show Shapps addressed some of the issues. He said right at the start that he envisaged more social housing being built under a Conservative government, as part of an increase in house-building across the board. So how would this expansion come about?

Shapps confirmed that he would dispense with centrally-set targets for home-building and replace them with incentives. He said that threatening the tenure security enjoyed by current social housing occupants is "the last thing we want to do," but added that he "hadn't even got into" the matter of changing conditions of tenure for newcomers to that sector in the future...

So, has Prezza (see his house in Hull pictured above) just got his knickers in a twist?

Would the Irish lie to you?

2009-10-07T02:32:00.001+01:00

Maybe - maybe not!

Labour governments always leave a mess that the Conservatives have to clear up

2009-10-06T01:53:00.002+01:00

Corporal Ainsworth still doesn't know whether he is doing a good job!

2009-10-01T22:50:00.001+01:00

Labour MP talks twaddle!

2009-10-01T22:44:00.003+01:00

If this is the best that the fresh-faced, banana-eating, upper-class twit David Miliband can offer then God help this country and the Labour Party.

Tory MP talks dirty!

2009-10-01T22:34:00.003+01:00

It is reported that Manchester City Council are publishing a sex guide for the over-50s. This news comes just before the Conservative Party's annual conference is due to be held in the city.

Anne Widdecombe has made the following comment reported on Conservative Home:

"If someone hasn't learnt how to have sex by the time they have reached 50 then a booklet is certainly not going to help."

"Alistair Cameron" was Blair's spin doctor!

2009-09-30T00:16:00.004+01:00

I think Adam Boulton might have been a little tired and emotional when he recorded this piece to camera!

Gathering winter fuel!

2009-09-29T23:23:00.004+01:00

I had to laugh when Gordon Brown started the list of Labour's achievements off with the winter fuel allowance.

Soon after I passed my 60th birthday earlier in July this year I received a letter from the government saying that I was entitled to £125 for the coming winter. Fantastic, I thought! It's about time I got something back after 40 years of paying taxes.

Then it occurred to me that there must be an army of civil servants sitting waiting to pay out this type of "benefit" to millions of people who reach the right age but who do not necessarily need it. And yet we hear frequently about all those elderly people who are not receiving the benefits to which they are entitled. Billions of pounds go unclaimed we are told. Why doesn't the system just pay them?

For your information, I will not be sending back my winter fuel allowance but neither will I be claiming (or using) a free bus pass. My local (Liberal) council has had to make 80 employees redundant because - they say - they have not been given the full costs of the free bus pass by central government.

Be afraid, be very afraid...!

2009-09-26T01:51:00.004+01:00

This extract from the speech to the United Nations by Benjamin Netanayhu, the Prime Minister of Israel, should be required viewing for all those who think that Iran and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism are not threats to world peace.

One law for them - another for us!

2009-09-23T01:46:00.003+01:00

I couldn't resist pinching this.

Hat tip: Tory Bear

Is John Prescott long for this world?

2009-09-22T02:44:00.006+01:00

Judging by the Great Dissembler's performance on Hard Talk he is not likely to last out until the next general election.

As a fellow Type 2 diabetes sufferer I know that John needs to avoid stress otherwise he is going to pop his clogs very soon.

Tom Harris spots a cunning stunt

2009-09-22T01:52:00.005+01:00

"I strongly suspect that this video owes more to special effects than to precision engineering, but it’s nevertheless a truly incredible spectacle. Enjoy"

This is a quote from that doyen of Labour MP bloggers. Is he stupid or has he been so stupefied by 12 years of Labour spin and lies that he can't spot an obvious illusion?

What am I saying! He's a Labour MP - of course he's stupid and he can't be anything other than stupefied. He sees a cunning stunt but thankfully, most people now seem to realise that the illusion of a Labour government ever being good for this country is history. What a bunch of stunning..... chaps!

The elephant in the room!

2009-09-19T23:57:00.001+01:00

This is brilliant!

Brown forced to tell the truth at last

2009-09-15T22:40:00.002+01:00

Thanks to Tim Montgomerie for this.

Tory Cuts versus Labour Investments - the true story

2009-09-15T02:17:00.003+01:00

Mandelson tries to re-write history - again:

Words fail me

2009-09-13T01:06:00.004+01:00

Hat tip: Old Holborn

Will Irish eyes be smiling...?

2009-09-04T01:47:00.000+01:00

My mother was born in County Wexford in 1917 so I can claim some Irish blood. Although she lived in England from 1933 until her death last year at the age of 91 she was forever a loyal daughter of the Emerald Isle. She was always ambivalent about her de facto Britishness and always considered herself to be Irish.

I think I know what she would say about this disgraceful attempt to coerce the Irish people to give their freedom away to the "European Union". Vote "NO" in October and stop the Lisbon Treaty being ratified.

I would like to thank.....

