The inside track since 2003

JS: Alan Johnson’s told us that this letter is just a wheeze got up by Conservative Party central office. Do you feel part of a wheeze?

MV: No not really.

JS: Who asked you to sign?

MV: Who asked me to sign? I think, you know I have several friends there who…but I agree with the policy. Let’s forget about who asked me to sign. I can name that f that makes any difference, right? I can name the person. Stanley Fink who is now the treasurer of the party mentioned and then I looked through all the aspects of the cut, I fully agree that somebody has got to take this measure.

If it’s true that we’re going to build two giant aircraft carriers with no planes, it’s ludicrous:

Asked whether two new aircraft carriers could be left without planes, Dr Fox said: “When you talk about the carrier strike concept and the contract we’re in, it’s about whether we can project air power to where we need it.”

Pushed specifically on whether there could be a gap between Harrier jets going out of service and the joint striker coming in, he said: “The answer is yes there could, but what is the gap in? Do we have a gap in our ability to project air power? The answer is no.”

He added: “The point is – does Britain have the ability to use air power where we require it in defence of our national interest? At the moment the answer is yes. Can I guarantee that we will be able to do that in 20 or 30 years? The answer is no.”

The Government are expected to announce their bonfire of the quangos tomorrow. Dozens, maybe hundreds of quangos are going to get closed down. We’ve spent all summer compiling a Directory of Non-Departmental Public Bodies (quangos), Executive Agencies, Agencies and Advisory Boards. It’s a PDF I’m afraid but I hope you find it of use.

I’ve been catching up with David Cameron’s speech from Wednesday and I was particularly interested to see him mention Harry Beckhough, a lifelong Conservative Party member and someone who worked at Bletchley Park during the Second World War.

David Cameron’s speech had some glowing words for Harry Beckhough, saying:

“Harry joined our party in 1929 to fight Stafford Cripps.

Since then, across 81 years and 21 elections, Harry has been with us. When Churchill warned of an iron curtain, Harry was with us. When this country had never had it so good, Harry was with us. When a lady refused to turn, Harry was with us.

This year, when we fought the general election, Harry – aged 96 – was there, manning the loudhailer on the battle bus.”

I’ve held a long interest in Bletchley Park and the work that took place there but Harry Beckhough is a name I’ve not come across before so I decided to Google it out of interest.

Can the Harry Beckhough I found be David Cameron’s new found hero?

He authored a paper called “Germany’s Four Reichs”. The tagline of which is “Origins and Development Seeking World Domination in Ruthless Terror”.

Where he goes on to make the following attack on the German people:

“Added to my own research into the eternally aggressive intent of the German mindset, lust after power and domination of all Europe, East and West, and beyond, from the Atlantic to the Urals. A way of thinking, planning, plotting and lying deception, foreign to the British way of life, and unthinkable to our trusting nature.”

And it’s not just the Germans that come in for criticism but also the Russians as he states:

“(our trusting West is just not brought up to pierce and dissect the wholesale lies and cunning deceit, of which both Russians and Germans are so adept).”

But it’s not only his written work that reveals these questionable views because there’s quite a few videos of Harry Beckhough circulating on the Internet of which this one is of particular interest.

I watched it through and there’s some very interesting points that he brings up.

At 16:30 he seems to be very critical of purchase taxes like VAT of which his own Government will be increasing to a record level in January.

He goes on at 18:05 to claim that Edward Heath, a former leader and Prime Minister of his own party was a German spy and returns to him again at 54:15 to claim he was blackmailed into being an agent by the Illuminati because of his sexuality.

At 27:10 He claims the Rothchilds family took over the running of the Illuminati.

At 35:15 He claims American Presidents since Roosevelt are in an orgainsation called the CFFR and are traitors to their country.

However even more interesting given the interview he gave with Kay Burley where he describes Chirchill and Thatcher of being the only 2 great Prime Ministers that at 43:10 he claims Margaret Thatcher was taken in by the lies of Gorbachaev and goes on to say at 49:33 “All our leaders from Edward Heath onward have let us down, have betrayed us and are guilty of treason” which presumably would include Thatcher herself.

