Bottler Brown bottles again. No election this year

There will be no election this side of Christmas, apparently.

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/latestnews/Brown-backs-off-from-October.5412172.jp

“GORDON Brown yesterday signalled the general election was unlikely to be held until next year”

(EDITOR: No surprise there, then.)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/5690836/Deceit-over-cuts-wil-lead-to-riots-says-David-Cameron.html

“Britain faces “riots on the streets” if Gordon Brown’s “dishonesty” over public spending enables him to win the next election, David Cameron said”

(EDITOR: I rather fear he might be right)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1196427/Public-spending-lies-party-beneath-contempt.html

“With breathtaking contempt for democracy, Lord Mandelson casually lets slip in a radio interview that the Government will be postponing its public spending review until after the election. Are there no depths to which Labour won't sink?”

(EDITOR: I have a horrible feeling we wont have long to wait to find out...)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6605915.ece

“Brown takes cash from schools, roads and health to pay for 30,000 homes”

(EDITOR: But remember, folks! Labour are not the party of cuts!)

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2517268.0.Browns_policy_bid_to_rescue_premiership.php

“Gordon Brown's bid to save his beleaguered premiership and stay in power beyond 2010 was rubbished by opposition parties as an uncosted ragbag of "rehashed initiatives".”

(EDITOR: Sounds a reasonable assessment!)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6605850.ece

“Young people to lose benefits if they refuse job or training”

(EDITOR: If the Tories had suggested this, just imagine the Brownite shrieks!)

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/30/my-manifesto-115875-21482528/

“My Manifesto: Brown's £1bn to build homes and jobs for young: Gordon Brown unveiled his plan to rebuild the country yesterday by getting youngsters into work and constructing thousands of homes”

(EDITOR: As Brown seems to have problems abiding by the last Labour Manifesto, why should he be trusted with this one?)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/5661301/Trident-nuclear-deterrent-replacement-under-review.html

“Ministers have secretly placed the £20 billion replacement for Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent under review in a move which could see it dramatically scaled down”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/28/defence-projects-axed-save-money

“Defence projects worth billions of pounds, such as replacing the Trident nuclear deterrent, could have to be axed to help fill a "black hole" in the defence budget, senior military and political figures will warn tomorrow. Overstretch of the armed forces must be ended, according to a report whose authors include the former Nato secretary general, Lord Robertson, ex-Marine Lord Ashdown and former chief of the defence staff Lord Guthrie”

(EDITOR: Defence still seems impossible for Labour to get right, does it? Why is it that Socialists in other countries have no problem with spending money on defence but that the British Labour Party seems to think it immoral to pay our soldiers and service personnel a decent wage or to house them and their families in decent accommodation?)

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/06/30/gordon-s-1bn-challenged-91466-24019694/

“GORDON BROWN tried to stake the ground for the next election yesterday with a £1bn spending programme he hopes will revive his flagging political fortunes. The Government’s programme for the months leading up to the election includes extra training opportunities for young people, a series of England-only public service reforms and the removal of the final hereditary peers from the House of Lords. But the announcement, effectively a re-launch of Mr Brown’s premiership, was overshadowed by the intervention of Lord Mandelson, who said there would not be a Spending Review – which allocates cash to each Whitehall department – before the election.”

(EDITOR: So why DID Mandelson decide to intervene in such a fashion? In effect, slapping Gordon Brown, down?)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5687410/Commons-will-be-emasculated-by-expenses-proposals-says-Philip-Mawer.html

“Commons will be 'emasculated' by expenses proposals, says Philip Mawer: The House of Commons risks being "emasculated" by the Government's proposed clean-up following the expenses scandal, the former parliamentary standards watchdog has warned”

(EDITOR: That's probably the intended result, rather than an accidental by-product)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5639967/Eight-senior-Tories-decide-they-can-get-by-without-MPs-expenses.html

“Eight senior Tories decide they can get by without MPs' expenses”

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/andrew-grice/andrew-grice-its-your-choice--dodgy-gordon--or-honest-david-1721545.html

“Andrew Grice: It's your choice: Dodgy Gordon or Honest David”

And on that note, it's time to close this update. Though it#s only 7.25, so Gord knows what the rest of the day will bring. Only, perhaps Gord doesn't know? After all, Lord M's intervention must have irritated him. Unless Lrd M. is vainly attempting to reign Gord in? Or is he playing a longer game? If so, what? Who does Lord M. want in power? Himself or someone else? Interesting times ahead, I feel.

