Where is Macavity?

The Daily Mail speculates that the Damian Green affair might be Gordon Brown's Watergate. It might well be if it carries on and gains legs as it has this weekend. Despite all "Spliffer" Smith's attempts to portray Green as the Devil incarnate, all we see is the desperate misinformation of a dying goverment and the stench of corruption.

Just in case you don't think this is going to be a problem, just realise that the Big Feartie, our own Macavity the Cat has yet again disappeared from view, preferring to put out his minions to try and save his hide. This is the man who has now written two books about "Courage", this is the man that is supposed to be our "Moses", this is the man who is the great Leader of the World's Economic Recovery, so where is he when he is needed?

Yet again this man is cowering in his Bunker hoping this will just blow over and that he can avoid all or any of the blame for the actions of his government. Even his beloved Sun is turning on him calling this Country a Police State , here and now.

And yet again we hear that the real story may yet be still to be released. The murky goings on of this Government and it's Political minions is starting to unravel. The jobs for the boys and the cash for honours are coming home to roost not a moment to soon. Let us hope that they don't reach into the Police or we are all in trouble.

Could this be Brown's Watergate? | Mail Online

Conspiring to tell the Truth

Conspiring to tell the Truth - that's what Damian Green is currently being charged with by the Police. His crime is to have gone against a Government that brokes no opposition to its Stalinesque methods.

As Fraser Nelson says today in articles in the Spectator and the News of the World, he has committed no crimes, just done his job as a responsible and respectable MP. If he has then by his own admittance then Gordon Brown is guilty of the same crime and not just on one occasion. As Gordon says it's not a mole it's just someone who is concerned about the public interest.



Fraser finishes off his article in the Spectator with the following words.

So it’s no excuse for Brown to say that the system went crazy during Green’s arrest. It should make him wonder what kind of monster has been created. It’s no use for Michael Martin to let it be known he’s hopping mad. He can still act. To signal the seriousness of what happened last week, he can resign – not out of guilt, but out of protest. Green’s arrest is a wake-up call for all of us, but no one more so than politicians. The last ten years have been about giving the system more power and money. It’s gone way, way too far. Now’s the time to fight back.

The problem is how does the ordinary punter do this today. We are now in the grip of a government that steadily and surely over the past 11 years has managed to begin to control our thoughts, words and deeds. We spend our lives wondering if what we say or write has been misinterpreted or could be deemed as somehow racist, stereotypical, anti-feminist, anti-government or a whole class of other possible indiscretions. We are scared even to put out the "wrong" sort of rubbish or to dare to drive a car by ourselves or even holiday abroad.

It's gone so far that now is the time to fight back to stop the erosion of our liberties, to stop those who would wish us all to lie down and just do as they say rather than stand up and fight and question what is happening to this country of ours.

When David Davies resigned earlier this year he gave a speech outlining the reasons he was making his stand. I thought at the time it was strange decision as I felt he could make his views heard much better from his then position but supported what he was highlighting. Now I know that, perhaps, he had realised just how far this government has gone to turn us into a Stalinesque Society.

David Davis said this in his speech

But in truth perhaps 42 days is the one most salient example of the insidious, surreptitious and relentless erosion of fundamental British freedom.

And we will have shortly the most intrusive identity card system in the world. A CCTV camera for every 14 citizens, a DNA database bigger than any dictatorship has, with thousands of innocent children and millions of innocent citizens on it.

We have witnessed an assault on jury trials, a bolt against bad law and its arbitrary use by the state.

And shortcuts with our justice system, which will make our system neither firm nor fair and a creation of a database state opening up our private lives to the prying eyes of official snoopers and exposing our personal data to careless civil servants and criminal hackers.

The state has security powers to clamp down on peaceful protest and so-called hate laws to stifle legitimate debate, whilst those who incite violence get off scot-free.

This cannot go on, it must be stopped, and for that reason today I feel it is incumbent on me to take a stand.

To those above must now be added the the terrible crimes of "Conspiring to Tell the Truth"
and "Just Doing your Job".

The story, as it is revealed, of the arrest of Damian Green, may just be the final catalyst to the general public, just as the PBR was earlier this week on the economy, to understanding just what has happened under the insidious direction of the Labour Government. It may just be the time when they say no more and demand we get rid of the pestilence that now threatens to devour the freedoms we so rightly prize in this country. I can only hope that we do not have to suffer for much longer.


The system overreach must come to an end | Coffee House

Tony Benn says we are a "Police State"

Who would have thought Tony Benn would have this to say when a Labour Government was in Power

"It is a total breach of what accords the privileges of parliament and therefore, the electors. His computers have been searched, his e-mail has been frozen."

He said that it was tantamount to a Contempt of Parliament. "Once police can interfere in parliament, then we're into a police state."

Could I have said it better.

Well perhaps then David Davis can. he said

"For five years I have avoided using the phrase 'police state'. But the sort of things going on here is what you expect in a police state, a banana state. This is the most extraordinary event of my parliamentary career."

Nick Clegg gets in on the act as well.

Mr. Clegg called the arrest of Damian Green "a mayday warning for British democracy."

"We have one of the most unaccountable, secretive forms of government anywhere in the modern world.

"Now we have an opposition frontbench spokesman raided by anti-terror police. It's the kind of thing you'd expect in a tinpot dictatorship."

He said that he had consulted with Lord Carlisle who told him that he had "no idea why anti-terror powers could have been used in the first place."

"We need a parliament that can hold the government into account. Our parliament is neutered."

So that's just about all the main parties covered.

Now we await the "Spliffer" or Snot Gobbleer to tell us why this all in the greater good. Oh they have here is the story according to the Daily Mash.

THE Prime Minister last night began the elimination of his enemies as he pledged to cleanse Britain of the virus of dissent.

Crowds cheered and threw rotten fruit at Conservative MP Damian Green as he was dragged from his bed in the early hours by the Prime Minister's anti-treason officers.

The traitor Green was questioned for nine hours before confessing. His whereabouts are now unknown though Downing Street said he was in a place where he could do no more harm.

More arrests are expected today as Mr Brown makes an example of all those who would seek to destroy our faith in his wisdom and kindness.

According to Downing Street the Prime Minister questioned Green personally and was able to secure the names of more than 20 co-conspirators after the application of electrodes and a small wet sponge.

A spokesman said: "Listen well, treacherous scum. We know where you live. Do not try to hide from us. You will simply prolong your inevitable journey into the realms of pain."

He added: "All of those who have at any time questioned the Prime Minister's actions and judgement must surrender immediately.

"We can then begin the joyful process of re-ordering your thoughts and returning you to full productivity."

The people have welcomed the purge with many leaving bouquets and gifts outside Downing Street. Meanwhile primary school children in Reading have made a collage depicting the Prime Minister cuddling a baby horse

Politics Home

A curious statement from Gordon Brown

Hat Tip to Guido for the piccie

I don't often read Conservative Home , it's a bit right wing for a Tory like me, but this article is just exactly what I am thinking about the Damian Green affair.

According to Sky, the word from Downing Street is this:

"This is a matter for the police...The Prime Minister had no prior knowledge of the arrest of Mr Green and was only informed after the event."

Two classic Brownisms here. First, the washing of one's hands of any involvement in a controversy if it seems that negative publicity might result, by saying it is in the hands of an outside quango/ agency/ the courts/ investigation/ report/ independent adjudicator/ study, etc (delete as appropriate). In this case, it is the police.

The second is this - there is a denial of involvement, but the denial relates only to a specific part of the chain of events, in this case, the actual arrest of Damian Green. There is no denial that the PM knew of the investigation or knew that a senior Conservative was allegedly involved. Important questions like whether the PM or other senior ministers gave a go ahead for action are not covered in the statement.

For the sake of our democracy, I would love to be proven wrong, and be shown that the PM genuinely knew nothing about the police action against Damian Green.

Let me give you just one recent example of how Brown's careful use of language can give rise to a misleading impression. At PMQs, the day after Barack Obama was elected, most MPs were given the impression that the PM had telephoned Obama and congratulated him. I spoke with a top newspaper political correspondent who was certain this was the case. This is what Brown actually said:

"Before I list my engagements, I am sure that the whole House will wish to join me in sending our sincere congratulations to Senator Barack Obama on winning the presidency of the United States and writing a new chapter in history in doing so. The bonds that unite the United States and the UK are vital to our prosperity and security and I know from talking to Senator Obama that he will be a true friend of Britain. The Government look forward to working with the new Administration as we both help people fairly through the downturn. I also want to pay tribute to Senator McCain, who has shown the characteristic dignity that has marked a lifetime of service to his country."

At the time, it sounded to most people that the "talking" he referred to was very recent - indeed, that is what is implied by using the present continuous tense, rather than saying "when I talked with Obama". In reality, Brown didn't speak with Obama for some time after, and was upstaged by Nicolas Sarkozy, much to our PM's chagrin.

The point is merely this - it is too early to tell what Brown knew or didn't, but experience shows one needs to study his words very carefully indeed before reaching any conclusions.

Fraser Nelson in the Spectator writes

Part of me hopes there is more to Green’s arrest than this. I don’t want to think I live in a country where anyone, far less opposition politicians, can get banged up for scrutinising the government in this way. And what will the public think tomorrow morning: “naughty Mr Green” or “what kind of police state is this?” No wonder No10 is stressing that Gordon Brown had “no prior knowledge” of what looks like calamitously heavy-handed policing. This could end up being a disaster for him.

Couldn't agree more.


CentreRight: A curious statement from Gordon Brown about the Damian Green affair

Terror in Mumbai

The killing of at least 125 people in India and the wounding of over 300 more, must rank as one of the worst organised terrorist acts since 9/11 outside of Iraq.

This type of horror is just difficult to understand from the rural depths of Aberdeenshire.

And alongside this is the news of the death of 2 more Royal Marines in Afghanistan.

It brings to mind the comparison of the minor problems we are having with the current Financial Crisis and if we can afford to splurge out at Christmas.

My thoughts are with with all the victims of these atrocities and their families.

Bombay (Mumbai) attacks: India points the finger at Pakistan

MP Arrested for doing his Job Shock

Apparently the Tory MP Damian Green has been arrested for doing his job by revealing details that might be embarrassing to the current Zanu-Labour government.

Our Glorious Leader apparently knows nothing about it and his hench-woman "Spliffer" Smith also denied any prior knowledge. However Boris Johnson has admitted knowledge of the event and had apparently advised police against this action.

According to the Daily Mail

Shadow immigration minister Damian Green was accused of an obscure offence of conspiring with 'misconduct in public office' after a Whitehall official was also held.

Counter-terrorism police are understood to have descended on his home in Kent without warning and arrested him over claims that he leaked confidential Government documents.

Many questions remain over this and it will be interesting to see how it plays in the media over the next couple of days.

Interesting to note that senior Conservatives (code for DC) described the move as "Stalinesque" an oblique reference surely to the fact that this has all the signs of the snot-gobbler at work. Surely not he is too busy working out how to cover-up his screwing up of the PBR on Monday.

Apparently the details revealed were as follows:

The information Mr Green is accused of leaking includes a Home Office memo revealing that an illegal immigrant had been working in the House of Commons as a cleaner.

Another leaked document suggested a cover-up by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith of a massive Government blunder.

It suggested the Home Secretary was warned that thousands of illegal immigrants had been cleared to work in sensitive Whitehall security jobs but accepted advice from her officials for a news blackout on the affair.

Another story showed Labour whips had drawn up a secret list of MPs likely to oppose plans to introduce 42-day detention without charge, and a leaked letter from Miss Smith to the Prime Minister revealed she had warned the recession would lead to a surge in crime.

All of these appear to be more than in the Public Interest.

Terror police seize Tory MP Damian Green over 'immigration leaks to the media' | Mail Online

Revolting Lib Dems in Aberdeeenshire?

According to the Press and Journal the Lib Dems are Revolting in Aberdeenshire

AN OUTSPOKEN councillor who resigned from Aberdeenshire’s Liberal Democrat group claims others may soon follow her lead.

Debra Storr said as many as six could quit the council’s ruling group.

If that were to happen the party would lose its majority of three, with the SNP becoming the largest party.

This is all resulting from the fallout from the Donald Trump affair and the associated votes.

The SNP had this to say

The council’s SNP group leader, Joanna Strathdee, said she was worried the Lib Dem group might lose its focus.

She said: “I hope that the leadership do not get too preoccupied with their own internal Liberal politics and continue to focus on delivering quality services to the council taxpayers of Aberdeenshire.”

Whilst Independent councillor John Cox said

it was disappointing to see the Lib Dems in apparent disarray, but he was in no doubt where the fault lay.

He said: “We have two or three councillors who have shown no respect for their colleagues, who have shown no respect for the north-east community, and seem to be throwing the toys out the pram at the moment.”

Rebellion ‘stirring’ in Liberal Democrats - Press & Journal

Honouring 'The Fallen'

If you haven't seen this then I recommend you watch it. It's available on BBC IPlayer and is being re-shown at other times on the various BBC channels.

Three hundred British troops have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in seven years - a death toll film-maker Morgan Matthews set out to honour in a three-hour programme. What drove him to make such a harrowing documentary?

For a year Morgan Matthews has been on a mission to reconnect the British public with the human cost among British forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was 12 months ago that he started work on an ambitious TV programme to chronicle all those who have died for Queen and country in these ongoing wars.

Matthews recalls well how the project crystallised in his head. He had been "flicking through a newspaper" and noticed "on about the fourth or fifth page... a report of the latest British service personnel to be killed, with a small thumbnail picture and a couple of paragraphs".

If you do watch it then be prepared, it is at times not easy viewing, and at times just plain distressing, but in my humble opinion, it is worth making every politician watch this before they blandly say we have done our best. It is also just plain humbling to watch the bravery of those left behind. After you have watched this programme then maybe, like the film maker, you will be able to say

"When I hear news, as I did this morning, of two people who have died, I think of them as people. And I think about the families behind them."

BBC NEWS | Magazine | Honouring 'The Fallen'

Calling International Rescue

Yesterday via his sidekick Alistair Darling, Gordon Brown delivered the final Budget for Nu-Labour. In true form Gordon is lumbering under the impression he is an economic genius when, in fact, he is the man that has dug us into the biggest hole Britain has ever been in, wants to more than double the depth of the hole and left us with little hope of being rescued.

Gone yesterday were all the hopes of Tony and his cronies and back came the 70's style socialist budget that will once again destroy this country of ours. All the work that the Tories did in the eighties and early nineties has been and will be destroyed on the back of Labour's profligacy and ineptitude.

Our debt for the country will double in less than three years to one Trillion pounds on the most favourable of forecasts. This is the biggest gamble in the history of the nation taken by a man who supposedly based his thinking on Prudence.

No wonder George Osborne described the plans as

"a huge unexploded tax bombshell timed to go off under a future economic recovery".

Osborne then went on to describe the position of our country as follows

"He's giving £20bn in giveaways and taking back £40bn in higher taxes, including the major rise in National Insurance, a tax on the jobs and incomes of middle Britain," he said.

"It is confirmation of the time old truth that all Labour chancellors run out of money and all Labour governments bring this country to the verge of bankruptcy.

