It seems that Baron West of Spithead has spent too much time with his The Day Today box set during recess. Arguing against sharing an aircraft carrier with the garlic-eating French, the spirit of satirist Chris Morris seemed to assume control of the former security minister:

“Do you want to find British pilots bombing people for a French reason?”*

Thanks to Matthew Taylor for pointing out our attribution blooper.

*If you are unfamiliar with the work of Mr. Morris, say ten Our Fathers and five Hail Marys and then watch this.

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The bad-tempered arguments between supporters of the various Labour leadership candidates has not gone unnoticed. Until now, however, it was not apparent that this had been encouraged officially by a campaign team.

The strategy document below, from leadership hopeful Jim Garner MP, suggests activists should “bitch about the other candidates on Twitter”, adding “If Ed Miliband farts in the woods and no one is around to hear it, I want you to say you were there and it smelt like he’d followed through.” The memo also carries annotations from an unknown aide suggesting Labour MP Stephen Pound should abuse DWP minister Chris Grayling in Parliament.

Garner’s campaign is perhaps best known for its videos (see his candidacy announcement), which the document indicates will be making a return shortly. A source close to the Garner campaign told Scrapbook that Labour members can expect new material as early as next week.

In the meantime, check out his website at Jim4Leader.org.uk

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Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh was recently in Scrapbook’s guns owing to his bit-part in Nick Clegg’s disastrous children’s centre visit (Greenhalgh was responsible for shutting the facility). However, our most dedicated readers may recall his contribution to the pantheon of idiotic gaffes: the Hammersmith and Fulham Council leader told an event organised by Public Finance magazine last November:

My mates are all in the shadow Cabinet, waiting to get those [ministerial] boxes, being terribly excited. I went to university with them, they haven’t run a piss-up in a brewery. They’re going to get a department of state, in one case running the finances of the nation.

But when challenged on this in a recent interview with Total Politics, Greenhalgh says:

The comment I’ve made is that the shadow cabinet hadn’t run a piss up in a brewery – to paraphrase Obama – “yes they can!” I never said they couldn’t.

Oh, yeah? Though he pleads with interviewer Asa Bennett that ”the context of that is important”, a look back to the original coverage in Public Finance tells a different story. Those present seem clear that Greenhalgh did cast aspersions over the experience of his (then shadow cabinet) colleagues. As he said at the time:

If you’re going to fail, fail running Alabama, fail running Texas, fail running the city of Paris – don’t just take over the country.

Quite.

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Former Home Secretary Alan Johnson has declared he is to run for the Shadow Cabinet in the forthcoming elections. It had previously been thought that Mr. Johnson would follow top-cabinet colleagues like Alastair Darling and Jack Straw in stepping back from the political front line.

Johnson’s decision could potentially scupper the Shadow Cabinet plans of leadership contenders as it would be hard to sideline such a high profile and popular figure. Since Scrapbook last covered the Shadow Cabinet elections it has become increasingly clear who the major players are and what jobs they fancy.

In the event of a Miliband (D) victory Douglas Alexander is being lined up as a potential Shadow Foreign Secretary, with fellow Scot (and campaign organiser) Jim Murphy being considered for either Defence or Work and Pensions.Harriet Harman is rumoured to be getting the Justice brief regardless of who wins, and though he fancies the Shadow Chancellorship speculation is rife that Ed balls is being lined up as a Shadow Home Secretary – a prospect that may have been scuppered by Johnson’s announcement.

Top posts are filling up fast.

And this is before trying to squeeze in whichever of the Milibrothers comes second.

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Scrapbook isn’t the first lefty blog to be fisked recently by (the most entertaining) Dizzy Thinks. Our attack video on David Cameron’s lies to pensioners did not impress Mr. Hendren, who described it as a “steaming pile of bullshit”.

His argument is that, rather than being axed completely, entitlement to schemes such as bus passes and winter fuel payments will have been “changed”. This means waiting another five years for free bus travel and money given to older people for heating bills will not only be further age restricted but also cut by up to £100 for the most elderly recipients. Having promised to keep them, Tories have been in discussions about axing pension credits.