17 years' jail for rail cable thieves

Three men who caused repeated disruption to rail services in Kent after stealing live cable from railway tracks have been jailed for a total of 17 years.

Peter Penn (49) and Peter Taylor (53), both of Church Field, Snodland and Stuart Smith (27) also of Snodland, appeared at Maidstone Crown Court on Thursday, 25 June, charged with conspiracy to steal and damaging property being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.

Penn was sentenced to five years’ prison while Taylor and Smith were each imprisoned for six years.

The court was told the men’s thieving activities in over 20 separate incidents between December 2007 and August 2008 resulted in extensive delays and disruption to train services.

The group targeted railway lines between Maidstone and Strood and Rochester to Sole Street, cutting live cable from the tracks and causing damage to critical railway signalling.

DC Leigh Marshall, one of the investigating officers, said: "Not only did this group risk their lives by pulling live cable from the tracks but for very little financial gain they caused untold misery to thousands of commuters.

“The cost to Network Rail in terms of repairs and materials was estimated at £65,000 and the cost in terms of disruption and loss of service was estimated at £159,000.”

Smith was arrested on 1 February after his vehicle was recognised as one which had been seen at a location where cable was stolen on 28 January.

Penn and Taylor were also arrested on 1 February after they were recognised and identified from CCTV, which showed them as being at a location where cable was subsequently stolen.

In the final incident on Friday 1 August 2008, signalling cables were cut near to Snodland station, disabling a level crossing and causing heavy disruption to local traffic and train services.

Attending British Transport Police officers found a bonfire site nearby, along with discarded cable and a shirt. Peter Penn was stopped by officers on a nearby footpath, bare-chested, dirty and sweating.

Penn was arrested, with a positive DNA match from the shirt seized from the bonfire site confirming his involvement in the theft. He was subsequently charged, remanded in custody and later pleaded guilty to both charges.

Taylor and Smith were charged and pleaded not guilty, with a jury later finding the two men guilty on both counts.

DC Marshall said: "This group’s criminality had a direct impact on services and the ability of the railways to fully operate. For very little financial gain they inconvenienced many people and caused a financial impact on the railways of over £200,000.

“Cable theft such as this causes great inconvenience to train operators and passengers alike. In this instance, the thefts caused significant delays to services which no doubt affected a great deal of passengers.

“Stealing cable also puts those responsible in great personal danger of electrical shock and being struck by a passing train – those who trespass on to the railway to steal cable are not just risking a prison sentence, they’re risking their lives.”

Andrew Munden, Network Rail’s route director for Kent, added: "We are delighted the BTP has been successful in bringing them to justice and that the court has recognised the seriousness of the crime in the sentences which have been passed.

“As well as causing major disruption the theft of equipment from the railway costs the industry millions of pounds each year - money which cannot then be spent on improving services for passengers.

“In partnership with the charity Crimestoppers we are offering a reward of up to £1,000 to anyone who helps bring about convictions of these selfish thieves who are bringing misery to many hundreds of rail passengers."

Jon Hay-Campbell, Customer Services spokesperson for Southeastern Trains said: “We’re pleased the seriousness of this crime has been reflected in prison sentences. As well as being costly, train service disruption is always frustrating for passengers and has an impact on their families, friends and work colleagues too.”

In sentencing the group, Judge Martin Joy commented that society cannot tolerate attacks on an essential service to the public and the sentence was to deter others and protect the public

After sentencing, DC Marshall said: "It is pleasing that the court has imposed jail terms to reflect the severity of the offences and to act as a deterrent to others from being involved in cable crime."

Monday Morning Update: Gordon Brown's Britain. A scary place to live

Good morning. Well, here we are, another week. Coups, Iranian government acting like it always does, and at home? Why, this is what we have!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196150/Police-right-herd-protesters-say-MPs-condemning-G20-tactics.html

“Police have no right to 'herd' protesters say MPs condemning G20 tactics: The first major review of the 7million pounds operation also said officers who work with their identity numbers hidden or missing should face the 'strongest possible' disciplinary measures”

(EDITOR: About time, too.)