2009-08-30T01:14:00.004+01:00

I have just returned from a very exciting short holiday in New York to find that my little effort at blogging has been placed 78th in the top 100 Conservative blogs in the Total Politics lists for 2009.

Wow! What an honour (or is that honor?) to be placed in the list for the first time. Considering that I have been effectively inactive for the last few months it amazes me that I have been noticed by any one, especially as there are so many better and more interesting contributors out there.

I hope this will spur me on to make more of an effort over the coming months. Many thanks to those of you that voted for me.

Good result for me - bad news for society

2009-08-02T23:38:00.001+01:00

I was very happy receive a call from the local police's burglary prevention unit earlier today to say that they had caught the little swine who robbed us last week. He is a heroin addict who, together with three friends, has been roaming the local neighbourhood for the last couple of months during the early hours and carrying out opportunistic thefts to fund their habit. He had coughed up all his TIAs - presumably so he gets a more lenient sentence - but apart from a ladies watch - none of the property he has stolen has been recovered.

Although I had insurance I am more than the £50 excess out of pocket - for example, the new laptop I have received only has 'trial' software loaded on it which will cost me well over £100 to re-purchase in a couple of months. And then there is the loss of about five years-worth of family photos that were stored on that CD which has not been recovered.

As he sits in his cell on remand, receiving his regular doses of methadone, I wonder if he contemplates the irony of his incarceration? He has had to work hard to fund his habit but now his whole existence will be funded by the taxpayer without any effort on his part. No doubt when he starts his sentence at Her Majesty's pleasure he will have ready access to copious supplies of heroin and any other drugs he fancies. He will also be able to develop his skills as a thief by way of the master classes run by his fellow criminal masterminds. In a relatively short time he will be out on the streets again and no doubt putting his new found thieving skills into practice.

It also seems that there is a remarkably efficient black market industry that allows these thieves to turn their ill-gotten gains into hard cash (or drugs) almost immediately they have stolen them. What does this say about British society when so many people appear to be prepared to buy obviously stolen goods?

A warning from another victim - lock all your doors!

2009-07-29T02:03:00.004+01:00

I seem to remember reading a report a few months ago that the recession would lead to an increase in crime levels as more people were forced to thieve to survive. Well, it seems to be true.

Last Thursday morning at about 5.40am a little toe rag tried our front door and found it unlocked - don't ask why but both Mrs Ted and I thought we had locked it - and walked off with our laptop and many precious photos that had been carefully copied to CDs but stupidly stored in the same bag. A few other items of minor value went too but fortunately the thief missed my car keys, wallet (containing my credit/debit cards and various other invaluable items) which I keep (or used to keep, conveniently) in a drawer in the kitchen.

The local police were very quick and efficient in collecting all the details and examining the "crime scene", as well as giving us a pack of information about how to improve our home security. (We have already had new locks fitted, marked everything with our post code and house number and taken to removing our valuables to our bedroom every night.)

The worst aspect of this experience though is, as those of you who have suffered something similar will know, the feeling that you somehow want revenge on the individual that has violated your home. My wife is finding it difficult to sleep - not because she is afraid of it happening again - but because of the loss of our precious photographs. That CD was probably thrown in a skip by the evil little specimen who committed this crime without any thought for his victims.

"Tough on crime: tough on the causes of crime." Yeah!

On a lighter note....

2009-07-23T02:04:00.003+01:00

I hear that Caroline Flint - who was Gordon's bit of Cabinet window dressing - is already on holiday in the south of France. She decided to take the family hound with her but unfortunately it smelt a rat!

This says it all - God help us all!

2009-07-23T00:04:00.000+01:00

Oh come all ye faithful!

2009-07-13T02:56:00.003+01:00

All those of you that believe in the benefits of the nanny state introduced by this Labour government should read THIS advice provided by the NHS to young people.

What the f**k is going on? I don't know if I'm coming or going.

"The situation we are in is pretty serious"

2009-07-05T23:59:00.000+01:00

John Major is one of my unsung heroes of the political landscape over the last couple of decades. In this interview on the Andrew Marr show he has set out in very clear terms what a disaster this country is facing and what should be done to avoid it.

Now where was I?

2009-07-04T02:45:00.004+01:00

Oh yes - I remember now. I decided to take a break from blogging. At the time I could see that the MPs' expenses "scandal" was going to dominate the political agenda for weeks to come and I knew it would become very tedious.

It has worked its way through the body politic's system and most of the resultant waste products have been expelled into the toilet of history. Now we can start to get back to some serious politics.

Despite some rumours to the contrary I am not dead nor have I been sectioned. I am just as committed to making sure that this odious Labour Government is kicked out of office at the next General Election so convincingly that they never get their hands on the levers of power for generations to come!

