Just spotted this from the Architects’ Journal’s ‘Astragal’ diary column about Brocialist Ken Livingstone, back in the days when he had influence over planning permission, at the Presidents Club:
Those were the days…
Labour Shadow DEFRA minister David Drew thought he had a canny written question for the MoD:
“To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to support Albania’s application to join NATO.”
The minister’s reply?
“Albania became a full member of NATO on 1 April 2009.”
Doh!
“YABBADABBADOO” screams Emily Thornberry, beating her fists against her plenteous chest like a gorilla as she dances around the Corbynista totem pole while dawn breaks over the plain. It’s only Lidders today, a mere sliver of a chap, no match for our club-swinging, man-eating Big Chief Thorners, 2018’s Boudica. It is said Emily Thornberry is the only woman to share a bloodline with Cleopatra, Elizabeth I and Marta Hari. It is said that Emily Thornberry never speaks to men, but when she does, she breathes fire on them and they spontaneously combust. A man for breakfast, lunch and dinner – and a dozen on a bad day.
DfiD minister Lord Bates has just resigned from the government, telling the Lords he hadn’t met the standards required by his office – because he forgot to turn up to answer a question. Not the first time he’s resigned in curious circumstances: in March 2016 he quit as Minister of State at the Home Office in order to undertake a 2000-mile solo walk from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro.
Treasury Minister Lord Bates just resigned from the government after apologising for missing a question from Labour’s Baroness Lister of Burtersett. pic.twitter.com/3hLXmaDC2B
— Richard Morris (@imrichardmorris) January 31, 2018
Colleagues on all sides protested and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lords has called for him to unresign, insisting it was only a minor discourtesy:
Leader of the Opposition in the Lords, Baroness Smith of Basildon, interrupts the beginning of Lord Hague’s speech on the EU Withdrawal Bill to say that Lord Bates really doesn’t have to resign for missing a question. pic.twitter.com/BJdRXqji0b
— Richard Morris (@imrichardmorris) January 31, 2018
At least someone in the Lords has some honour! Or maybe he’s just had enough…
Sadiq Khan’s ‘independent’ Brexit-bashing impact study cost taxpayers more than £42,000, Guido can reveal. That’s more than the average salary of a Metropolitan Police officer (which stands at £35,034). Given Khan’s crime wave, wouldn’t an extra copper have been worth more?
A City Hall Freedom of Information disclosure showed Khan splurged £42,273 on the report, which concluded Brexit would lead to a ‘lost decade’ for London. That cash went into the coffers of lefty ‘Corbynomics’ think-tank Cambridge Econometrics, run by former Jezza guru and Labour supporter Richard Murphy. Any reason they got the contract other than being Khan’s lefty mates?
John McDonnell will contradict his claim that he is ‘not a Marxist’ by headlining Europe’s biggest Marxist festival this summer – where he will share a platform with the leader of a Communist Party. Guido can reveal the Shadow Chancellor is set to lead a panel titled “Into the 21st century: Marxism as a force for change today” at the Marx 200 Festival in June. Just to add a touch more Marxism to the occasion, the event will be held at the Marx Memorial Library in Clerkenwell. McDonnell will speak alongside the leader of the Communist Party of India Sitaram Yechury. Are all the fund managers McDonnell has been meeting aware of this?
Worth remembering that McDonnell infamously denied he was a Marxist on Marr last May. Video emerged of him admitting “I’m a Marxist”…
The 200th anniversary of Marx’s birth this May will precipitate a rash of leftist events praising the communist philosopher and his murderous legacy. McDonnell’s event clashes with Counterfire’s ‘Why Marx Was Right’ conference. The headline speaker at that red love-in is Corbyn cinematographic guru Ken Loach. Corbynistas will be spoiled for choice…
Conservatives and DUP called a “coalition of cavemen” by @EmilyThornberry. David Lidington urges her to “stop watching the Flintstones” and to “grow up”, adding a number of organisations are working to get young people interested in current affairs pic.twitter.com/cBntuu92Gn
— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 31, 2018
Labour are calling Lidders sexist for telling Thornberry to “grow up”, and Number 10 have even slapped him down and said May would not have used that language.
Meanwhile some Tory MPs are saying Thorners is sexist for calling them a “coalition of cavemen”.