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/G20-London-Protests-Report-Into-Police-Role-Home-Affairs-Committee-Examines-Performance-Officers/Article/200906415322364?lpos=UK_News_Top_Stories_Header_1&lid=ARTICLE_15322364_G20_London_Protests_Report_Into_Police_Role%3A_Home_Affairs_Committee_Examines_Performance_Officers

“The practice of holding protesters in one place for long periods cannot be justified, the Home Affairs Committee report said”

(EDITOR: Sky's take on this)

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/SNP-will-block-nuclear-arms.5408959.jp

“SNP ministers last night served notice to a future Tory government that they would try to use devolved powers to block new nuclear weapons coming to Scotland”

(EDITOR: This story comes with a 'health warning' as it is written by David Maddox, often considered as a mouthpiece for the Labour Party, so anything he writes is automatically suspect!)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6597686.ece

“Lose Trident and win the moral war: Forget the financial, military and political arguments, owning nuclear weapons makes us hypocrites”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/jeremy_clarkson/article6590133.ece

“Why do the police need a spy drone for hippies?”

(EDITOR: Jeremy Clarkson makes a fair point...)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/5653589/Government-lambasted-for-further-regulation-reform-delay.html

“Government lambasted for further regulation reform delay: Postponement of White Paper adds to fears that it is no closer to overhauling the banking system”

(EDITOR: “Sir, Sir! Terrible crisis, sir! We can't find they key to the deckchair locker! We can't even BEGIN to start rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic!”)

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23712624-details/The+danger+when+Chancellor+and+Governor+fall+out/article.do

“The danger when Chancellor and Governor fall out”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/5663652/Commons-Speaker-John-Bercow-accused-of-profiting-from-work-as-Government-adviser.html

“Commons Speaker John Bercow accused of profiting from work as Government adviser

The new Commons Speaker has been accused of profiting from his work as a Government adviser on special educational needs: John Bercow was paid £40,000 by a health care firm which hired him after he wrote a report which led to a massive increase in special needs funding”

(EDITOR: I'd like to say that I can't believe this. But, sadly, these days I certainly can believe it.)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/article-1195819/EU-scupper-Treasurys-deal-rescue-Rock.html

“EU could scupper Treasury's deal to rescue Northern Rock”

(EDITOR: No change there, then?)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/28/fraud-inquiry-government-jobs-scheme

“Recruitment companies getting tens of millions of pounds of taxpayers' money to find jobs for the unemployed are at the centre of a fraud probe after staff made false claims of getting people into work. The Observer found that A4e, one of the government's biggest private contractors, is at the centre of the Department for Work and Pensions inquiries. It is understood that at least two other recruitment companies have been probed by the DWP. Last night Yvette Cooper, the work and pensions secretary, confirmed that investigations were under way and said she could cancel multimillion-pound contracts if widespread fraud was uncovered.”

(EDITOR: I'd like to say that I can't believe this. But, sadly, these days I certainly can believe it. -This opinion is a repeat of an opinion formed on a separate matter several minutes ago)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/feedarticle/8581767

“Gordon Brown is due to signal a major expansion of private sector involvement in health provision as he fights to revive his political fortunes”

(What?? Still stealing Tory policies?)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6591202.ece

“Britannia shrivels under Gordon Brown”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196014/The-PM-Laureate--Brown-turns-poet-Andrew-Motion-liven-speeches.html

“The PM Laureate... Brown turns to poet Andrew Motion to liven up his speeches”

(EDITOR: Brown wants poems, d'you say? Here's one:

Wee Jimmy Brown,

what a clown!

He always shouts "up",

when he means "down.")

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8123195.stm

“The editor of the Daily Telegraph has defended his coverage of MPs' expenses, saying suggestions it had irreparably damaged Parliament were "rubbish".”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196038/Labour-MP-Denis-MacShane-claims-expenses-laptops--just-years.html

“Labour MP Denis MacShane is facing further questions over his expenses after it was revealed that he claimed for eight laptop computers in just three years”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/5675166/At-least-85-sharia-courts-operating-in-Britain-says-Civitas-report.html

“At least 85 separate sharia "courts" are now openly functioning in Britain, almost 20 times as many as previously believed, a report by Civitas claims”

(EDITOR: Gordon Brown's Britain. More scary than ever)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196070/The-shocking-picture-white-boy-aged-11-converted-Islam-Choudary.html

“This is the shocking picture of a young, white schoolboy being converted to Islam by a cleric linked to a radical Muslim hate preacher”