Blogging Break

2009-05-11T23:26:00.007+01:00

Although I know this will devastate both my regular readers, I am taking a few weeks off from this blogging lark. No doubt all this furore over MPs' expenses will have settled down and, by then, the Green Party will be on 50% plus in the opinion polls, Alan Johnson will be the Prime Minister and there will be blue birds over the white cliffs of Dover.

I expect to be back in harness for the results of the June 4th elections - so see you both then.

Is it just me or is Mandelson's nose getting bigger?

2009-05-09T01:46:00.002+01:00

Peter - if you live by the sword of spin you will die by it.

+++EXCLUSIVE: John Prescott takes second job+++

2009-05-09T01:16:00.003+01:00

It has been reported that John Prescott has been forced to get a second job by his wife Pauline as they will no longer be able to claim the costs of additional mock Tudor beams to the exterior of their mansion in Hull. She has been reported to say that: "We had planned to complete the very tasteful upgrading of our humble little home by the time John retires as an MP in May of next year. But these dreadful and wholly unsubstantiated revelations from that right-wing, anti-Labour newspaper, the Daily Bellylaugh, has now put paid to that. John will have to keep working well into his seventies as we will not be able to maintain the standard of living to which I have become accustomed. We won't even be able to afford my daily hairdressing bill on the meagre pension of an ex-Cabinet minister."

No tax payers money was spent on this video

2009-05-09T00:33:00.006+01:00

Due respects to Subrosa (who rightly points out that I nick all my blogs from her) and a massive thank you to the Crownblogspot which consistently produces some of the funniest spoof videos. I present the latest offering for your delectation:

No comments please. Just enjoy!

Gordon and Derek were just good friends - we mourn their loss - not!

2009-05-06T23:29:00.004+01:00

It's wonderfully ironic that our psychologically flawed Prime Minister has been associated with that failed arch-spinmeister Derek Draper, another obviously psychologically flawed individual, who has at long last announced his resignation as editor of the LabourList blog.

What is significant - according to this report in The Guardian - is that the slimy git (Derek, that is!) was not pushed. No he jumped!

Do you think Gordon might take the hint too and do the honourable thing and jump - off a cliff? But don't bother with a suicide note, Gordon. We have got the message and we all agree "it was the right thing to do"!

You go down the tube with him if you want to!

2009-05-06T00:30:00.002+01:00

I know who I'm voting for - and it's not this bizarre man.

Mad George and Iain Dale go at it hammer and tongs over Margaret Thatcher

2009-05-03T00:09:00.005+01:00

If you haven't already done so, you will enjoy THIS little spat between the Scottish "traitor" and Iain Dale ("apologist for Margaret Thatcher").

My abiding memory of Galloway is the film of him with his tongue so far up Saddam Hussein's arse that he could lick his eyebrows.

The man is a total disgrace. At the very least he should be banished to a pit in the ground to live with all the other reptiles that he so admires or, to save the taxpayers the expense, I am willing to donate a suitable length of rope and my services to hold one end while he swings on the other! A vile man.

A one-sided conversation with Prescott? No, really?

2009-05-02T23:42:00.003+01:00

I didn't hear the old bruiser on this morning's Today programme so I thought I'd listen to it via the Labour Go Fourth website. What did I get? A film of 'JP' being interviewed by John Humphrys but without the questions! Still, it's good value just to watch the silly old fart having a moan about his old colleagues in the Cabinet not pulling their weight.

John Prescott goes fourth - and whips up apathy in Liverpool

2009-05-02T02:35:00.002+01:00

If this doesn't make you want to vote Labour, I don't know what will.

Grand closing down sale - Ozzie-style!

2009-05-01T23:13:00.004+01:00

Rumour has it that the Conservative Party have commissioned the same advertising agency that created the following campaign ad. Just substitute "Bonkers Brown" for "Krazy Kevin" and you can see how this might work!

Take it away Tom....

2009-05-01T02:27:00.007+01:00

This nice little pastiche about Iain Dale's favourite Labour MP blogger does not quite hit the mark for me but there was one reference about the nation's eating habits that struck a chord.

A couple of weeks back I commented on one of Tom's musings that he and the Harris family were about to settle down to a takeaway whilst watching some DVD box-set - I think it was Braveheart III or some other twaddle. I simply made the point that it appeared that he and his family - just because of his previous numerous references to them eating takeaways and watching DVDs - were not following the Government's guidelines on healthy eating. I also expressed my real concern that this was bad for their health and he should consider the benefits of preparing their own food at home. Strangely, my comment did not appear on Tom's blog!

But he's a lovely man isn't he......?

Fear, filth and a frightening Labour machine!

2009-05-01T01:20:00.005+01:00

Many thanks to the very ancient and sage Prodicus for THIS link to Nick Cohen's article in the May edition of Standpoint which provides yet another fascinating insight into the way that the Brownites have controlled and intimidated our so-called free press over the Labour years.

It starts with this: "...what we once called "spin", and a more plain-speaking age would have called "propaganda", has degenerated from the manipulation of the press that all governments practise into character assassination and career destruction."

