Facebook Exodus: Ming Goes Quietly, Julia Pouts

(Will be adding links and illustrations on this one tomorrow)

Twelve hours after news broke of MEP Sajjad Karim's defection from the Lib Dems to the Tories one or two of Saj's Facebook friends had shipped out. About twenty or thirty of them in all in fact. He was then down to 106.

W Menzies Campbell was among the first to go and left characteristically,
without making a sound.

Treasury Mimicster Julia Goldsworthy left even more sharply and could not resist a very catty public remark:

"Very disappointed to see you defect Saj. Wonder if it had anything to do with the fact that you didn't make it to the top of the Euro list. Shame Today* didn't ask that question ..."(*i.e. the Today programme)

Goldsworthy was referring to the fact that Sajjad Karim had lost out to
the controversial Chris Davies MEP in the North West Lib Dems ranking exercise.

This has become the favoured way to spin the thing among the Lib Dems. Davies got more than 60%, Karim under 25%, and the also rans shared scarcely 15% between them.

As second in the LD list and ninth of nine last time, albeit not too far behind the Tory in eighth; and with the number of NW MEP seats dropping to eight in 2008 - Sajjad simply didn't fancy his chances. Says the Lib Dem spin.

Another Tory MEP was retiring, potentially offering a safer slot. Although the calculations may be quite different with UKIP and BNP fading - potentially in the context of a combined General and European Election in June 2009.

But naturally this whole business is not as simple as Lib Dem commentators are trying to make it. Mr Karim had been badly affected by a Lib Dem ruling that recent party
recruits could not vote whereas for the Leadership election they have been allowed to vote, and in normal selections they can often even join on the door of the selection meeting.

If the proportions I've been given (as mentioned above) are correct Sajjad would have needed two thousand new "friends and family" members to bring the ranking poll round his way. But although this would be a huge uplift in membership - converting strong supporters to card carrying members - it would be nothing compared to the recruitment of votes that Sajjad Karim had been responsible for in 2004.

What's largely, nay completely missing from the comments at Lib Dem Voice and elsewhere among the Lib Dem bloggerati is any appreciation whatsoever of the ruthless communalism with which Sajjad Karim was boosted by Chris Davies and your party machine. Absolutely transparent and absolutely unacceptable.

On the question of recruiting to assist in selection and re-selection this is of course something that goes on in all parties to some extent. "Hilariously" there were people 'phone canvassed in Bethnal Green and Bow's Labour selection - AFTER almost half the members had been removed from the list - and they scarcely understood that they were party members.

But at least Labour have generally had a qualification period of 12 or (now) six months for voting in selections. We did vary that for the Deputy Leadership contest in the hope of recruiting on the back of it. Which worked to an extent. Lib Dems have done this to an extent for their leadership contest I believe?

Anyway, despite all the protesting too much over at Lib Dem Voice and elsewhere, there was a recent example of Lib Dems doing the last minute recruitment of friends and family in Manchester.

This was in the ousting of the long term councillor Simon Wheale to make way for ex-councillor Mark Clayton who had been tonked in the eponymous Clayton Ward in the all out in 2004. He is actually on the NW list we're talking about. With about 30 first preference votes.

A very large number of people joined "on the door" or in the previous 48 hours for that particular selection and they all voted for Clayton. And although Clayton is not Asian or Muslim these recruits were it seems largely if not entirely from such communities. And we're told sponsored in joining by a friend and possibly business associate of the candidate.

Perhaps someone could describe the timetable by which the rule on length of membership was introduced in this case? Perhaps Sajjad Karim could let us know how many members he had recently recruited? And if the decision or ruling was retrospective and a change from the norm how that could possibly be justified?

*******

TRUE BLUE: Sajjad's dad was a former Pendle councillor - for the Conservatives - and Saj himself was an active Young Conservative before opportunistically turning yellow. Now he has opportunistically turned blue again.

BUT BACK to FACEBOOK: who's left among the defector's facebook friends? Other MP friends who have yet to leave include:

Leadership hopeful Chris Huhne, Lembit Opik and David Laws, Willie Rennie, Paul Rowen, Jo Swinson and Sarah Teather, lefty Steve Webb and let us not forget poor Phil Willis who only became facebook friends with Saj on Friday 23 November.

INCIDENTALLY: Sajjad is still one of more than 2000 members of the famous facebook group: Am I the only person who doesn't like David Cameron? SAJJAD'S PROFILE: is still in the public domain.

And although SAJJAD'S EPONYMOUS WEBSITE HAS BEEN CLOSED DOWN for the time being. But his blog is still there.

Ms. Magazine: Once in Two Decades Opportunity

You have just one more day to contribute $20/£10 and be immortalised in print. $20 by the end of tomorrow USA-time and you will be listed in a special "This is What a Feminist Looks Like" supplement to Ms.

Ms is the journal of the Feminist Majority Foundation - working for women's equality these 20 years.

Source of excellent information ... and merchandise. The above banner links to the Fawcett Society's Women's No Pay Day information. On average, compared to male equivalents, women work for free from 30th October every year.

Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson: A Slap Not a Punch

Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson is one of a number of celebrities declaring "this is what a feminist looks like". There is an index for this Fawcett Society initiative here. They allowed a few feminist men a look in too. Which was kind considering the overall pattern of salary and other discrimination which persists (next post).

Dame Tanni was our guest of honour at the 75th Anniversary Dinner of the XXI Club here in Manchester a couple of weeks ago, giving an entertaining and very inspiring after dinner speech. Highly recommended if you get a chance to meet her or hear her speak.

But did you know TGT originally wanted to be a paralympic basketball player? But alas she was fouled off for punching an opponent. That was within a minute of starting her first competitive game!

And this was in fact a travesty. "THAT. WAS. NOT. A. PUNCH." she told the referee "My hand was open. THAT. WAS. A. SLAP." But they would not relent.

She could not, she says, catch, pass or shoot. But basketball's loss was athletics' gain. And the rest is paralympic history.

Miranda Grell: Labour Party Withdraw £ Support?

The Independent's Pandora diary has a sex and sausages theme to it today. Not perhaps as amusing as this story from Deutsche World.

Arsenal fans may not be as forgiving of Chris Langham's criminal convictions as luvvies, Guns N' Roses louche guitar hero Slash is bored of bog standard London strippers and yearns for Brazilian professionals, Toby Jug Lib Dem MP Roger Williams has had quite enough sausage thank you, and what's this? Under the tag "Fees trapeze" Pandora has a far more serious if not out-of-place and totally incongruous report:

Having taken flak for bankrolling the legal appeal of Miranda Grell, the "rising star" black Labour councillor convicted of making false paedophilia slurs against a gay rival, party chiefs have abruptly washed their hands at the 11th hour.

With the appeal by Grell, 29, due to be heard in court today, Labour told Pandora yesterday that the party was backing her case to the tune of £30,000 – only to perform an embarrassing volte-face 41 minutes later.

"Following legal advice in the last few days, the Labour Party today withdrew its support for Miranda Grell's appeal," said a flustered spokeswoman, admitting that Grell had benefited from party dosh "up until this point".

I have absolutely no idea why this may be. Being even shorter of money than usual due to some returned cheques might be a factor. Or new evidence. Or tactical differences.

But if you know please don't hesitate to let me know in complete confidence via the email address at the top of the blog.

The item concludes:

Says Peter Tatchell: "Labour is tough on racism and weak on homophobia."

Interesting stuff from a former victim of Lib Dem homophobia - whose exponent sits towards the head of the party and who is a proven liar and hypocrite.

And this is just a couple of days after the Lib Dems carelessly lost their one and only BME parliamentarian, MEP Sajjad Karim. His supporters apparently being prevented from voting in the ranking ballot so very recently. And his success having been obtained on the back of a communalist campaign.

Councillor Grell's appeal hearing was expected to last a couple of days.

Hat tip: Comment at LDV.

Sajjad Karim MEP: Goes Home to the Tories IV

Further to yesterday's revelation that the Lib Dems had torn down Sajjad Karim's website it looks like it may have changed hands again like some Civil War Battlefield. Simple as 1-2-3. Sajjad's former webmaster Dave Smithson seems to be among those losing jobs following the treachery and mischief which has been going on in both directions.

NE Developer: Gets Planning Consent Shock

Guido is running with a delicious so-called but actually very much ripped-off "exclusive" about the Watt-gate property developer getting some planning permissions for developments. This is surely a turn up for the books. A property developer seeking and getting planning consent? You're having a laugh aren't you? Well aren't you?

Sadly for Mr GuF it is more than likely to emerge that property developers who support all parties and none have received planning permissions and departmental decisions over the last decade. And in the story he so stealthily nicked from SKY it was already clear that Durham Libdemologists and local Highways Agency Civil Servants made the decisions concerned. The picture shows their leader Cllr Fraser Reynolds posing with Fiona Hall MEP as they drive such things through without red tape.

But we will of course have to wait and see. As I said in my comment at GuF's - after several mentions in Touretty dispatches from Mr GuF's manic suck poppets - Tesco really should donate more.

Every little helps. You wouldn't want Sainsbury's to get the concession for the convenience store at Abraham's Business Parc now would you?

This by the way is a joke.

BY THE BY: SKY - who actually broke Mr GuF's "Exclusive", not him - appear to be criticising Hilary Benn MP for NOT accepting a donation from Abrahams via a third party.

Suggesting that, because he followed the correct procedure he must have known about everything else ..?.. Even for the vendetta-hounds in Mad Ad Boulton's team that is an extraordinary piece of gibberish!

At least though they factually reported that Durham City Council Lib Dems and not the Labour goverment gave the planning consent. And that the Highways Agency changed their view all by themselves. This was all about the capacity of the A1. the picture shows Alan Beith MP and Fiona Hall MEP sticking up for further A1-motorway-isation.

Of course if the Lib Dems who run that Council are also getting campaign donations from Abrahams that'd be a grand story.

Perhaps the Tories are too? Perhaps Abrahams has a pair of intermediary sock puppets of every political hue? And that's a BLOGSCLUSIVE speculation. You read it here first. And don't you forget that.

UPDATE: It emerged in the first few moments of the PM's Press Conference that his own leadership campaign was offered cash via Mrs Kidd. They refused. Hilary Benn also refused it after checking - until it was made direct. Harriet Harman meanwhile appears to have accepted £5,000 from this source ... and she's in charge of such matters.

Chorlton Tesco: Are Protestors Off their Trolleys?

The balloon is up. Stephen Newton has found Chorlton Tesco protestors' completely off their trolleys. I agree with him. If Tesco deal with the real planning issues, particularly potential traffic nuisance, they should be allowed to build and welcomed as a replacement for the evil Exxon/ESSO and as a double figures employer. Exxon/Tesco incidentally run a "24 hour" garage that isn't, and a non-union shop that is very poor indeed and with poor working conditions for lonely and penniless staff. Their saving grace is that they sell cow's milk, thick white sliced bread and Ginster's pies. Unlike their opponents. But don't worry convenience fans Tesco are also expected to stock these items.

Baroness Sylvie Krin: Is Jackie Ashley Now Spoofing Her?

Susan Press is a Councillor up Hebden way, a journalist and lecturer, and a no compromise Labour Party socialist. Despite all the harlots and traitors sneering and jeering this is of course a good thing to be.

Susan's latest post compares the Guardian's poor Jackie Ashley to the Private Eye sycophant Sylvie Krin, now of course Baroness Sylvie Krin of Toady Hall. Basically, while Jackie says we've yet to see Gordon Brown as he really is, i.e. better than he currently looks, Susan has yet to catch him doing anything right.

Susan also thinks that current woes all relate to Gordon's not, she says and she's right, having tended to the left in any meaningful way. But considering current pain the party is feeling nationally I don't see how it has the slightest thing to do with nuanced or even moderately dramatic moves to left or right.

That being my view I post a comment, and now add a couple of brackets' worth:

Dear Susan

It is incredibly hard to see how ANY of the things that are hurting Gordon at the moment are to do with recent left or right tendancies within the LP.

- Northern Rock? Probably not.
- Another Funder Fiasco? Nope.
- Electile Dysfunction? Nope.
- Data-gate? Not in the slightest.

These MANAGERIAL and TACTICAL and ACCIDENTAL (and EXTERNAL) things are putting him under pressure. (And probably we might add being his own HARSHEST CRITIC too.) Not L-R politics.

Discuss.

And that's not to say that Ashley, Toynbee and the rest of them don't chat fart half the time. At least half the time.

Best wishes
Chris P

Peter Watt: Party Secretary Takes the Rap and Goes

Don't suppose this'll be the end of it. But it may be the beginning of the end.

Mark Pack of the Liberal Democrats has posted a grab of an email (right, click to enlarge) that both he and Peter Watt were sent on 21 July 2007.

Watt's background is in nursing rather than public administration but the diagnosis is clear. He had to go.

Sajjad Karim MEP: Goes Home to the Tories III

Finally, those Libdemologists have pulled the plug on their traitor's website. Expect a long and winding dispute to now ensue over who wins the distinctive domain "Sajjadkarim.org.uk". Though since when were MEPs "orgs" exactly? It will take them a little longer to destroy the cache. Perhaps they should get free speech specialists Schillings involved for that exercise?

Meanwhile the self-appointed controversialist Chris Davies reports the poll gleefully and claims he's been hit the most in the region. Saj - who has been purged from any reference apart from the ranking result - is first in the queue to be next up at the hitting thing! (Editor notes: Google hits, it's Google hits, Davies is a self-publicist of the worst kind).

Let's hope the parliamentary staff are in a good union. And despite the teasing elsewhere I'm 100% serious about that.

UPDATE Tues 11:08 and strike through 20:37: I believe the staff at the link above are not affected but that leading Lib Dem organiser John Dave Smithson has been laid off. UPDATE: And other staff. And desks cleared stealthily. See comment. John Smithson is indeed a senior Lib Dem organiser with a facebook fan club.

Word Up: Attila for Karen at the Famous Embassy Club

Comrade Miles Barter has worded me up on a poetific happening at the North Manchester home of socialist poetry and song itself:

Attila the Stockbroker, punk rock poet and radical
songsmith plays Bernard Manning's old club in a
benefit for the Reinstate Karen Reissmann strike fund.

Sunday 2 December, doors open 7.30pm, Embassy Club,
Rochdale Road, Harpurhey, Manchester.

Admission on door £5 waged, £2 unwaged, free to strikers.
Please pass it on.

The picture is by Robina Baine and I do hope that she and Miles and Attila will forgive me for using it without permission. Oh, it's alright - a permit has come through, and for you all too.

Sunday Times Smear: Blair NOT Hayman Target

The Daily Mirror report today that the whole Sunday Times piece about Andy Hayman's expenses being probed is completely groundless and a smear. They agree with me however that Sir Ian Blair was the intended ultimate resting point for the smearage and not Mr Hayman as Iain Dale claimed excitedly. Never mind either one of his two fine upstanding Staff Officers. Dale was in effect using his post to smear Blair, again, and he should apologise. But he won't.

Naturally this means that Ian Bone's lurid so-called World Exclusive - nicked off Murdoch, though with added Tourettes - is also lying in tatters. LYING in tatters! True to form Bone has suppressed my comment on the story while leaving one poking fun at his ever so anarchistical moderating of comments. We like the Billy comment (right) and are very chuffed indeed that our witty intervention has forced the Class War freedom fighter to relax his Stalinist grip on our free speech.

Caption Competition: Karim's Notta Lotta Bottle?

Dr Rupa Huq has declared this Sajjad Karim photo this a caption contest. And what Rupa says goes. Chris is the cat that got the cream as Libdemologists change their usual rules of engagement to allow only established members to vote.

Previously babes in arms have been allowed to vote, along with a walk up crowd paying on the door of a selection meeting, and in ward selections you can even vote in a ward in which you don't live. Very liberal, but not all that democratic.

Sajjad Karim apparently had a whole load of new "friends and families" members lined up. We say what's good for the goose should be good for the gander. And we say that changing the rules AFTER the new guillotine applies but BEFORE it is announced is OUTRAGEOUS, possibly even DISCRIMINATORY.

Sajjad Karim MEP: Goes Home to the Tories II

There are some choice pieces of Cameron bashing from Karim reported over at LDV. His Lib Dem website appears to remain in Libdemologist control also. But his blogspot may be a different matter. This Ealing Southall gloating for starters:

After the Palace it was back to Ealing for some more last minute help and then to the count to witness a good result for us after only a
three week campaign but a very poor result for David Cameron and the Tories!!

And this one of which the last paragraph seems to have become and instant hot favourite with those LDV people:

The rise of, increasingly violent Homophobia in Europe -- and its neighbourhood -- is deeply worrying. It is high on the European Parliament's agenda following a crucial vote in April to condemn the rising phenomenon. Sadly, only one British Conservative MEP voted for the resolution, the rest present voting against or abstaining. This is in sharp contrast to Liberal Democrat MEPs , all of whom voted for the resolution. Sadly, that solitary Tory was not one of my North West colleagues.
With their failure to support a resolution condemning discriminatory remarks by political and religious leaders targeting homosexuals, the Tories have shown their true colours. Tory apathy in the face of rising homophobia should come as no surprise as, today, the Conservative camp is rife with contradiction.
Whilst Cameron attempts to paint a glossy image of a gay-friendly party in the UK, he is also desperately trying to get into bed, at European level, with Poland's openly homophobic 'Law and Justice' party. I just hope the British public see Chameleon Cameron for who he really is!!!

Sajjad Karim worked very hard indeed for the priority nomination from the North West Lib Dems. He threatened to walk when there was a ruling on the date of membership vs voting rights issue which he thought favoured Davies*. His supporters were out in their special livery at conference (above). He also posted an expensively produced DVD to every member ahead of the priority ballot.

* Greg Stone Says: November 26th, 2007 at 11:08 am
I understand Saj threatened to defect (to Independent, he claimed) a few months back, after the ruling on qualifying period before members can vote in selections was agreed. (Comment at LDV)

Sajjad Karim MEP: Goes Home to the Tories

Back in the good old days Sajjad Khan MEP and Chris Davies MEP enjoy a pint together. But there's no point in crying over spilt milk.

North West MEP Sajjad Karim has defected from the Lib Dems and "gone home' to the Conservatives. Sajjad's Wiki Page has already been updated to this effect, about three hours after the news broke on BBC Radio Four's Today programme (listen Again link, probably the 6:30-7 section).

Sajjad's father was a Conservative Councillor, and possibly mayor, of Pendle where his son also began his political life.

During the 2004 campaign the NW Liberal Democrats pimped Karim in a thoroughly irresponsible and communalist way. Not in so many words, in writing anyway, but:

"You're Brown, Vote Brown"
"You're Asian, Vote Asian"
"You're Muslim, Vote Muslim"

This was a despicable deflection of the targeted communities from Chris Davies MEP maverick social liberalism - on sex and drugs and booze and rock and roll - anathema to the audiences such leaflets were distributed to.

At a hustings in Manchester Town Hall I personally challenged Davies on this formulation - generally written down as "the only asian and muslim candidate who can be elected" owtte - when the BNP's Nick Griffin was a player in the contest and his line was essentially: "You're white, vote white." Some characters around UKIP were also members of or ex-members of fascist groupings.

Davies was incredibly glib and irresponsible in replying: "So what? It's true!"

It was a close run thing and essentially the targeted voters were being driven to secure Davies' own seat but just about returned Sajjad Karim in the last seat decided I believe.

I was speculating that Sajjad could get no assurance that he would be listed first by the Lib Dems but had been tempted with an offer of a top three placing by the Tories but in comments here Tim Leunig asserts that the Lib Dems have decided their priority.

In 2004 Labour and the Conservatives had rather 'constipated' lists with more protected sitting MEPs than likely seats won.

Labour had two fantastically strong Muslim candidates in our list - Dr Rupa Huq and Dr Ebrahim Adia (also here) - but alas not close to winnable positions.

Even if the allocation of seats had not dropped from ten to nine. It will drop again in 2008 - giving some urgency to Sajjad's quest for safety.

After the gloating Conservatives should consider their Equality platform versus Europe where even providing a small element of Positive Action for women created a raging row of confusion and obfuscation. They should vow to avoid the shameful Lib Dem behaviour around Sajjad - both before and after his election.

Hat Tip: Iain Dale. Update 11:07: Helen Foster-Grime, now second on LD list.

Ian and Iain and Ian: Every One of Them a Wrong 'Un

That's the Mail on Sunday. Another reliable news breaking publication has a story lightly but lightly smearing Ian Blair for being flip over his officers' expenses claims.
Iain Dale reads it and thinks Ian Blair is behind it and trying to heavily but heavily smear his protege Andy Hayman. The man in charge of the Met's anti-Terror activity including the Stockwell catastrophe.

A third Ian - anarchist Bone - says bobby Hayman is bang to rights for big drinks parties, "going over the side" as they say on The Bill, and running a big tab.

This last link probably should have a veracity health warning.

Highly amusing though that Mr Bone claims a World Exclusive rather than giving a hat tip to Murdoch's Sunday Times who published the story more than 12 hours earlier.

And there's more. Top "anarchist" Bone ... moderates blog comments.

And there's even more. The very first post on Bone's Bash the Rich Blog - another exclusive with Cameron selling a house that was falling down - was in fact nicked from the Telegraph.

Bone even seems to have disabled the comment link to my post pointing that out.

PICTURE: Back in the day Andy Hayman was a-bit-ginger fuzz and irreplaceable.

Mail on Sunday: Never Let the Story Facts Stand In The Way of a Good Headline

The Mail on Sunday headline "How big Labour backer is a jobbing builder who knows NOTHING about his £200,000 donation" does not out itself as a falsehood until the seventh and eighth paragraphs from the end of a turgid 50-para spread:

Last night – eight hours after initially saying he did not know about the donations – Mr Ruddick gave a different version of events. He said that he and Mrs Kidd had, in fact, made the most recent payments to the Labour Party.

Mr Ruddick said: "I made donations to Labour on that day which totalled £80,000. Janet also made the same size donations on the same day. These are the first payments either I or Janet have ever given to Labour."

A series of administrative errors then for all those other contributions listed in Ray Ruddick and Janet Kidd's name then? A bit of reverse identity theft? The fair-minded Mail crew suggest not that Mr Ruddick is an amnesiac and secret millionaire. Oh no. Instead they suggest that donations may in fact be from a Mr David Abrahams, a one-time PPC.

They also say Abrahams (circled) was in the "front row" at the Blair finale event pictured above.

It is the Mail on Sunday after all. So there's no relying on any aspect of the story. Clearly, the Labour Party being a stickler for the rules, the MoS will no doubt be apologising next week.

So long as there is no Lord Jobbing Builder or Baroness Loyal Secretary we shall be content.

UPDATE: BBC Radio Five Live (audio) have Abrahams claiming that he made gifts to the two donors. They then chose to donate amounts on to the Labour Party, completely of their own volition, using their own cheques. The Five link looks like it will change as the news changes so here's another BBC page, with a short video interview to boot.

Blogsclusive: Newcastle Tories Direct Mail Campaign

While the MSM op cit passed on the facebook story a couple did make it through.

One I'm prepared to own up to is the hilarious news that Jason Smith (36) Chair of the Newcastle-on-Tyne Tories wrote to all 44 Lib Dem councillors on N-o-T council asking them to come home to the Conservatives.

Why write to, 'phone or visit tens of thousands of voters and try to persuade them to switch votes when you can just pick up a majority group second-hand?

So far Jason's phone has not been ringing off the hook on this one. As in Manchester it is around 15 years since the Tories have had even one seat. In both cases it was Labour that cleared them out. Only for the Liberals, SDP and Lib Dems to beg the blues to back them in a "two horse race" with come on lines like "The Conservatives Can't Win Here".

They would even say this when lying in third. LYING in third, ha! Anyway, it is often possible to study election results over the last 10-15 years and see "Blue Flight" as tactical Tories ship out drip by drip to the nefarious "lefties" of the Lib Dems. So perhaps Jason isn't so daft after all? More Tories than Liberals vote for most of them after all.

Cllr Greg Stone (32) - the Sedgefield By-election pretender with the specs-or-no-specs dilemma and the ex-drunkard press agent - originally alerted me to the story via an off topic comment at Lib Dem Voice. Now he's got his name in the papers.

Leech facebook Woes Continue: MSM Say "John Who?"

LOL tried to interest a MSM Mainstream Media outlet in the John Leech No Mates facebook story. That is that Cllr John Leech MP had just two facebook friends before taking his ball back and hanging up his boots. That his Labour rival Lucy Powell in contrast is very popular. Tom meanwhile says Size is not important.

There is a Leech Must Apologise group. That is for the John Leech Christie Hospital Cancer Hoax.

It has also emerged that libdemology leadership hopeful Nick Clegg had only 11 facebook friends. With one of these a "Clegg" who specifically says they don't like him or his party. Just a surname thing. Huhne meanwhile was on a super soaraway 553.

Anyway, MSM outlet's response? Not interested. John who?

Karen Reissmann: BBC, Two Hundred Manchester March

Managed to get through last night's excellent Alistair Campbell Dinner and Voter Identification in icy Northenden this morning. But severe earache kept me away from town for today's Karen Reissmann demonstration.

Miles has given his take on that dinner and these - also from Miles - were yesterday's news links on this story:

Socialist health campaigner backs Karen: see post and documents at the campaign blog http://karenreissmann.wordpress.com/

Bosses big gun fires blanks: See the blog on the campaign myspace.

Join the debate at Manchester Confidential.

And there are some comments on Miles' earlier post that he found "interesting.

Channel 4 Shameless auteur Paul Abbott - who was himself sectioned aged 15 following a suicide attempt - has added a heartfelt letter of support to the campaign blog.

The North West Tonight report stated that Karen's Appeal Hearing has been brought forward one week. This is very welcome news. The sooner the better.

UPDATE: The Campaign MySpace estimate is well over 1000 involved in all and there is a report of a speech from my MP Tony Lloyd - the Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party no less - and actor Chris Bisson reading Paul Abbott's letter of support.

Howard's End: Australian People Sack Conservatives

Meltdown it seems for John Howard's Aussie Tories after 11 years in power.

Howard is even getting a thumping in his own seat - held for 33 years. The above picture from Treehugger.com shows Howard with a story about kids not drinking enough fluoridated tap water. Imagine the waterworks now.

We predicted a landside three weeks ago when - on top of general doom and gloom - Health Minister Tony Abbott managed a hatrick of serious gaffes.

The Liberal Party's tactics included fabrication of a Radical Muslim Organisation in a ridiculous and clumsy attempt to smear Kevin Rudd's Labour Party.

Candidate Karen Chijoff - whose own husband was among the distributors "without her knowledge" - claims the leaflet didn't destroy her campaign. She was toast anyway.

Looking forward to the explanations from Iain Dale's Aussie stringer Alex Deane. But once again it has all gone quiet over there.

Airline Pilots: Please Note, Jahongir Sidikov Stays

Jahongir Sidikov is likely to be tortured and killed if returned to Creosotemanov's Uzbekistan. So, please let us follow Craig Murray's advice and resist his deportation. On grounds of saving the man Jahongir's life.

Oz Tories: Race Card Leaflet by Iain Dale's Mates

Ab-so-fer-kin-lute-ly amazing. HT: Luke Akehurst.

Deep down and down under Aussie Tories aka "Liberals" have stuck out an extraordinarily racist scam smear leaflet from a completely made up Muslim organisation.

Click image to enlarge or download here.

Tory bloggers would thank their lucky stars if only they'd kept a distance from these freaks.

EXCLUSIVE: Kway Kwam EXCLUSIVES Drive Traffic

Mark Oaten is playing fast and loose, again. Not EXCLUSIVEly.

Tory Councillor: Right Wing Nut Job Shock Horror

Tory councillor Richard Willis (right) appears to be a complete and utter reactionary tosser and nutjob. He has recently returned as a Tory councillor in Reading.
But no chance to repeat his atrocious views as PPC in Sutton and Cheam. Strangely they've picked someone else. But why were Lib Dem Voice surprised at Richard's outbursts? Dave says conservatives are cuddly. Doesn't mean they are.

Biffa Digital: St Lawrence Has Made a Horror Film (PG)

[satire]Clearly, if the ESSO site is too small for a Chorlton Tesco Metro the answer is to sell them the Council Social Services Office - the yellow brick road building - and build a roundabout.[/satire]

Managing Equals: Steve McClaren and Terry Venables

He had to go but it is sad that the Guardian continue where the Observer left off using a league of losses which sees our man propping up the foot of the table, instead of either points per game or wins where he is merely middling.

Terry Venables is also sacked. But, whereas his own teams lost but once making him a table topper, by winning and drawing the rest equally he was worse than McClaren on wins and no better on points per game.

Union Made: Fair Trade for Home Produced Goods Too?

John has bought a suit with a Union Made label affixed and I'm feeling jealous. Above image is by way of a pointer to the most excellent Labor Arts website.

Got some ethical threads here and there of course and try to buy retread clothes and shoes from Oxfam and all our other charity shops. Reuse trumps Recycling of course in the three Rs waste hierachy. Reduce may be mostly for warmer climes but even here I am a legendary tee shirts in blizzards kind of guy.

Fair Trade is catching on. No Sweat! is making progress. Pants to Poverty is the business. But if more of us prioritised TU-recognising retailers and makers the world would become a better place for working people.

CONTROVERSY: There might be less campaigning against Tesco and the like by strange alliances of greens, socialists and petit bourgeoisie shop keepers. They have plenty of room for improvement of course. But size brings the visibility to leverage that improvement and unlike many small shops Tesco have advantages for "the class".

Unions, decent contracts and no friends and family forced to work for peanuts are among those. Superior staff welfare and health and safety another. Affordability and marked provenance yet another.


My parents and one brother, and one set of a host of uncles and aunts live in Ballycastle (above, a view from the Diamond) where a Tesco was recently seen off. For rather spurious reasons, if you ask me.

There is an absolutely average Co-op which is fine for second shops and top ups. There are some other convenience shops and excellent specialists. Not least two award winning butchers, a bakers and a candlestick makers. But essentially most of the people in Ballycastle and surrounding farms and villages AND seasonal visitors ... DRIVE TO BALLYMENA OR COLERAINE (40 miles round trip) or further for their main weekly shop. Foodmiles madness.

Karen Reissmann Sacking: Management Play Hard Ball

Industrial relations for dummies has a new chapter provided by Trust CEO Sheila Foley.

Miles reports that MMHT management have refused to reinstate senior nurse Karen Reissmann pending her appeal. Unison had offered to call off their strike action in exchange.

The appeal begins on 10 December and there will be a national day of action on 5 December. My view is that the staff should consider going back to work in the interim, showing maturity, carrying public opinion, and reducing hardship among members. But that is of course for them to decide.

In addition to the campaign blog there is a myspace page and two major facebook groups with 900 members between them.

Sir George Osborne MP: Does He Lie To Own Children?

The First Post shares a delightful vignette from a fast foodery name of Tootsies. George (gideon) Oliver Osborne, the wallpapering heir and future 15th baronet has feral children. What a disappointment that must be to poor Mr GgOO.

George probably lies to them ceaselessly and without rest. In the same way he lies pestilently to the people of our great country. These children deserve our support. Poor little rich kids.

GgOO told the people of Manchester that they were each £50 a week worse off this year and a further £50 a week next year and so on for five years under Darling's plans as opposed to his:

[Headline]Families 'hit by tax bill of £50 a week'[/headline]

POORER families and struggling small businesses in Greater Manchester have been 'clobbered' by government tax rises, says shadow chancellor George Osborne.
He claims the tax bill for an average Manchester family will rise by £50 a week after Alistair Darling's recent tax rises.
Mr Osborne said the chancellor was 'out of his depth'.
The Tatton MP, shadow minister for Manchester, told the M.E.N. that the city would be particularly hard hit by Labour's 'wrongheaded' tax plans.
Mr Osborne said: "Hard working people across Manchester who save through their companies' share ownership could lose out as a result of Labour's latest tax rises.
"As usual, there wasn't a word of warning about this in the chancellor's pre-budget report but the average tax bill for a Manchester family will rise by £2,600 a year for the next five years."
He said Conservatives were committed to increasing the inheritance tax threshold sounding the death knell to death taxes, and lifting nine out of 10 first time buyers out of the stamp duty net."

What a big whopping fib that was.

The Manchester Evening News? Sadly they printed the Bullingdon Toff's lies without comment. Though they either didn't web them or took them down PDQ when they realised they'd been sold a pup.

GgOO's Channel 4 mendacity rating veers between a teeny 60% lying to a fulsome 90% lying and no mistake

"But Pater dear Pater! You lied to us! Your own dear children! We are minded to fling Bollinger Bottles at fox cubs until they are deaded. Like Pater's friends, allegedly. Do let us! Or we shall scweem and scweem and scweem!"

Hat tip: Old Mr GuF.

Blogger Silencer Schillings: Free Speech & Law in Pakistan

Bit slow out of the blocks on this one but Matt Wardman finds Schillings - the blogger monsterers - signing a letter about free speech in Pakistan as if butter wouldn't melt in their lick spittle mouths.

Schillings are of course also the lawyer-of-choice for the self-appointed "Princess of the Bloggers" as she possibly defames and certainly smears the young blogger Alex Hilton (Recess Monkey inter alia) but perversely considers suing him.

Nadine Dorries, for it is she, made a whole series of false accusations and smears (Reassess Recess). Possibly actionable, who knows?

Ms Dorries also potentially libelled parliamentary colleagues and Dr Ben Goodacre over her appalling Minority Report.

FOOTNOTE: A few twirls have been added on advice from m'learned friend Evan. The off colour comments from Ms Dorries were not uttered in Parliament and have no immunity. Unless that is the Nad Blog counts as an annex of the House?

Tom Watson MP: Please Do Stop Teasing John Leech MP

Tom Watson MP has taken a week but finally got with the programme on Cllr John Leech MP and his very scarce facebook friends who could fit as you may recall on a tandem, or in a modest canoe.

Tom suggests that if John Leech had just a few good friends that might be some consolation for not quite having the numbers. Sorry to report that that tandem's crashed, the canoe's sunk, and Leechy's now got no friends at all. If Lucy Powell (above) continues to gain ten friends a week she'll surpass Honest (but lonely) John's fragile majority within a year.

But he does have a growing antipathy group calling for his immediate apology on his Christie Hospital Cancer Hoax lies. 122 members and counting.

Email possibly: apologise@oncejohn.com. Not sure. Apologise at once ... geddit?

Prime Minister's Questions: Official, Cameron Off Form

We missed the whole of PMQs so we shan't be too hard on Sadie who missed a no doubt most excellent piece of regency Tory banter casting Darling instead of the traditional Balls as Baldrick to Brown's Blackadder.

But all the rest of the Westmonster essay is present, absolutely impartial, and 10/10 tick vg correct. Cameron was totally off form.

That's now official Mr Dale.

Tory Tossers: Attack Mercer's Wife, and Dead Councillor?

Meanwhile, everywhere you look there are tales of nice Tories. The first being fair comment, the second probably not so with The Mirror and Lib Dem Voice combining in devious misrepresentation.

Patrick Mercer's wife or "lazy white bastard female" as he calls her when she's a bit slow round the assault course is taking abuse of an altogether less sporting kind from Notts' conservatives, over Patrick's spot of moonlighting for the damnable socialists.

And, in the same piece, Cllr George Hollingberry (Con, Winchester) - who is incidentally a blogger and the PPC for Meon Valley has allegedly been calling the death of a colleague from another party "very useful".

Or has he? To be fair Georgie did offer a generous tribute and condolences before seemingly rubbing his hands together gleefully. And, assuming he's not been back and re-edited, he has I think been MISCHIEVIOUSLY MISQUOTED:

The recently elected councillor, Sue Fitzgerald, died most tragically at a very young age and thus the ward is being unexpectedly contested. Beyond the obvious personal tragedy for her family and friends, it was a particular shame because it was clear that she was a highly involved local community champion. All towns and villages need people like that and they are few and far between these days.

From a purely political (and selfish I suppose given the circumstances) point of view, it has been very useful to us to mount a proper local campaign in the town. Wickham is one of the last redoubts of the Liberal Democrats in the Meon Valley and not an area we have done well in for some time.

It is the mounting of a local campaign which George is saying is "very useful to us", not his fellow Councillor's death itself. Lib Dem Voice saw The Mirror piece first. We found the blog. George certainly didn't say it was like an early Christmas present, or words to that effect.

Data-Gate: Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life

Clearly Tory Bloggers are having a lovely time with Data-gate. And who can blame them? A small mistake by a small cog perhaps. But what a systems failure. And my oh my what potential consequences.

Will the Tory Bloggers join me in my sincere wish that data armageddon does not come to pass? No, thought not. Perhaps the data-protection-warriors from No2ID can be serious for just a minute? No. Grinning like the cat that got the cream.

[aside]Rather reminds me of the "anti-war" opposition candidate and his joyful great war dance on the local vigil the day after Bush started Shock and Awe. We never saw the bugger again. But his guilty feet had no rhythm. I distinctly recall that. And he did sashay his wicked way onto the Council.[/aside]

Instead of hoping for a good outcome we have one of the Tory Boy Bloggers hoping that the numpty involved is NOT a small cog. That they might be a medium sized or even a fairly large cog.

Mmmm. It is possible of course. But sticking something in the post does pass a long way down the food chain in most organisations.

Let us sincerely hope that this HMRC numpty acccidentally mis-filed the CDs away somewhere where they will never come to light. Let us sincerely hope we have a raving Trot or Ukipper with a grievance and a streak of practical hoaxery at large? Let us sincerely hope it's a bumbling amnesiac incompetent fibber who never copied the data, never stuck it in an envelope, never posted it in the internal mail. Just told a little white lie when sending it the "second time".

For the moment I can find but one small consolation.

ICT expert and friend of Bloggerheads Grant Schweppes wasn't involved in any way! The whole lot would have been on T'Interweb. And 1234 would very likely have been the password.

STOP PRESS: Wrong again. Late news is reaching us that Grant was visiting HMRC in Newcastle on the day of the data loss and was heard to make the following kind offer:

"Can I put that jiffy bag in the post for you? Nothing important I hope? Half the nation's banking records? Mmmm, oh yes I'll be very careful with that!"

Chorlton-cum-Hardy: Yes to More Independent Cafe Bars

A few weeks ago I started drafting a post about the issue of bars in Chorlton. With one thing and another it didn't make it to fruition. But Stephen Newton is right on the money with this post resisting the concept of a bar on bars.

While no-one in Chorlton would want to see a complete free-for-all or anything like the beer monstery calamity that Didsbury has become under Lib Dem rule there is still scope for more small bars, cafes and restaurants in Chorlton.

We probably have enough takeaways for a lifetime. But cafe bars not only drive business for those takeaways but also via the promenaders' window shop and their own trade for food retailers, clothes retailers, estate agents and the rest.

Moving to the area more than 25 years ago I found a virtual beer and food desert. I lived for a year in an attic room in a shared house one street away from the current family home. There was the Royal Oak at the crossroads. Quite a trek. The Lloyds 200 yards further. And a pub known then as The Seymour, later The Grove, now departed. Or a big expedition to a cluster of pubs on Beech Road and the Green. All still going strong.

Now to get to the Royal Oak - a large beer palace with Sky Football and an old school pub crowd - I get to pass the Polar Bar, The Bar, Tom Tom'sThe Bean Counter (but renamed), Abode, Revision and Dulcimer. Across the lights on the way to the Lloyds there are more. We have an excellent Weatherspoons name of Sedge Lynn. And there's Lucid, The Beer House, Iguana and so on.

The Spread Eagle is another arrival in the last decade or so. That's a traditional pub - opposite the Lloyds. There is a Varsity coming soon - and that, barring the four traditional pubs, is the only obvious non-independent and the only potential "vertical drinking" addition.

In the olden days the only local late food was from a very very brown Tundoor. This had an uncomplementary nickname. Now we have Australian, Japanese, Turkish, Italian, Indian, Bengali, Greek, Spanish, Persian, Mandarin, English, Canadian, Continental, Cantonese food and more. There is plenty of niche room still.

Including Chorlton, Longford, Chorlton Park and our end of Whalley Range and Fallowfield wards we have 30-35,000 hungry and thirsty residents within convenient walking distance or three stops on the night bus.

And that's a key thing. Very few cars are implicated in a night out in Chorlton.

Twenty two new licences in ten years does indeed sound a lot. Though they are spread around approximately two to three miles of highways. Most of them are little more than a couple or three domestic rooms-worth with an average say 100 covers apiece.

Councillor Sheila Newman is absolutely right to try to box off the perfidious Lib Dem moaners and Stephen realises that that is what's afoot. But a complete moratorium, and there is no other sort, is surely not the answer?

Every night at kicking out time I am out and about in Chorlton on a constitutional with my dogs. Very often covering the busiest block of bars en route. There's generally no sign of trouble, no obvious neighbour nuisance, no noise spill and no pub crawl, stag or hen rowdies.

No great drunkeness, and clean-ish pavements.

Although there remain some dark back roads the animation of the main streets, providing a natural surveillance, and the new improved lighting makes these streets feel much much safer than in the olden days.

Every application should be judged on its merits I feel. That is the law in any case, except in far more extreme cases of concentration or cases of crime, disorder or extreme nuisance.

In particular it would be astoundingly unfair to try to spike applications that are in progress and whose owners have received green lights in principle from planning officials. Local planning guidelines could keep most licenced premises at the smaller end of the scale and more likely to remain independent. But let's face down the Lib Dems for being illiberal opportunists.

Don't agree with the Tesco bashing either. But that's for another day.

Our Kingdom: Anthony Barnett and David Aaronovitch

This is fascinating. Anthony Barnett and David Aaronovitch discussing The Blair Years HERE. Almost in the form of one of those famous Guardian head to head exchanges of letters. What were they called? No matter ...

We Manchester graduates are of course all immensely proud of DA who was our student union president for a time. In the heyday of NUS politics.

But my earliest abiding memory of DA is when he was career NUS hack and current President - a Tankie even then, seen above in an NUS piccie with Sue Slipman and Trevor Phillips. He came as a guest speaker to the British Universities Sports Federation (BUSF) conference. At Lancaster I think it was.

Some of us were trying to cause the wastefully duplicitous BUSF and the Universities Athletic Union (UAU) to amalgamate. Unbelievably this took another thirteen years to achieve. Probably something to do with having self-interested staff and farts in blazers running the thing.

But I digress. David explained that he was a rugby flanker of extremely limited talent. Sadly from the William Ellis rather than William Webb Ellis school of the game. A spoiling flanker he said.

Being a "big fat clumsy twat", he said OWTTE, unable to play the game properly himself ... he was instructed to lurch around and spoil play for everyone else.

No further comment necessary.

Action Without Theory: Industrial Relations For Dummies

Bro Miles Barter has got busy these last few days. And as he's apologised for his pissiness, accepted, I'll give him a mensch. Two in fact. Special mentions for Mental Health Talking Cures and greeting the "tanned but strained" (below, tagged sheila-compressed!) Boss From Hell back from holidays in the sun.
Several collective letters-to-papers on this Karen Reissmann dispute have crossed my desk. Whether my name ends up on one or not I hope the letters focus on turning things round for the service users above all else. For my money this dispute possibly features the most ridiculousness ... on all sides ... ever. It is the epitome of ridiculousness. Clearly LOL support any Trade Unionist sacked or disciplined for TU activity. My comrades, right or wrong. KR Dispute Blog. DUBAI DUTY FREE ADDED: Weds 9:26

Tony Who?: I've No iD! Cllr Bob Piper's Cunning Plan

Cllr Bob Piper offers Gordon Brown PM a rather cunning plan.

Calamity Clegg: Reassuring, Well-Grounded Missives

President Ahmadinejad will be sleeping more soundly in his bed tonight thanks to a stern Calamity Clegg missive to Gordon Brown warning him not to attack Iran after all. The Old Westminster also fired a shot across Dave-id Cameron's bow lest he bless Bucks with a new Grammar School. Selection by wallet and wallet alone! Snapshots

Lobster Blogster: Know Dale By Company He Keeps?

Lobster Blogster is all heart. Worrying about a fantasy future Iain Dale MP being tainted by the fishy company he's kept. Specifically Mr GuF.

Pants to Poverty: Fair Trade Fashion, Chorlton, Links

The Pants to Poverty Fair Trade Fashion Show on Saturday was excellent. Click Gallery for some of the blicks.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Arkadash [ www.arkadash.co.uk ] Clothes & Accessories
People Tree [ www.peopletree.co.uk ] Clothes
Pants To Poverty [ www.pantstopoverty.com ] Pants To Poverty Pants
Just Trade [ www.justtrade.co.uk ]
Bishopston Trading [ www.bishopstontrading.co.uk ] Clothes
Blossom [ www.blossomflowers.co.uk ]
Traidcraft [ www.TraidcraftShop.co.uk ]
Oxfam [ www.oxfam.org.uk ]
Queen Bee [ www.queenbeeonline.co.uk ] Fair Trade Bags
Anushka Hair Styling [ ]
Barbakan Delicatessen [ www.barbakan-deli.co.uk ]
Unicorn Grocery [ www.unicorn-grocery.co.uk ]
The Co-operative Group [ www.co-operative.co.uk ]

Overseas Aid Budget: £9 Billion By 2010, But Lagging?

According to Alistair Darling's Budget Statement here, Overseas Aid will rise to £9 Billion by 2010. This is around 500% of the 1997 figure. We are of course chasing a fast moving target of 0.7% of Gross National Income. Lib Dem "International Affairs" mimicster Lynne Featherstone claims that the UK are lagging £1 Billion behind the point we are supposed to be at.

First, is Lynne right on the facts and figures? And has she missed some announcements between 2004 and 2007, trimming the sails of state.

Second, if she is right could she not at least acknowledge the huge absolute increase since 1997? And set UK achievement on this in an international context. Hat tip: Lib Dem Voice.

Libdemology Leadership: Buff Huhne or Calamity Clegg?

Old news, but ... Is it really the case that Chris Huhne had no prior knowledge of a briefing paper issued by his office under the heading "Calamity Clegg"?

If so, what does that say about his systems? If not, why is he lying to the nice man from the BBC?

Both of them will play with the British public like so much unidentifiable and unconscionable "Horrid Nasty". Lib Dems - well on the way to another leadership cock up.

Facebook Woes: First John Leech, Now Nadine Dorries

Cllr John Leech MP is still it seems Johnny No Mates facebook-wise. But Nadine has more of a problem it seems.

Nadine Dorries MP has a drivel-blog. Patronising Tory men egg on her foolish head emptying. No other MP from any party has anything that is remotely as vacuous as the witterings of the self appointed "Princess of the Blogs"..

This drivel-blog was originally developed with taxpayers' money I believe. Ms Dorries has been merrily posting pictures of her three daughters on her blog. Rather a lot in the past week or so in fact. No idea whether their father is happy with this. Or indeed with anything that Nadine gets up to. But let's not get deflected on to that subject.

Now Nads is it seems on the warpath about a Recess Monkey story which finds the eldest of those daughters with a public facebook page which is full of the word "nigga" and "nigger".

I'm really not sure it matters too much what that refers to or who said it about whom. Sorry Nadine. Many people find it offensive. Full stop.

Nadine uses her post to:

- Suggest Recess Monkey's author Alex Hilton is trying to damage someone's reputation, by pointing at a public document that that person has caused to be published themselves
- Announce that she has asked for an opinion on whether Alex's post is actionable, from Simon Smith at Schillings, the same fool lawyers that enhanced Alisher Creosotemanov's reputation so much with their advice and legal action
- Accuse Alex of writing this blog in time for which he is paid by the taxpayer, as an MP's staffer
- Accuse Alex of using parliamentary equipment for this activity (careful Nadine)
- Smear all those who work for Labour MPs
- Suggest without a scrap of argument that Alex has snooped on her youngest daughter (15) and is therefore a paedophile
And of course the classic idiocy:
- DRAW ATTENTION TO HER DAUGHTER'S "PRIVATE" BUSINESS

Nadine Dorries' "award winning" drivel blog - which has often featured her children in words and pictures, and which can surely contribute nothing positive to her parliamentary duties - was I'm told established using tax payers money.

She has recently used that blog to defame a journalist and parliamentary colleagues over an alleged leak of a document that was in the public domain.

She has used it to call for a slashing of the University Sector, just as she takes a chair round the table at a Universities select committee.

She has in my opinion used it to boost and spread lies about and hatred of travellers and gypsies.

And she persistently uses the thing to post complete and utter drivel.

Your children's privacy has been compromised by YOU Nadine. And by THEM.

Ask Alex nicely to help you out and who knows he may well do so. Or are you just all out for publicity, whatever the cost?

Political Funding; Current Rules Favour Conservatives

Off-shore Dollar Billionaire Lord Ashcroft's claim that he is merely levelling the playing field with his slush funds has been rocked by an independent study. Carried out by Charles Pattie and Ron Johnston, geography professors at the universities of Sheffield and Bristol respectively, who found that donations outside the official election campaign period did "make a difference".

They also found that Tory incumbents were brokering substantial advantage from parliamentary allowances in the run up to elections, while Labour MPs were not.

Word Document: HERE. Hat tip: Peter Kenyon who continues attempts to Save the Labour Party.

Libdemologists 999 Hoaxers: Fire, Police & Ambulance

AtomFilms.com: Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | Comedy Central

Manchester Lib Dems have a track record of time wasting hoax calls on the emergency services. Police put the knife in to a hoax leaflet and even though Chief Constable Michael Todd's own flat was burgled within weeks of his start he and his officers have repeatedly carpeted Lib Dems for bearing false witness.

Famously Cllr John Leech pounced on a false story put about by maverick doctors as a negotiation ploy and despite a firm put down for their antics Leech pretended that Christie Hospital was threatened with closure. Diabolical hoaxer Leech even put out hoax leaflets to cancer patients queuing for Chemo- and Radio- therapy.

Now Cllr Louise Baldock has caught Liverpool Lib Dems completing the set of emergency services scares with lies about Fire Stations. Even though their "leader" Warren Bradley was himself a fire fighter.

The only fires Warren has to put out these days are around Lib Dem's continuing mishandling of Liverpool Council's affairs. With his own personal shenanigans and vendettas over the Culture Company often centre stage.

Observer on Steve Mclaren: Lies, Damn Lies, Statistics

The Observer sports subs no doubt readied their pages before the youngsters of Israel not only escaped a late defeat but only turned round and whacked Mother Russia. The McClaren spread, presumably prepared as a good riddance send off, was led by this piece from Paul Wilson.

As he concludes:

Almost unbelievably, England are still in the land of the living.

So that's a big Hallelujah then? Hosana in the highest!

But running right across the bottom of the page are a series of tables, facts and figures. The one that leaps out as having serious Libdemologist statistics mangling tendancies is above, and headed "How McClaren Compares".

Talk about starting with a ruling theory and providing the facts to fit. There are a number of ways one might rank such a table. On notional points per fixture perhaps? On ratio of wins per game? Or, as the Observer sports subs choose, on the ratio of losses per game.

What's my point? Surely any which way will do? Six of one and half a dozen of the other? Well it's actually not that simple. Choosing to rank on losses rather than either of the other measures is actually perverse and antagonistic.

McClaren, like Don Revie, has 24% losses and the pair are a couple of percentage points clear of the field. Terry Venables on the other hand has a marvellous 4% and is far and away "best".

But rank eleven managers on wins and while not turned on its head McClaren (53%) is sixth. Firmly mid-table. Three places ABOVE Venables.

Similarly on points per game, three for a win one for a draw, McClaren is mid-table with Venables and Winterbottom. A cluster of four better 2.0. But ahead of Keegan, Robson, Taylor and Revie.

In competitive games his loss ratio drops to 18% and his win ratio is up to 64%, with a points haul of 2.09 - better than any of the scores in the all games exercise. Though of course most of the records do improve on this basis.

I'm not saying the boy McClaren's the best. Or even that he's done good. But The Observer are being perverse, snide and unfair in contorting their statistics as if they are Libdemologists.

Saturday's Left Conferences: A Tale of Four Sittings

Liam MacUaid has added a report of the Official Respect conference to his blog. This was - to report factually, albeit risking abuse - the Socialist Workers' Party led portion of the former Coalition. Written by a non-believer who attended as a selected delegate.

Comments on this report are strongly divided. He did not get called to speak. Now his report is being rubbished. Comments include a sort of transcript of a Mark Serwotka (Gen Sec, PCS) Speech which apparently denounced George Galloway as a splitter and a servant of Gordon Brown's purpose.

Mark spoke at three of the four socialist meetings in London on Saturday refusing Renewal Respect (Galloway). Official Respect, Socialist Party (no report yet) and Labour Representation Committee (resolutions and amendments available), which incidentally had three Labour MPs including Compassite Jon Trickett, Tony Benn, Jane Davidson AM. And Bundestag member Alexander Ulrich to boot. Susan Press has a LRC Report.

Damned Close Run Thing: Iain Dale Has Been Elected!

Iain Dale has finally been elected to something albeit narrowly. Hat tip: Mr GuF.

George Galloway and Respect: All Swimmingly Good

Pendennis closes with George Galloway obeying the long arm of the law, though somehow overlooking the news that barring one page his awarding winning website averages 12 months out of date and also his supporters' contention that the conservatives have it in for him.

George's right bollocks Respect conference was brilliant, says Liam while Lindsey and John's left bollocks SWP Respect conference had 350 at it, 70 turned away.

We Are Not Amused: Royal Plumbers Get Bums' Rush

Oliver Marre's Pendennis column opens today with the news that HRH Brenda "Queen of the Greens" Windsor has quietly dropped plans to install a 200kW array of horizontal water turbines at Romney Weir. She had slyly slipped BBC Berkshire the story tip a couple of months ago.

As it goes, in a different life, your blogger took a long hard look at such turbines. Greater Manchester has scores of Weirs and a good Head of Water. King Cotton was built on it. Even a three metre fall on a small weir could power 14 homes and quickly recover the modest capital investment.


The Queen's Romney Weir scheme did look to be rather grander in design and, on the face of it, Oliver suggests the cost was the deal breaker.

The plumbers and sparkies probably saw what a big house the old girl had, put in a rather grand design, and stuck an extra nought on the end of the estimate.

And what's more:

"Now we have all these low NRG bulbs and dimmers, which Philip says are 'not much cop', and our children have grown up and flewn our hice, we just ain't getting through as much juice as we used to."

ELIZABETH II R ADDS: Advice on Commissioning Our Own is freely available. Innogy PLC's plans are spelt out HERE. And we have had 354 posts on the subject at Our Royal Forum, here.