In the context of Cameron’s near hysterical outbursts about “Labour leaflet lies” during the election campaign, Scrapbook stands by our video. Indeed, as Sky News tackled the issue of cuts, ahem sorry, “changes” to bus passes:

It would be “entirely fair” for pensioners who watched the debate to assume [David Cameron's] comments meant the scheme would not change, particularly as Mr Cameron made several angry denials during the course of the campaign.

In that vein, hats off to Bob Piper for subsequently unearthing this pledge from Cameron, given at a press conference in March:

“We will keep what we inherit in all these areas. All these things that Labour are saying are complete and utter lies, and they know it too.”

Perhaps Dizzy can explain how such a categoric statement is consistent with the subsequent “changes”?

To check out our original attack video click here.

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Their rather unfortunate photo guidelines for student ID cards advise against yah-hair, having a blurry face and, erm, being “too dark”!*

Facepalm.

*We shouldn’t need to point out that this is an unfortunate (and amusing) faux pas rather than racist, but we’re going to anyway.

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What is it about William Hague and baseball caps?! While we at Scrapbook feel genuine sympathy for the Foreign Secretary and his (admittedly) very handsome former special adviser surely the real story hear is Hague’s dubious headgear?

One would have thought that following the ribbing he received after being photographed having a gay old time in a baseball cap in 1997 he would have shunned that particular look. However Hague has once again found himself in a tricky spot after being photographed in that item of headwear.

Perhaps Scrapbook readers can suggest more appropriate hats for the Foreign Secretary.

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David Cameron’s Director of Communications, former News Of The World editor Andy Coulson, is in a lot of trouble. Fourteen months since his selective amnesia in a parliamentary select committee, The New York Times seem to have the £140k/year spin doctor bang to rights.

Below are the key sections from their exhaustive 6,000-word investigation:

[More than a dozen former editors and reporters at NOTW] described a frantic, sometimes degrading atmosphere in which some reporters openly pursued hacking or other improper tactics to satisfy demanding editors. Andy Coulson, the top editor at the time, had imposed a hypercompetitive ethos, even by tabloid standards. One former reporter called it a “do whatever it takes” mentality. The reporter was one of two people who said Coulson was present during discussions about phone hacking. Coulson ultimately resigned but denied any knowledge of hacking.

One former editor said Coulson talked freely with colleagues about the dark arts, including hacking. “I’ve been to dozens if not hundreds of meetings with Andy” when the subject came up, said the former editor, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The editor added that when Coulson would ask where a story came from, editors would reply, “We’ve pulled the phone records” or “I’ve listened to the phone messages.”

Sean Hoare, a former reporter and onetime close friend of Coulson’s, also recalled discussing hacking. The two men first worked together at The Sun, where, Hoare said, he played tape recordings of hacked messages for Coulson. At News of the World, Hoare said he continued to inform Coulson of his pursuits. Coulson “actively encouraged me to do it,” Hoare said.

Perhaps he can share a cell with Nick Griffin?

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Not content with holding rallies at The Ministry of Sound and having the support of Idris Elba From The Wire (Coolest TV Show In The World™), the Oona King for London Mayor campaign has today received another boost in the hipster stakes with a YouTube video by comic actor David Schneider:

The video was both conceived and written by Schneider, who earnt his comedy chops on The Day Today and I’m Alan Partridge, and is certainly a little different to the videos Ken’s campaign has uploaded so far – although word has it that his 18 minute, two-part housing policy launch is the talk of Shoreditch at the moment.

Perhaps he could re-record Ernold Same with Blur?

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The BNP have released copies of a legal notice and letter in their battle with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission. The documents set in chain processes that could culminate in the imprisonment of Nick Griffin along with BNP Deputy Chairman Simon Darby and party officer Tanya Lumby.

The July letter follows a visit by the EHRC’s legal team to Nick Griffin’s home in Welshpool. The Great Leader has since been served with the notice to “show good reason why an order for your committal to prison should not be made”.

Would you like porridge with that, Nick?

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