clawsfour

Money for nothing

In today's Times. 

Sir, Rather than query what is or is not allowed in terms of MPs' expenses, the pertinent question may be to ask whether there are any aspects of day-to-day life that MPs actually pay for themselves.

I won't embarrass this fuckwit by naming him (obviously) here. Look it up yourself.

However, the point is that MPs have fallen so far in public esteem that people can get away with this low humour. You can tell it's meant to be humorous by the gratuitous use of the word 'pertinent' - never used in this way outside the broadsheet letter pages.

There is not a single person in the country - or anywhere come to that - who 'actually pays for themselves' in the fatuous sense of this letter. Whether your money is earned, claimed, inherited, won or found under a rock it always comes from someone else. Exactly like MPs' salaries and expenses.

The target here should not be the claimants - a very right wing view, always blame the claimants - but a system which has grown like Topsy. And that is where parliamentarians are justly criticised.

It shouldn't have taken them so long to start to reform a system which, even if it is right, doesn't smell right.

Commenting on the necessary reform would be a better use of the letter writer's ink than the impertinent use of misplaced outrage.

Although it wouldn't be his ink if someone hadn't given him the money which came out of the price I paid for something.

And for those of you want a slightly more thoughful positon than my little rant try Luke Akehurst's piece here.

Boris bigs up the economy

The London economy continues to show very interesting signs of what can only be described as credit crunch denial in certain important sectors. And it is worth stressing this and getting this across, particularly in view of the newspapers which are providing an unremitting diet of gloom. 
Some parts of our economy really are thriving and I single out obviously the theatres, the tourism sector, but across the board there are amazing pockets of resistance to the problem.

Boris Johnson

Conservative Mayor of London

Looks like Boris has been taking lessons from Ken Livingstone about how to be several paces out of step with his own party.

However it is encouraging, even from this unlikely source, to hear some positive messages about the economy. Governor of the Bank of England - take note.

Hat tip to Paul Waugh for the link.

Cameron on the rocks.

I am terribly sad but I cannot watch my country head for the rocks, which it will do if Cameron becomes Prime Minister and has no allies in the major governments of the European Union.

Christopher Beazley MEP
Conservative

Could have finished his sentence a dozen words earlier, but sentiment is spot on.

Don't mention the economy. Stupid.

Hat tip to RecessMonkey.

And to Labour the point..

A new viral from the Labour Party. 

I suspect that this particular storm in a beer mug from Ken Clarke may not have lots of legs, but probably enough to last until the next Tory gaffe. Sometime next week probably.

Pick at a loose thread

And the whole Tory tax strategy begins to unravel. It's about time that the Conservatives started to come under closer scrutiny from our friends in the media, having been getting away with saying nothing and doing nothing for the past 18 months.

Tories' tax policy in disarray: First they threaten 45p top rate, now Ken Clarke hints death duty cut for middle class is no longer a priority.

The Daily Mail

A big shift in Conservative tax policy was blown into the open by the former chancellor Kenneth Clarke yesterday when he declared that a landmark pledge on inheritance tax is to be downgraded.

The Guardian

Ken Clarke appeared to pour cold water on the flagship policy of shadow chancellor George Osborne, describing plans to abolish the tax as an "aspiration".

Daily Express

Tory tax plan chaos: Ken Clarke goes back on key Conservative pledge

The Mirror

foot Tories themselves shoot in the

Rearrange into well known phrase or saying and enjoy the mayhem at this link. 

(Thanks for the updated links from Labourlist)

Thankyou Labourlist for pointing this our way and to Andrew F for the attempt above. 

I fear not much work being done on the train on the way home.

Writing nothing about doing nothing

The Editor-in-Chief of Politics Home has posted an analysis which may point toward the green shoots of journalism looking at what the Conservative Party actually stands for these days.

Andrew Rawnsley draws his analysis from the views of the 'PHI100 Panel'.

This panel answers daily questions from Politics Home and comprises experts in the field including MPs and peers, Ministers and Opposition frontbenchers; political advisors and officials; leaders of think-tanks, charities, professional bodies and voluntary organisations; and senior journalists and commentators. 

A non-aligned media panellist thinks the Conservatives are being let off very lightly, saying:

The media has treated them with kid gloves. They don't really have a policy for dealing with the economic crisis other than to say they don't like all this borrowing.

This is one of those occasions when you offer a silent wish that what has been blindingly obvious to all and sundry may at last be penetrating the fourth estate. If it is becoming common currency among the politicos of all parties and none, then maybe the Leader writers and political journalists may begin to revise their lines.

And not a moment too soon.

Boris makes his own luck

Many football managers have said either "the best player on the ptich is the lucky player" or "you make your own luck." Or both.

Boris Johnson has does the latter very successfully.

Both Len Duvall and Alastair Campbell have blogged on the result of the independent inquiry into the actions and comments of Boris Johnson as Chairman of the London Police Authoirtiy following the arrest of Conservative MP Damien Green in conneection with the theft of government documents.

Boris Johnson’s involvement in the Damian Green affair was this week described as extraordinary by the independent report from solicitor Jonathan Goolden.

I have highlighted that he did not follow normal MPA processes for issuing a press release, nor did he seek advice from MPA officers on making a press statement and in my view, he should have done so.
I have also described his contacting a potential suspect in a criminal investigation as extraordinary and unwise.

Alastair Campbell, rightly, counterpoints the treatment of Boris by "our largely supine, Tory-tummytickling 24 hour media" with the treatment Ken Livingstone would have received in similar circumstances.

Len Duvall comments that Boris had a "very lucky escape."

I believe that for all Boris's bluster and buffoonery, this wasn't a lucky escape but a cold and calcualted risk by him to intervene at a time when public opinion and the "supine" media was on his side on the issue. He made deliberate hay while the sun was shining in the hope that when it came to gathering the harvest the storm clouds had still not gathered. And his judgement was right.

Tory Spammers

I see the Conservative Party is encouraging people to send unsolicited emails from their new spoof site -I hesitate to give it any publicity here.

Given that sending marketing emails to all and sundry when people have not specifically opted in is an offence, I trust that the Information Commissioner will act speedily to deal with the Tory Spammers.

The relevant instructions from the Information Commissioner can be found here and an extract shown below.

Unsolicited marketing material by electronic mail (this includes email, text and picture messaging) should only be sent if the individual has consented to receive them, unless the individual's details were obtained in the context of a commercial relationship and the marketing is for similar products or services. The individual should always be given the opportunity to opt out in every message.

The complaint form (you should really complain to the Tories first but they are a bit busy designing crap web-sites) should you be a recipient of one of these tedious little marketing messages, as I was earlier today, can be found here both to download or complete on-line.

UPDATE

Some additional info on how to direct your complaints to the publisher can be found here courtesy of Chris Paul.