(EDITOR: Gordon Brown's Britain. Just when you thought it was scary enough)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/feedarticle/8581924

“Many teenagers armed 'to feel safe'”

(EDITOR: Ditto previous comments)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196190/Look-whos-doing-Dave-Ed-Balls-opts-casual-look.html

“Ed Balls took a leaf from David Cameron's book yesterday, adopting the open-neck casual look as he sought to boost his credentials as a Labour leadership contender”

(EDITOR: Either that or he just didn't fancy wearing a tie on a warm, muggy day...)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6598065.ece

“Gordon Brown is to try to win back Labour’s core supporters with a pledge to give priority on housing waiting-lists to local residents”

(EDITOR: British houses for British Workers? Sounds familiar, doesn't it?)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/5673630/Doctors-and-nurses-demand-right-to-pray-for-patients.html

“Doctors and nurses should be able to offer to pray for patients without fear of disciplinary action, a medical conference will hear this week”

(EDITOR: Exactly HOW scary can Gordon Brown's Britain become? Fear of the sack for agreeing to a request for praying with a patient?)

And on that note, I'll bring an end to this article. Though I feel there'll be more to report by teatime.

Sunday Morning Update:BBC, Bercow and blunders

Sorry, but there was no Saturday morning update. My wife was poorly with bronchitis, so I looked after her, instead. But on with today's update!

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6591122.ece

“Tell us the truth, Mr Brown: Would he lie to us? Extracting a candid answer from the prime minister isn’t easy, especially on public spending”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6590638.ece

“Profile: John Bercow: Little Mr Turncoat in an awfully big chair”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1195968/New-Speakers-vow-improve-MPs-conduct-dented-Commons-door-repair-bill.html

“New Speaker John Bercow’s vow to improve the conduct of MPs suffered an embarrassing setback yesterday after it was revealed that he had to pay a repair bill for smashing down a House of Commons door. Hot-headed Mr Bercow told police to break into an office in the Houses of Parliament when they could not find the key. He was accused of vandalism and agreed to foot the bill for fixing it”

(EDITOR: Sounds a bit like a clown...)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/5651054/Speaker-John-Bercow-called-for-assisted-repatriation-of-immigrants.html

“John Bercow, the new Speaker of the House of Commons, called for a programme of "assisted repatriation" of immigrants during his time as a member of a far-right political group, it has emerged”

(EDITOR: Digging the dirt, or dragging the pond?)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2009/jun/27/1

“The new Speaker's first edict to ministers - to stop announcing policy via the media - has been roundly ignored”

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/alan-watkins/alan-watkins-labours-backbenchers-are-revolting-1722258.html

“Alan Watkins: Labour's backbenchers are revolting: The government's MPs want to pick a fight, whether its over the Speaker or the Iraq war inquiry”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8119975.stm

“From the choice of a new Speaker to what the Conservatives described as a "u-turn in slow motion" over the terms of reference for the Iraq inquiry, it has felt as if we are standing still whilst the world moves around us”

http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/33899/letter-from-westminster-250609

“It is a little known fact that the House of Commons starts its business every day with prayers. These take the same form every day and include an entreaty for us not to be motivated by a desire to please or unworthy ideals. Curiously the house did not have prayers at the start of business on Monday as it met to choose the new Speaker. Doubtless there will be a reason for that which has long since been lost in the mists of time.” (Writes Alistair Carmichael in the Shetland Times)

http://news.scotsman.com/opinion/Brian-Monteith-Bercow--is.5404848.jp

“Brian Monteith: Bercow is MPs' chance to change”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/5649513/Mark-Thompson-defends-high-BBC-salaries-and-lavish-expense-accounts.html

“Mark Thompson, the director-general of the BBC, has defended the high salaries and lavish expense accounts enjoyed by the corporation's most senior executives”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8121728.stm

“After Tory Douglas Hogg's moat cleaning, and former Labour Deputy prime minister John Prescott's Tudor beams, we now have BBC boss Mark Thompson's Cessna charter”

http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2516931.0.mp_fights_challenge_after_comparing_brown_to_foot.php

“MP fights challenge after comparing Brown to Foot is criticisms of the Prime Minister prompted a member of his local party to try to table a motion of no confidence in the MP last week. The motion fell after a narrow majority of activists voted against debating its contents.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6591262.ece

“ALISTAIR DARLING will keep voters in the dark about the government’s true spending plans for the next parliament, provoking a new row with the Tories. The chancellor has abandoned plans for a comprehensive spending review, which should have been held this year, until after the general election”

(EDITOR: Oh, Darling! How could you? Easy. He had training from a master...)

