Scientology and Fib Dems: Both Churches of the Poisoned Mind?

W Ming Campbell (left) and L Ron Hubbard (right); are they by any chance related?

The Daily Mail has discovered at last that both Tories and Labour allowed Conference stalls from the Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE) which is in fact a thin front for L Ron Hubbard's Church of the Poisoned Mind.

The crazy cultists at UKIP think that's great though they mention only the Tories. For as we all know and the Tories say so frequently UKIP are simply a Labour-Party Front. Willing the Cameroonies to lose their stuffed but nicely tailored shirts. But Mad Chad and the other UKIPers can deal with this ridiculous smear themselves.

Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker said:
"Scientology is a dubious cult at best and it's worrying that it seems to have infiltrated both Labour and the Tories in this way. It only goes to show that some politicians are prepared to take money from anyone. Given Scientology's record of spin it is no surprise that they have links to this Labour Government."

Ouch! Especially considering this is from the fibbers party who took millions of money which hadn't even been laundered properly from a gnomic chancer based in Switzerland, not operating in the UK, and who has subsequently been enjoying legal attention.

Norman Baker is of course smarting that "ABLE" did not darken their door and ask for a stall at their Blackpool Chamber of Waxwork Horrors. My guess is that the science-fiction cultists saw the Lib Dems coming:
* exploiting weak people
* undermining their confidence
* then building it up again
* letting them distribute dodgy leaflets
* make ridiculous assertions
* even become a paid representative
* and be able as millionairess Lynne Featherstone once remarked to finally get off the dole and afford a cleaner

Some of these deluded ones could even become "Opposition Front Bench Spokesperson", as the third party's number four in transport calls himself.

The Scientologists simply recognised that the sandally Libdemologists had already bought into a freakish cult. Albeit an un-science fiction cult.

INSIGHT: Bumped into one of the ABLE ones at their stall at LP Conference in Manchester. Told him no I didn't want his creepy "kids charity" leaflets. The creepy scientologist then followed me for 100 yards protesting and demanding I explain. And I certainly did! But I thought there were probably better things to complain about at our conference.

MORE INSIGHT: Once upon a time I was campaigning in City Centre Manchester and went to take some "before" snaps with our team of a small gardens on Artillery Lane which had accumulated much dreck over previous years. Including plastic surgery client lists from dodgy clinics, fliers from dodgy bars, and detritus from rough sleepers and other clandestine users. The Lib Dem incumbents had not lifted a finger. Even though one of them - a barrister who only made half his committee meetings and put in only one in five reports before he ran away - drove by this mess every working day.

To cut a long story short when we got there the scientologists from the pictured "church" were out in force with a Landrover with trailer, a white van, and an industrial power washer. Moral of this story - Lib Dems and Scientologists are both dodgy fiction cults. Scientologists get things done.

Bangladesh Emergency: Update

Rupa Huq writes a comment: "Was it not George Harrison who rhymed the words "Bangladesh" and "terrible mess" or somesuch? It was being used on heavy rotation on a tv ad by a mobile phone network when I was over there. Prophetic words?" Possibly. Though the BBC are reporting that things have improved greatly following state of emergency and unpopular (with journalists) clamp down on their incendiary commentary.

Guido Fawkes: Friday Caption Competition

Join in here if you're not afraid of expulsion or barbed wire flaggelation but HERE at sarky central if you're a scaredy cat like these two.

Bangladesh Emergency: Rupa Huq on Calm Before Storm and BBC Latest

The political fun and relative calm, barring a few rogue sacrificial cows recounted by Rupa Huq just recently has gone a bit pear-shaped in the last 24 hours.

Here's the latest (80 minutes ago) from the BBC.

This follows two pieces yesterday on the Poll Emergency (18 hours ago) which was Foretold (also from BBC 18 hours ago).

There is a useful Bangladesh 101 BBC timeline posted HERE

John McDonnell: MySpace Light Under Bushel?

[rhetorical]
John McDonnell has a myspace presence.

Been there for a while in fact.

He seems to have some crazy friends on there but there's no need to hold that against him.

Policies that John is FOR include:

Withdrawal of British troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The end to privatisation of public services.

A Real Living Minimum Wage of at least £7 an hour.

A green energy policy based on renewable power sources.

An increase in Basic State Pension from £84.25 to £114 a week.

Defence of comprehensive education and abolition of tuition fees.

The restoration of trade union rights and civil liberties.

Though virgins sneer and harlots cheer ... there isn't anything in this policy platform which isn't shared by a good number of Labour Party members, by supporters and by bemused and unrepresented voters.

There is probably nothing unelectable about this programme. It could be a vote winner in the right hands. If the party feels the need to trim the sails a little there will be a restored means to do that. It will not be a case of "my way or the highway".

It is perhaps the kind of programme that Labour would be looking at if it had been Tories who had been:

* propping up runaway and dangerous US Imperialism;
* marketising and privatising our public services;
* fiddling while the planet burned;
* providing means-tested top-up not earnings-linked workers' dividend;
* offering some hollow "choices" to parents;
and
* putting trade union rights and civil liberties on the back burner.
[/rhetorical]

It would be good to see John on the leadership ballot. I know Labour Party officials who want to see him there. And not so the left will be crushed.

But rather so that the party and the movement will get the debate we need. Let's have someone from the Compassite centre. And two or three from the government. So that whichever two or three people take up the Leader/PM, Deputy Leader and Deputy PM roles are accommodating the majority of our broad movement within their direction of travel and renewing the broad appeal Labour has to working people and to all those truly committed to peace, justice and above all equality.

The Parliamentary Labour Party, Commons division, has the numbers to nominate SEVEN for each contest. They should use those numbers to ensure that party renewal in power is a reality and not just managerial double-speak.

Politics Show Poll: They Think It's All Over

It is now. Watch the BBC Politics Show on Sunday for the results.

Baldrick: Leaked Memo, Comedy or Tragedy?

THIS could have been quite a funny satire. But it really is just a touch too close to the truth. Saw a junior minister doing the last trick in Baldrick's list on the day the war started at a meeting in Manchester. The fact this comic memo is unbearably close to reality is a tragedy.

But this is arguably the most decisive thing Compass have done yet.

Hat tip newerLabour.

Hazel Blears: Action Woman, energy like the early Margaret Thatcher?

Iain Dale did once seem to be quite a fan of Hazel Blears MP, recently compared as an 'action woman' to Baroness Thatcher. But Iain has alas been falling for all the spite and hype. Local people, their elected representatives, and government and Trust officials will decide in the end what should happen or not to maternity services at Hope Hospital. But meanwhile there's more to this story.

Early in 1997 Dr Greatorex was arguing, including providing a soundbite for BBC Panorama (quoted below) for concentration of services at one hospital at the expense of another.

But now, with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight, he is claiming that Hazel Blears MP did not act in 1998 on the merits of the case as they appeared to her. But many local people in both Salford and Trafford and my guess - though Dr G has said otherwise in a BBC Radio 5 interview yesterday - Beverley Hughes MP joined Hazel Blears in having the timerity to sincerely support a different proposal than Dr Greatorex's.

I honestly don't think that Beverley or Hazel had an inkling that saving local services then would lead to or be connected with any threat to local services now, nine years later.
Dr Greatorex is I believe the Dr IF Greatorex some of whose contributions to medicine are listed here and here including a much-referenced paper on the sex lives of students at the end of the nineteen eighties.

But just now he is coming across as a bit of a green-inker rather than the clear thinker he once was.


In 1997 he clearly wanted to remove a service from Trafford and concentrate it elsewhere to improve and preserve it. He is now opposed to a rather similar process. Hazel is on the same side as Ian on this one. Why can he not accept that instead of making unscientific and as far as I can see unsupported assertions of alleged conspiracies with Frank Dobson MP (who was and is generally against most closures) and of now trying to influence a Labour selection. By, er, doing what most diligent constituency MPs of any party would do.

There seems to be a kind of twisted reverse-NIMBY-ism going on - IMBY-OIB - In My Back Yard Or I Bleat, now coupled by Greatorex renouncing Blears for being OTSS (On The Same Side).

Perhaps I'm wrong but I'm beginning to think that Dr G was a better citizen when he was in a politically restricted post and couldn't so easily foam at the mouth in the media. The Manchester Evening News needless to say are chronically understaffed and can be gulls when it comes to hospital stories. They were unwittingly pulled into John Leech's cancer hoax in 2005 but almost immediately and with regular statements to that effect they have now thought better of that.

OOPS: after 'was' in line 2 of pull out quote insert 'saying was'.

Dizzy Thinks: on Parliamentary Questions

THIS doesn't need any comment from me. Though I might come back to the question of how many clumsy, ignorant and plain silly questions have not been answered because they are clumsy etc.

Parburypolitica on Blunkett: What Does HADAW Stand For?

Will Parbury has last evening owned up as a Sun reader and also exposed David Blunkett's enormous members' interests.

Ho ho ho, I'll leave the member-obsessed Tory Bloggers here and here to have some hilarious punny or possibly puny fun with that.

The register of members' interests however shows up to £200,000 on top of David's Westminster salaries and compensations flowing direct to our hero. It shows he is receiving some land rentier benefit from a second home in London. And a further sum of up to £390,000 flowing to HADAW Productions and Investments Limited. Of which David is a Director and Shareholder but from which he had not at the time of his last declaration drawn any remuneration.

But does HADAW already stand for something? "Get Rich Quick" or "Forget the Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire" don't seem to work. Can any reader suggest what the acronym or perhaps ancient Yorkie dialect banter may represent?

CAPTIONS: I understand why "Blunkett" and "Sun" could have turned up the top image at Google. And I can see the relevance of the laughter to "Blunkett" and "Cash". But I'm not sure why this peculiar weed showed up on the self same search.

Liam Fox: Stinketh at Both Nose and Tail

Foot-in-Mouth Liam Fox has been spotted by Guido calling for Poland and Hungary to be chucked out of NATO for not keeping their end up. Comments demonstrate the extremely low esteem in which this twister is held by his Tory colleagues. And as it goes Liam's ruling would see the cheese eating surrender monkeys of France kicked out too.

The commentary even suggests that Liam was a useless failure in being the Tory campaign poster boy supposed to discover the new Saatchi. He simply choked and spluttered when launching the above Tory poster he accused Labour of telling lies and was asked straight off the bat whether he had ever told any lies in his political career. Splutter, choke, blush, silence.

LoL researchers are still looking for the TV footage of that crowning moment in his career. Tips appreciated.

There may be a case that slipping from 11-2 close second favourite for the leadership to abject failure trumped the "lying Liam" moment.

According to his own side can't even hit a barn door with a football at five yards in his current defective defence role. He can't even claim to be getting any column inches like his disgracefully hypocritical Lib Dem opponent Willie Rennie. The man interested in both selling and banning cluster bombs.

Tony Benn: This is No Time for Complacency

Twenty hours are left now in the BBC Politics Show "Heroes" Poll. Tony Benn has again drawn away from Lady Thatcher but the 2% margin represents only about 400 votes, and you know what those tricky Tories can be like. They fiddle their own leader's Ask Dave/id feature. And Iain Dale had to restrict poll voters to one visit per IP even though Sky TV has complained that they have 5000 computers online and feel disenfranchised.

Don't forget to vote Benn, and tell your friends.

MAIN PICTURE: Labour Region wallahs are not paid enough. Observe the sleight of hand employed by one here to protect the identity and avoid the Mugabe moment for some pro-Benn conspiracists.

Last Straw: More Snouts in the Trough?

Dizzy reports that Jack Straw is musing about providing extra expenses under "communication" for MPs - for blogs perhaps? - just as the authorities are expressing alarm at the inconsistencies in existing claims. Also covered by Guido here.

In Aberdeen meanwhile Lib Dems are going to gigs and ligs on the taxpayer and shamelessly stuffing their fat fibbing faces. A rosy cheeked Lib Dem spokesman, without a hint of irony but with more than a hint of free hospitality said: "We go along to see how the place is running - not to munch our way through as much as we can". He shows no signs of malnourishment however.

People in Ecuador seem to have a rather robust recipe (above) for those with their snouts found persistently in the trough. Carpeting is insufficient. They give them a throughgoing roasting that's what.

Manchester residents were pretty amazed at the expenses bill swilled up by the hoaxer Lib Dem Cllr John Leech MP. Already reported to the electoral commission over ridiculous understated expenses in 2005 - with commentators claiming 11 leaflets in one week vs Labour's legal (but as it turned out foolish) one - and under continual criticism for still trousering all his Councillor cash Leech should be at the front of the queue when the roastings are being organised.

Luke Akehurst: Yet More Sectarian Bile

Our Hackneyed bullwhip Luke Akehurst spilled some vile bile here. Sectarian in a truly side splitting way. Jeering at well intentioned and hard working people in many reaches of the Labour Party that are beyond this LA's limited wit and wisdom - who deliver leaflets, staff 'phone banks and campaign endlessly too - rather than building unity seems at times to be the watchword of Luke's careerist tossery.

If Luke comes knocking on your constituency door seeking candidacy do consider that if he evers gets into the Commons he will be lining up to join other careerist tossers who so shamefully ganged up on our great leader just ahead of conference. You would not catch the Labour left in such petulant outbursts.

Luke's Hackney comrade Nargis Khan has come knocking in respect of Manchester Withington and if she wants my support she'll have to provide with some tasty and bloggable Luke Akehurst anecdotes.

My reply to Luke is repeated here with a few links added to it:

The danger is of course that pandering to certain voters - which expert psepholgists like our hero Luke have identified before ... you know white van man, semi-skilled man, skilled-artisan-man, Daily Mail mum etc etc - well that this can seriously piss off core voters who find that their tribal loyalty to Labour is stretched and broken.

Whether this is the urban intelligensia derided by Blair in Manchester Withington who stuck in a serial fibber instead of a loyalist ex-whiphand, the BEM communities of Bethnal Green and Bow who stuck in a trotty stalinist communalist indisciplined gobshite instead of a Blair ultra, or exactly this target group who are falling for the BNP's charms (including ex-LP member Richard Barnbrook) in the adorable Margaret Hodge and the acceptable Jon Cruddas' backyards.

Sometimes it does feel that all this triangulation is actually a guerilla war against our own supporters. That apart from shards of good (OL) stuff like the minimum wage New Labour is involved in fierce hand to hand fighting. Clearing this street of public sector workers, the next of BEM communities who have supported Labour for generations, and yes OK this one of the urban intelligensia.

We're driving socialist-orientated people to vote Lib Dem for goodness sake, joining the anyone-but-Labour Tory tacticals.

The great danger is of catastrophic collapse in some of our "safe" seats as the party continues to be hollowed out, as we lose councillors who are important activists and funders of local activity, and the 'sleeper' part of the membership too.

Anyway, last point. Luke's persistent jeering at any part of this party that disagrees with him, ever gets something wrong, is focussed on a single issue - in this case LP democracy (not PR) is wearing and ridiculously sectarian. Get off your high horse young man. Relax a little. 'Smile knowingly' and work together to beat Tories and Fibbers instead of 'Bile flowingly' with the aim presumably of purifying the party into one in your own likeness.

Picture above shows Hackney residents calling for Luke Akehurst and others to resign over sectarianism and cuts in services. Battling bullwhip Luke (right) designed these with his mates following careful socio-economic analysis, to win votes from white van man, or men in white coats. Something like that anyway.

UPDATE: Luke has now replied to my comment with some self-righteousness and further sectarian pomposity. Check out the debate here.

MORE UPDATE: Luke tells me that the photo must be at least five years old as Hackney Labour have seen growth budgets ever since and he's right so I'm happy to add this footnote. I looked for a replacement photo of Luke out campaigning, attending a pro war demo, or such like but could find nothing so I'm leaving it.

Black Triangle: Gordon Brown announces his genocide plans

Alert readers may have noticed that I've added quite a number of links over recent days. One was to Black Triangle. This was not for their Eustonite tendancy but for their excellent quackery stories. This one is about how unreasonable people here have accused our compassionate Chancellor of plotting genocide when he seeks among other things to spread the evils of vaccination into Africa.

Quite a departure from JABS more reasonable statement of 1995:
JABS, as a self-help group, neither recommends nor advises against vaccinations but we aim to promote awareness and understanding about immunisations and offer basic support to any parent whose child has a health problem after vaccination.

The War Crimes Trial of Tony Blair here previewed in his adopted local paper may soon be followed by the Genocide Trial of Gordon Brown.

Silly Liar: Keith Waterhouse is Unwell

Pictured right a mere eight sheets to the wind Keith Waterhouse has written a seriously sub standard sub column sub deriding bloggers ... apart that is for his accolades for those Baghdad snuff movie makers.
Someone in The Daily Mail's sub-editing team has got it in for him anyway to judge from this twelve sheets to the wind picture with which they head his daft column. A sad case of Keith - Le Menteur.

Hat tip to Iain Dale's Diary: No Fool Like an Old Fool

The Lunatics are Bombing the Asylum

A BBC report here describes at least two airborne attacks on Somalia from US A-130 Hercules gunships like the one above in shock and awe peace keeping TWAT mode before turning and disappearing happily into this beautiful sunset. With the world a safer place naturally.

Somalia's interim President Abdullahi Yusuf who is a 70 year old jailbird and warlord, presumably auditioning for a more permanent arrangement with the White House, backed the US action:
"The US has a right to bombard terrorist suspects who attacked its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania," (LoL emphasis) he claimed as he helped George W Bush push the dreary manila envelope of international law. Warlord Yusuf was speaking in Mogadishu, a day after entering the city for the first time since the Islamists withdrew.

The BBC states that more than 250 people died in the 1998 attacks in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, for which al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility. And that the US holds the same cell responsible for attacks on an Israeli aircraft and an Israeli-owned hotel in Kenya in 2002, in which 15 people died. There is a lovely video of these same aircraft blowing up some hills in Afghanistan. Presumably loaded with Patriot Missiles, Bunker Busters and Cluster Bombs made by anti-weapons campaigner Lib Dem Willie Rennie MP's friends at Raytheon, a corporation which in Willie's own words "enyoys such a good reputation in Fife and farther afield".

There are many reports of deaths of women and young children and other non combatants. The picture above right, which proved a little elusive at first, shows the interim President Yusuf in 2005 in a mutual Mugabe moment with a very interesting well-connected and legally-experienced fellow from the US of A. Celebrating a multi-million franchise deal. At least one of them was due to get rich as a result. More anon.

Leo Sayer: Have a Word with Yourself

Dear Leo hasn't been having the best time in the Big Brother house and during a series of tantrums today he grossed out the former Miss GB (sacked for allegedly bedding Ted the judge) by confiding in his housemates that he was craving his habitual Turning Japanese.

He needs to have a word with himself like this perhaps:

When I need love
I hold out my hands and I touch love
I never knew there was so much love
Keeping me warm night and day

Leo certainly shouldn't join nonentity Donny and dirty old man Ken in going over the wall. He needs to realise that he must let the show go on:

Baby, I wish you'd help me escape
And help me get away
Leave me outside my address
Far away from this masquerade
I've been so blind, oh yes, I've been so blind
Wasted my time, wasted so much time
Walking on the wire, high wire, yeah
But I must let the show go on

At least none of this was as gross as "Doctor" Gillian McKeith playfully poking putrid poo. Something she does instead of having a proper catch phrase. I swear that if she didn't have that PhD I wouldn't believe half of what she says. Leo should lay off the quack "Horny" though, just in case it drives him to show Big Brother his dick, as he offered today. Yes, I know, Leo Sayer. Who'd have thought it?

We Can Be Heroes: Just For One Day

Many years ago. Way before global warming. When some indeed were fearing a catastrophic cooling. In 1978. I travelled from Manchester to Newcastle to see David Bowie in concert at the City Hall. With my neighbour 'Pete' who always claimed his middle name was 'Himmler', who loved to shoot guns, revelled in NF marches in Hyde, was a Tory and worse, obviously had a different empathy in the sectarian dispute in Northern Ireland, and was, as you may have guessed, a major Dave/id Bowie freak.

The journey was OK. The concert just about average, the hall way too light, the seats too stationary, the whole just like the vinyl - even though Iggy not Ziggy played guitar. And I did get the Tee shirt. But best bit was rolling beer barrels through DEEP SNOW to above average party. One invitee is now a long time Newcastle Labour councillor. Another was a ridiculous professional Tory agent. But no fibby Lib Dems on the scene then at all. We all knew where we stood. Mostly in the kitchen nursing the barrels. Hurrah!

The Denis O'Regan exhibition - from which the top image of that very concert in Newcastle is taken via the BBC - can be seen at The Proud Gallery, Camden, London until 4 March.

Happy 60th Birthday Dave/id Bowie you rather old and at times magnificent tosser.

All The Heroes: Politics Show Poll

Things remain incredibly tight
here. You can view a little politics show medley or cast your vote for Tony Benn immediately. And that includes you Luke Akehurst. Unless you've already wasted yours on your secret hero Maggie? IP addresses will be checked by the Trots at the BBC and you will be outed! The show returns 14th January. Voting ends Thursday 11th January at 12:00 GMT.
The chart (right) is from a few days ago. Maggie is now breathing hotly, passionately, unpleasantly down red Tony's neck. It's a two horse race! Every vote counts! You decide! Blah blah blah.

BBC Vowels: RC Bishop of Walsall Safe After All

Worry not. It was the Bishop of Warsaw Stanislaw Wielgus that had to walk as a former, if reluctant, commie spy. His hasty resignation was paradoxically accepted by Pope Bennie the former, if reluctant, Hitler Youther. The Bishop of Walsall is not Polish, not a spy, not a former Stalinist, not a goner, and he is not even a Roman Catholic; or an Anglican. The RCs have an Archbishop in Birmingham seen here paying homage to Pope Ben. Walsall falls in the C of E Diocese of Lichfield though they do have a new Walsall Canon. The nearest LoL can find on the RC side to a Bishop of Walsall is Bishop Kevin Dunn (pictured) who now runs the numbers in Hexham and Newcastle for the Pope ... but he did have a gig once as Priest at St Patrick's in Walsall.

No Time Left: Says Skipper

Considering but contradicting Mr Taylor's piece in this week's Observer Skipper reckons there's: "No Time Left for Blair to leave the Stage to Applause". And also that the above picture is the perfect political snap.

The comments so far go like this:
Parburypolitica said: There is some woolly thinking going on. Blair sorting out the middle east in 6 months, when the problems have been going on for decades never mind the fact that the UK is hardly the most influential player in the game. Get real. It's such a shame that they always cling on too long even the brilliant ones.

Skipper responded:
And Blair has been brilliant, I have to allow. He's like an outstanding sportsman who just somehow can't score the runs or can't deliver those key passes to score the goals.

Your host responded: He's scored lots of runs and laid on plenty of goals, but let's face it - often for the wrong side(s). If Blair had been under the direction of the party at large and done all his tricks FOR THE PEOPLE then we'd be looking at a great hero and he probably wouldn't have to go. He's a class act. He could have been looking to 25 years like some Swedish PM/Leader instead of his miserable (but record breaking) 10.

There have been three main myths :
1. It had to be Blair in 97
2. It had to be that sold out Tory programme
3. It had to continue like that in 01 and 05

Other leaders could have achieved three or four wins given the state of the nation in 79 to 97 - with deliberate unselfishness/equality as the message.

PS: Blair could still make a difference on the Middle East - perhaps by denouncing the USA support for the right-most zionist views (while supporting the idea of a just and peaceful Israel) in his parting words.

Meaningless Polls: A Corker from UKIP

Had to tell one or two porkies here to avoid being mis-categorised in this nonsensical quiz from a born again Christian, UKIP-er, chessman and lifelong Sheffield Resident Jonathan with an "eh?'. There was a thing from They Work For You in 2005 as I recall which tended nonsensically to recommend a Lib Dem (aka Yellow tory) vote for Labour lefties in 2005.

Go on, give it a try! And don't fib too much will you? The boy has a Masters in Maths but to be honest he would fail 11-plus honest pollstering.

Magnus Magnusson: 77 Years and Just One Pass

Iain Dale's Diary brings this dispatch, quickly followed here.

In Valhalla's battle of ideas Let's hope his chair is deepest red.

Rainbow Defections: So Last Year but Tartan Set Set to Join In?

Defective Lib Dem PPCs were everywhere with three of seven gained by the Tories given jolly good references here.

Iain Dale's predictions suggested some Lab>>Con treachery with just one name in the frame.

Respect got in on the act enticing a reliable recruit who already had Labour and the Lib Dems to his name and may now be asked to vote Tory along with the other Trots. And who knows? Perhaps also send comradely messages of solidarity to the emerging Tory-Trot alliance in Tower Hamlets. You heard it here first.

There was of course a brilliant Manchester gain from the Lib Dems to Labour adding to their pain on losing four at the ballots. But in this case it was their bullied £23,000 benefactor. Leader Simon Ashley should have jumped then. Now sadly he'll have to be pushed.

Today in Scotland The Sunday Herald don't seem altogether downhearted that a lifelong Union-minded Labourite Westminster MP is dallying with rampant SNP-ery.

Three or four years ago I gave a gimmick of a political Chameleon to Labour up here. They laughed and said it was too daft. But didn't take long to come up with it again themselves, targeting Dave/id rather than the Lib Dems with the twist in their tales, their slippery tongues, and their yellow bellied chameleon politics. Now they'll have to add a tartan dimension to the meme. Though of course Dave/id has already changed back and forth once or twice on the devolution question.

Hats off to Dave's Part for the SP on the Herald.

Daily Mail Online: Rotten Hypenation and Rotten Libel with "Lord Levy's Call-Girl"

Hat tip to Guido for this Daily Mail web mistake which meant to sully the deceased Tory Lord Lambton's reputation rather than creating business for libel lawyers Suet, Stake and Kid-ney*:


As in "Bill Kenwright but Walt Dis-ney" ...

Shock Horror: Telegraph/Spectator Writer "May Vote Tory Before 40th Birthday"

ASTONISHING really that New Labour is just now driving latterly socialist Telegraph/Spectator writers to the right, like this. Expecting to vote Tory before they are even 40 years of age.

These cuddly suburban folk are the very people - labelled unsophisticated but self-serving middle classes - that John Reid is here urging the new, future leader of the Labour Party (which might it seems not be himself) to keep on board. Keep on board that is by staying strictly "New Labour" as defined by John Reid - and his slightly weedy disciple Tony Blair.

My own preference of course would be for Labour to regain the support of working people across the board with unselfish ideals of solidarity, equality, fairness, public service, peace, safety and justice.

Coupled with economic competence. It has sometimes felt recently like hand-to-hand fighting; New Labour clearing our natural supporters street by street, acting against workers' interests.
Telegraph/Spectator folk are now allegedly drifting leftwards to DD's brand of liberalism.

Blair's Ugly Rumours: Peace Benefit Recording Flop?

The LoL story here reckoned the Respect folks would triumph with their record download and certainly make top ten with the Ugly Rumours cover version of War which was once and still remains in good company a guaranteed floor filler from Edwin Starr. But, alas, at the time of writing the recording was not yet in the top 100. It has to be said that the Respect target of 30,000 downloads is all very well, but charting top 10 is still possible with a few hundred physical sales in the right shops.

POSSIBLE STRATEGY: Go back to the story here and download a few copies for next week's chart? Or press 1000 CDs and stick them in the right shops - and buy them back quick as you like in the old capitaliste styl-ee.