Author Archives: Mark Pack

Following on from the news about the internal ructions in Henley Conservatives over their selection of their Henley Parliamentary by-election candidate (requiring first John Maples and then David Cameron to meet personally with the local party to order them to fall into line), we now this rather bizarre report in today’s Henley Standard:

An air of secrecy has surrounded the selection meeting so far with no one prepared to admit that it is even taking place.

Well, that’s one way of doing things 🙂

Labour minister Tony McNulty has been telling the world today how Labour is serious about seeking cross-party consensus on detention without trial, saying (to use the words the BBC reported) that “This is too serious to leave to partisan politics”.

Sounds reasonable doesn’t it? One slight problem. We know from a leaked email I blogged about last year that this isn’t Gordon Brown’s view. That email – laying out Labour’s key messages for attacking the Liberal Democrats in the next general election – clearly told Labour Party activists to use the detention without trial issue to attack the Liberal Democrats. …

I’ve always been slightly sceptical about the financial difficulties that the Labour Party is in, in that whilst they might result in Labour having to make big spending cuts I find it hard to believe that when push comes to show the trade unions would really let Labour go under financially (as opposed to playing hardball right until the last moment in order to extract concessions on policy and organisational influence).

It looks as if Labour is doing its very best to put my belief to the test for today’s Guardian reports:

The party has five weeks to find £7.45m to pay off loans to banks and wealthy donors recruited by Lord Levy, Tony Blair’s former chief fundraiser, or become insolvent. A further £6.2m will have to be repaid by Christmas – making £13.65m in all. The sum amounts to two-thirds of the party’s annual income from donations.

The figures are a conservative estimate as they do not include interest that will also have to be paid. A Labour source said that although the total debt was listed as £17.8m on the Electoral Commission website, the true level, with interest, was nearer to £24m.

The possibility that party officials and members of its national executive committee could become liable is being taken seriously by union leaders, and has been underlined by the decision of equity fund chairman David Pitt-Watson not to accept the post as Labour’s general secretary.

Nick Clegg has a piece in today’s Telegraph in which he writes:

The fuel protests hammer home a clear message. After the 10p tax rebellion, the local elections, and the Crewe by-election, no one can doubt the mood of the country any more. There is insurrection in the air. The British people are ready for change and they don’t believe Labour can deliver it.

So the next big question is: what kind of change do people want? And which opposition party can make it happen?

The Conservatives have painted an image of a brave new world, where the sun shines

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Julia Wassell, a Labour councillor in Wycombe (sitting on both Wycombe District Council and Buckinghamshire County Council) and their 2005 Parliamentary candidate for Wycombe, has joined the Liberal Democrats. More details on the Wycombe Liberal Democrats site.

Andy Jaeger’s blog has the story.

Yesterday it was Charles Clarke being talked up as about to challenge Gordon Brown for leadership of the Labour Party. Today it is Alan Milburn. Tomorrow, who knows? Perhaps Frank Field and Quentin Davies could launch a dream ticket.

An extract from her memoirs:

One evening I was at the Royal Opera House for some gala performance and was talking to about what we had seen when Chris Smith came over (the then Minister of Culture, who is gay).

“Have you met Chris Smith, our Culture Secretary, Ma’am?” I asked.

She peered at him.

“And this is his partner,” I added.

“Partner for what?”

I took a breath. “Sex, Ma’am.”

She stalked off.

A variety of political financial stories this week, including:

1. The Speaker and Parliamentary authorities lose their fight to try to keep details of MPs’ expenses secret.
2. Nick Clegg publishes details of his Parliamentary expenses and announces that all the Liberal Democrat frontbenchers will follow suit from July.
3. More bad financial news for the Labour Party with further tales of it being on the verge of bankrupcy (though I find it hard to believe the unions would actually let the party go under; it’s more a matter of how these financial problems could give them more power within the party in

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Tsk tsk, someone really did get their facts wrong because the FT’s Jim Pickard reports:

A senior Tory tells me, over a cup of Earl Grey, that 30 Labour/Lib Dem councillors have defected to the Conservatives in the last 12 months. Only one Tory councillor has quit the party during the same period.

One problem with that. It ain’t true. Indeed, the Murray family alone demonstrate that – as Gordon and Lynn were both Conservative councillors on Barrow Borough Council and switched to the Liberal Democrats within the last year.

And they’re not the only ones by any means. A sample of …

I blogged before about David Murphy, the Labour councillor in Rochdale who has been living in South West Europe. He was eventually expelled from the Labour group, but has now popped up again in the town. Rochdale Online reports:

David Murphy can serve yet another 6 months, at your expense, as a Councillor despite moving to Murcia in Spain! His attendance at last night’s 15 minute Council Meeting has ensured that he can continue to live by the coast in Spain at taxpayer’s expense. Labour withdrew the whip from Councillor Murphy in May, 9 months after Councillor Murphy’s controversial continental

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