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/28/milburn-to-quit-as-mp-at-election-115875-21477522/

“Former Cabinet Minister Alan Milburn is to quit as MP for Darlington at the next election”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/feedarticle/8580692

“Tory leader David Cameron has warned the SNP not to "obstruct" a replacement for the Trident missile system if his party wins the next election”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/28/tridented-115875-21477554/

“Gordon Brown has ordered a major review of a £20billlion plan to replace Britain's ageing Trident nuclear missile system”

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/2009/06/27/flights-face-green-tax-in-new-bid-to-tackle-climate-change-86908-21475349/

“The Prime Minister said the aviation industry could be a potential source of revenue for a multi-billion-pound fund to tackle global warming”

(EDITOR: If the fares soar, then there will be less flights, so less income. Though this could be argued to potentially reduce pollution. But that's the last thing Brown wants. As Brown wants the aviation industry to be a 'potential source of revenue.')

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/39Serious39-financial-allegations-against-Aberdeen.5404473.jp

“THE new deputy leader of the ruling Liberal Democrat group on Aberdeen City Council was yesterday at the centre of allegations of "serious" financial irregularities. Veteran councillor Scott Cassie was elected to the deputy leader's post on Monday night, following a "coup" which led to administration leader Kate Dean being deposed from her post”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/5656436/Labour-to-abandon-target-culture-indicates-Liam-Byrne.html

“Labour to abandon target culture, indicates Liam Byrne”

(EDITOR: A bit late now, perhaps?)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/5664366/Two-British-hostages-in-Iraq-may-have-been-dead-for-18-months.html

“The two British hostages in Iraq whose bodies were passed to British embassy officials in Baghdad last weekend may have been dead for 18 months, according to officials familiar with the investigation. The fact that British kidnap experts involved in efforts to free the men - and three others kidnapped with them in May, 2007 - had no idea that the two had been dead for so long has shocked investigators”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/feedarticle/8579573

“The Tories were wrong to oppose devolution for Scotland, party leader David Cameron has conceded”

(EDITOR: The fact that Labour has been booted from power in Scotland might make Labour concede they were wrong to support devolution. However, it's a tricky thing, this democracy. People sometimes make up their own minds on how they should vote! Remarkable!)

And that's it for this morning. I have a fairly large scale event to cover today (but a 'fun' event, so my wife and I are looking forward to it) so there will probably not be any updates until very late Sunday evening or Monday morning.

Truphone Adds 11 New Nokia Devices To Its Portfolio

Truphone has added 11 additional Nokia handsets to the list of devices compatible with Truphone and whose owners can now ring up big savings by taking advantage of Truphone's broad range of calling plans and services.

"We first introduced Truphone on a Nokia device so we are pleased to be able to increase the range of compatible Nokia devices and extend our loyal Nokia customer base further," said Truphone CEO Geraldine Wilson. "Nokia is still the largest mobile handset manufacturer in the world so ensuring that we're on as many of these devices as possible means more and more people can take advantage of Truphone's fantastic rates to make international calls."

With the addition of the 11 new handsets, Truphone is now compatible on 26* Nokia devices. Of those, software for 14 of the Truphone-compatible devices can now be downloaded from Nokia's new Ovi store, with the software for 11 of the remaining 12 new devices to be added to the Ovi store soon.

In addition to the Ovi Store the Truphone application is also available for all 26 Nokia devices as an SMS over the air (OTA) download from the Truphone web site, www.truphone.com, and will always parallel the applications available via the Ovi store. The Truphone Web site will also include applications for other Nokia devices not currently available via Ovi, as well as the other supported mobile platforms.

