Sep/10
11:19 54
WATCH our attack video: David Cameron’s “pure and simple lies” to pensioners
Impatient? Click here to jump straight to the video!
“The Tory leader is furious that Labour campaigners around the country are telling the elderly that their free bus passes and winter fuel payments would go if the Conservatives were elected”, reported The Telegraph in March. Cameron slammed the ”appalling people” with the temerity to suggest that he wasn’t being straight with pensioners:
“You know you are getting letters from the Labour Party that say the Conservatives would cut the winter fuel allowance, would cut the free bus travel … These statements by Labour are quite simply lies. I don’t use the word ‘lie’ very often, but I am using it today because they are lies.” – David Cameron, 23 March
Dave from marketing returned to this theme during Sky News’ televised debate on 22 April, telling viewers suggestions the Tories would slash entitlements to Winter fuel payments, pension credits and free bus passes were ”pure and simple lies”.
“We will keep the pension credit, we’ll keep the winter fuel allowance, we’ll keep the free bus pass. Those leaflets you have been getting from Labour, the letters you have been getting from Labour are pure and simple lies.” – David Cameron, 22 April
The pledges have already been cast as a David Cameron “read my lips” moment. But we thought the cynical mock outrage with which he delivered these fibs merited an attack video. ”Pure and simple lies”, Dave?
Free bus passes at 60? Don’t count on it. The pension credit? Chris Grayling wants them “phased out”. Winter fuel payments? Restricted and cut.
Same old Tories. Same old lies.
Aug/10
18:40 8
Nick Griffin spins for his life as fellow MEP Andrew Brons fails to back him
Regular readers will be familiar with the recurrent comedy provided by Nick Griffin’s emails to his “fellow British patriots”. Perhaps party bosses have been struggling with the internets since their web designer quit in May (taking their entire online presence with him) but for some reason they thought mocking up their leader in a jail cell using Photoshop was a good idea:
The reprisal of the legal battle with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission could see Griffin and other party officials jailed for contempt or court. Text of the “Urgent appeal by Andrew Brons MEP” sheds more light on the desperate state of mind amongst the shrinking cabal leading the party. At first appearances, Brons’ email would suggest he is opposed to the ongoing insurgency against the party leadership:
“Splinter groups have been trying unsuccessfully to win over those of our members who were unhappy about the changes in the membership criteria. However, the changes were passed at an Extraordinary General Meeting almost unanimously … The issue did not divide us.”
However the BNP’s second parliamentarian appeared to distance himself from the remarks yesterday. The statement, written “some time ago”, was reportedly released now to suggest that Brons was backing Griffin in the party’s internal struggles. For him to row back from the email in public is plain embarrassing.
“The reference I made to ‘splinter groups’ in the appeal letter for money did not refer to individuals or factions within the BNP but to outside organisations who were seeking to poach our members on the basis of the membership criteria issue.”
As Scrapbook pointed out to him this afternoon, Führer Griffin should probably start getting used to confined spaces.
From the looks of him a hunger strike wouldn’t be unwelcome either.
Aug/10
10:33 2
Disgusted of Salisbury
When asked as to his “reading material of choice” the new Tory MP for Salisbury John Glen tells ConservativeHome:
“I read most of the main political blogs each day and all papers – especially the Daily Mail headlines in order to anticipate some of my email correspondence for the week ahead!”
This reminds Scrapbook of an anecdote related by a man who worked responding to complaints at the BBC. He was exasperated by the preponderance of letters that were variations on a theme of: ”I didn’t see [programme name] but I read in [the Mail or Express] that it was absolutely disgraceful!”
The staffer confessed he had drafted (but not dispatched) several responses which read:
“Well I didn’t read your letter but I heard that it was complete b****cks”.
Aug/10
13:25 15
As few as 11 MPs will vote for Diane Abbott
UPDATE 14:15 From what we’re hearing it might be less than 11!
For a full list of her original nominators (and who they’re really voting for) see our updated breakdown.
It was widely known that many of Abbott’s nominators wanted her on the ballot but would not support her in the final vote. Notwithstanding this fact, the extent to which she has bled support throughout the campaign surprised Scrapbook when updating our original article on her nominations yesterday. By our reckoning, just 11 of her 257 Labour colleagues intend to vote for her when postal ballots hit doormats from 1 September. This is exactly one third of the MPs required to nominate for the contest:
- Ronnie Campbell (Blyth Valley)
- Katy Clark (North Ayrshire & Arran)
- Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North)
- John Cryer (Leyton & Wanstead)
- Kate Hoey (Vauxhall)
- Kelvin Hopkins (LutonNorth)
- Sian James (Swansea East)
- John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington)
- George Mudie (Leeds East)
- Dennis Skinner (Bolsover)
- Mike Wood (Batley & Spen)
A more generous assessment might include left wing PLP Chair Tony Lloyd, who backed her on the final day of nominations after coming under pressure from Labour members. This would bring her tally to 12 but this still includes 8 MPs who originally preferred John McDonnell and brings into question her claim that she could attract support “not just from the left”.