How about everyone calms down and gets off the outrage bus…
@EmilyThornberry questions why the right to vote hasn’t been extended to everyone over 16. @DLidington shoots back saying “full citizenship rights” are currently attained at 18 pic.twitter.com/98cjAydvDd
— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 31, 2018
Good Lidders smackdown of Thornberry’s votes-at-16 nonsense. “It was the last Labour government that raised the age for using a sunbed to 18”. Thorners on poor form as she transparently tries to butter up the Corbyn youth vote for her leadership bid…
The Prime Minister is in China. David Lidington is deputising, Labour field Emily Thornberry.
Q1 Ian Mearns (Gateshead) If she will list her official engagements for Wednesday 31 January.
Q2 Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean)
Q3 Colin Clark (Gordon)
Q4 Mr David Lammy (Tottenham)
Q5 Mr Ranil Jayawardena (North East Hampshire)
Q6 Daniel Zeichner (Cambridge)
Q7 Alex Cunningham (Stockton North)
Q8 Robert Neill (Bromley and Chislehurst)
Q9 Ged Killen (Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Q10 Richard Drax (South Dorset)
Q11 John Mann (Bassetlaw)
Q12 Angela Crawley (Lanark and Hamilton East)
Q13 Iain Stewart (Milton Keynes South)
Q14 Craig Tracey (North Warwickshire)
Q15 Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay)
Comments in the comments…
Jeremy Heywood is feeling “heat” from Number 10 this morning according to Whitehall sources. Guido will believe it when he sees it, Theresa May’s aides usually allow the Cabinet Secretary to walk all over them. The Sun reveals Heywood “played a key role in coordinating” the Brexit doom document and was consulted on it last month. The Times reckons he was ultimately “responsible” and “timed the paper’s release to “soften up” Cabinet ministers before a crucial meeting next week to discuss the government’s objectives for a future economic relationship with the EU”. Which means Heywood has several questions to answer this morning:
- What was his role in the genesis of the project?
- When did he find out about it?
- When did he tell ministers about it?
- When did he tell the Prime Minister?
- Why did his civil servants start the project off their own backs, without permission from ministers?
- Which civil servants were involved, in which departments?
- To whom was the work accountable?
- What role did the cross-Whitehall Government Economic Service play?
- Is it normal for departments to carry out work about which their ministers have no knowledge?
- According to Tim Shipman’s “Fall Out”, Heywood thought the Treasury’s referendum predictions were wrong. How? Why? How are these figures different? What lessons have been learned since then?
A senior government source says this morning that Heywood has “exceeded his mandate”… Number 10 have plenty to be asking him…
— Media Guido (@MediaGuido) January 31, 2018
Remainers are getting very excited about junior Justice minister Phillip Lee’s Project Fear 2.0 tweets last night. He essentially warned against a real Brexit “if these figures turn out to be anywhere near right”.
The next phase of Brexit has to be all about the evidence. We can’t just dismiss this and move on. If there is evidence to the contrary, we need to see and consider that too. https://t.co/A0MeP9BCJr. 1/3
— Dr Phillip Lee MP (@DrPhillipLeeMP) January 30, 2018
But if these figures turn out to be anywhere near right, there would be a serious question over whether a government could legitimately lead a country along a path that the evidence and rational consideration indicate would be damaging. This shows the PM’s challenge…2/3
— Dr Phillip Lee MP (@DrPhillipLeeMP) January 30, 2018
The PM has been dealt some tough cards and I support her mission to make the best of them. It’s time for evidence, not dogma, to show the way. We must act for our country’s best interests, not ideology & populism, or history will judge us harshly. Our country deserves no less 3/3
— Dr Phillip Lee MP (@DrPhillipLeeMP) January 30, 2018
This makes no sense. The leaked forecasts predict what is going to happen in 15 years’ time, and look at models the government is not pursuing anyway. How does Lee plan on working out if they are “anywhere near right” before we Brexit? Illogical attention-seeking from an ambitious Remainer…
Yesterday’s EU Withdrawal Bill debate in the House of Lords saw Brexit-bashing peers at their ermine-clad, sneering worst. Lord Bilmoria said Brexit is “a train crash in slow motion” and compared leaving the EU to the outbreak of the First World War. The Dark Lord, Lord Mandleson, said it is not “axiomatic” that the result of the referendum should be upheld and suggested Brexit could be overturned. Lord Patten whacked the benches as he shouted “I hate referendums!” and denounced Brexit as an “sin against… democracy.” Baroness Wheatcroft used her speech to argue for a second referendum. Lord Adonis whimpered: “don’t let us throw it all away.” You pay each of them £300 a day to luxuriate in what Lord Ridley called “the gilded, crimson echo-chamber for Remain”…
Following this tweet from the Liverpool University Labour club earlier…
… Merseyside Police have got involved…
We have received numerous reports of comments made by a Twitter account regarding regicide. Thank you for your messages, the matter is currently being looked into further.