What’s shocking about this whole episode is not that Harry Beckhough holds some rather interesting views on the world but that David Cameron would specifically pick him out for praise in his first party speech as Prime Minister.

I’m sure it looked like a good idea for his speech writer, lifelong Tory who helped during the war at Bletchley Park, it’s the perfect combination of wartime patriotism that plays out perfectly in the right-wing tabloids, but even the simplest of background research, Googling the man’s name brings up a wealth of information about the views he holds that no British Prime Minister should wish to be associated with.

I don’t know who wrote David Cameron’s speech but if they’re not on a written warning already, they should be.

Dear Mr Cameron,

NEWS OF THE WORLD PHONE HACKING SCANDAL

You will be aware of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee’s Press Standards, Privacy and Libel report of February 2010 in which Mr Andy Coulson, your Communications Director, told MPs that he had no recollection of incidences where phone hacking took place whilst he was Editor of the News of the World.

New allegations made today to Channel 4’s Dispatches programme, by a former senior executive of News International, however, claim that Mr Coulson did in fact know about hacking, and that he listened to tapes of intercepted voicemail messages. These allegations are new, far reaching and warrant investigation.

The report to be broadcast on the Dispatches programme casts doubt on the accuracy of the oral evidence provided to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on 21 July 2009 by Mr Coulson in which he said: “I was, as you know, Editor of the News of the World for four years from January 2003 until January 2007. During that time I never condoned the use of `phone hacking and nor do I have any recollection of incidences where `phone hacking took place”.

Accordingly, I think it is necessary for you to make a statement in Parliament on this matter next week. If a government minister were to be the subject of similar allegations, they would be forced to stand down immediately while an investigation is carried out. We are now at the point where I firmly believe you should consider a similar course of action with regards to Mr Coulson’s conduct.

I am sure you would agree misleading a parliamentary committee of the House of Commons is a very serious matter, and therefore these allegations need to be investigated. Parliament and the public would expect nothing less from you.

I look forward to hearing from you, at the earliest opportunity, in response to the points that I have raised.

Yours sincerely

Tom Watson

Member of Parliament for West Bromwich East

Here’s a letter to David Cameron that will be ignored by nearly every newspaper in the land.

Andy McSmith’s No Such Thing as Society: A History of Britain in the 1980s will probably become one of the definitive books on the 1980′s. It’s written in a concise style, is incisive yet generous to the subjects and conjures a vivid picture of the mood of the nation at the time.

I tweeted a previously unknown fact from the book that Ted Heath and Margaret Thatcher did not talk for 22 years. Simply not true, said Iain Dale in a Twitter reply.

Andy McSmith was generous to email to say that the source of his quote was none other than the great Ted Heath himself. Andy was a guest at his house in Salisbury on the eve of his appearance on stage with Margaret Thatcher in 1998, and when asked, he said that he had last spoken to her in 1976.

So, we heard it from the old boy himself. But was he being puckish with the recollection of the facts to his house guests? Iain thinks he might have been. “They definitely talked in May 1979 and also when he attended the tory conf in either 1980 or 81. They also spoke at a downing street dinner for all living PMs held in the mid 1990s.”

Yet are Iain’s good manners playing tricks with his memory? They may be.

Andy’s response to Iain:

“You overestimate the warmth of the Heath-Thatcher relationship. They did not speak in May 1979. She refused to have him share any platform during the election. On the Saturday after polling, she sent him a written note by bike messenger to tell him that she was appointing Carrington Foreign Secretary, so no government job for him. She wrote to him again ten days later offering him the job of Ambassador to the US, which he refused, also in writing. No spoken words were exchanged, even by telephone.

“Heath did not go the party conference in 1979 or, as far I can ascertain in 1980, but he did turn up in 1981 to attack Thatcher, and was heckled. He joked about it, saying: “Don’t applaud, it may irritate your neighbour.” She said something vaguely nice about him from the platform, but I can’t find any evidence that they spoke.”

