With an election looming the final exchanges of numerous political battles are playing out, the most bitter of which feature antagonists who are not only at the end of a parliament — but the end of their careers. A case in point is that of union-busting Francis Maude, who was so annoyed by comments from the PCS union that […]
With ministers under fire for stuffing both departments and arms-length bodies with Tories, Scrapbook has previously quoted Conservative strategist Matthew Elliot, who singled out the appointment of William Shawcross to the Charity Commission as “very good” for right-wingers. The public appointments commissioner obligates ministers — in this case Francis Maude — to publish details of political activity undertaken […]
Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude has landed the role of recruiting PR and advertising consultants for the coalition government – just months after his helpful advice led to a woman suffering 40% burns. Addressing a PR conference in London yesterday, Maude announced: ‘Suppliers should know that this Government is on the hunt for […]
In what is a contender for the most cringeworthy video ever produced by Whitehall, the Department for Transport has released a video in which cabinet ministers implore Londoners to get up earlier in the morning and avoid using the tube and buses during the Olympics. This unwelcome advice is euphemistically referred to as “remoding”. Scrapbook wonders whether transport […]
The Conservatives are planning to restrict Freedom of Information requests. Despite an existing framework for charging costlier requests, a report by Newsnight reveals the Conservatives are considering introducing a “range of tarrifs” for access to documents by journalists, campaigners and members of the public. After Michael Gove was caught using a secret email account with the […]
With the a spoof “Francis Maude advice” Twitter account (@FrancisMaudeAdv) satirising the Cabinet Office minister’s dangerous suggestions on petrol storage, perhaps we can also take some influence from the real Francis Maude: getting the taxpayer to pick up the tab for late payment of bills. The millionaire minister was threatened with legal action after failing […]
Sky News are currently reporting that a woman has been badly burnt attempting to stockpile petrol. The woman, in York, was apparently transfering fuel between containers in her kitchen. This comes after Francis Maude recommended people stock up on fuel in jerry cans. Francis Maude could not survive if there was a fire as a […]
In what has been correctly described as a transparent attempt to foment oil strike rhetoric, to then blame the resultant panic on Labour donor unions and Ed Miliband, minister Francis Maude told reporters that: “A bit of extra fuel in a jerry can in the garage is a sensible precaution to take” Cue people arriving at forecourts […]
Cabinet minister Francis Maude’s verdict on the cash-for-access scandal on the Today Programme this morning (click orange play button below): “This is a bit of nonsense.” Despite previous bluster on transparency, Maude steadfastly refused to reveal who has had intimate dinners at David Cameron’s Downing Street flat — even when they are Conservative Party donors. Some […]
In a move preparing the ground for an assault on the public’s information rights, a survey conducted by the Ministry of Justice has revealed significant opposition to Freedom of Information legislation from Whitehall civil servants. Apparently Sir Humphrey doesn’t thinks plebians should pay money to access information “like expenses, crime statistics and so on”. Could transparency be going the […]
