The Orwellian newspeak, advanced by the prime minister yesterday, that U-turns are “a sign of strength and confidence” seems to have been embraced with some enthusiasm by William Hague. Until a few moments ago, the Foreign Office’s official website was running with the headline: “Massive U-turn on BBC World Service funding” Update: Naturally the Foreign [...]
Tag Archives: william hague
Guido goes to Hampstead
Local Tories aren’t known for their internet skills. Suffice it to say that Hampstead Town Conservatives either have a mischievous sense of humour or no clue what they have let themselves in for. Scrapbook understands that internet blogger Guido Fawkes is to play raconteur to NW3 Tories in the flat of society osteopath Fiona Lafferty. A promotional [...]
In chaos over Chagos: the coalition's triple U-turn
Given their repeated pronouncements before the election, it was perfectly reasonable that human rights campaigners would expect the coalition to reverse the UK’s unjust position on the Chagos Islands, whereby the previous government had refused to repatriate those former residents of the archipelago forcibly expelled from 1968. But a series of bizarre U-turns culminated yesterday with the Foreign Office [...]
William Hague and the curse of the baseball cap
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 [...]
Liam Fox's Atlantic Bridge referred to US tax authorities by Charity Commission
An organisation set up by the shadow defence secretary Liam Fox and linked to a string of other Conservative front benchers is under investigation by US tax authorities, Scrapbook can reveal. Atlantic Bridge, whose political activities have been subject to an official probe in the UK since October 2009, has been referred to the Internal Revenue Service [...]
Conservatives copy Wonderbra with manifesto launch projections onto Battersea Power Station
As this is written, David Cameron is taking questions from the media at the Tories’ manifesto launch at Battersea Power Station. Last night the party projected a series of messages onto the side of the building but, as PR Week reports, the monolith was used in exactly the same way 16 years ago for the launch [...]
Ashcroft story trundles on with revelation that Hague kept non-dom status from Cameron
Conservative sighs of relief as their deputy chairman’s donations are ruled “legal and permissible” will be premature as the Tories have sustained a double blow on Ashcroft in the last hour. Not only will the peer be hauled before the Public Affairs Select Committee (chaired by the incisive Tony Wright) but Cathy Newman’s revelation that Cameron only knew of Ashcroft’s non-dom status [...]
Frequent fliers: Ashcroft chaperones Hague on crucial US charm offensive
So no prizes for guessing which politico William Hague picked to accompany him on a transatlantic charm offensive described as ”the most comprehensive US visit by a shadow foreign secretary since Labour came to power in 1997″. The warning signs – or, more accurately, massive flashing warning billboards – have been there for months but Cameron and [...]