He adds “I don’t think you can assume that just because they were at the same dinner table some time in the 1990s, that Heath acknowledged her presence. You don’t mention that she turned up at the dinner in 1990 to celebrate his first 40 years in the Commons, but it would be assuming too much about Heath’s graciousness to assume that he spoke to her.”

And further adds “Also, I think the dinner to which you refer is the one held at Spencer House (not Downing Street) in July 1992 to mark the 40th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, at which all living PM and ex-PMs except Alec Douglas Home were present. The Palace took the precaution of seating Heath and Mrs T well away from one another. She was next to the Duke of Edinburgh, he was next to Princess Diana. I find no evidence that they spoke.”

Iain is certain that he saw them talk at the event and that it was actually broadcast on TV. “I absolutely know they spoke at the Downing Street event because I saw it on TV with my own eyes.” says Iain. He’s going to ask Mrs Thatcher’s people if they can get to the bottom of the matter.

I suspect this will come down to what constitutes “talking”. Small talk on the way into a reception can hardly be described as conversation. It’s perfectly possible for Heath to have asked Mrs T. about the weather whilst never talking to her about the folly of the 1981 Budget.

Can you help me establish the facts though? Do you know of a time whether Mrs Thatcher and Ted Heath had a conversation between 1976 and 1998?

Speakers: Vince Cable, Kirsty Wark

KW: In 2005 Sir Philip Green saved £300m on a £1.2bn dividend because Arcadia group is in the name of his wife, registered where she lives in Monaco. That is legitimate, nothing illegal about that, that’s exactly what you are talking about, you would rather that £300m was paid?

VC: Yes, I’d rather it was paid here and I have said that.

KW:Have you said to him?

VC:Yes.

KW:And therefore are you uncomfortable about the fact that he is advising David Cameron?

VC:Well it is a fact of life we are now living with .. I have expressed my views on his tax affairs and I really don’t need to elaborate. He is not doing anything illegal but I think people out there who make a very large income in the UK should be paying their tax here including him.

Culture Media and Sport Select Committee requires a Broadcasting Expert and a Creative Industries Expert to provide specialist advice on a consultancy basis.

The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee is seeking applications for two specialist advisers, covering respectively broadcasting and the creative industries.

Applicants should be prepared to provide a readily available source of expert and technical advice to Committee members, including in relation to particular Committee inquiries within their field of expertise. Successful applicants will work closely with Committee support staff in the preparation of advice, briefing material and Reports for the Committee.

John Whittingdale, Chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, said:

Specialist Advisers can provide invaluable assistance to the Committee on these two important and technical subjects. In return, they can gain an insight into the work of Parliament, and the vital scrutiny function of a Select Committee.

The appointments are for 12 months, with the option of renewal at the end of this period. Advisers are paid for the days they work for the committee plus expenses. Rates are dependent upon experience and knowledge.

Anyone who is interested in taking on either of the two specialist adviser roles, is asked to provide a statement of no more than 750 words why they consider they would be an appropriate candidate and to send that statement, along with a copy of their cv, to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee at CMSCOM@parliament.uk by Thursday 14 October.

For further information, please contact Tracey Garratty, Clerk of the Committee, on 020 7219 6188 or email CMSCOM@parliament.uk.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Committee Membership is as follows:
Mr John Whittingdale(Chair) (Con) (Maldon)
Ms Louise Bagshawe (Con) (Corby)
Paul Farrelly (Lab) (Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Dr Thérèse Coffey (Con) (Suffolk Coastal)
Alan Keen (Lab Co-operative) (Feltham and Heston)
Damian Collins (Con) ( Folkestone and Hythe)
Jim Sheridan (Lab) (Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Philip Davies (Con) ( Shipley)
Mr Tom Watson (Lab) (West Bromwich East)
David Cairns (Lab) (Inverclyde)
Mr Adrian Sanders (Lib Dem) (Torbay)

You Gov say:

The majority of the public thinks that Downing Street’s Director of Communications Andy Coulson should be removed from office (pdf) and that investigations into the News of the World phone tapping affair should be reopened after fresh allegations, our survey reveals.