And ends with this: "...Yet we accept a PM who achieved power not through the ballot box but by bullying his critics and rivals. As with any other bully, all it would take to stop him is for his opponents to call his bluff. That for years hardly any have, says more about us than it does about him."

I recommend that you read the whole article to get a real understanding of the depths that this disgraceful man has sunk over the last 12 years.

Tricky Dicky was bad enough but Brown has brought us all down!

Gordon Brown - watch a dead man squirming

2009-05-01T00:41:00.002+01:00

This interview on Channel 4 News last night was like watching a car crash happening before your eyes. Enjoy!

The cold hand of Labour

2009-04-29T22:39:00.005+01:00

I have long been a bit wary of the sainted Nadine Dorries as she bears an uncanny resemblance - both physically and in the way she speaks - to a previous work colleague who always seemed to attract controversy. (I know it's totally irrational. It must be my feminine side coming out!)

But tonight I had a flip through her recent postings and when I saw THIS I felt quite sorry for her.

Ignore the first bit about the mixing up of expense receipts - more of that will emerge in due course. No, the bit that got me was what she alleges a Labour Minister said to her round the back of the Speaker's chair.

"Watch yourself love", he said. "You are public enemy No 1. You inflicted a lot of damage on No10 and they are out for revenge. Watch out for the Sunday Mirror, don't talk to them." He then squeezed my hand and left.

The worst thing about this is that this sort of thing is so typical of the Labour spin machine.

Yvette admits she had help cooking the books

2009-04-29T02:32:00.003+01:00

"So what? It was the right thing to do!"

Gordon - you can fool some of the people....

2009-04-28T23:53:00.003+01:00

This is so blatant an attempt by Brown to seize a political advantage over the Conservative Party as to be risible. The fact it was originally announced on YouTube without any consultation was bad enough. But the subsequent so-called discussions with David Cameron and Nick Clegg were so acrimonious that no consensus was possible. And now we have assorted Labour politicians who have denounced Brown as a bully.

But the way it is being rushed through Parliament in such a botched manner is an outrage. As Mrs Ted - not a lover of the Great Leader on a good day - said to me at teatime today: "Has he gone completely barmy now? Does he take us all for fools?"

To which my answer, of course, was yes.

Brown must be as sick as a Mexican pig!

2009-04-27T23:59:00.003+01:00

There's a lot of talk of Brown facing a leadership challenge at some point this year - possibly after a meltdown in the June local and European elections or at, or before, the Labour Party conference. I think it's all wishful thinking as there is no obvious alternative candidate who would have sufficient backing from the comrades or the ability to make a credible fist (clunking or otherwise!) of it.

No, it is more likely that the Labour ship, although holed below the water line, will limp on until it hits the rocks in the spring of 2010. A small band of survivors have already donned their life jackets and manoeuvred themselves close to the lifeboats. They will not go down with the ship and will live to fight another day.

Dan, Dan - the democracy man!

2009-04-27T23:38:00.003+01:00

I must admit that I find Daniel Hannan a little too good to be true at times. His speeches are so brilliantly delivered and the contents so well thought through that it's hard to find any flaws in his arguments.

Watch Daniel Hannan Speech in News | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

PS: I meant to post this yesterday but couldn't find the code!

John Prescott goes forth and unmasks the evil Tories

2009-04-26T00:59:00.005+01:00

Just for fun I want to see if this latest little ruse by that old Labour bruiser, John Prescott actually works if you download it from his Go Fourth site.

Update: Apparently it doesn't!

When Irish eyes are smiling - not!

2009-04-26T00:21:00.002+01:00

This could be the sign of things to come in the UK if this rather over-long cameraphone video of the queue for jobs at a Londis supermarket in Dublin is anything to go by. (I haven't been to that lovely gem of a city for about fifteen years and it seems a lot more cosmopolitan than I remember.)

Don't watch it to the end if you're easily bored!

More pertinently, I wonder whether Libertas can reproduce the original Irish 'no' vote against the Lisbon Treaty (aka The European Constitution) in the next ballot in October? Or has the economic landscape changed so much that a majority of the electorate will be persuaded to put their faith in ever closer union with the EU and all that will entail?

I'm worried they will do the wrong thing for the wrong reasons and, consequently, drag the UK into a spiralling fall into the abyss of a United States of Europe.

The PM's secret weapon?

2009-04-25T23:18:00.002+01:00

Another good spot by Subrosa in which she speculates that Mrs Brown will be taking a higher profile in Labour's election plans.

Particularly liked this: Who was it who said, "I would never use my family for political purposes," again?

Iain Dales's downfall - hilarious!

2009-04-25T22:41:00.001+01:00

Another one for posteriority!

Beam me up Scottie

2009-04-25T02:36:00.004+01:00

"It's space (between the Conservatives) Gordon, but not as we wanted it. We are now so far away from reality that we will never be able to get back to Earth!"