— Merseyside Police (@MerseyPolice) January 30, 2018
Calm down, calm down, it was only a silly tweet.
Former DexEU minister George Bridges with a withering takedown of May’s Brexit dithering in the Lords this afternoon:
“Four months on and there are still no clear answers to these basic, critical questions. All we hear day after day are conflicting, confusing voices. If this continues and ministers cannot agree among themselves on the future relationship the government wants, how can this Prime Minister possibly negotiate a clear, precise heads of terms of the future relationship with the EU?
My fear is that we will get meaningless waffle in the political declaration in October. The implementation period will not be a bridge to a clear destination, it will be a gang plank into thin air. The EU will have the initiative in the second stage of the negotiatons and we shall find ourselves forced to accept a deal that gives us access to EU markets, but without UK politicians having a meaningful say over swathes of legislation and regulation.
Some may say this outcome would not be the end of the world, some may say it’s inevitable. My point today is this: at this pivotal moment in our history we cannot, we must not indulge in that very British habit of just muddling through. With under 300 working days until we leave the EU, we need to know the government’s answers to these central questions. They go to the heart of the matter, the powers of this parliament and parliamentary sovereignty.
The government must be honest with themselves and the public about the choices that we face, and then the Prime Minister and the Cabinet must make those choices. As has been said, to govern is to choose, and as we face the biggest challenge this country has faced since the Second World War, keeping every option open is no longer an option.”
He is spot on…
Last week Guido expressed his admiration for Liz Truss’ social media makeover, as the Chief Secretary to the Treasury spoiled us with shareable content about onions. Liz is on great form today, telling us on Instagram that vape shops and vegan burger bars are “modern pioneers of British freedom”, and that “My values are set on a pro-freedom default. I don’t like being told what to do”.
No one should ever tell you what to do, Liz.
Gorgeous George Galloway has announced he is suing Momentum supremo Jon Lansman as a row boils over about whether the former Respect boss should be allowed back in the Labour Party. Lansman is a sworn enemy of Galloway, and piled in after his Corbynista rival wrongly accused David Baddiel of being a “vile Israel-fanatic”.
Solidarity with @Baddiel – since he’s a Jew who’s talked about being non-Zionist, there’s no possible reason to call him a “vile Israel-fanatic” other than antisemitism. There clearly should be no place for @georgegalloway in @UKLabour or in the employment of @talkRADIO https://t.co/WzhzqsRUG5
— Jon Lansman (@jonlansman) 30 January 2018
Galloway admitted he was wrong and deleted the tweet:
I was wrong to tweet that David Badiel was an “Israel-fanatic”, he is not and I have deleted it. I should have said that David Badiel routinely slanders Israel-critics like me as “anti-Semites”.
— George Galloway (@georgegalloway) January 30, 2018
But he has also decided to launch a defamation action against Lansman and he intends to call Corbyn as a witness:
The use of the defamatory smear of anti-Semitism against supporters of the Palestinian people has at least for me gone far enough. I have instructed Solicitors to bring a case for defamation against Jon Lansman owner of Momentum. I will be calling @jeremycorbyn as a witness.
— George Galloway (@georgegalloway) January 30, 2018
Remember Seumas and Jezza want Galloway back in the Labour Party. Lansman flexing his muscles over this Corbynista split…
Brexit minister Steve Baker reveals he saw the Treasury / Cabinet Office document for the first time this morning, and that David Davis only saw it last night. Despite some pro-Remain journalists claiming it was nothing to do with the Treasury and all the work of DD. Now pretty clear this is civil servants acting against ministers – and voters – and trying to stitch things up in private…
The resignation of London Labour bigwig and Haringey council leader Claire Kober in protest at Corbynista “bullying” is about more than Labour factionalism. Rumours out of City Hall suggest Kober may be being lined up to succeed Khan’s Deputy Mayor for Housing, James Murray, after the local elections. If Khan brings her on board in any capacity he is likely to face a considerable Corbynista backlash – it risks upsetting his recent moves to align himself with Project Jezza, such as addressing conference, talking him up in the media and banning Uber. A Khan – Corbynista split just in time for the local elections…
Interesting thoughts from the official Labour students club at Liverpool University on the anniversary of the execution of Charles I…
UPDATE:
[…] Read the restWe have deleted our last tweet. It was intended as a tongue in cheek comment. We obviously do not advocate regicide.
