Despite their lacklustre attendance and poor voting records, peers with financial interests in the health industry are turning up in record numbers to help the Tories push through their fiercely contested Health and Social Care Bill. Known within Westminster as “backwoodsmen”, these Conservatives have close links to private healthcare, meaning they stand to benefit financially from reforms set [...]
Tag Archives: lord ashcroft
Bitchy Lib Dem slams Lord Ashcroft over Cyprus appointment
With his long standing interest in exotic islands (manifest recently in a bizarre series of parliamentary questions) Lord Ashcroft may have seemed a natural fit as the government’s senior adviser to a review of Britain’s military presence in Cyprus. But it seems the Liberal Democrats still require some persuasion. The quotable Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay [...]
The best political music videos of 2010
Scrapbook is always hearing how the music and comedy scenes in Britain are so much better when the Tories are in power. Despite this, the current number one single in Britain is Simon Cowell’s newest characterless throwaway singing doll and the current biggest selling stand up DVD is, er, John Bishop. Whether this bucking of [...]
Besht mates: Lord Ashcroft cosies up to Ed Balls
There’s nothing like a glass of champers to kindle the flame of bipartisanship. By all accounts many were consumed at the Spectator Awards yesterday evening, where winners included Caroline Lucas (“newcomer”), Tom Watson (“inquisitor”) and Gisela Stuart (“Survivor of the Year”). Here “Parliamentarian of the Year” Ed Balls receives congratulations from across the aisle: With their past [...]
Lord Ashcroft's crusade against foreign grannies
Anyone wanting a semi-regular dose of the bizarre in their inbox should sign up for a Lord Ashcroft email alert. When not tabling brazen questions on tax the Tories’ former deputy chairman will focus on issues affecting British ocean territories, such as whether or not one can visit the Chagos Islands by sea or when St. Helena’s new [...]
Lord Ashcroft tables brazen parliamentary question on tax
Scrapbook cannot but marvel at the brazen cheek of Lord Ashcroft - who only domiciled himself in the UK for tax purposes in July – in tabling the following parliamentary question: To Ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they expect citizens to organise their tax affairs in order to maximise tax payable. Ashcroft spent ten years dodging HMRC [...]
Ashcroft and friends: the real Shameless generation
Apologies for server troubles this weekend. Clutch of good stories for this week!
Lord Ashcroft, won't you buy us a Mercedes Benz?
Beau Bo D’Or shows once again why he/she/they are one of the best things on the political blogosphere: Forget Osborne, sounds like Hague could do with some low voice training! Hat-tip: LabourList UPDATE 14:38 More hilarity (in the usual poster form) from the same source:
