Oct/09
15:18 5
Luke Pollard reports from Tory Pride (and Tory Shame) events in Manchester
Tory conference not only boasted the Conservatives’ first gay pride event but a competing club night – “Tory Shame” – and not one but two attendant protests from gay activists and evangelical Christians.
Luke Pollard, Labour’s PPC for South West Devon, has set the pace nationally in terms of campaign videos for political candidates (check out the battle tractor). In a report from Tory conference in Manchester, Luke attends the rival events. He goes out of his way to be fair to the Conservatives (and kudos to Iain Dale for debating with the protestors) but finishes with these truisms:
“Equality is still a live issue in political debate. Tonight was an important step forward for the Tories but this is not the end of the process. They need to leave their grouping with homophobic parties in Europe and they need to use their MPs to vote for gay rights in the House of Commons. Until they do that all this ‘gay rights’ is just convenient PR fluff.”
Scrapbook can’t resist commenting that Luke deserves five stars for his sterling attempt to not sound progressively more merry – although this may have started to unravel in the last section!
You can stalk Luke on Twitter (@LukePollard), his website or YouTube.
Oct/09
10:23 1
Top Tory receives a dressing down on dressing down?
The factory bells may have fallen silent in post-industrial Manchester but the rumour mill is alive an kicking – and still churning out tittle tattle from Tory conference.
Word has reached Scrapbook that a “senior Conservative” was in hot water with his wife the evening before conference: ”they had a major row because he wouldn’t splash out on clothes for her. She had to go asking Daddy for a handout.”
Can anyone shed any light?
Oct/09
16:07 5
Con-text: that Cameron SMS message to Boris
According to Nick Robinson, David Cameron turned the phone network blue with a sweary text to Boris Johnson as the London mayor left Tory conference in Manchester:
Nick Robinson: If viewers heard a bit of a cheer there in the hall, that’s interesting for the future of the Tory Party, it was a picture not of David Cameron on his own which they are largely seeing, it was a picture of him and Boris Johnson who has been both the star of this conference and its biggest problem, because he simply refused to follow the script on Europe. Wouldn’t do it, nearly was generating massive headline by doing so, ignored the advice that he was sent. One party worker close to David Cameron showed me a text message that had been sent to Boris as he got on the train home. Not a word of it I think is safely repeatable at any time on television.
Andrew Neil: Really?
Nick Robinson: Absolutely so furious.
Our “ayatollah of the digital Crayola” (who can be pursued on Twitter here) muses on this exchange:
Oct/09
14:38 2
Write your own conference address with Speechbreaker
Those looking for a Friday afternoon waste of time should head straight to Speechbreaker, where you can use snippets of footage to create your own David Cameron (or Brown, or Clegg) speech. Exhibit A:
Some other creations are available on YouTube.
Politicians in their own words!
Oct/09
17:10 1
David Cameron cribs speech imagery from Barack Obama and Tony Blair
“So yes, there is a steep climb ahead. But I tell you this. The view from the summit will be worth it.” -David Cameron
“Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.” – Barack Obama
“I’m not a complicated sort of person.” – David Cameron
“I am a pretty straight sort of guy.” – Tony Blair
There isn’t enough space to cover the manifold untruths, contradictions and evasions, so Scrapbook will leave that to Left Foot Forward.
Oct/09
13:35 3
David Cameron’s Buzzword Bingo!
Hats off to Labour’s new media team for this neat little Flash game:
UPDATE: Scrapbook didn’t realise they were going to update it with the content from Cameron’s speech. Top stuff!
Twenty out of twenty four.
So far so predictable.
Oct/09
12:26 3
That Boris/Paxman interview, now with added subtitles
Ever wondered what they actually meant?
Anyone wanting to know more about 1980s restaurant trashing could do worse than to watch When Boris Met Dave, which is now available on 4oD.
Oct/09
21:08 4
Cartoon: that Tory retirement policy in full
Thanks again to Scrapbook’s “man with the digital crayons”.
Oct/09
17:33 1
YouGov poll has 100 majority for Cameron with preference for Clarke as chancellor
In a YouGov poll for Sky News, The Tories lead with 43 points, Labour up slightly on 29 and the Liberal Democrats feel the squeeze on 17. Running this through Electoral Calculus gives David Cameron a majority of 100 if this were replicated on polling day.
But the most interesting results are arguably an even 44/44 split on Tory plans to raise the retirement age to 66 and 28% preferring Ken Clarke in HM Treasury as compared to 21% for the actual shadow chancellor George Osborne.
Better continue with that ‘deep voice’ coaching, George.
Oct/09
16:21 2
Left Foot Forward expose ‘gay rights’ MEP
What on earth were Tory press officers thinking when they put Charles Tannock MEP up against Stephen Fry on Channel 4 News?
“It’s very clear that the modern Conservative Party is fully committed to equal opportunities, to tolerance, to anti-discrimination measures.”
So far, so party line. But talking of his time as a local councillor for a ward with a “significant gay community” he continued:
“I’ve done a lot of things to help them.”
Oh, really? Left Foot Forward gave the edifice a bit of a poke and it all came tumbling down:
- Motion condeming Lithuanian equivalent of Section 28 – voted against.
- Directive outlawing discrimination in providing equal treatment on the grounds of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation – abstained.
- Key report that would combat any form of discrimination in the provision of goods and services, including on the grounds of sexual orientation – voted against.
- 2006 resolution condemning homophobic and racist violence – refused suport.
The gay community needs Tannock’s “help” like they need a kick in the teeth.