The new Truphone-enabled Nokia devices are:

• • N96
• • N78
• • N85 (also VoIP enabled)
• • N79 (also VoIP enabled)
• • 5630 (also VoIP enabled)
• • 5800
• • 5320
• • 6210
• • 6220
• • 6650
• • E63

After downloading and installing the Truphone application to their handsets, Nokia device owners will be able to take advantage of two calling plan options:

Truphone Anywhere: Calls made when customers are connected to local wireless networks are handled as local calls and then passed on to the Truphone network, from where they are routed at Truphone's fantastic rates to landline and mobile phones worldwide. This service is intended for use in the user's home country as savings cannot be guaranteed abroad.
Truphone Wi-Fi calling: Calls made when customers are in accessible Wi-Fi hotspots anywhere in the world, can be made for free to other Truphone users and at Truphone's special rates to landline and mobile phones worldwide.

All of the new handsets are Truphone Anywhere capable, and in addition, three of the handsets, the N85, N79 and 5630, are also compatible with the original Truphone Wi-Fi calling service, hailing back to Truphone's origin as the first Mobile VoIP service available on Nokia N- and E-series devices.

This means that when customers are connected to a Wi-Fi network, a call to another Truphone customer is completely free and also means they can use a Nokia handset as an alternative, inexpensive roaming solution if they choose to only make calls when connected to a Wi-Fi network when abroad or anywhere.

With Truphone Anywhere, everyone can save money when making international calls. It's simple: International calls dialled on a Truphone Anywhere enabled handset are connected as local calls to the Truphone network, then routed to their destinations at Truphone's low rates. This means that for the price of local calls, which are often bundled in an operator's monthly package, customers can make calls to other Truphone users for free or to landlines and mobiles around the world for as little as 1.5p per minute.

Recession? What recession? Only At Selfridges: The Bang & Olufsen £100,000 TV set

The incredible Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 4-103-inch home cinema will be unveiled for the first time in the UK at Selfridges London next month and will retail for around £100,000.

This television completely installed with a motorised floor stand and centre speaker as well as the flagship speaker option will cost £112,500. There are different options available (see below).

Whether you see the BeoVision 4-103 as a dedicated home cinema master or a more expansive experience for video games and the like, you can’t help but be impressed by its state-of-the art audio, image engineering innovations and unobtrusive aesthetics.

BeoVision 4-103 ups-the-ante in home cinema experiences - offering the utmost in full High Definition viewing with an impressive pixel resolution of 1920 x 1080 for a razor sharp, incredibly rich and real picture.

It also ensures long term picture quality. All plasmas degrade with time, but BeoVision 4 has the remedy – in the form of Automatic Colour Management, a unique system that compensates for the effects of aging. A tiny built-in camera is the in-house technician, checking the screen after every 100 hours of use and adjusting the colour balance accordingly.

The BeoVision 4 can adapt to any environment. It will detect whether walls are white or wallpapered, not because it has a penchant for interior design, but to give the viewer the best possible picture, based on the actual conditions. The Automatic Picture Control sensor technology continuously measures the ambient light in the room and adjusts the light output from the screen accordingly. This ensures the viewer can get the best viewing experience day or night.

Surrounding the sumptuous plasma screen is a square, brushed aluminium frame, which contrasts beautifully with the triangular BeoLab 10 loudspeakers below. In addition, the quiet curve of its Acoustic Lens ensures a consistent sound sensation throughout the room.

Come in-store from July 13^th for three weeks and experience the Beo Vision 4-103 for yourself in the Selfridges Wonder Room Concept Store, Ground Floor, 400 Oxford Street.

Stockist information via Bang & Olufsen at Selfridges (www.selfridges.com) Tel: 020 7318 2405

Michael Jackson's Death Sparks Off Spam, Sophos Reports

Spammers use King of Pop's death to harvest email addresses.

IT security and control firm Sophos is warning users to be wary of spam messages using the untimely death of music legend Michael Jackson to harvest unsuspecting computer users' email addresses for future spam campaigns.

Approximately eight hours after the King of Pop's death yesterday, SophosLabs witnessed the first wave of spam messages taking advantage of the breaking news in the subject line and body of the email.

In these messages, the spammer claims that they have vital information about the death of Michael Jackson to share with somebody - ie. the user. Sophos experts note that the body of the email does not contain any call-to-action links - such as a URL, email address or phone number - and the 'from' email address is bogus, however the spammer can easily harvest recipients' email addresses via a free live email address if computer users reply to the spam message.

"The untimely death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, has sent shockwaves through the entire world - but unfortunately, this type of huge news story is also the perfect vehicle for spammers to snare vulnerable computer users," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. "These spammers are relying on curious users to reply to their bogus claims - but if you receive one of these messages you just need to delete it."