"Stability has gone out of the window, prudence is dead, Labour has done it again."

"That means the chancellor is borrowing more on the nation's credit card than all previous governments put together."

Not only is he taking on all this debt in the forlorn hope it can pull him out of the biggest hole this country has ever been in, but he is doing it without the proper due process of Government.

Has he forgotten that he is not a one-man band, Yesterday was not a Pre-Budget Report but a full blown Budget. Potentially it was the budget that will lumber this country with it's biggest ever deficit and Gordon wants to pass it off as a minor issue barely worth 90 minutes of discussion in Parliament. This is truly a disgrace and must be remedied.

Nobody is saying that no action is required but whatever action that is taken should be subject to proper and full scrutiny by both House's, Some of the changes may even be illegal unless presented to Parliament as Iain Dale asks here.

John Redwood will also be asking the questions about where the discussion and debate are and records his thoughts here.

In summary this nation is currently in a very deep hole, covered in the proverbial, Gordon is trying to make the hole even deeper, deeper than has ever been seen, and covering us in a truly unbelievable amount of the proverbial, and he has no ropes long enough to extract us from the hole and no ideas on how we will survive in the murky depths of the hole and no idea of the true depths the hole will eventually plumb.

It looks like we will again be calling in International Rescue, in the form of the IMF, to extract us from the hole at a later date and to burden yet another generation with the results of Socialism.

Labour New town - Reykjavik-on-Thames

Is the UK the next Iceland? Willem Buiter reckons there is a “non-trivial risk,” what with sterling dropping like a stone and long-term gilt yields beginning to edge up.

The risk of a triple crisis - a banking crisis, a currency crisis and a sovereign debt default crisis - is always there for countries that are afflicted with the inconsistent quartet identified by Anne Sibert and myself in our work on Iceland: (1) a small country with (2) a large internationally exposed banking sector, (3) a currency that is not a global reserve currency and (4) limited fiscal capacity.

Full post here on Buiter’s Moverecon blog


FT Alphaville » Blog Archive » Reykjavik-on-Thames

Should Have gone to Specsavers

A spoof of the recent Barclaycard Advert.



The Original



H/T Theo Spark

No Snatch for Brown

No Snatch Land Rovers for Gordon Brown instead he gets not one but two BMW "Tank's" at a cool 2 million each. Shows how much he cares for our Armed Forces when he spends this on his lily livered hide and still spends pennies on our Service personnel.

According to the Times he even has two of them

Two of the BMWs are understood to be permanently available to Brown. One is kept at Downing Street while the second is based in his Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency in Fife.

Tell that to our personnel serving in Afghanistan and Iraq and who are crying out for decent equipment.

BMW 'tank' shields PM from Al-Qaeda - Times Online

Foy off say Foy Residents

According to the Telegraph

Residents of Foy, the Herefordshire village chosen by Lord Mandelson to form part of his baronial title, have expressed dismay at their unexpected association with the Business Secretary.

I assume from this, that they don't want to be associated with the cheating, lying, scheming and just plain dishonest man that Mandy is. Can't say I blame them, especially when the connection seems so vague.

Andrew Meek, who lives in the cottage once owned by Lord Mandelson, said:

"People here find the whole thing irritating because he doesn't have anything to do with the place and hasn't done since he left.

"He is not particularly well thought of locally, and I think people would like to have been consulted before he took the title. But I suppose that's what politicians do."

The fact that he never "consulted" anyone in the village is completely within character as Mandy famously doesn't discuss business with just anyone as he is so honest and open.

Villagers disown Lord Mandelson of Foy - Telegraph

The Bully that is Paul Dacre

Agreement with Polly Toynbee is something I seldom have, but her article on Paul Dacre, the Daily Mail editor is something I am in complete agreement with.

This paragraph should give you a flavour

Dacre, the nation's bully-in-chief is, like all bullies, a coward: he refused to go on the Today programme yesterday to argue his case. He never dares face his critics, happy to fry alive all and sundry, never apologising, never explaining. There is a good reason for this: the stance his paper takes on just about everything is so internally contradictory and inconsistent that he could never survive even minimal scrutiny. The Mail's mishmash of lurid scandal, bitching about women and random moralising zigzags all over the place, dishing out pain and praise often according to who it has succeeded in buying with its limitless chequebook, or who has infuriated it by selling their wares to another bidder.

Now I'm sure the Guardian has no liking for Dacre but this is a bit more than the Guardian having a go. It exposes the strange link between the two little bullies Dacre and Brown and their even stranger friendship. Polly has this to say

One reason why it's easy to despair of Gordon Brown is his incomprehensible and grovelling friendship with Dacre, Labour's worst enemy. Where was Brown on the eve of his party's disastrous Glasgow East byelection? He was far away at Stratford-upon-Avon, watching Hamlet with his good friend Dacre. The Mail plays a curious cat and mouse game with Brown, sometimes praising his moral qualities on inside pages while assaulting Labour on its front page. Dacre is said to be very close to the Browns - which makes you wonder about the spinning of the PM's much-vaunted moral compass.

The Guradian also has a potted history of Dacre here. An interesting point is the final paragraph

One of Brown's first acts in office was to abandon proposals for supercasinos, a plan which had been the target of a fierce campaign in the Mail.

This maybe shows how deep the relationship is between the two.

Polly Toynbee: Judge Dacre dispenses little justice from his bully pulpit | Comment is free | The Guardian

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918.

In the United Kingdom, although two minutes of silence is observed on 11 November itself, the main observance is on the second Sunday of November, Remembrance Sunday. Ceremonies are held at local war memorials, usually organised by local branches of the Royal British Legion – an association for ex-servicemen.

It is also a good time to remember all those who are currently serving in defence of our nation both here and in the many places of conflict around the world. Some day, let us hope, they will no longer need to do this. Let us hope that time is close.

The following video is of a song by one of my favourites song writers, Eric Bogle, a Scot who has lived in Australia since 1969. He wrote this song over 30 years ago after visiting the WW1 cemeteries in Europe. Here it is performed by the Corries.

Well how do you do, young Willie McBride,

Do you mind if I sit here down by your graveside

And rest for a while 'neath the warm summer sun

I've been working all day and I'm nearly done.

I see by your gravestone you were only nineteen

When you joined the dead heroes of nineteen-sixteen.

I hope you died well and I hope you died clean

Or Willie McBride, was it slow and obscene.

Chorus :

Did they beat the drum slowly, did they play the fife lowly,

Did they sound the dead-march as they lowered you down.

Did the bugles play the Last Post and chorus,

Did the pipes play the 'Flooers o' the Forest'.

And did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind

In some faithful heart is your memory enshrined

Although you died back there in nineteen-sixteen

In that faithful heart are you ever nineteen

Or are you a stranger without even a name

Enclosed and forgotten behind the glass frame

In a old photograph, torn and battered and stained

And faded to yellow in a brown leather frame.

The sun now it shines on the green fields of France

The warm summer breeze makes the red poppies dance

And look how the sun shines from under the clouds

There's no gas, no barbed wire, there's no guns firing now

But here in this graveyard it's still no-man's-land

The countless white crosses stand mute in the sand

To man's blind indifference to his fellow man

To a whole generaation that were butchered and damned.

Now young Willie McBride I can't help but wonder why

Do all those who lie here know why they died

And did they believe when they answered the cause

Did they really believe that this war would end wars

Well the sorrow, the suffering, the glory, the pain

The killing and dying was all done in vain

For young Willie McBride it all happened again

And again, and again, and again, and again.

Does Gordon have the courage to Ride in "Snatch" Land Rover.

No, is the simple answer, yet he expects our troops to do it. Despite all his bletherings about how much money he has or will spend, the problem is that at the moment there is no choice. Not enough helicopters and not enough of the new vehicles on the ground.

When Gordon or one of his minions travels to to Iraq or Afghanistan, they seldom travel in anything but planes and helicopters, which are what the soldiers would choose as well if they had enough of them.

I attended a families day recently for the Royal Marines and saw the vehicles they would be using on the ground on their current tour. They still included the "snatch" Land Rovers and Vikings that have caused so many deaths.

According to the Telegraph

The recriminations over the resignation of SAS officer Major Sebastian Morley in protest over the Ministry of Defence's "gross negligence" in forcing his troops into the vulnerable vehicles spilled over into Prime Minster's Questions. Gordon Brown was asked by Gerald Howarth, the shadow defence minister, if he accepted that when Major Morley deployed in Snatch he "had no choice whatsoever contrary to all the assurances given to commanders that they would have whatever equipment they require?"
Mr Brown said the Government had "done our best in recent years to provide the equipment that is necessary" spending £1 billion on 1,200 new armoured vehicles.
Families and opposition MPs rounded on Gordon Brown, criticising his evasive answers in the Commons on the day another British soldier was killed in Afghanistan.

Col Bob Stewart, who used the flimsy Snatch during his time as a commander in Bosnia in the 90s, said the Prime Minister's comments that the Government had "done its best" was not enough to prevent the loss of 34 lives

"The Government certainly has not done it best. If they had done their best they would have found other vehicles that would have saved lives. They might have ordered these better vehicles now but its too late for the 34 people soldiers who have already died in Snatch. This problem has been highlighted for many years now but only now have they came round to the idea of addressing it.

Let us not forget this is not a new problem Have a look at this article from June 2006 nearly 2 1/2 years ago on the exact same problem. The BBC reported then:

Our correspondent says 18 British troops have been killed by
roadside bombs while travelling in Land Rovers. It equates to almost a quarter of British soldiers killed in hostile action, Conservative MP Roger Gale told the Commons. "These vehicles are widely recognised to be inadequately armoured to withstand roadside bombs and in consequence are seen as a soft target for insurgents," he said.

Des Browne the multi-tasking Defence Secretary responded

"This is a serious issue. I've asked for a review into this," he said. "There are medium and long-term plans in relation to vehicles and I will be looking in the short-term at what we can do to respond to the situation."

So 30 months and a further 16 lives later our forces are still being forced to use this vehicle. This is government ineptitude on a gross scale.

As usual this government is doing too little too late. It has done this in almost all its aspects of government be it defence, the economy, foreign policy, policing, environment or the NHS. It is incapable of preventing problems and can only apply a sticking plaster on the gushing wounds it has helped create.

The only good thing is that people are now seeing this and will again give Brown and his minions a bloody nose as they vote in Glenrothes, the constituency next door to his own, and return an SNP MP.


Gordon Brown accused of 'evasive' response over SAS deaths - Telegraph

President Obama - Cameron:Important moment for world

Conservative leader David Cameron said Mr Obama was the first of a new generation of world leaders.

"In electing Barack Obama, America has made history and proved to the world that it is a nation eager for change," he said.

"This has been an exciting and inspirational contest with two great candidates.

"In these difficult times people everywhere are crying out for change. Barack Obama is the first of a new generation of leaders who will deliver it - he has my whole-hearted congratulations.

"This is an important moment not just for America but for the world.

"Barack Obama's victory will give people a new opportunity to look at the United States and see her for what I believe she is - a beacon of opportunity, freedom and democracy."

Let us hope this is the first of a number of changes in World Leadership to rid us of stale and discredited leaders.


Ananova - Cameron: Important moment for world

Sack this Idiot - Quentin Davies

I see Quentin Davies was forced to make an abject apology to the father of one of the soldiers killed in Afghanistan according to the Telegraph:

The defence minister Quentin Davies has been forced to make an "unreserved apology" to the father of the first woman soldier to be killed in Afghanistan following remarks he made about the safety of military vehicles.

Perhaps now he will also apologise to SAS commander Major Sebastian Morley who resigned in disgust at the "gross negligence" of the Government to equip Special Forces troops.

Quentin Davies is not fit to lick the boots of any of our service personnel and should be sacked by his masters.

Tobias Elwood at Conservative Blogs had this to say.

Regimental ties were a plenty at Defence Questions yesterday, with Conservative Members queuing up to demand an apology from the newly appointed Procurement Minster and turncoat Quentin Davies.

The Minister struck a very lonely figure indeed on the Labour Front Bench as no less than six Conservative MPs asked him to apologise to the House of Commons, indeed, to the British Army for suggesting that British military commanders based in Helmand Province were choosing the wrong vehicles to take out on patrol.

As if there was a choice. Dozens of soldiers have been killed or injured using the soft skinned 'snatch landrover', a relic of the Northern Ireland hostilities, so called for its role in plucking undesirables off the streets of Belfast; an asset in Ulster but now a liability in Afghanistan. There have been repeated requests for this vehicle to be replaced and, last year, the Government finally conceded. To avoid a lengthy procurement process the MOD bought the reliable and heavily armoured Mastiff and Jackal vehicles 'off the shelf' and these are now arriving in Helmand.

We waited in vain for a proper apology. When the Minister makes his first trip to Afghanistan he will quickly learn about the limitations commanders have in relation to mobility and protection. Until then the Defence Secretary might want to keep him on a tighter leash...

The cry for a tighter leash would be better said as letting him off the leash to wander aimlessly like the turncoat he is.

Who would want this man on their side in any battle.

Minister forced to apologise for Army family insult - Telegraph

Quentin Davies - An idiot

A request I sent to Malcolm Bruce's office today.

I note that Mr Bruce is down for a Topical Question this afternoon at Defence Questions. As the Next of Kin of a serving Scottish serviceman currently deployed in Afghanistan, can I ask that he might ask a question about the suitability of Quentin Davies for a Ministerial Role at the MOD in the light of his statements this weekend, in particular his statement as follows "Obviously there may be occasions when in retrospect a commander chose the wrong piece of equipment, the wrong vehicle, for the particular threat that the patrol or whatever it was encountered and we had some casualties as a result.", in reference to the use of so-called "Snatch" Land Rovers. The impact this sort of statement has on the morale of those serving at the moment makes this sort of crass idiocy beyond belief.

I realise that Mr Bruce is not my MP but his constituency is the closest to mine and those of many of the service personnel currently serving in Afghanistan who are based at Arbroath.

Yours in hope

Minister accused of 'insulting the memory of soldiers over SAS chief slur' - Telegraph

MSP's hack the Hack's

Superb, just what you would expect from some Politician's and some real Hack's.

A charity football match between MSPs and sport pundits was abandoned after the bad-tempered game erupted into a mass stand-off between the two sides

The story in the Telegraph continues

The game started with players exchanging aggressive banter, but the flashpoint came after 40 minutes when Labour's John Park and BBC commentator Chick Young both went for the ball.

Mr Park's tackle was mistimed and Mr Young had to be stretchered off. He labelled the MSP team an "absolute disgrace" and claimed he had been left with six stud marks in his leg.

The MSP was ordered from the pitch by the referee and replaced, but relations between the two sides got worse in the second half when at least one punch was thrown.

Players from both teams squared up to each other, pushing their opponents in the chest. The referee decided he had seen enough and abandoned the match after about 55 minutes with the score 6-2 to the politicians.

The referee apparently said he'd never seen anything like it. He refs a lot of kids' games and said under-10s behave better on a Sunday morning."

H/T Easter Road on Political Betting

MSP football match abandoned after mass stand-off - Telegraph

Plods Guide on photography

Ever wondered where you can take photographs? According to the Register this may be tightened up with the usual excuse of terror laws.

Terror Laws due to be passed this autumn, could provide Police with a new and significant power to stop individuals taking photographs.

This follows reassurances from Home secretary Jacqui Smith that there is "no legal restriction on taking photographs in public places", which is why she will shortly be issuing police with updated guidelines on ... how to enforce legal restrictions on photography.

However according to the Register things may be changing as

Far more worrying is s.75 of the Counter-Terrorism Bill, even now tracking its weary way through the Lords. This makes it an offence to "elicit or attempt to elicit information about" members of the armed forces, intelligence services, or policemen, where this information could be of use to a terrorist.

Names? Addresses? Photographs? Since almost every other item of anti-Terror law has eventually been broadened out beyond its original scope, there must be some concern that once in place, these new powers will be used to make life uncomfortable for anyone wishing to photograph police at demonstrations. Or just police anywhere?

After all, if you are out demonstrating, you probably have a political axe to grind, and as far as New Labour are concerned, the dividing line between political activism, extremism, generally disagreeing with our current plight and involvement in Terror is increasingly fuzzy. Woe betide you disagree with our Glorious Leader or would like to enquire of an Officer's number as he cudgels you into the back of the van.

Home Office guides plods on photography • The Register

Nato's Afghan forces 'hit limit'

Coalition forces in Afghanistan have

"now reached their limit"

according to General Sir Michael Rose, former commander of UN forces in Bosnia.

What does he mean by this?

General Rose, who has recently returned from Afghanistan, says while the international community is clearly committed to a victory there, serious operational problems remain which could still undo NATO's mission.

He also points out that there are only 8,000 servicemen and women in a vast swathe of territory that is home to more than a million Afghans.

He then goes onto say

As in all insurgency wars, winning the confidence and consent of the people of Afghanistan will always be more important than winning any particular tactical level military battle against the Taleban

This is not new thinking and particularly not new thinking for Britain. The "Emergency" in Malaya (as was) was won by this sort of tactic, getting the people on board and using them to win the war. We and the USA in particular have been very poor at achieving this both in in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gen Rose also suggests forming Afghan tribal militias to aid western forces and the Afghan army.

"By winning the support of the Pashtun tribes who live on both sides of the border and by developing a sympathetic understanding of their complex tribal systems, it should be possible to achieve security in the key eastern and southern areas of Afghanistan,"

However, he does believe the war is being won - at least on a military level - for now.

"Afghanistan is not Vietnam, it is not even Iraq. The insurgency war that is being fought in Afghanistan today is militarily winnable and it is slowly being won."

How long it would take to win this war and how many of our servicemen's lives this will cost is not clear and this should be a huge concern. Only by getting the people of Afghanistan and Iraq involved can we really hope to see this war won without many years of conflict.

BBC NEWS UK Nato's Afghan forces 'hit limit'

Darling scraps Brown's Golden Rules

The Brown "Golden Rules" are no more.

No more boom and bust - Ha!

FT.com / World - Darling to scrap Brown’s fiscal rules

Service for fallen Scots soldiers

Last night I dropped my Nephew, Ben, off with his Mum, Gill, after he had spent the weekend with us and his granny, aunt and cousin's. Today he will attend a Special Service for Gill's Husband and Ben's Stepfather Captain John Mcdermid and the 36 other Scottish servicemen who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq in the current conflicts.

Ben will march with some of his school to honour the Scottish Servicemen who have given their life in the conflicts. Let us not forget them. RIP.

Also let us think of Ben's father who is currently abroad on active service and the many others who are serving with him and in other locations.

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Service for fallen Scots soldiers

Mandy says he "misled" us about Deripaska

Mandy explains in a letter to the Times how he came to "mislead" us about meetings with the Russian oligarch Deripaska. The Times says

Lord Mandelson has admitted that the public were misled about when he first met the oligarch Oleg Deripaska and acknowledged that his new ministerial role requires him to be more careful about his contacts with the wealthy.

Amazing how he only came out with this statement after he had Mandied Osborne along with his pal Rothschild. You would have thought that someone so involved with this case would have remembered his prior contacts a little earlier.

Mandelson's full letter is here where he promises to be a good little boy in the future. What else will he remember and when are we going to hear some more about the alleged tapes of his meetings with Deripaska.

I’ll be more careful, says Lord Mandelson - Times Online

October 24, 1929 vs 24th October 2008

Don't want to worry you but back on the 24th October 1929 the Wall Street crash started. Are we looking at this again?

October 24, 1929: start of Wall Street crash - Telegraph

Paramedic becomes Doner in Kebab shop

The Independent reports that

A man who went berserk in a kebab shop left two paramedics in hospital today after biting one on the leg. Another ambulance worker was slightly injured when he was later headbutted by the man in Clontarf Garda station.

The paramedics from Dublin Fire Brigade were called to a disturbance at the take-away in Fairview Strand, north Dublin at around 4am. Gardai also arrived at the scene around the same time to find the man foaming at the mouth and threatening violence.

The man, suspected of being intoxicated, turned on one of the ambulance workers and bit him on the leg, according to Dublin Fire Brigade. After gardai were forced to restrain him and bring him to Clontarf Garda station, paramedics were again called out at around 5am to bring the man to hospital. Another disturbance erupted during which a paramedic was headbutted as he attempted to take the man for medical help.
Both ambulance workers have since been released from hospital and their injuries are not serious.

Gardai are expected to question the man when he is released from
medical care.

The Independent does not report if the drunk thought the man's leg was tastier than a Kebab.

Paramedic bitten on leg in kebab shop - Europe, World - The Independent

BBC says "Downturn" ends £1bn plant project in Scotland

The "Downturn" is apparently responsible for the end of plans to build a £1bn wood processing plant that could have created thousands of jobs. Note the BBC statement it was the "Downturn", not the Recession.

Forscot said it had decided not to proceed with its proposals for a paper, pulp and energy plant at Invergordon due to a lack of funding.The company said there was also little chance of attracting investment in the current economic climate.

This is a sad end to a project which would have provided much needed employment in this area.

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Downturn ends £1bn plant project

Not the R word page - BBC Mandied

As I said a couple of days ago the BBC has been Mandied and we are now in a "Downturn".

Need I say more.

By the way Sterling down 6 cents to day. FTSE down 6% and GDP down 0.5%. No more "Boom and Bust"

BBC NEWS | Special Reports | downturn

Wot - No R word here says BBC

Sister Moonshine from the album Challenge, What Challenge by Supertramp.
I would have used The Meaning but I can't find a decent video of it

Mandy and that nice Mr Campbell must have on the blower to their old pals at the BBC to explain to them that the R word is forbidden. There is no R word and they must not use the R word. They will have explained that under Labour the R word it is not a R word but a "downturn", this is because as we know under Brown there is no possibility of "Boom and Bust". Also they are now turning a Crisis into a "Challenge". So officially for the BBC Friday when the latest figures appear it it will be a Downturn day rather than a R word Day. Will it also be D-Day for Brown.

As Matthew Parris says in the Times

Corporate challenge

Crisis? What crisis? I'm looking forward to catching out BBC newscasters and editors using that word. From tomorrow there is to be a corporation-wide ban on broadcast references to any “economic crisis” when discussing what our Government might prefer to call the “global financial challenge”. In place of “crisis” BBC staff have apparently been instructed to say “downturn” - the same word, incidentally, that Cabinet ministers are pointedly employing in place of “recession” or even “coming recession”. Friday is D (for Downturn) Day in corporation-speak.

Move along now no bias at the BBC.

Now that we've come to the crunch... | Matthew Parris - Times Online

Mandy and his Friends

According to the Times

Lord Mandelson has frequently accepted hospitality from Nathaniel Rothschild, including a stay at his chalet in the Alps.

The depth of the friendship between the former European Trade Commissioner and the international financier has emerged as the extent of business links between Mr Rothschild and Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch, has become clear.

Lord Mandelson stayed at Mr Rothschild’s home in Klosters, Switzerland, earlier this year. In August he was a guest of Mr Rothschild in Corfu, during which he was “billeted” on Mr Deripaska’s yacht because there were so many guests staying at the family villa.

The Times then goes onto explain a little of the web that links Mandy to this little partnership and explain how throughout this the sainted Mandelson has not been affected in performing his roles at the EU and now in the British Parliament.

Whilst the Times may believe that, and from my reading, they are more than a little reluctant to do so, I am more than a little worried that someone who has already had to resign twice because of some "difficulties" might again got himself into a pickle.

If Osborne is supposed to have show a degree of lack of judgment, then Mandelson has a complete lack of judgment, that has already impacted his chosen career.

It's time that this servant of us, the public, came clean and told the full story of the relationship he has with Mr Rothschild's, Deripaska and the others in his little web.

Perhaps the Prime Minister might want to get someone to answer these allegations.

Lord Mandelson’s friendships ‘did not affect his EU role’ - Times Online

Hercules Deaths Result Of Serious Systemic Failures

Yet again we have a report of serious systemic failures causing the deaths of servicemen. The Herald reports

The deaths of 10 British servicemen killed when their RAF Hercules was shot downin Iraq was the result of "serious systemic failures", a coroner said today. The fact that the Ministry of Defence and RAF had not fitted the Hercules fleet with ESF (explosion-suppressant foam) was a factor in the tragedy, coroner David Masters said.

He continues

"The failure to fit ESF was on the facts found a serious systemic failure and a contributory factor in the loss of the aircraft."There was a loss of opportunity for the survival of the crew by that failure."The Hercules C130k aircraft, 47 Squadron Special Forces flight XV179, was flying at low-level (about 150ft) in daylight from Baghdad to Balad to await further tasking orders when it was downed by insurgents. The coroner, ruling that the 10 men were unlawfully killed, highlighted the way intelligence was not passed on about a previous attack by insurgents on the US Blackhawks on the same day in the same sector. He described this as another "failure." But he said XV179's decision to fly at low level was not a failure because the Hercules flying community at the time had no idea of their vulnerability to small arms fire, which they were in range of at 150ft.

More information on the Hercules case here.

Hercules Inquest Deaths Result Of Serious Systemic Failures

Brown makes it up again

I see our erstwhile PM whilst forgetting to answer any questions at PMQ's yet again has managed to answer one from the "Beast of Bolsover" Dennis Skinner who was somehow allowed to ask the last question at PMQ's by his mate "Gorbals Mick" the "non-partisan" Speaker of the House of Commons.

Unfortunately his answer as is usual with our lying and fudging Prime Minister does not make a lot of sense. Gordon demanded an investifThis from the BBC

The No 10 spokesman also refused to be drawn on which "authorities" would carry out an investigation, saying "whichever authorities are appropriate".

The Electoral Commission told BBC Radio 4's The World at One it would not be investigating the claims as "soliciting a donation is not an offence".

Labour MP Tony Wright, chairman of the public administration select committee, also dismissed calls for a probe.

"Gordon obviously thinks it was a serious matter, and I suppose in a sense it is a serious matter," he said.

"But we are not talking about corruption here, there was no corruption. We're not talking about law-breaking, there is no law-breaking. What there is is a massive misjudgement.

"I am not sure which authorities Gordon thought he was talking about. The only one I can think of is the Conservative Party."

Conservative MP John Redwood said Lord Mandelson should be forced to answer questions about his presence on Mr Deripaska's yacht and he rejected claims Mr Osborne had shown poor judgement.

"There is no crime committed and this is just an absurd media fantasy," he told WATO.

As usual Gordon has made it up again to cover for his stupidity.

Brown makes it up again

Sterling Plunging - Labour Recession is here

After last nights speech by Mervyn King saying we are in recession Sterling plunged on the markets.

Not really surprising when you consider the state this country is in.

Guardian has this

The pound began tumbling last night as the Bank of England governor told business leaders in Leeds that the economy is shrinking and hinted at fresh interest rate cuts.

By this morning it had fallen by seven cents to $1.6209, a drop of more than 4%. Traders reported frantic selling as investors rushed to cut their losses by selling the UK currency.

Shares also fell sharply in London this morning, with the FTSE 100 shedding over 100 points, or 2.3%, in early trading to 4127.29.

Sterling had already been hit yesterday by unexpectedly gloomy manufacturing data showing that confidence has collapsed, and King's comments appear to have added to concern over quite how weak the British economy now is.

Guido has this

Government borrowing is at record levels, unemployment is heading towards two million, car workers are on a 3-day week, public sector workers are threatening strikes, nationalisation is back, Deripaska-owned Leyland is even in back the news and we are entering a recession. To complete the whole 70s era feel we have a sterling collapse. 6% last night, 20% since the beginning of the year.

The BBC's business editor is focusing on political gossip. Guido will therefore have to take up the slack on the business reporting front..

Pound falls to five-year low as Bank head admits recession is here | Business | guardian.co.uk

The R word has happened

Recession is apparently upon us or so the Governor of The Bank of England whispered in a speech to the CBI last night, hardly reported by the MSM yesterday. Mr King had this to say

Why has the outlook deteriorated so quickly? The banking crisis dealt a severe blow to the availability of credit. Growth in secured lending to households fell to an annualised rate of 1.9% in the three months to August, its lowest level in more than a decade. The Bank of England’s survey of credit conditions suggests that the terms on which banks provide credit to companies have tightened even further. And, on some estimates, the supply of finance to the UK corporate sector has ground to a halt. This credit shock has come on top of a fall in real disposable incomes resulting from the rise in energy and food prices earlier in the year. So, taken together, the combination of a squeeze on real take home pay and a decline in the availability of credit poses the risk of a sharp and prolonged slowdown in domestic demand. Indeed, it now seems likely that the UK economy is entering a recession.

So what are the media concentrating on instead, the story that George Osborne might have discussed a donation to the Tory Coffers of £50,000 pounds from a possibly illegal donor. Not a donation but a possibility of a donation that was refused. Even the main protagonist Nat Rothschild needed 3 attempts to get his "idea" of the facts correct.

Here we are in the middle of a crisis that has seen banks collapse, the apparent almost collapse of the banking system in Britain and on a day we learn that we are officially in Recession and the media are frothing at a Mandelson spin story.

As Hezza said in an interview on Radio 4 interview for the PM programme

Extraordinary, bizzare, have we all gone mad

How better can I express it.

Market jitters continue as bank chief uses the 'R' word - Scotsman.com News

Rothschild and Mandy - Just Good friends

The Rothschilds and Peter Mandelson are as they say just good friends. This article is by Jonathon Carr from the Sunday Times on 22nd September 2002. Now I wonder what has happened in the past 6 years that might have lead to what has been going on in the news for the past week. Or is it as Nick Robinson from the BBC said Osborne paying a heavy price for breaking the rules of the rich man’s club… Mandelson’s revenge.

HE IS a man with generous friends. Peter Mandelson, the former secretary of state for Northern Ireland, has found a new backer for his political ambitions in the shape of Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, the multi-millionaire banker. De Rothschild may be 21 years Mandelson’s senior but the two have become firm friends, lunching and sharing an interest in Albanian affairs. When the banker married his third wife two years ago, Mandelson was a guest. So it is perhaps no surprise that de Rothschild has emerged as the mystery funder of Policy Network, a “super think tank” that boasts some of No 10’s senior policy advisers on its board and is chaired by none other than Mandelson. The sum donated to date is said to be £250,000. The name of the donor is missing from the think tank’s accounts, but its directors have been privately concerned that they will look secretive if they continue to hide his identity. One tipped off The Sunday Times last week: “It hasn’t been publicised, but de Rothschild’s involvement is well known to the board.” Last night critics said the donation is yet another example of a businessman with vast commercial interests in government policies giving “cash for access” via a Labour think tank. De Rothschild and Policy Network have declined to comment on the matter. De Rothschild, 71, heads the British arm of the Rothschild banking dynasty and chairs N M Rothschild & Sons, its merchant bank. His personal fortune is estimated in The Sunday Times Rich List as £500m. Mandelson’s attraction to rich men has already led to him resigning from the government twice. The revelation that Geoffrey Robinson, the multimillionaire businessman and Labour MP, had loaned him £330,000 to buy a home prompted his first resignation from the Department of Trade and Industry. Then his friendship with the billionaire Hinduja brothers led to his downfall as Northern Ireland secretary when he was accused of helping them obtain British passports. De Rothschild was not previously known to have political leanings but the donation is attributed to Mandelson’s influence and to the banker’s wife Lynn Forester, a friend of Bill Clinton and part of New York’s Democratic party elite. The couple’s friendship with Mandelson blossomed when he was flown to Albania, where de Rothschild and Lord Sainsbury are trying to preserve the city of Butrint, a world heritage site. In June this year the de Rothschilds were among the organisers of a “progressive” leaders’ conference run by Policy Network at Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire, which attracted Clinton and the prime minister. In the evening, the gathering moved to Ascott House, de Rothschild’s home in Buckinghamshire, for a seated banquet for 100. The board of Policy Network — set up by a group of young Blairites in 2000 — reads like a Who’s Who of Labour’s inner circle. It includes Andrew Adonis, head of Downing Street’s policy unit, Roger Liddle, a senior member of the No 10 policy unit, Lord Levy, Blair’s chief fundraiser, and Adair Turner, the former CBI director who is now part of Blair’s “blue sky” thinking unit. When Mandelson resigned as Northern Ireland secretary, both Policy Network and No 10 steered the MP for Hartlepool in its direction. A source close to the think tank claimed it was all part of attempts by Downing Street and friends to “feather bed” his second fall from grace. According to Policy Network directors, the de Rothschilds gave the money to a charity, the Policy Network Foundation, before Mandelson came on board. A Downing Street spokesman denied that there was any conflict of interest between Adonis’s and Liddle’s presence on the board. He said: “These are unpaid positions from which no financial gain is sought or received.”

H/T to Barry on PoliticalBetting

Rothschild bankrolls Mandelson think tank

Mandy - Try Try Try Again

Mandy's and Labours attempts to catch George Osborne in their sticky, sleazy web have failed yet again. Their prompting to Rothschild to stir it up again, possibly via the Bliar person have come unstuck as Osborne details his contacts, both with Deripaska and of course Mandy who seems the common linkage in the whole story. I would suggest that it is Mandy that the media should be turning their spotlight on. Notice how Mandy appears at almost all the meetings.

In his statement to the press and in particular the biased duo at the BBC (Yes, you Robinson and Peston) he has this to say. I'll put it in full because it such a good rebuttal of all the sleazy things that Labour has become now with added Campbell and Mandy trying to direct the media

George Osborne has met Oleg Deripaska on five occasions, four of which happened over a weekend in Corfu in August.

On January 26, at the Davos World Economic Forum, Mr Osborne was introduced to Mr Deripaska in the company of others including Peter Mandelson.

They had a brief group conversation about the world economy.

On August 22, while on a family holiday in Corfu, Mr Osborne and his wife were invited onto Mr Deripaska's yacht by Mr Rothschild.

Others present again included Peter Mandelson. The conversation involved Russian and British politics. There was no conversation of any kind about political donations.

That evening Mr Osborne attended a party at the Rothschild villa and sat on the same table as Mr Rothschild, Mr Deripaska and Mr Mandelson. Again, there was no conversation about party funding.

The following evening, August 23, Mr Osborne attended a dinner at a local taverna.

Mr Deripaska did not attend but both Mr Rothschild and Peter Mandelson did. The conversation involved the state of British politics.

The next day, Mr Osborne, who had been staying in a rented house but was now staying at the Rothschild villa with his family, mentioned to Mr Rothschild that Andrew Feldman - who Mr Rothschild had met once before - was holidaying half an hour away with his family and friends.

Mr Rothschild then invited Mr Feldman to join them for an early evening drink at the villa.

This was a social invitation and at no point previously had Mr Osborne and Mr Rothschild discussed the possibility of a donation to the Conservative Party from Mr Deripaska.

Mr Feldman, Mr Osborne, Mr Rothschild and two other house guests gathered on the villa terrace.

There was a discussion about British and American politics and, in the course of which, Mr Rothschild suggested to Mr Feldman that his friend Mr Deripaska could be interested in making a party donation.

Mr Feldman had not met Mr Deripaska previously and was not aware who he was.

Mr Feldman made clear that there are very strict rules on donations to political parties in the UK.

He explained that there are only two ways of giving a political donation. Firstly, if you appear as an individual on the UK electoral roll. Secondly, if the donation comes from a legitimate UK trading company.

This is an explanation Mr Feldman gives regularly when asked about donations both privately and publicly.

At this point, Mr Rothschild said that Mr Deripaska owned UK trading companies including Leyland Daf.

There was no discussion about how a donation by Mr Deripaska could be concealed or channelled.

At no point did Mr Osborne or Mr Feldman solicit or ask for a donation, suggest ways of channelling a donation or express any wish to meet with Mr Deripaska to discuss donations.

The conversation moved on to the US elections. Some time later Mr Rothschild - having phoned Mr Deripaska - invited Mr Osborne, Mr Feldman and one other house guest for a further drink on Mr Deripaska's yacht which was moored nearby.

Mr Osborne and Mr Feldman agreed to meet with Mr Deripaska and his wife and family.

They stayed on the boat for about an hour and drank tea. There was a discussion about British and Russian politics, education and Russian history.

There was no conversation or mention of party funding or the possibility of Mr Deripaska making a donation to the Conservative Party.

After the group left the boat. Mr Feldman did not see Mr Deripaska or Mr Rothschild again and had no further conversations with Mr Deripaska.

Mr Osborne met Mr Deripaska again briefly the following lunchtime when both Mr Deripaska and Mr Mandelson visited the Rothschild villa.

The conversation between them lasted no more than five minutes and again there was no discussion about political donations.

Indeed Mr Osborne, has had no further discussions with Mr Deripaska. Nor has he had a further conversation with Mr Rothschild about donations.

On September 18, Mr Feldman and Mr Rothschild had a phone conversation about the possibility of Mr Rothschild hosting a fundraising dinner for the Conservative Party - something the Rothschild family have done before.

At the end of that conversation Mr Rothschild mentioned that Leyland Daf, a UK trading company owned by Mr Deripaska, was interested in making a donation to the party.

Leyland Daf is well known to be a company recently purchased and owned by Mr Deripaska.

Mr Feldman said that he was not sure if such a donation was appropriate. He told Mr Rothschild that he would have to seek advice on the matter.

Later that day it was decided after consultation with senior party officials that it would not be appropriate to accept such a donation.

There was no further contact from Mr Rothschild or Mr Deripaska and the matter was considered to be at an end.

For clarity, neither Mr Feldman nor Mr Osborne have ever discussed with Oleg Deripaska the possibility of him making a political donation.

At no point in any of these meetings and discussions did either Mr Osborne or Mr Feldman solicit or attempt to solicit a donation from Mr Deripaska. Nor did they at any stage suggest any way that a donation could be channelled or concealed through a British company.

This statement constitutes a full and detailed explanation of Mr Osborne and Mr Feldman's dealings with Mr Deripaska. We would now urge Lord Mandelson to provide the same.

Over to you Mandy. Explain ALL your dealings with Deripaska.

The spinning web that is Mandelson

Sir Walter Scott wrote

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive”

We must congratulate Lord Mandy on his weaving skills. As the Telegraph "reports"

George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, met Oleg Deripaska on his yacht this summer. It was alleged there was discussion of a possible £50,000 donation to the Tory party.

It comes after questions were raised in Parliament over Lord Mandelson's relationship with the oligarch, whose hospitality the Business Secretary is said to have enjoyed on several occasions.

The hand of Mandy is firmly on this story. As Guido reports

Mandelson's ability to get Nathan Rothschild, a Tory donor, to counter-attack Osborne over the "pouring poison" line is widely seen as a tribute to his powers of persuasion.

In reality Rothschild, who has long been enamoured with and in thrall to Tony Blair, acted after Mandelson got Blair to call Rothschild to encourage him to embarrass Osborne. M'learned friends are now being consulted as claim and counter-claim are spun. Isn't it great to have all the fun of the circus with Mandelson back...

As Our Gordon said. No more spin.....

The spinning web that is Mandelson

The Mystery of Northern Rock and the other 1.2 trillion

A while ago Fraser Nelson writing in the Coffee House Blog wondered if a certain Gordon Brown, our erstwhile PM, might try to hide the nationalisation of the Northern Rock away so it didn't count against the National Debt. He wrote this thinking it might not be possible.

Well lo and behold we now hear that he has done just this. With a sleight of hand Gordon has made 7% of our supposed National Debt just disappear. That's 82 billion according to my calculations from the ONS website. This means that the figures quoted by Gordon Brown in parliament yesterday for a national debt percentage of 37.9% of GDP were entirely bogus. They are now at 43.4% of GDP. Of course Gordon has redefined debt now so he can use some "doublespeak" to make it sound good.

Gordon has basically hidden the debt. It's like me saying I have no debts, oh, apart from my mortgage which doesn't count as it's really an asset. The problem with this is that I have to pay it off which of course leaves me less money to deal with my other spending.

Now of course Gordon and Alistair Darling think they can spend, spend spend in an orgy of Keynesian economic theory to sort out their earlier problems. Of course these problem are not of their own making, they are the devil's spawn sent from America to destroy us.

Of course the figures shown above are entirely bogus as described below. Gordon, who wants banks to be transparent, has hidden away much of the true national debt. His creative accounting with the public pensions and PFI has left true debt at a level vastly above that which he purports is within EEC guidelines. The true figure may be as much as 1,854 billion, 3 times as much as Gordon wants to admit and makes our National Debt over 120% of GDP, a truly remarkable figure, which eclipses that of even Italy. These figure were calculated by Conservative MP, Brooks Newmark, he

says the true level of government borrowing is much higher. He calculates – including the cost of projects financed through the PFI, unfunded public sector pension liabilities, the debt incurred by Network Rail and the recent nationalisation of Bradford and Bingley – the true figure is at £1,854 billion – three times greater than the official figures, equivalent to 126.9 per cent of GDP, or £75,984 for every household in the country. "The true figures for government debt are the result of this government's loose fiscal policies and excessive spending,"

Writing in the Guardian Brooks has the following to say

The British government often congratulates itself on its efforts to keep public finances on a stable and sustainable level. Yesterday Gordon Brown even claimed:

"Debt is considerably lower than a decade ago".

However, Britain's public debt is actually £1,866 billion, equivalent to 125.5% of GDP, nearly three times larger than the government's published figure of £645 billion and 43.4% of GDP. This measures out as a debt of £76,475 per British household.
While figures recently released on the scale of the government's public spending bonanza point to government borrowing leaping to a record £8.1 billion in September, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Opaque off-balance sheet measures have, until
revealed in The Price of Irresponsibility published by the Centre for Policy Studies, kept hidden the full cost of projects financed through the Private Finance Initiative, the extent of unfunded public sector pension liabilities, the debt incurred by Network Rail and the recent nationalisation of Bradford &Bingley. Yet, the figure may be much worse. While the exact impact on the public finances of the government's recent bail-out of the banking sector is as yet unknown, it could imply an addition of as much as £500 billion to the balance sheet. This would increase public debt to a massive £2,366 billion, which is 159.1% of GDP, or over £96,967 per British household.

I just wish I could make my mortgage disappear like Gordon does.

Making Northern Rock disappear Coffee House

Labour's dodgy biil to save their Marginal MP's

Not content with the way the set up of constituencies already massively helps them win a majority and still poll less than the Conservatives, they are now trying to stop Political Parties from spending money in constituencies before an election is called. This is despite the fact that standing MP's can spend up 40,000 pounds a year "communicating" with their electors.

Jack Straw is obviously wanting to get this bill passed as soon as possible so that it hampers other political parties before the next General Election

Tories Claim General Election Spending Rules Fix

The Big Brother database and the DPP

Hard on the heels of stories about the Giant databases and the censorship of the internet we now have the Director of Public Prosecutions, Sir Ken Macdonald, publicly telling the current Labour Government not to

"break the back of freedom"

by creating irreversible powers that could be misused to spy on individual citizens and so threaten Britain's hard-won democracy. Sir Ken, who steps down next month as DPP, continued

"We need to take very great care not to fall into a way of life in which freedom's back is broken by the relentless pressure of a security state.

"Technology gives the state enormous powers of access to knowledge and information about each of us, and the ability to collect and store it at will. Of course, modern technology is of critical importance to the struggle against serious crime. Used wisely, it can protect us."

But he added that "we need to understand that it is in the nature of state power that decisions taken in the next few months and years about how the state may use these powers, and to what extent, are likely to be irreversible. They will be with us forever. And they, in turn, will be built upon. So we should take very great care to imagine the world we are creating before we build it. We might end up living with something we can't bear".

The most important point of this speech is the fact that these type of plans are irreversible. Once they are in place they just never go away and are almost always built upon to take away more freedoms and allow us less privacy in our normal lives.

This is from the Government who has publicly said that not supporting 42 days allows terrorists to kill members of the public. The implied threat is that they know best and can do no wrong.

This is the true "crimespeak" of 1984 arriving in 2008.

Big Brother database threatens to 'break the back of freedom' - UK Politics, UK - The Independent

Doublethink and Crimethink Time has arrived

Read this I will add more later.

According to Andy Burnham, the introduction of a ratings system for internet content would not be "over-burdensome". We have asked the Ministry of Truth (aka Department for Culture, Media and Sport) on several occasions how such a system might work and how its Minister’s view that such regulation would be easy to implement could be squared with general consensus that it would be unworkable. Or, as one expert put it: "bonkers". We asked again last week.

The Ministry did not feel they could elucidate further. A spokesperson explained that as the UK Council for Child Safety on the Internet had only just been set up, and would be making recommendations about regulating the internet in due course, "it wouldn't be helpful or appropriate for us to speculate about what those recommendations might be".

Also have a look at this article in the Guardian

UK.gov says: Regulate the internet • The Register

Mandy rumours Continue.

Gordon may yet live to regret the re-re-appointment of Mandy. The rumours continue that he was hitting the gravy train hard whilst he was EU Trade Commisar. There are now allegations of at least 3 separate relationships that may not be quite right. Time will tell, but with the history of Mandy's previous ministerial positions it's not looking good.

Storm over Mandy's freebie yacht cruise with shoe tycoon Mail Online