Buddy, can you spare a dime?

2009-04-25T00:49:00.006+01:00

I wonder how much these two have been talking over the last few days? Do you think President Obama - now approaching his 100th day in office - will have been twittering his old mate Gordon on an hourly basis? Do they coordinate their "global vision" at daily teleconferences? Is that special relationship being strengthened by the close bond these two great world leaders forged as a result of the triumphant G20 gathering in London?

Funnily enough, Gordon hasn't mentioned his new buddy much over the last few weeks - they've probably had a few other things on their minds, d'you think?

Still, I expect they'll get together again soon to compare notes after Alistair Darling has explained to the G7 meeting that unless they do what they all promised to do in London the UK economy will never ever come out of recession. It won't be Gordon's fault, it'll be those bloody foreigners who have let us down once again.

It's not fair, is it? Twelve years of boom based on a false premise and then 23 years of bust. But, of course, the Conservatives - and particularly Margaret Thatcher - caused all of this. They should never be allowed near the levers of power ever again, should they? Just imagine what would happen - they would slash public services ruthlessly and bring the country to its knees!

Hang on a minute. We're already on our knees and just about to be spreadeagled in the mire because of Labour's abject incompetence in managing the economy. Bugger!

Maybe Barak can help us out........?

Gordon takes a holiday

2009-04-24T01:18:00.003+01:00

In the spirit of "cross-blogging" I offer you this little gem which I have pinched from that very gracious lady at the Subrosa blog who, in turn, has pinched it from someone else!

It's actually still rather relevant even though it portrays Our Great Leader on his summer holidays.

It brought a smile to my face.

Lies, damned lies and the Budget

2009-04-22T22:16:00.006+01:00

And so it starts to unravel. This clip from George Osborne outlines the key lies that Darling spouted in today's Budget.

We should all be seriously worried that the vast sums of money that the Government needs to raise by issuing gilts will be made available otherwise we'll be even more stymied than we are already. I know its serious because today was the first time I've seen Ken Clarke become angry in a television interview.

Mind you, having that stupid Balls woman blether at me would push me over the edge too. She is awful! Please let's get rid of her and the rest of the poisonous and incompetent bunch of third-raters!

PS: You should also have a look at Ben Brogan's blog on the Telegraph site.

Shahid Malik for Prime Minister?

2009-04-21T02:03:00.003+01:00

The Middle East's Hitler?

2009-04-21T00:39:00.005+01:00

This is the President of Iran who's regime hangs people in public from cranes in the centre of Tehran because they are homosexuals.

Mandelson gets angry!

2009-04-19T23:41:00.003+01:00

Judging by this clip Mandelson is back in charge of the Labour spin machine. None of that low-life smearing for him - he'd never do that, would he? No, he's back to making up stories about the Tories being happy the country is in recession.

That's just good old-fashioned spin, lies and innuendo with no basis in the facts. Nothing wrong with that! Expect a lot more of it over the next week when Alistair Darling delivers his "crisis budget".

But do just watch out for the spin it will be given for a couple of days until the figures are ripped to shreds by the Opposition.

Remember who wrote this?

2009-04-18T23:32:00.005+01:00

"There is only one thing to admire in this Government---their bare-faced cheek. After bringing in the biggest tax rises in peacetime history, they try to paint Labour as the tax-raising party.

Listening to the Tories nowadays, you could be fooled into thinking that someone else has been in power. Hearing John Major, Kenneth Clarke, and Brian Mawhinney, you could be excused for believing that it was someone else who put up your taxes TWENTY-TWO times, adding £2,120 to the tax burden of the typical family.

That, of course, is exactly their game. They want to airbrush out the past, forget their broken promises, ignore the damning facts. And that is why they are again peddling the Great Tory Lies about Labour's tax plans.

I believe that you have suffered enough from the Tory tax betrayal. Hard-working families like you have been hit hard by the 22 Tory tax rises. That is why I have pledged that a New Labour Government will not raise either the basic rate or the top rate of income tax. They will remain unchanged under the next Labour Government. I am determined to ensure hard work is rewarded, not penalised.

Cutting bills for families

And because of this, my tax-cutting goal is to bring in---when the country can afford it---a new 10p starting rate. That will enable everyone to keep more of their hard-earned money. And it will encourage the unemployed off welfare and into work, saving us all cash.

I also intend that our taxation policies will be fair. Which is why we will cut VAT on heating to 5 per cent, the lowest level possible. That will cut family bills and help pensioners more than most. And don't forget that, but for Labour, VAT on heating would already be at 17.5 per cent. It was only our campaign and votes which stopped the Tories doubling the Cold Tax as they intended.

I have also promised that VAT will not be extended to food, children's clothes, public transport fares, books and newspapers. They will be the Tory targets if they retain power. These are my cast-iron guarantees on tax-based on our principles of encouraging work and promoting fairness.