"We've also discovered cybcercriminals taking advantage of the sad death of 70s TV icon Farrah Fawcett to spread fake anti-virus software, so users should certainly remain vigilant. The fact is that cybercriminals have no respect for taste and decency. The only thing they are interested in is making some money for themselves, and turning other computer users' lives into a misery."

For further information, and images of the spam messages, please visit the SophosLabs blog: http://www.sophos.com/blogs/sophoslabs/v/post/5035

Government Swine Flu helpline 'worse than useless'

Healthworkers have described the Swine Flu Helpline as being "worse than useless." This was brought to the attention of That's News by a healthcare worker who wishes to remain anonymous.

"I work in a healthcare facility and it is likely that I will, at some point, come into contact with someone who has Swine Flu. I felt so ill this morning that I wondered if I might have contracted Swine Flu. I phoned my workplace and was advised not to attend work and that I should phone the NHS Swine Flu Helpline for information and advice. Until I called the number I was under the impression that I would be able to speak to a health adviser who would be able to help me identify if I might have Swine Flu, or not. Instead I was annoyed to find that it is just a recorded message giving some very generic advice and of no help at all. Ironic for a helpline', I thought."

She went on to say: "The recorded message advised me to call NHS Direct, which I did. Only to be told that, due to heavy use of the service, there would be a delay of at least four hours before my query could be dealt with."

She then tried the NHS Swine Flu website, only to find that it was an on screen version of the Swine Flu Helpline. So was equally unhelpful. "The NHS Direct Swine Flu website was not helpful. All it kept doing was looping visitors round and round through several not particularly helpful parts of the website. I wanted to know how to be diagnosed if I had Swine Flu, but the advice was not to visit your doctor or your accident and emergency department, so there seems to be several gaps in the system, which people will fall through. I wondered if the anti-virals might be available.

"But the only thing I was able to find out was that they should be available, but that it was up to each individual Health Authority area how, exactly, they were to deliver them to the people with Swine Flu. In some areas you had to collect them from your doctor's surgery, in some from a designated pharmacy, whilst in some areas you had to stay at home and wait for someone to deliver the anti-virals to your home, or you had to send a so-called 'Flu Friend" to pick them up from some distribution point."

The healthcare worker pointed out: "I have worked in healthcare for a number of years and computer literate. And not feeling desperately poorly. But imagine if you are an elderly person who feels really desperately ill? Locum Services in some area often have one doctor covering two counties so are unable to offer any help. And why should someone who is seriously ill have to sit, feeling ill, by their phone for over four hours, waiting for a call back from someone who might, or equally, might not, be able to offer them the help and advice that they need?

It would appear obvious that the much-trumpeted NHS Swine Flu stratergy is nothing but a cynical PR exercise and that obtaining the help and advice that one needs is, generally speaking, impossible.

How Tweet! 10% of parliament nowTweet

Hazel Blears and Ed Balls are the latest MPs to join Twitter, pushing the number of Members of Parliament using the service up over the sixty mark. 64 MPs are now signed up to Twitter, meaning that 10% of the House of Commons are now using the service. TweetMinster.co.uk, the service that makes it easy for the public to connect with MPs using Twitter, has revealed that amongst the MPs there are also 13 Ministers and 3 Whips tweeting.

www.tweetminster.co.uk, a media utility that connects people to politicians, commentators and news stories that shape UK politics, today announced that the number of Members of Parliament using Twitter has hit 64, meaning that 10% of the House is now using the service.

Amongst the MPs, there are also 13 Ministers and 3 Whips using the service, but the growing use of Twitter among Politicians is not solely due to Twitter’s growth; Twitter use in the UK is second only to the USA. More recently, the increase in Politicians on Twitter has been due to its use within relevant contexts, such as during the events surrounding the Iranian election.

The use of Twitter has in fact become increasingly popular during Prime Minister’s Questions, around political programmes such as BBC Question Time and key events such as the European Election. More recently, several MPs used Twitter during the election of the new speaker John Bercow, commenting during the voting proceedings and sharing their voting intentions. Sadiq Khan recently became the first MP to announce a ministerial appointment on Twitter.

The fact that alongside the 64 MPs, there are also 93 Prospective Parliamentary Candidates using the service shows how Twitter is likely to be an important communications tool come the next general election.