Abbott was at once blessed and cursed with the charity of David Miliband. A loan of his backers got her onto the ballot but meant her original list of “support” shrivelled over the Summer as the Mili-D camp slowly dripped announcements (notably Jack Straw) that they had kept in their back pocket. This strategy benefited the frontrunner as much as it did Abbott.
The “We’re backing Diane” section of her website has a grand total of, erm, two endorsements and one of these is by someone who will vote for Ed Miliband! Halifax MP Linda Riordan is clear that, while it was important to have a left-wing voice in the contest, she will not be voting for Abbott:
“To have the broad strand of Labour opinion represented required a candidate from the left. This is why, as in 2007, I nominated John McDonnell and when he fell short of the numbers, transferred to Diane Abbott. Already, thanks to Diane’s inclusion, issues like Iraq, tuition fees, and ID cards are being debated … That is why it was so important to have a candidate from the left involved, to enable the debate to happen.”
Abbott is currently 229/1 with Betfair. As Hopi Sen wrote in July:
“I have a greater chance of being Labour leader in my lifetime than Diane Abbott does.”
Aug/10
09:26 34
New David Cameron baby photo released
Of course, like all babies, within three years it will be throwing tantrums in public, answering back and saying “no” to everything.
Source: Facebook
Aug/10
17:47 6
Where’s Wally? EDL in Bradford edition
A rally in Bradford by neo nazis cum football hooligans the English Defence League led to 13 arrests yesterday with oiks throwing bottles and rocks at the police. With so many skinhead drones crammed into such a small space, Scrapbook couldn’t help but notice the marked resemblance between photo reportage from West Yorkshire and the pages of Where’s Wally:
Can you spot the bobble-hatted traveller?
Aug/10
17:20 15
Crispin Blunt’s Conservative Association: No gay candidates, please. Give us a “normal” one instead
This blogger has had countless rants over the past 24 hours about the newsworthiness (or otherwise) of Crispin Blunt’s sexuality. Appalling though it is that in this day and age politicians still have to make public statements regarding their sexuality. It would not be at all suprising if it were designed to pre-empt an involuntary outing in a Sunday newspaper.
Blunt’s constituency Conservative Association have stood by him, saying that it does not affect his position and wishing his family well. It’s nice, at least, to see that Reigate & Banstead Conservative Association have adopted an altogether more enlightened position than the one expressed by their chairman in 2002:
“I would not be happy if we had a gay candidate here – I would always go for a candidate who had a normal background [...] Our current MP is happily married with two children.”
With sentiments like that is it any wonder Blunt stayed in the closet so long?
Hat-tip: Next Left
Aug/10
15:58 5
Clegg: my party hate me even more than you do!
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has today conceded that he’s even less popular amongst rank and file Liberal Democrats than he is with the public.
Abandoning the party’s long-standing policy of equidistance was always bound to cause ructions, with Scottish Liberal Democrats like Menzies Campbell and Charles Kennedy favouring a coalition with Labour. But with the Liberal Democrats’ Chief Secretary to the Treasury being the designated hatchet-man, and rumours of the LibDems most popular figure contemplating defection its little wonder that grassroots members are getting “nervous.”
Recent polls show LibDem support playing a game of limbo, posing only one quesiton: “how low can they go?!”
Aug/10
23:27 8
Currygate: Lily Allen teases David Miliband over restaurant choice on Twitter
The leadership campaign took a turn for the surreal this evening as David Miliband found himself being chided on Twitter by Labour-voting muso Lily Allen. [Yes, honestly!] When asked in today’s Evening Standard as to the “best meal you’ve had in London”, the shadow foreign secretary said:
“I had a fantastic takeaway from Masala Zone in Camden recently. When you spend lots of time away from home, which I am at the moment, it’s a rare treat to stay in, relax and enjoy a curry.”
The response had Allen choking (with laughter) on her Jalfrezi:
With Allen’s 2.3 million followers (more than the membership of the UK’s biggest union Unite) Mili-D rose to the challenge and upped the stakes with an invitation to a fundraiser at his favourite takeaway:
But he fell foul or the maxim to never work with children or animals (or popstars) as it all seemed to deteriorate from there:
“@DMiliband I’ve eaten there myself and while the food is perfectly nice, I very much doubt that it is the BEST meal you’ve had in London.”
“@DMiliband quite a well considered answer for a campaigning labour politician though. MOR.”
“@DMiliband hang on, are you getting free curries for mentioning them?”
“Why did David Milliband cross the road ?”
“To get to the middle…….#VoteEd“
The closing hashtag left hacks scratching their heads as to which Ed she had endorsed. The constituency most pleased by this episode won’t be the Edwards, amused Tweeters or even the proprietors of Masala Zone but gossip-starved Sunday newspaper diary columnists.
That’s one story sorted then.
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