The Tory tactic now is to make sure the facts don't get in the way of their smears.

So, without hesitating, they dream up a whole raft of new scare stories. And yet again, they won't let their record stand in the way.

Since 1979, it is the Tories who have raised national insurance no less than FIVE times. National insurance on working people stood at 6.5 per cent when the Tories came to power. It now stands at 10 per cent. By the Government's own admission, that change cost you Pounds 5.3 billion in extra tax last year. The equivalent of an extra 3p on income tax. That's a massive back-door tax rise. BUT you won't catch the Tories mentioning that fact. And they are trying the same trick on mortgage tax relief.

They ended higher rate relief, and then cut it in successive years from 25 per cent to 15 per cent-an extra tax bill for homeowners of over £500.

These cuts came despite a manifesto pledge to "maintain mortgage tax relief."

But just as with extending VAT and their tax cut promises, their pledges were worthless. It is a record of tax betrayal which would have most people squirming in embarrassment. But not the Tories. They know no shame.

Labour will only make promises that we can keep and not make promises that we cannot guarantee to deliver. We have published our spending commitments and we have also said how we will pay for them. And they do not require any tax increases except for the windfall levy on the excess profits of the privatised utilities.

The truth on finance

That is to pay for our programme of getting 250,000 jobless youngsters into work. When we are in Government we will have a chance to see whether the Tories have been telling the truth about the nation's finances.

We have every reason to be suspicious. At the last General Election, they hid from voters how bad the economy was. They underestimated by billions of pounds---either deliberately or through incompetence---just how much money was to be borrowed. Money that would have to be repaid by taxpayers.

Only weeks before the last General Election, Chancellor Norman Lamont forecast in his Budget that Government borrowing for the next year would be £32 billion. It wasn't. It was £45 billion. He was out by £13 billion. And he got every borrowing forecast wrong for all following years.

It has come to a staggering Pounds 66 billion more than he said. You can understand why I need to be cautious.

John Major knew he was being wildly optimistic. He just didn't care---provided the Tories won.

My suspicions that the Tories are not telling the whole truth again have only been increased by their decision to phase in the public pay awards. If the economy is going so well why can't the money for nurses be paid in full now? I fear the Tories are covering up the true state of this country's finances.

I am not going to behave like the Tories. I will not tell fairy tales, or make promises I cannot keep. But I will act on the priorities .

That is why I have said that the pay of top people---such as Government ministers and judges---should be frozen this year. And it is why I have said I cannot promise we will find £60 million of public money to build a new Royal yacht.

That is why we are phasing out the private schools' assisted places scheme to cut class sizes for five, six and seven-year-olds. That is why we will cut red tape in the NHS to release more cash for patient care. And that is why we will tackle the waste of youth unemployment.

I will only promise what I can deliver. And unlike the Tories, I will deliver my promises on tax."

Yep, you were right! This is an article by one Gordon Brown MP, published in the News of the World on Feb 9th, 1997. As JD, the commenter on the Coffee House blog says: "In view of the present situation, some of the lines are particularly ironic. Swap a few words around (e.g. 'Labour' for 'Tory', 'Brown' for 'Major') and they fit current circumstances amusingly well."

Weasel words from Whelan

2009-04-17T00:29:00.004+01:00

I know THIS has probably already been read by most people since it was posted on Guido Fawke's blog yesterday but you may not have read all the 60 plus comments that it attracted - none of them favourable to his point of view.

Remember this was a feature written by Charlie Whelan in the Strathspey and Badenoch Herald which is published every Wednesday morning. Not exactly a major national daily!

On 11th March 2009 Charlie wrote another article entitled "What has PM to apologise for?" In it he said: "Whilst most of us are worried about how the recession will affect us financially, down in the Westminster village they are obsessed with wringing out an apology from the Prime Minister."

There are many allegations circulating that Charlie is not held in the highest esteem within the Unite trade union. It's not surprising that there are calls from its members for him to be removed. Let's hope they have their way and very soon.

Why are they being so beastly to Dolly?

2009-04-16T00:02:00.001+01:00

I bring a message from the Great Leader

2009-04-15T23:16:00.003+01:00

The biggest mistake Andy Burnham made today (apart from mentioning he was an Evertonian) was to speak on behalf of Gordon Brown. Whilst this clip doesn't show the whole speech, he told the audience at Anfield that he had been asked to pass on personal messages from Brown. That stuck in my craw.

The (red) rug might yet be pulled out from under Brown!

2009-04-15T00:24:00.002+01:00

Iain Dale is having some fun with this latest glimpse in the Times article which is entitled "Commons link to Damian McBride smear site is red rag to David Cameron".

It is reported that: "A bogus applicant using the name “Ollie Cromwell” paid £8.99 to set up The Red Rag as a campaign blog. The buyer had to provide only a name, address, telephone number and e-mail to create the site on November 4 last year. The address given was the House of Commons, The Times has been told. The site was registered for two years, ensuring that it would be in place throughout the general election campaign, which must be called by June next year."

Iain has also noted HERE that: "When Derek Draper was asked by Channel 4 News tonight if he had discussed the Red Rag website with the Prime Minister at their lunch at Chequers, he referred us to the Downing Street Press Office."

Tom Watson MP has instructed Carter Ruck Solicitors to write to the editors of the Mail on Sunday and the Daily Mail "to complain about the publication of the false allegation that our client had knowledge of, and participated in, Mr McBride’s actions. We have made it clear that our client has confirmed to us that he was not copied in on any of the emails exchanged between Mr McBride and Mr Draper, nor was he aware of them or their content until their existence was first drawn to the attention of Downing Street by national newspapers, on Friday April 10...He still has not seen them. We have further made it clear that our client had no involvement in or knowledge of the ‘Red Rag’ website."

So what do we have here? "Ollie Cromwell" (an obvious pseudonym) registered the Red Rag site in November 2008; Derek Draper (the editor of LabourList) is unable to tell us if he mentioned this to Gordon Brown when he lunched with him only a few days later at Chequers; and Tom ("I feel smeared") Watson who shared an office with Damian McBride is "complaining" that he has been unfairly associated with the whole affair.

What do these idiots take us for? Please just give it up and go! We all feel smeared by you sad, stupid little men who like playing games with other peoples lives.

"Al-Fayed not involved in Smeargate"

2009-04-14T00:41:00.003+01:00

Any suggestion that Mohamed Al-Fayed could have been involved in "Smeargate" would, of course, be completely untrue. There is no evidence that any brown envelopes were involved in recent revelations but it has reminded some people of the events of the mid-90s when John Major's dying government was embroiled in accusations of sleaze.

Whether this was the decisive factor in the Labour landslide victory in 1997 is not clear.

However, what is absolutely apparent is that the final nails in Gordon Brown's political coffin are being hammered in as he fails to grasp the enormity of the cock-up he has presided over. He has lost all credibility and his senior ministers are revealed as a bunch of failed third-rate no-hopers. Worse, he has surrounded himself with the vilest and direst bunch of desperate attack dogs ever assembled.

Not only has he lost any moral authority he might have claimed, he has lost the respect of the British people. He must go and he must take his disgraced party with him.

"There'll be no whitewash in the shitehouse"

2009-04-13T23:15:00.002+01:00

Brown just can't say the 'S' word, can he?

Just a bit of juvenile fun between mates

2009-04-13T04:31:00.001+01:00

Brown is up to his neck in it

2009-04-13T02:11:00.005+01:00

This article in the Guardian today by Jackie Ashley provides some even more interesting insights into "Smeargate". Note that Charlie Whelan is mentioned as the union man with the ability to finance whatever scam the group thought up.

And, of course, that arch-Brownite, Ed Balls is the chair of the "Wednesday afternoon group" that meets every week to plot the next move on the grid.

Ashley says: "The truth is that Brown has always been double-sided in his political personality and now the whole country knows it. The ideologically serious, morally driven statesman, whose steely determination was most recently on view in his successful handling of the G20, has lived his life with a sinister twin, spinning and dealing. McBride has been an extension of that other self."

There's lots more! Read it and feel that warm glow of satisfaction you get when your long-held suspicions have been confirmed. This bunch of charlatans are as bad as you thought!

A leopard doesn't change his spots

2009-04-12T22:53:00.005+01:00

In November 2007 I posted THIS about Charlie Whelan and entitled it "Spinning in the wind?"

It is clear, via his influential role in the Unite union, that he has had more than a passing involvement in "Smeargate". The question is whether those in the know will have the courage to let us have the real story even though they risk having their metaphorical manhoods ripped off and made into earrings for Mrs Whelan.

Breaking news: Brown had aides!

2009-04-12T01:07:00.006+01:00

Is this how you like your politics? No? Well, get used to it because this is what we are going to get over the next year.

What can David Cameron and his team do to counter THIS onslaught? One view might be that he doesn't have to do anything. (See this great Coffee House blog). The Labour Party is imploding on its own. All he has do is help them on their way by reminding the electorate that they are a failing and failed government that has wasted vast amounts of our money on useless social engineering experiments that will take years and years to reverse.

But, actually, the Conservatives' immediate problem is how to counter all the counter-spin that the left will churn out over the next few days as a result of "Smeargate".

So, he will have to watch out for that slimey git Liam Byrne and for the 'hidden hand' of Tom Watson in the counter-attack. Prescott and Campbell will be at it too. This has only just started to get nasty. It will get much worse as the left-leaning journos try to suggest that the Conservative Party have always run the same type of spin operation.

Batten down the hatches - we are in full general election mode!

What a mendacious lot!