In 2007, the News of the World’s royal editor, Clive Goodman, and private investigator Glen Mulcaire, were jailed over conspiracy to intercept the voicemail of senior royal aides. The editor at the time, Coulson, denied all knowledge of the operation but accepted ‘ultimate responsibility’ and stepped down. He has since become David Cameron’s Director of Communications, but recent allegations have suggested that phone tapping was widespread at the paper and that Coulson was aware of its use.

Losing his job
Just over half the population (52%) believe the Government’s PR boss should lose his job because of this, compared to 24% who think that Coulson, who has denied the allegations and said he is ‘happy to voluntarily meet’ police to assist further investigation, should keep his position.

Strikingly, just 14% of the population think that the police conducted a full investigation of the phone tapping affair at the time. Although the Metropolitan Police maintain that they gave the Criminal Prosecution Service full access to the clear evidence gathered, almost half of the public (47%) say they do not believe a full investigation was carried out, and a considerable 54% of Brits believe that the police should re-open the investigation, compared to under a quarter (24%) who doesn’t think this necessary.
Editorial ethics
Although this case of illegal story acquisition is limited to News of the World, it appears that the general public do not have much faith in the ethics of other publications either. A staggering 80% of the public believe that other newspapers ‘probably do similar things’, and the News of the World reporter ‘just happened’ to get caught

I’m delighted to welcome former Deputy Leader of Sandwell Conservatves, Councillor Elaine Costigan to the Labour Party. Elaine says that “Michael Gove made me ashamed to be a Conservative”.

Elaine is a powerful voice for Wednesbury and Sandwell. She’s passionately cares about the future of Sandwell’s children and was rightly appalled by the Coalition government’s callous cuts to Sandwell’s schools. I’m delighted she’s joining Labour and look forward to further discussions with other councillors.

Up and down the country, people are realising that they were hoodwinked by David Cameron and Nick Clegg during the General Election. Whoever wins the Labour leadership election will have to build alliances with members of the other parties who feel betrayed by their political leaders.

Here’s a release from the Media Standards Trust:

The Media Standards Trust today, Friday 3rd September, gives its full support to calls for a judicial inquiry into the allegations of phone-hacking at the News of the World.

Tom Watson MP, a member of the Culture, Media and Sport select committee, yesterday wrote to Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg. Mr Watson argued that the allegations published by the New York Times – that ‘one of the country’s most powerful newspapers was routinely listening in on its citizens’ contrary to evidence given to the CMS select committee by Andy Coulson and Les Hinton, and that the police colluded with News International – constitute ‘clear grounds for a judicial enquiry’. The MST wholeheartedly agrees.

Mr Watson also calls for the Independent Police Complaints Commission to investigate the ‘serious allegation’ of collusion. The MST agrees.

In July 2009, the MST called for the press to take the initiative and ‘appoint a genuinely independent figure with wide-ranging powers, to conduct a lengthy and detailed investigation’. This was in response to the revelation, published by The Guardian (8th July 2009), that ‘News Group News¬papers ha[d] paid out more than £1m to settle legal cases that threatened to reveal evidence of his journalists’ repeated involvement in the use of criminal methods to get stories’. An independent inquiry instigated by the press, we argued, ‘could prove to critics of the system of press self-regulation that it is – contrary to popular perception – able to hold the press to account’ and ‘could help to renew public confidence’. The call was not taken up.

We believe strongly in the principle of a self-regulated press, but given the new allegations made by the New York Times and the failure of the press to confront the issue of phone-hacking, we believe that only an independent judicial inquiry with full subpoena powers can now bring all the facts to light. Despite the excellent work of the select committee, and the sustained investigation by The Guardian, the full facts of the case remain unclear. Only an independent inquiry can expose the scale of the intrusion and indicate whether it is still going on, and – critically – restore public confidence in the press.

Sir David Bell, chair of the MST, said: “We believe strongly that it is critical for all the facts surrounding this issue to be made public. In view of what has happened we believe that a judicial inquiry must be the right way forward and that it should begin at once.”

Here’s my letter to the Met police: