Monday 31 October 2022

BRYANT'S TICKED OFF

One of the more bizarre hissy fits over Elon Musk's Twitter takeover has come from Rhondda MP Chris Bryant.  Bryant is one of the most prolific Twitter users in Parliament and tweets dozens of times each day, but he is unhappy with news that Musk plans to charge users for the famous blue tick verification.  He posted an open message addressed to 'Mr Musk' complaining that he had never sought a blue tick (yet you have to apply in order to get one) and also that he was not aware if he had one (despite the fact it appears next to his own name).  Bryant has been a Twitter user since 2009.


Needless to say, the hapless MP has been rinsed for claiming to be oblivious to his blue check status.  Many users were exasperated that a former government minister and MP of two decades experience could be so inept, while others questioned how he could be unaware of something he would have had to apply for at some point.  Others suggested he should put the verification fee on his expenses, along with everything else MPs claim for.

Bryant's tweet is so dumb it's almost as embarrassing as being caught taking selfies in his underpants for a gay dating site, but perhaps not quite...

Saturday 29 October 2022

NEIL OLIVER'S MONOLOGUE 29.10.22

In this week's monologue Neil condemns those who instigated the crises we face.  There is a circular motion to the economic disaster, which was caused initially by lockdowns and excessive money printing and yet the response to the consequences has been to print more money.  The phenomenon  was explained to perfection by Liam Halligan in his stand-in monologue three weeks ago.

It's not Covid's fault, or Putin's or 'climate change'.  It is the fault of our own politicians - including our latest PM, who aided and abetted Boris Johnson with the destructive nanny state that will cost British people for decades to come.

We must never forget what was done and we live in hope that one day justice will be served on those responsible.

Click below for Neil's full ten a half minute monologue.

Friday 28 October 2022

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 27.10.22


Just the two by-elections this week, both in the Midlands and both won by Labour.  Labour held in Sandwell, while they gained a seat in Derbyshire from the Tories.  There were no absentees in either poll.

Long Eaton, Derbyshire Country Council

Lab: 1,104 (51.1%) +15.0%
Con: 723 (33.5%) -16.5%
LDem: 239 (11.1%) +5.0%
Grn: 94 (4.4%) -3.5%

Lab GAIN from Con

Wednesbury South, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Lab: 854 (51.3%) +0.9%
Con: 654 (39.3%) -2.8%
LDem: 77 (4.6%) New
Grn: 56 (3.4%) New
TUSC: 23 (1.4%) New

Lab HOLD

THE SORRY STORY OF NADIA'S RISHI TWEET

The far left's reaction to Britain's first Asian PM was predictable.  'He's a Tory, so he ain't really Asian' was very much the order of the day, echoing Joe Biden when he famously said black voters 'ain't black' if they don't vote for him.  The left think they own minority voters, a culture that they have fostered for decades and alluded to by Malcolm X way back in the 1960s.

Labour's Nadia Whittome has been one of the most prominent critics of Sunak's ethnic background this week, heralding his appointment as not 'a win for Asian representation'.  One of the reasons she proposed for this was that he is a 'multi-millionaire'.  It's twisted logic.  Sunak is a a man whose immigrant parents sought the best education for him and in just six years he rose from backbench MP to PM.  That's something to be proud of whatever your background, but here's the thing - Whittome's life is not so different from the man she berates.

She is descended from Indian immigrants like Sunak.  She too was privately educated before heading off to university and then entering politics - just like Sunak.  She is not a multi-millionaire yet, but as the youngest MP in the Commons, there's plenty of time for her to amass the millions of, say, her hero Jeremy Corbyn.  You see, being a multi-millionaire is perfectly acceptable as long you're not a Tory.

In Nadia's tweet she also critiques Rishi's tumultuous time as chancellor, accusing him of 'overseeing the biggest drop in living standards since 1956'.  Yes, yes, because of all those hideous lockdown policies and the pursuit of net zero etc, right?  All policies that you voted for?  Yes, Nadia's tweet stinks to the rafters of hypocrisy.


Care to search for this tweet?  It's not there any more.  She was told to delete it and it duly disappeared some time between Tuesday and Wednesday, not before it was captured for eternity by Twitter users and media outlets.  The internet remembers.

Who told Whittome to delete the tweet is not clear, but one thing is for sure - her spineless party leader is not prepared to own up to it, presumably fearing a backlash from her far left comrades.  He was asked twice about it on Sky News, but avoided the question (watch the clip below).


It's fair to say that the squirming and evasive response of Starmer shows that the far left still have some serious sway in the party and he is afraid to take them on.  As for Nadia, she's now pinned another tweet to the top of her Twitter profile - bemoaning the PM's wealth, but not his ethnic background.

This girl has surrounded herself with spiteful, like-minded leftists who are so short-sighted that they wouldn't know a double standard if it rocked up from gentrified Islington clutching a manifesto for 'the few'.

Long may she continue to dig a hole for herself and her socialist chums.

Wednesday 26 October 2022

POT, KETTLE, DODDS

There was a whiff of desperation from Labour as Rishi Sunak officially became PM on Tuesday.  They sent out Anneliese Dodds - the woman dropped as shadow chancellor in favour of the more presentable, but arguably less effective Rachel Reeves.  Tory musical chairs presented Labour with so many open goals, but what happened was a bizarre attack upon Sunak's record as chancellor.  Let's not forget - in fact, let's never forget - that all the rotten nanny state Covid measures trotted out by Johnson and Sunak were enthusiastically endorsed by Labour.  If anything, Starmer and co wanted more lockdowns - longer and harsher - furlough to be extended and benefits to be expanded.

While the Tories have bankrupted the nation for generations to come, with Labour at the helm the mountain of debt would have been even higher.

Dodds even managed to trot out the following line: "People didn't vote at the last election for a high tax, low growth economy".  She's not wrong there, they didn't vote for Labour.  However, thanks to the government's authoritarian response to Covid, they got a taste of Labour regardless.

The irony is either lost on Dodds or she's cynically well aware of it.  Either way, it's a dumb take for an opposition presented with a third PM in the space of three months.  Click below for the Scarecrow...

PRIME MINISTER'S QUESTIONS 26.10.22

Rishi Sunak will take on Keir Starmer for the first time at PMQs, just one day into the job.  Watch here from noon.

Monday 24 October 2022

MORDAUNT OUT, SUNAK WINS


Penny Mordaunt could not secure the backing of 100 Tory MPs and pulled out of the leadership race minutes before the 14:00 deadline.  Graham Brady confirmed that only one candidate had entered nominations and duly anointed Rishi Sunak as the latest leader of the Conservative party.

Sunak will be confirmed as the new PM tomorrow, the first of Asian descent and at 42 the youngest for more than 200 years.  Just seven weeks ago he was rejected by Tory party members and will now enter Number Ten without their endorsement.

TORY LEADERSHIP ENDORSEMENTS


UPDATED: Mon, 13:26

Rishi Sunak now has more than half of all Tory MPs publicly backing him, while Mordaunt struggles to reach the threshold of 100.  Her team claim she has the support of around 90 MPs, although less than 30 have declared publicly for her.  If she fails to reach the target in today's vote then Rishi Sunak will become the latest PM.  If Mordaunt does receive the required nominations then party members will vote online this week.  Nominations close at 14:00 on Monday.

MP George Freeman has switched his support from Mordaunt to Sunak.

The following list shows which candidate Tory MPs are publicly backing (list updated regularly).  Please note that not all MPs will publicly disclose who they are backing.

Nigel Adams - 
Bim Afolami – SUNAK
Adam Afriyie - 
Nickie Aiken - 
Peter Aldous - SUNAK
Lucy Allan - SUNAK
Lee Anderson - MORDAUNT
Stuart Anderson - 
Stuart Andrew - SUNAK
Caroline Ansell - MORDAUNT
Edward Argar - 
Sarah Atherton - 
Victoria Atkins - SUNAK
Gareth Bacon - 
Richard Bacon – SUNAK
Kemi Badenoch - SUNAK
Shaun Bailey - 
Siobhan Baillie – SUNAK 
Duncan Baker - SUNAK
Steve Baker - SUNAK
Harriet Baldwin – MORDAUNT
Steve Barclay - SUNAK
John Baron - SUNAK
Simon Baynes – SUNAK
Aaron Bell - SUNAK
Scott Benton – 
Paul Beresford - SUNAK
Jake Berry - 
Saqib Bhatti - 
Bob Blackman - 
Crispin Blunt – SUNAK
Peter Bone – 
Peter Bottomley - SUNAK
Andrew Bowie – SUNAK
Ben Bradley - 
Karen Bradley - 
Graham Brady - 
Suella Braverman - SUNAK
Jack Brereton - 
Andrew Bridgen - SUNAK
Steve Brine - SUNAK
Paul Bristow – 
Sara Britcliffe - 
Anthony Browne - SUNAK
Fiona Bruce - 
Felicity Buchan - SUNAK
Robert Buckland - SUNAK
Alex Burghart - SUNAK
Rob Butler - 
Alun Cairns - SUNAK
Andy Carter - 
James Cartlidge - SUNAK
Bill Cash - 
Miriam Cates - SUNAK
Maria Caulfield – SUNAK
Alex Chalk – SUNAK
Rehman Chishti - SUNAK
Christopher Chope - 
Jo Churchill - 
Greg Clark - SUNAK
Simon Clarke - SUNAK
Theo Clarke - 
Brendan Clarke-Smith - 
Chris Clarkson – SUNAK
James Cleverly - SUNAK
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown - 
Therese Coffey - 
Elliot Colburn - MORDAUNT
Damien Collins - MORDAUNT 
Alberto Costa - 
Robert Courts - SUNAK
Claire Coutinho – SUNAK
Geoffrey Cox - SUNAK
Stephen Crabb - SUNAK
Virginia Crosbie - SUNAK
Tracey Crouch - MORDAUNT
James Daly - SUNAK
David TC Davies – SUNAK
Gareth Davies - SUNAK 
James Davies - MORDAUNT 
Mims Davies - SUNAK
Philip Davies - SUNAK
David Davis - SUNAK
Dehenna Davison - 
Caroline Dinenage – MORDAUNT
Sarah Dines - 
Jonathan Djangoly - SUNAK
Leo Docherty – SUNAK
Michelle Donelan - SUNAK
Nadine Dorries – 
Steve Double - SUNAK
Oliver Dowden - SUNAK
Jackie Doyle-Price - 
Richard Drax - 
Flick Drummond - SUNAK
James Duddridge – SUNAK
David Duguid - 
Iain Duncan-Smith - SUNAK
Philip Dunne - SUNAK
Mark Eastwood – 
Ruth Edwards – SUNAK 
Michael Ellis - 
Tobias Ellwood - SUNAK
Natalie Elphicke - 
George Eustice - SUNAK
Luke Evans - MORDAUNT
Nigel Evans - 
David Evennett - 
Ben Everitt - 
Michael Fabricant - MORDAUNT
Laura Farris - SUNAK
Simon Fell – SUNAK
Anna Firth - SUNAK
Katherine Fletcher - 
Mark Fletcher - 
Nick Fletcher - 
Vicky Ford - 
Kevin Foster - SUNAK
Liam Fox - SUNAK 
Mark Francois - 
Lucy Frazer - SUNAK
George Freeman - SUNAK
Mike Freer - SUNAK
Louie French - SUNAK
Richard Fuller - SUNAK
Marcus Fysh – MORDAUNT
Roger Gale - MORDAUNT 
Mark Garnier - SUNAK
Nusrat Ghani - SUNAK
Nick Gibb – SUNAK
Peter Gibson - SUNAK
Jo Gideon - SUNAK
John Glen – SUNAK
Robert Goodwill - SUNAK
Michael Gove - SUNAK
Richard Graham - SUNAK 
Helen Grant - SUNAK
James Gray - SUNAK
Chris Grayling - SUNAK
Chris Green - 
Damian Green - MORDAUNT
Andrew Griffith - SUNAK
James Grundy – 
Jonathan Gullis - SUNAK
Rob Halfon - SUNAK
Luke Hall - 
Stephen Hammond – SUNAK
Matt Hancock - SUNAK
Greg Hands - SUNAK
Mark Harper – SUNAK
Rebecca Harris - 
Trudy Harrison – 
Sally-Ann Hart - SUNAK
Simon Hart - SUNAK
John Hayes - SUNAK
Oliver Heald - SUNAK
James Heappey - SUNAK
Chris Heaton-Harris - 
Gordon Henderson - SUNAK
Darren Henry - 
Antony Higginbotham – 
Damian Hinds - SUNAK
Simon Hoare - SUNAK
Richard Holden - SUNAK
Kevin Hollinrake - SUNAK
Phillip Hollobone – 
Adam Holloway - 
Paul Holmes - SUNAK
John Howell - SUNAK 
Paul Howell - SUNAK
Nigel Huddleston - 
Neil Hudson - MORDAUNT
Eddie Hughes - 
Jane Hunt - 
Jeremy Hunt - SUNAK
Tom Hunt - SUNAK
Alister Jack - 
Sajid Javid - SUNAK 
Ranil Jayawardena - 
Bernard Jenkin - 
Mark Jenkinson - 
Andrea Jenkyns – 
Robert Jenrick - SUNAK
Caroline Johnson - 
Gareth Johnson – 
David Johnston - SUNAK
Andrew Jones - SUNAK
David Jones - 
Fay Jones - SUNAK
Marcus Jones - 
Simon Jupp - SUNAK 
Danial Kawczynski - 
Alicia Kearns - 
Gillian Keegan - SUNAK
Greg Knight - SUNAK
Julian Knight - 
Kate Kniveton - SUNAK
Danny Kruger - SUNAK
Kwasi Kwarteng - 
Eleanor Laing - 
John Lamont - MORDAUNT 
Robert Largan - SUNAK
Pauline Latham - SUNAK
Andrea Leadsom - MORDAUNT 
Edward Leigh - 
Ian Levy – 
Andrew Lewer - SUNAK
Brandon Lewis - SUNAK
Julian Lewis - 
Ian Liddell-Grainger - 
Chris Loder - SUNAK
Mark Logan - SUNAK
Marco Longhi – 
Julia Lopez - 
Jack Loprestri - 
Jonathan Lord - SUNAK
Tim Loughton - SUNAK
Craig Mackinlay - 
Cherilyn Mackrory - 
Rachel Maclean - 
Alan Mak - SUNAK
Kit Malthouse - 
Anthony Mangnall - SUNAK
Scott Mann - SUNAK
Julie Marson - SUNAK 
Theresa May - 
Jerome Mayhew - SUNAK
Paul Maynard – SUNAK
Jason McCartney - SUNAK
Karl McCartney - 
Stephen McPartland – 
Esther McVey - 
Mark Menzies - SUNAK 
Johnny Mercer - SUNAK
Huw Merriman - SUNAK 
Stephen Metcalfe - 
Robin Millar - 
Maria Miller - MORDAUNT 
Amanda Milling – SUNAK
Nigel Mills - SUNAK
Andrew Mitchell - SUNAK
Gagan Mohindra - SUNAK
Damien Moore - 
Robbie Moore - MORDAUNT 
Anne-Marie Morris - 
David Morris - SUNAK
James Morris - SUNAK
Joy Morrissey - 
Jill Mortimer – 
Wendy Morton - 
Kieran Mullan - MORDAUNT
Holly Mumby-Croft – 
David Mundell - SUNAK
Sheryll Murray - 
Andrew Murrison – SUNAK
Bob Neill - SUNAK
Lia Nici –  
Caroline Nokes - SUNAK 
Jesse Norman - SUNAK
Neil O'Brien - SUNAK
Matthew Offord - 
Guy Opperman - SUNAK
Priti Patel - SUNAK
Mark Pawsey - SUNAK
Mike Penning - 
John Penrose - MORDAUNT 
Andrew Percy - SUNAK
Chris Philp - SUNAK
Dan Poulter - SUNAK
Rebecca Pow - SUNAK
Victoria Prentis - SUNAK
Mark Pritchard - 
Tom Pursglove – SUNAK
Jeremy Quin - SUNAK
Will Quince - SUNAK
Dominic Raab - SUNAK
Tom Randall - SUNAK
John Redwood - 
Jacob Rees-Mogg – 
Nicola Richards - MORDAUNT 
Angela Richardson - SUNAK 
Laurence Robertson - 
Mary Robinson – MORDAUNT
Andrew Rosindell - 
Douglas Ross - 
Lee Rowley - 
Dean Russell - SUNAK
David Rutley - SUNAK
Gary Sambrook - 
Selaine Saxby – SUNAK
Paul Scully - 
Bob Seely – MORDAUNT
Andrew Selous - SUNAK
Grant Shapps - SUNAK
Alok Sharma - 
Alec Shelbrooke - 
David Simmonds - SUNAK
Chris Skidmore - 
Greg Smith - 
Henry Smith – 
Chloe Smith - SUNAK
Julian Smith - SUNAK
Royston Smith - SUNAK
Amanda Solloway - 
Ben Spencer - 
Mark Spencer - SUNAK
Alexander Stafford - 
Bob Stewart – 
Andrew Stephenson - SUNAK
Jane Stevenson – 
John Stevenson – SUNAK
Bob Stewart - 
Iain Stewart - SUNAK
Gary Streeter - SUNAK
Mel Stride – SUNAK
Graham Stuart - SUNAK
Julian Sturdy - SUNAK 
James Sunderland - 
Desmond Swayne - SUNAK
Robert Syms - SUNAK
Derek Thomas - MORDAUNT
Maggie Throup - SUNAK
Edward Timpson - SUNAK
Kelly Tolhurst – 
Justin Tomlinson - SUNAK
Michael Tomlinson - SUNAK
Craig Tracey - MORDAUNT 
Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 
Laura Trott – SUNAK
Liz Truss - 
Tom Tugendhat - SUNAK
Shailesh Vara – SUNAK
Martin Vickers - SUNAK
Matt Vickers - SUNAK
Theresa Villiers - SUNAK
Robin Walker - SUNAK
Ben Wallace – 
Jamie Wallis – SUNAK
Matt Warman - 
Giles Watling - MORDAUNT
Suzanne Webb - 
Helen Whately - SUNAK
Heather Wheeler - MORDAUNT 
Craig Whittaker - 
John Whittingdale – SUNAK
Bill Wiggin - 
James Wild - SUNAK
Craig Williams – SUNAK
Gavin Williamson - SUNAK
Mike Wood - SUNAK
William Wragg - 
Jeremy Wright - SUNAK
Nadhim Zahawi - SUNAK

Saturday 22 October 2022

NEIL OLIVER'S MONOLOGUE 22.10.22

Our libertarian hero returns to the studio after a three week absence and begins with a quote from boxing legend Mike Tyson: "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth".  He follows up with several more quotes and phrases before the narrative begins in earnest with a look back to the 2016 referendum.  The smug expectations of David Cameron and the establishment were demolished overnight and political chaos ensued for three years as the elites strove to reverse the result.

We are now looking at our fourth PM in six years, although it may turn out to be the same one Tory MPs ousted three months ago.  It's a clown show and pretty irrelevant as Mr Oliver proceeds to tell us.  The real power lies elsewhere and May, Johnson and Truss are merely puppets.  He progresses with gusto, slamming the persistent 'anti-human' agenda of deadly vaccines and net zero.

At almost eleven minutes, this is one of Neil's longest GB News monologues and he appears rushed at times, as if to squeeze in every news story he's missed over the last few weeks.  Not his best by a long shot, but still infinitely more enlightening than anything Peston or Kuenssberg could deliver...

Friday 21 October 2022

CITY OF CHESTER MP RESIGNS


Former Labour frontbencher Chris Matheson has resigned as the MP for Chester.  Matheson was initially suspended from the Commons for four weeks after a parliamentary watchdog upheld two claims of 'serious sexual misconduct'.  He would have faced a recall petition and potentially lose his seat, but he chose to resign after the decision became public.

The allegations revolved around a young female member of staff.  At a work event Matheson was alleged to have linked arms with her and made personal comments about her appearance, while 'looking at her suggestively'.  He left the event with the claimant, making her hold his hand and accompanying her to a bus stop.  He then kissed her on the forehead, attempted to kiss her on the mouth and invited her back to his flat.  On another occasion he invited the claimant on a private trip abroad, which was found to be 'sexually motivated, unwanted, placed her under pressure and intimidated her'.

Matheson, who is understood to be married, released the following statement: 
"From the start I accepted I had committed a minor breach of the code and had hoped that an honest and open approach would stand me in a fair light.  This has proven not to be the case and I am dismayed that I have been found guilty of several allegations that I know to be untrue.

Indeed my insistence on what I know to be true - that I had no sexual motivation in this matter - was held against me as a refusal to accept my guilt, and caused an increased sanction which I felt was disproportionate.

Despite provable factual inaccuracies in the sanctions report, my appeal against sanction was not even considered, for the same reason.  Therefore, I faced a suspension from the House of four weeks.

Whilst I believe that this is an excessive and unfair penalty, I cannot challenge the process further.  I believe that the honourable and right thing to do now is to resign my seat and seek to rebuild my life elsewhere.

I would ask for privacy for my family.  This matter has also caused a great toll on my health, requiring my hospitalisation, and I ask that my privacy is respected while I recover.

I will forever be grateful to my constituency, and my party, for giving me the honour to serve, and I apologise to the people of Chester, and to the House of Commons, for the disrepute I have brought.
I once again apologise to the complainant in my case, for the hurt I have caused."
Matheson has held the City of Chester for Labour since 2015, when he took the seat from the Conservatives with a wafer thin 93 vote majority.  He increased that majority in 2017 to 9,176 and his majority currently stands at 6,164.  He held front bench positions under both Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer, most recently in December 2021.

A by-election will now be held to replace the disgraced MP.

City of Chester, General Election 2019

Chris Matheson (Lab) 27,082 (49.6%) -7.2%
Samantha George (Con) 20,918 (38.3%) -2.2%
Bob Thompson (LDem) 3,734 (6.8%) +4.1%
Nicholas Brown (Grn) 1,438 (2.6%) New
Andy Argyle (Brexit) 1,388 (2.5%) New

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 20.10.22


Five council by-elections this week and three seats changing hands with one gain each for Labour, the Conservatives and Lib Dems.  Labour gained from the Conservatives in Norfolk with a resounding victory.  The Tories gained from the Lib Dems in Hampshire with a narrow margin of 25 votes, aided by the addition of an independent candidate that appeared to affect the Lib Dem vote.  The Lib Dems returned the serve in Surrey where they crushed the Conservative candidate with a thumping gain.

Elsewhere it was a hold each for Labour (St Helens) and the Conservatives (Monmouthshire).

There were no absentees in any of this week's polls.

Thorpe St Andrew North West, Broadland District Council

Lab: 860 (51.8%) +22.8%
Con: 365 (38.3%) -17.9%
LDem: 165 (9.9%) -4.9%

Lab GAIN from Con

Portchester East, Fareham Borough Council

Con: 957 (37.6%) +3.0%
LDem: 932 (36.6%) -14.2%
Lab: 379 (14.9%) +4.5%
Ind: 275 (10.8%) New

Con GAIN from LDem

Tillingbourne, Guildford Borough Council

LDem: 636 (46.5%) +16.3%
Con: 293 (21.4%) -15.2%
Ind: 185 (13.5%) +13.5%
Grn: 168 (12.3%) -20.8%
Lab: 85 (6.2%) New

LDem GAIN from Con

Devauden, Monmouthshire County Council

Con: 268 (40.5%) -8.8%
Lab: 210 (31.8%) +1.1%
Ind: 119 (18.0%) New
Grn: 41 (6.2%) -4.0%
LDem: 23 (3.5%) -6.3%

Con HOLD

Moss Bank, St Helens Borough Council

Lab: 656 (50.3%) -1.7%
LDem: 571 (43.8%) +27.1%
Con: 78 (6.0%) -11.3%

Lab HOLD

Thursday 20 October 2022

TORY TITANIC DECKCHAIRS


No matter how many times they rearrange the deckchairs, the Tories are sunk at the next election.  In the latest humiliation Liz Truss has become the shortest serving Prime Minister of all time, by a fair old margin too.  George Canning held the grim record previously, but his 119 days in office ended only with his death.  Even another two month Tory leadership contest won't save Truss from avoiding being the new record holder.

Despite being rejected by the Tory membership, Rishi Sunak has been installed as the bookies' favourite to become the third PM of this comical 2019 Parliament.  Penny Mordaunt is currently 9-2, with Ben Wallace at 12-1 and Boris Johnson at 14-1.

It doesn't matter, it's irrelevant.  The game's up.

BRAVERMAN BROADSIDE NAILS IT

by Richey Edwards

Suella Braverman was praised for her conference speech two weeks ago

Suella Braverman was one of only two actual conservatives to enter the race to succeed Boris Johnson (the other was Kemi Badenoch).  That she fell so early on in the race is a sad indictment on the current state of the parliamentary Tory party.  As the party tears itself apart and gifts Labour a resounding election victory, Braverman bowed out again on Wednesday.

Although the official reason for her departure as Home Secretary was a breach of the ministerial code, her resignation letter - published for the world to see on Twitter - suggested she was only too happy to be shot of it.  The letter contains damning criticism of the Truss government and she singles out immigration policy - or lack of it - as a key grievance.  While her predecessor Priti Patel struggled with the issue for three years without success, Braverman wasn't going to be just another home secretary with her hands tied behind her back.

Braverman wrote: "I have had serious concerns about this Government's commitment to honouring manifesto commitments, such as reducing overall migration numbers and stopping illegal migration, particularly the dangerous small boats crossings."  She raised the topic again in the next paragraph, writing that the British people 'deserve an immigration policy they want and voted for'.

Braverman was well received at the Tory conference two weeks ago, but she was speaking to party members and not just the left-leaning rabble of the parliamentary party.  Her main address was heavy on migration as she pledged to 'take back control of our borders'.  At a fringe event she went further: "I would love to be having a front page of the Telegraph with a plane taking off to Rwanda, that’s my dream, that’s my obsession."  Alas, it was likely to remain a dream as long as Truss was in Number Ten.

As a leadership contender, Truss barely mentioned immigration - if at all.  Worse still, since her ascent to the leadership she has only talked about it once - and that was to say she wants to loosen immigration controls and increase migration in order to fill job vacancies.  This is, of course, contrary to the 2019 manifesto pledge and pretty much every Tory manifesto pledge on immigration since 2010.  It is almost as if each successive leader had little to no interest in bringing net migration down, something which is certainly true of Truss and her predecessor.  Boris Johnson rarely spoke of migration either, making Priti Patel a lame duck home secretary who must have felt like she was banging her head against a brick wall.

Suella had no intention of being similarly ignored and it is almost certain that her lackadaisical breach of ministerial rules was merely an easy way out for her.

The left's response to her departure was jubilant.  Braverman once wrote of Twitter: "If I get trolled and I provoke a bad response on Twitter I know I'm doing the right thing.  Twitter is a sewer of left-wing bile.  The extreme left pile on is often a consequence of sound conservative values."  While the left despise most people acting under a Tory banner, they are unrelenting in their pursuit of real actual conservatives - as opposed to impostors like the socially liberal Johnson and Truss.

Labour's Socialist Campaign Group of MPs were particularly scathing, Zarah Sultana tagging Braverman directly in her message.  Jeremy Corbyn dressed up the same message in a more polite manner.  By the way, they were not 'refugees' that Braverman wanted to deport, at best they are economic migrants, at worse they are a potentially dangerous legion of young men who feed off our political masters' liberal generosity without providing anything positive in return.


While the left celebrated the demise of a true conservative, one of the most euphoric and spiteful tweets came from within the Tory party itself...


There is little contained within the above tweet to suggest that the person behind it is a conservative in any way, shape or form.  Well, she isn't.  Life peer Baroness Warsi is symptomatic of the non-conservative party the Tories have become.  Here is an individual who cannot contain her hatred for conservative values and openly defends woke ideology and open borders.  Her hashtags #Tofu and #Wokerati in the above tweet reference a quote by Braverman in which the then Home Secretary condemned the 'Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati' of the Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion fanatics blocking our roads.

Needless to say, Warsi's tweet was met with glowing endorsements from the very people she should be in opposition to - if she were an actual conservative that is.  Last week Warsi urged Liz Truss to call a general election, surely in the knowledge that her party would be duly ousted from power in the process.  With party comrades like Warsi, who needs Labour?

Suella Braverman's resignation letter in full...
Dear Prime Minister,

It is with the greatest regret that I am choosing to tender my resignation.

Earlier today, I sent an official document from my personal email to a trusted parliamentary colleague as part of policy engagement, and with the aim of garnering support for government policy on migration. This constitutes a technical infringement of the rules. As you know, the document was a draft Written Ministerial Statement about migration, due for publication imminently. Much of it had already been briefed to MPs. Nevertheless it is right for me to go.

As soon as I realised my mistake, I rapidly reported this on official channels, and informed the Cabinet Secretary. As Home Secretary I hold myself to the highest standards and my resignation is the right thing to do. The business of government relies upon people accepting responsibility for their mistakes. Pretending we haven't made mistakes, carrying on as if everyone can't see that we have made them, and hoping that things will magically come right is not serious polities. I have made a mistake; I accept responsibility: I resign.

It is obvious to every one that we are going through a tumultuous time. I have concerns about the direction of this government. Not only have we broken key pledges that were promised to our voters, but I have had serious concerns about this Government's commitment to honouring manifesto commitments, such as reducing overall migration numbers and stopping illegal migration, particularly the dangerous small boats crossings.

It has been a great honour to serve at the Home Office. In even the brief time that I have been here, it has been very clear that there is much to do, in terms of delivering on the priorities of the British people. They deserve policing they can respect, an immigration policy they want and voted for in such unambiguous numbers at the last election, and laws which serve the public good, and not the interests of selfish protesters.

I am very grateful to all of my officials, special advisers and ministerial team for all of their help during my time as Home Secretary. I especially would like to pay tribute to the heroic policemen and women and all those who work at Border Force and in our security services. To oversee Operation Bridges - the largest policing operation in a generation - was a great honour and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve.

I wish my successor good luck.

Yours sincerely,

Rt Hon Suella Braverman KC MP
Truss's response to Braverman was a glowing appraisal of her time as the shortest serving home secretary of all time.  No reference was made to Braverman's concerns, but then immigration does not appear to be of concern to the Prime Minister of this country and that will be of concern to voters.
Dear Suella,

Thank you for your letter. I accept your resignation and respect the decision you have made. It is important that the Ministerial Code is upheld, and that Cabinet confidentiality is respected.

I am grateful for your service as Home Secretary. Your time in office has been marked by your steadfast commitment to keeping the British people safe. You oversaw the largest ever ceremonial policing operation, when thousands of officers were deployed from forces across the United Kingdom to ensure the safety of the Royal Family and all those who gathered in mourning for Her Late Majesty The Queen.

I am also grateful for your previous work as Attorney General, as my Cabinet colleague and in particular your work on the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill.

I look forward to working with you in the future and wish you all the best.

Best wishes

Liz Truss
It's hard to deduce what is actually going on right now inside the UK government.  It is nothing short of a debacle, the like of which is causing immense damage to the good name of our country around the world.  Who is actually in charge?  No-one seems to know.  And all this comes just weeks after the most watched event in history showcased our nation at its very best.  Thankfully, Her Majesty cannot bear witness to the clown show overseen by her fifteenth and final prime minister.

The ministerial merry-go-round and persistent coups will wear down the electorate until very few are prepared to turn out for the Conservatives.  The party can wave farewell to the demographic who 'lent' their votes in 2019 - those who either just wanted to 'get Brexit done', stop Corbyn or both.  While Northern Ireland is still technically trapped inside the EU, mainland Britain - where the Tories field candidates - is out.  Corbyn is long gone and not even a Labour MP any more.  There is no incentive for those voters to keep faith with a party that has plunged into chaos, while delivering very little on their manifesto pledges - including that reduction on net migration.

Divided parties don't win elections and the Conservatives are now so fractured that it is not even a case of two opposing factions, but a myriad.  Actual real conservatives of the right continue to be pushed to the margins, but they are still there fighting their corner like Braverman.  Libertarian conservatives, who are not mutually exclusive from the right, have also been sidelined in recent years, but they too remain.  There are so-called 'one nation' conservatives, socially liberal conservatives and 'classical liberals', a term used often to describe Boris Johnson.  Again, the grouping is not mutually exclusive.  One could argue that the ongoing flight from the right driven by the likes of Johnson and Truss has put the Tories left of Labour on the political spectrum.  That is problematic going forwards as it provides voters with even less of an incentive to vote Conservative if what they have on the ballot paper is just more nanny state interventionism of the left.

Then, of course, there is Brexit.  We should be long past the debate, but it still rumbles on in the background.  The latest upheaval is often referred to as a 'Remainer coup' by Brexiteers such as Nigel Farage and it is certainly the case that Leave-voting Kwarteng and Braverman have been replaced by the odious Hunt and Schapps, both of whom backed Remain.  Regardless of the intention of the schemers and plotters, it is irrelevant when Starmer is waiting in the wings at the next election.

That is sadly where we are heading and it will likely not be a single term Labour government, but a long and hard dose of Labour - such is the damage the Tories have done to themselves.  The clown show we are all currently witnessing could potentially plumb a previously unfathomable depth - where the argument that 'things would be worse under Labour' is no longer valid.  At that point whoever is in Number Ten may as well call an election, because there is little point prolonging the inevitable.  The Conservatives will be demolished at the next election, perhaps fatally.  And they will have no-one to blame but themselves.

Wednesday 19 October 2022

PRIME MINISTER'S QUESTIONS 19.10.22

Liz Truss squares up to Keir Starmer for the third time as she fights to save her embattled premiership.  Watch below from noon.

IAN BYRNE TRIGGERED

Ian Byrne

A third member of Labour's Socialist Campaign Group is to face a reselection battle for the next general election.  Foul-mouthed Ian Byrne will follow in the footsteps of comrades Sam Tarry and Apsana Begum when members vote on whether he will represent Labour at the next election.  Like Tarry and Begum, Byrne was part of the 2019 hard left intake of MPs.  A Liverpool councillor, he was selected after the incumbent for Liverpool West Derby - Stephen Twigg - inexplicably stood down.

Before being elected to the safe Labour seat, Byrne was revealed to have posted several sweary social media posts targeting female politicians.  In 2015 he posted a meme to his Facebook page featuring Conservative peer Michelle Mone and wrote: "Hit this c*** where it hurts".  He also described Tory MP Esther McVey as a 'bastard'.  Byrne subsequently deleted his Facebook account.

Having lost a string of 'trigger ballots' in his constituency, Byrne will now face a reselection vote if and when alternative candidates come forward.  Sam Tarry is the only other Labour MP to face such a vote in this parliamentary term and he lost, meaning that he will no longer be the Labour MP for Ilford South after the next election.  His London colleague Apsana Begum will also face a reselection vote in the near future.

Byrne responded to the reselection news with the following statement and repeated Tarry's insinuations that the electronic voting process is potentially compromised.


Under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, the threshold for MPs to face reselection was lowered from 50 per cent to a third.  This came following a surge in Labour membership and the intention was to oust moderate MPs and replace them with far left Corbynistas.  However, many of those Corbyn loyalists left the party after Starmer took over and it's now far left MPs like Byrne who face the threat of deselection.  There's some irony there.

Monday 17 October 2022

EMILY CARVER'S MONOLOGUE 15.10.22

Emily Carver fills in for the holidaying Neil Oliver this time.  Her monologue covers the clown show that is the current UK government, describing the 80 seat Tory majority 'a missed opportunity'.  Amen to that.

Much of the woe beset by the government has been driven by mass media, says Emily, which in turn gave impetus to those seeking to divide from within.  Hence, the downfall of Johnson, and the same will happen to Truss: "Like a pack of hyenas, lobby journalists and the mainstream media smell blood, and they'll make every day a living Hell for the lame duck Prime Minister."

Starmer is now a shoo-in at the next election, an unbelievable proposition just twelve months ago when the Conservatives were still ahead in the polls.

Emily's monologue is brief at less than three minutes, click below for the full video.

Saturday 15 October 2022

THIS IS THE LEFT IV


Robbie Coltrane was a talented actor.  After spending the 1980s almost exclusively in comic roles, he went straight in the 1990s to critical acclaim as the lead in gritty crime series Cracker.  Sadly, in death he has been overwhelmingly remembered as the much-loved character of Hagrid in the Harry Potter film adaptations.  He was much better than that.

It was his connection with Harry Potter author JK Rowling that led to a cascade of bile from the left since his passing.  The vile messages posted on Twitter share a common theme, but they also denote a lack of insight and a sense of irony.  For Robbie Coltrane was himself a socialist, a man of the left and a Labour supporter through and through.  He made no secret of it, but the fact is lost on the spiteful minions of the millennial and post-millennial communists who wage online war against anyone who contradicts their twisted narrative.

Robbie Coltrane pictured at a Labour event in 1987 alongside future chancellor
Alistair Darling (far left), future Labour MPs Mark Lazarowicz and Nigel Griffiths
and the late Donald Dewar (partially obscured centre right)

Coltrane was educated at one of the most prestigious private schools in Scotland, but rejected his conservative upbringing and later became an outspoken critic of selective schools.  As well as Labour, he was also involved with Greenpeace and the CND.  Furthermore, when the 2014 Scottish referendum came around he voiced support for independence, but only if it were an 'independent Labour Scotland'.

There is clearly little upon which we agree when it comes to Robbie Coltrane's political stances, but note that since his death we have not posted anything remotely negative about him.  Contrast that with the spiteful drivel posted from his own side, many of whom still furious that he chose to stand by the feminist Rowling - unlike the ungrateful little trio of shits she made famous.  In 2020 Coltrane was quoted thus: "I don’t know why, but there’s a whole Twitter generation of people who hang around waiting to be offended.  They wouldn’t have won the war, would they?"

Hear, hear.

Amid the catalogue of screen-captured hate below, note the Labour rose on 'ClapDaddy327' and the account named 'Women for Wes', a leftist account that mocks Labour frontbencher Wes Streeting.


Regardless of his political views, Robbie Coltrane was clearly a better human being than any of the human garbage that posted the above tweets.

Friday 14 October 2022

BEN BANNED (AGAIN)

One of America's leading conservative cartoonists has been targeted by the socialist mafia of Silicon Valley yet again.  Ben Garrison was one of the Trump supporters expelled from Twitter and Facebook at the same time the US president was famously banned.  However, like ourselves, Ben and his cartoonist wife Tina had a backup page on Facebook they used in the event of such censorship.  It had a much smaller following, which they had significantly increased since their main page was quashed in January 2021.

On Monday the Garrisons' backup page was also banned by Facebook.

Oddly, it wasn't any of Ben's frequent references to the dastardly Covid jabs that triggered the tech giant into action.  It was a cartoon from 2012 that had been re-shared (see below), featuring a critique of the fluoridation of public water supplies (a process that has divided scientists ever since it was first used in 1945).


Only 25 countries across the entire world artificially introduce fluoride into their water supplies, including several regions in the UK.  Most Brits currently do not consume artificially fluoridated water, but last year moves were made to transfer powers from local authorities to central government, with the aim of nationwide coverage - on the advice of the chief medical officers, including none other than big pharma shill Professor Chris Whitty.  Facebook's motives for silencing the Garrisons don't look so strange now.

Ben responded to the latest ban: "Our cartoon pages are gone from Facebook forever, thanks to an anti-free speech tyrant named Zuckerberg.  He’s more aligned with the communist Chinese than he is real Americans.  Zuckerberg is a traitor."

Hear, hear.

Thankfully, the advent of alternative social media platforms mean the Garrisons can never be totally silenced online.  They are active on Gab, Parler and Truth Social.  They also have their own website - GrrrGraphics.  They are still on Instagram, although probably not for much longer as the site is owned by Zuckerberg's Meta tech empire.

Here's a selection of Ben and Tina's recent efforts...

Ben's response to the January 2021 big tech assault on Trump supporters and the
free speech alternative Parler
The climate scam is a regular feature in Ben's cartoons
One of Tina's cartoons, tackling the climate scam and one of its pushers, Bill Gates
The descent of Disney into wokery
Ben takes no prisoners when it comes to the far left
Big pharma shill Dr Fauci was a frequent target of Ben's work during the pandemic
Tina depicts Fauci and Biden rolling out the clot shots to American children
The Garrisons steadfastly opposed lockdowns, vaccines and mandates - and the
leaders who imposed them (including Boris)
Biden's embrace of conflict marked a return to the destabilising geopolitics absent
during the Trump years
Ben's solution to the globalist mess is the return of President Trump

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 13.10.22


Five council seats were up for grabs this week and despite overwhelmingly negative media coverage and dreadful polling, it was a good return for the Conservatives.  They not only held their one defence (Gloucester), they gained seats from both Labour and the Greens.

It was a narrow hold for the Tories in Gloucester, where the absence of an independent candidate appeared to help the Lib Dems almost surge to victory.  The winning margin was just 15 votes.

In Epping Forest the Greens were defending a seat they had previously gained in a head-to-head contest against the incumbent Conservatives.  It was a two-way battle again, but on this occasion the Tory candidate triumphed.  The most sensational result of the night came in Leicester where Labour were defending one of their 50 council seats (from 54 in total).  The Conservatives stormed to victory, doubling their existing tally of one council seat.  The Green Party also enjoyed a surge, leaving Labour trailing behind in third.

Labour managed to hold its other two defences, but lost ground to the Liberal Democrats in Stockport where the absence of a Conservative candidate appeared to benefit the Lib Dems.  Interesting to note that of the four seats Labour contested on Thursday, their vote share was down in three of them with the fourth presenting a meagre advance of 0.1 per cent.

Waltham Abbey South West, Epping Forest District Council

Con: 260 (55.2%) +17.2%
Grn: 211 (44.8%) -17.2%

Con GAIN from Grn

Tuffley, Gloucester City Council

Con: 502 (34.9%) -13.5%
LDem: 487 (33.8%) +28.3%
Lab: 451 (31.3%) -2.7%

Con HOLD

Throston, Hartlepool Borough Council

Lab: 450 (50.8%) +0.1%
Ind: 280 (31.6%) +4.7%
Con: 124 (14.0%) -8.5%
LDem: 32 (3.6%) New

Lab HOLD

North Evington, Leicester City Council

Con: 3,441 (49.6%) +32.7%
Grn: 1,790 (25.8%) +20.0%
Lab: 1,563 (22.5%) -49.8%
LDem: 100 (1.4%) -3.5%
TUSC: 45 (0.6%) New

Con GAIN from Lab

Edgeley & Cheadle Heath, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

Lab: 1,172 (52.9%) -19.6%
LDem: 844 (38.1%) +32.1%
Grn: 200 (9.0%) +0.5%

Lab HOLD

Abbreviations

Con = Conservative
Grn = Green
LDem = Liberal Democrat
Lab = Labour
TUSC = Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Ind = Independents

Wednesday 12 October 2022

PRIME MINISTER'S QUESTIONS 12.10.22

PMQs returns after an extended break for national mourning and conference season.  This will be Liz Truss's second appearance at PMQs.  Watch below from noon.

Tuesday 11 October 2022

RAYNER'S LOVER DESELECTED

The hard left MP for Ilford South has been deselected as the Labour candidate for the next general election.  Sam Tarry has only been an MP since 2019, after being selected to succeed Mike Gapes, who had quit Labour to co-found Change UK.  Tarry was selected in controversial circumstances, with his closest rival having been conveniently suspended from the party the day before the vote.  The suspended candidate was Jas Athwal, the leader of Redbridge Council.  He was later cleared of wrongdoing and went up against Tarry for a rerun in Monday's reselection battle.  Athwal defeated Tarry 499 votes to 361, despite a spirited campaign by the incumbent.

Tarry, who is the lover of Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner, was supported by several MPs from the Socialist Campaign Group including Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Jon Trickett and Apsana Begum.  The latter is also facing a reselection contest, although the process was delayed after she signed off sick for three months.

Sam Tarry pictured centre alongside fellow MP Apsana Begum, who is also facing
reselection.  Bell Ribeiro-Addy can be see on the far left of the picture.

Ilford South is a sought-after seat for prospective Labour MPs as it has been a safe seat since 1997 and the party's majority has only dipped below 10,000 once in that time (2005).

The issue of trigger ballots - the process by which Labour MPs face reselection - has been a controversial issue in recent years.  Neil Kinnock introduced them in 1990, but the required threshold was reduced under Jeremy Corbyn in 2018.  Labour members voted overwhelmingly in favour of reducing the threshold from 50 per cent to 33 per cent.  Therein lies the irony in Tarry's deselection.

In 2018 Labour moderates had feared that the lowering of the threshold would lead to a purge by the hard left.  The following year Labour's Socialist Campaign Group more than doubled its number of MPs, with newcomers such as Zarah Sultana, Claudia Webbe, Nadia Whittome and Tarry himself.  However, no MPs were deselected for that election - the sitting MPs either won the reselection vote or stood down.  This makes Sam Tarry the first Labour MP to be deselected since Anne Moffatt in 2010.  His hard left comrade Apsana Begum could follow suit, meaning that a process purportedly intended to purge moderates ends up claiming two members of the Socialist Campaign Group!

Tarry was one of the few Corbyn loyalists to serve on Keir Starmer's front bench, but was sacked after he appeared on a picket line in July this year.  The reselection process was triggered the following month.  Tarry's response to the news was to accuse the party of a witch-hunt, alleging 'voter fraud' in the trigger ballot.  He stopped short of repeating those allegations in a statement released on Tuesday, but he did question the 'integrity' of Monday's reselection vote and said it 'did not reflect the feeling on the ground'.

Tarry's full statement can be seen below.

Sunday 9 October 2022

LIAM HALLIGAN'S MONOLOGUE 08.10.22

Liam Halligan stands in for Neil Oliver this week.  Liam is the economic and business editor at GB News, so no great surprise to find that his monologue deals with the current state of the UK economy.  He begins with a rebuke of Liz Truss, who he describes as 'tin-eared' rather than 'iron lady'.  He then goes back to  the 2008 crash and delves into the phenomenon of quantitative easing, a reactionary money-printing tactic used by banks to supposedly stimulate economic growth.  However, it has potentially catastrophic consequences, hence the cost of lockdown crisis we are currently in and the colossal transfer of wealth during the pandemic.

Coming from an economic commentator with a shrewd head on his shoulders, this is perhaps one of the finer explanations as to why inflation and interest rates continue on their upward trajectory.  Contrary to the nonsense broadcast on the BBC, Sky and ITV, it has nothing to do with Russia and Ukraine!

Click below for the full eight minutes and 42 seconds.

Friday 7 October 2022

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 06.10.22


Six council by-elections to report this week, with Labour and the Conservatives defending two each.  It was a routine hold for Labour in inner city Birmingham, but they lost to Plaid Cymru in Ceredigion.  Labour had previously been elected to the latter unopposed, but slipped to third place when presented with Plaid and Lib Dem opposition.

It was another week to forget for the Tories, losing a seat to Labour in Shropshire and clinging on to another, in Somerset, by just four votes.  Labour had stood aside in the latter, allowing the Lib Dems a clear run.

In other action the Lib Dems held a seat in Eastbourne and an independent group held firm in Dorset.

Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East, Birmingham City Council

Lab: 2,410 (69.6%) +2.0%
LDem: 517 (14.9%) +10.6%
Con: 305 (8.8%) -14.6%
WPB: 158 (4.6%) New
Grn: 72 (2.1%) -1.6%

Lab HOLD

Highcliffe & Walkford, BCP Council (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)

Ind: 1,778 (62.0%) +13.0%
LDem: 571 (19.9%) +9.5%
Con: 358 (12.5%) -20.1%
Lab: 163 (5.7%) -2.4%

Ind HOLD

Lampeter, Ceredigion County Council

Plaid: 291 (39.5%)
LDem: 268 (36.4%)
Lab: 160 (21.7%)
Ind: 18 (2.4%)

Plaid GAIN from Lab (Lab previously elected unopposed)

St Anthony's, Eastbourne Borough Council

LDem: 972 (49.6%) -2.9%
Con: 513 (26.2%) +8.3%
Grn: 420 (21.4%) New
UKIP: 55 (2.8%) -7.5%

LDem HOLD

Butleigh & Baltonsborough, Mendip District Council

Con: 393 (50.3%) -2.3%
LDem: 389 (49.7%) +16.5%

Con HOLD

Bridgnorth West & Talsey, Shropshire Council

Lab: 887 (55.9%) +6.0%
Con: 480 (30.2%) -4.5%
LDem: 176 (11.1%) -1.6%
Grn: 45 (2.8%) +0.2%

Lab GAIN from Con

Abbreviations

Lab = Labour
LDem = Liberal Democrat
Con = Conservative
WPB = Workers Party of Britain
Grn = Green
Plaid = Plaid Cymru
UKIP = United Kingdom Independence Party
Ind = Independents