2009-04-11T22:57:00.005+01:00

I have been listening to various interviews with Dolly Draper during the day and I am amazed this deranged man was ever taken seriously. This is just one example.

Brown will, of course, remain above the fray. That's not "the right thing to do!"

Update: In the meantime, one Labour MP blogger has made the following comment on Twitter:

"tomharrismp Those who have read Stephen King's "The Langoliers" will have found tonight's "Doctor Who" very familiar." Well that's OK then!

Labour goes to the mattresses?

2009-04-11T02:26:00.006+01:00

Some people have argued that dear old lovable John Prescott has become a bit of a British institution - like Terry Wogan, maybe. We loved his mangling of the English language when he was Deputy Prime Minister, but since he stood down as a member of the Cabinet he has not spoken in the House of Commons because he didn't want to oppose the Government!

How very strange! This is the man who has thrown himself into the digital age with some gusto to front a website called "Go Fourth" specifically to promote a fourth term for the Labour Government. I don't look at it very often as it rarely has much to say and, judging by the number of comments it receives, nor do many other people.

Those that do bother to comment seem to be overwhelmingly anti-Labour. On this basis the old bruiser is not punching his weight - even with the support of the arch spin-meister Alistair Campbell.

So, if this particular experiment by Labour to try to claim the blogosphere as a weapon in their armoury to beat the Conservatives has failed what should they do next?

It's obvious really - revert to their old ways and fight a very dirty and nasty war. It's already started if THIS, THIS and THIS are anything to go by!

Update: Just because I mentioned Terry Wogan above THIS should get a mention too!

English - the lingua franca?

2009-04-11T00:35:00.003+01:00

I am sure Donal Blaney will forgive me for belatedly pinching this very jolly video which you may think has a little more resonance in the USA than in Britain....Or does it?

I heard recently that most public bodies have had to greatly enlarge the numbers of interpreters available to them to cover around 100 different languages and dialects. And that's just so they can understand all the Scots who seem to run the country these days! (It's a joke, OK? Don't get your kilts in a twist!)

See you, Jimmy!

Brown's (one) fan club

2009-04-08T23:56:00.004+01:00

Apparently there is at least one person who is pleased that Gordon Brown is our Prime Minister - and she rang the Jeremy Vine show today.

I didn't realise that Cherie Blair was such a good mimic.

Bye bye Redditch, thank you for paying for my mortgage

2009-04-08T02:15:00.002+01:00

If this is the best that Jaqui Smith can do then she is doomed to be an ex Labour MP at the next general election. Hope so!

"Right wing" blogger defends Daniels Hannan! Shock! Horror!

2009-04-07T01:14:00.006+01:00

This is a taste of things to come from Labour's attack dogs over the next few months as they despairingly try to prevent a meltdown at the June elections. In this example, dear old John Prescott is desperate to reclaim the NHS as the Labour Party's own particular fiefdom in the minds of the electorate even after David Cameron has explicitly said that a Conservative government would protect spending on it.

Labour supporters are ever so keen to cite the Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan's recent interview with Fox News as evidence that the Conservative Party is concealing it's real intentions for the future of the NHS. But watch and listen to what he actually said (about 6 minutes into the video below).

I am a great supporter of the NHS - I worked in it for 17 years - and have had many personal experiences of how brilliant it can be. But if I was advising the US government on how to reform their health care system I could not urge them to follow our model. Particularly, they should not try to impose the sort of target driven culture that has led to the sort of scandals that result in the needless deaths of tens of thousands of patients from hospital-acquired infections or patients being shunted into holding wards so they don't breach the 4-hour wait limit in A&E.

If Labour wants to make the NHS a battleground for the next general election they will have to have a lot of sound arguments to show that they are more competent than their record over the last 12 years justifies.

What spin will Tom Harris put on this poll?

2009-04-06T22:24:00.002+01:00

The news that the latest Populus poll for The Times shows that the Conservatives have a 13% lead over Labour will, doubtless, not put the illustrious Labour blogger and MP for Glasgow South (maj: 10,350) off his stride. Where's the G20 bounce, Gordon?

The paper reports that: "The survey...shows that there has been no G20 bounce for Gordon Brown or for Labour, despite a favourable view of last Thursday’s summit in London. Labour is unchanged compared with a month ago on 30 per cent, while the Tories are one point up at 43 per cent. The Lib Dems are one point down at 18 per cent. Other parties are unchanged on 9 per cent."

More interesting is the finding that: "More than two thirds of voters think that all or a majority of MPs abuse their expenses and allowances. Some 27 per cent say that all or nearly all MPs abuse the system, and 42 per cent think that a majority of MPs do so. By contrast, 20 per cent say that “a majority of MPs do not abuse the system, but many do”, while just 8 per cent say that very few MPs do. Working-class voters and Tory supporters are most inclined to say that most MPs abuse the system."

Let's hope that Tom is not one of those that will be named and shamed when the details of MP's claims are published in a few months time.