Starmer's Tactics Not Cutting Through

 

🚨 | NEW: Westminster Voting Intention:

[Working class]

🌳 CON: 48%
🌹 LAB: 29%

Via @YouGov

— Politics For All (@PoliticsForAlI) April 29, 2021

Cue Media Outrage!

 

🚨 | NEW: Preferred Prime Minister poll:

Boris Johnson: 40% (+5)
Keir Starmer: 24% (-4)

Via @BMGResearch, 22-26 April
Changes w March

— Politics For All (@PoliticsForAlI) April 29, 2021

Farewell Arlene

 

It's the end of the road for Arlene Foster: 26 hours after dismissing the News Letter's report of growing discontent with her leadership and saying "I’ve bigger things to do", she has announced that she will resign as DUP leader. Full statement here: https://t.co/UCSBwmaA6X

— Sam McBride (@SJAMcBride) April 28, 2021

Electoral Commission To Investigate #SofaGate

 

 I wonder, given the "quality" of the refurb, whether Boris now feels that it was really worth all the hassle?

Boris Takes The Knee

 

Derry Irvine's £60K Pugin Wallpaper

 

It seems that the media and Labour Party, in their "excitement" over Boris refurbishing Number 11 with his own money, have very short memories.

Have they really forgotten, for example, Derry Irvine's £60K Pugin wallpaper paid for with taxpayers' money?

#CumGate - A Gate To Nowhere

The inhabitants of the Westminster bubble (namely the journalists and politicians who feed upon each other) are in a feeding frenzy over what Cummings has hinted he knows, and what he may reveal to Parliament next month.

Thusfar it has been pretty thin gruel a.o.:

- the PM may, or may not, have vociferously resisted a third lockdown (which he ended up imposing)

- the PM may, or may not, have wanted someone else to pay for the redecoration of Number 11 (which he ended up paying for)

- Chatty Rat may or may not be Cummings or Henry Newman

The fact is, no one outside of the Westminster bubble gives a toss about these issues that have been in the public domain for some months now.

As the pandemic restrictions are eased, people will want to put the whole experience behind them (as they did after the 1919 flu pandemic). What will matter to the people who actually do matter (ie the voters) will be

- the state of the economy (exceptional growth now predicted), 

- the functioning of the NHS(which has been found wanting), 

- education, 

- housing and 

- law & order.

Who, Why or What is Redthroat - Classic Dom!

 

It would appear that Redthroat may well be Dominic Cummings...or is he?

Mercer Takes Careful Aim at The Government

 

EXCL: Johnny Mercer has called the British government “the most distrustful, awful environment I've ever worked in”, in his first interview since being sacked as Veterans Minister last night. Listen to it on @TimesRadio in a few minutes.

— Tom Newton Dunn (@tnewtondunn) April 21, 2021

Having been sacked by text a day before resigning, Johnny Mercer has come out guns blazing.

He has though, notably avoided having a go directly at Boris; thus leaving the door slightly ajar for a return one day to ministerial office.

Mercer says the PM himself wants to do the right thing for veterans, but hasn’t yet. “I think Boris Johnson is deeply committed to this agenda. I think he wants to deliver it. He recognises the injustice of it. But the truth is that nothing has been done".

— Tom Newton Dunn (@tnewtondunn) April 21, 2021

A Good Day To Bury Bad News

With the implosion of the European Super League taking up the media headlines, the government used that handy distraction to bury some bad news a.o.:

- the abandonment of the daily press briefings (farewell Allegra Stratton) and the need for a £2.6M briefing room.

- the sacking by text of Johnny Mercer from the Defence Ministry because he was not going to resign until today.

Starmer Thrown Out of Pub - #RavenGate

Politicians are always wary of meeting the general public, lest the public say or do something that the politician can't control.

Step forward Keir Starmer and his lookalike body guard, who had a lively encounter with a Labour voter (and landlord of The Raven) in Bath yesterday.

For reasons that are unclear to me, given current Covid restrictions, Starmer was actually trying to enter the pub.

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting 

On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; 

And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming, 

And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; 

And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor Shall be lifted—nevermore!

Boris Cancels India Trip

 

Number 10: 'In light of the current coronavirus situation, PM Boris Johnson will not be able to travel to India next week'

— Olly Barratt (@ollybarratt) April 19, 2021

This means that he won't be able to unlock the 5 million does of vaccine held up there.

Handcock's Family Matters

 

It has been reported that Topwood Ltd, a company in which Health Secretary Matt Hancock and his sister have shares won contracts from NHS Wales.

NHS Wales gave the company, which specialises in the secure storage, shredding and scanning of documents, £300,000 of business this year.

 In March this year, Mr Hancock declared in the MPs' register of interests that he had acquired more than 15% of the shares of a company called Topwood Ltd. However, the register did not mention that his sister Emily Gilruth owned a larger portion of the shares and is a director of the firm, or that Topwood has links to the NHS.

The ministerial code states that family connections are meant to be disclosed.

The BBC reports that a Department of Health source said Mr Hancock had discussed the fact he was to be gifted shares in the firm with civil servants before he accepted them.

They ruled that if any conflicts of interest were to arise, they could be handled in line with the ministerial code, the rulebook setting out the standards of conduct for ministers.

The department also said the health secretary had no active role in running Topwood, and as health secretary for England, he had no responsibility for NHS Wales.

A government spokesperson said: 

"Mr Hancock has acted entirely properly in these circumstances. All declarations of interest have been made in accordance with the ministerial code. Ministers have no involvement in the awarding of these contracts, and no conflict of interest arises."

Well this is all very well, but it comes back to the issue of ministers and their dealings not just being honest and above board but also appearing to be honest and above board.

Handcock should ave realised how this must look!

 

 

Greensill and #LobbyGate

 

Cameron's cack-handed handling of his lobbying on behalf of Greensill has exposed what was already well known in Westminster, namely the mess that is the lobbying system and the sometimes dubious looking connections between the private sector and the civil service.

The various enquiries set up will doubtless produce a series of recommendations that may be followed.

However, what is "surprising" is not just that the system is a mess and no one has ever bothered to really sort it out; but that experienced politicians, such as Cameron, have not grasped that its not just a case of substance but also of form. 

In other words, you not only have to be above reproach but you also have to be seen to be above reproach!

Boris Has Dissed The Vaccinations!

 

COVID-19: Lockdown is main reason for drop in coronavirus cases and deaths - not vaccinations, says Boris Johnson https://t.co/cYkdSBfePS

— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 13, 2021

Cameron's In The Shit

JUST IN: Ministers and Special Advisers across Whitehall departments being asked to declare all contact with David Cameron over Greensill by sleazebusters from the Cabinet Office propriety team...

Sounds like an internal investigation is underway to me....

— Harry Cole (@MrHarryCole) April 12, 2021

 

What a very foolish thing to have done!

Suspended Labour MP Admits She Skived History Lessons

 

This map has been hidden from you all your life. This is how they carved up Africa pic.twitter.com/gHPlkj3Vo7

— Claudia Webbe MP (@ClaudiaWebbe) April 5, 2021

Taught in schools across the country for decades, and featured in innumerable documentaries and feature films.