Of the 64 MPs on Twitter 63% are Labour, 22% are Liberal Democrat and 13% are Conservative.

Alberto Nardelli, Co-founder of TweetMinster, said: “We’re delighted to see so many MPs embracing Twitter and connecting with people, and that TweetMinster is contributing to a process that is making politics more approachable and open. Six months ago there were only 4 MPs on Twitter.

“Now, as a local councillor put it during the recent speaker election, true interaction via Twitter with MPs during a Parliamentary debate is a shaping model for the future of democracy. At TweetMinster, we are honoured to be contributing to such a future.”

A full list of MPs and PPCs on Twitter can be found at www.tweetminster.co.uk. A full list of Ministers and Whips can be found at: http://bit.ly/GGJ0E.

Video Stream Will Follow Pregnant Bengal Tiger

The two magnificent and fearsome 6-year old female Bengal Tigers, Kushkja and Tira, are just getting acquainted with their £200,000 Tiger Territory, which is the newest and most innovative Tiger enclosure in the country. Meanwhile it appears that Tira is pregnant, so before too long the adults will hopefully be joined by tiger cubs, which will prove an even bigger attraction for viewers. In addition, the two females are set to be joined by a 4-year old male, Tanvir, once they have settled in properly. The growing tiger family can be viewed from two webcam positions – one in the tigers’ den and the other outside in their territory at CheckItLive.

Head keeper Chris Wilkinson, says: "The new enclosure is packed full of tiger toys to ensure our new arrivals are provided with environmental enrichment. Toys such as 10 ft scratching posts, play balls and diving boards, where the tigers will be able to jump into their 5ft deep swimming pools. Tigers are excellent climbers so we have also constructed 15ft high enrichment climbing towers aimed at encouraging the tigers to use all their skills. In the ten years we have been running as a zoo, tigers are the most ferocious arrivals we have had at Noah's Ark Zoo Farm and it is very exciting".

The enclosure will be sustainable, harvesting rain and underground water into underground storage tanks to replenish the two ponds. There will also be platforms for the tigers to jump on and bask in the sun, wooden structures for them to climb and scratch their claws on and, in time, a collection of trees. The tigers will have three keepers, two of whom have been on a week's training course at Whipsnade Zoo, Bedfordshire.

Mark Welch, CEO of CheckItLive said: “It is a real pleasure to be able to provide Noah’s Ark with the opportunity to share the arrival of these amazing creatures with a large online audience, with our live video feeds. We are certain that the arrival of tiger cubs will prove a huge hit with viewers of our cameras”

For the fascinating images of the tigers, along with a wide range of other live video streams, visit www.checkitlive.com.

Friday morning update

Good news for students! Gordon Brown will not return to teaching

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6579263.ece

“Gordon Brown: ‘I have been a teacher. I’m not going back to it’”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/5638668/Three-quarters-of-Britons-say-cut-public-spending.html

“More than three quarters of Britons believe that public spending should be cut over the next few years, an opinion poll for today's Daily Telegraph has found”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jun/26/brown-miliband-global-warming-plan

“Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband's blueprint for global warming deal”

(EDITOR: They can't ruin Britain, yet, in their conceit, they imagine they can run the world)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1195565/QUENTIN-LETTS-Watch-Burberry----comes-Bercow-ware.html

“Try as some might to prune the thing, Squeaker Bercow's ego is sprouting as fast as Clematis montana”

(EDITOR: Opines Quentin Letts, a man not known for his own excessive ego, of course...)

http://www.prweek.com/news/915871/Tara-Hamilton-Miller-Speaker-election-colossal-farce/

“Tara Hamilton-Miller: Speaker election a colossal farce: The election of a new Speaker was an opportunity for Parliament to show voters it was capable of doing something democratic with a modicum of grace. But alas, getting one over on the Tories was more important for our Government”

http://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/UKIP-will-stand-against-Buckingham.5402229.jp

“UKIP will stand against Buckingham MP at next General Election”

http://www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13919553

“It’s best not to know how John Bercow was elected”

http://www.totallyjewish.com/news/national/c-12016/order-order/

“The MP for Buckingham, whose new role will see him chairing parliamentary debates and representing the chamber to outside bodies, defied the odds and allegations over 'flipping' to be elected as the chamber's first ever Jewish speaker, following a six-hour voting marathon on Monday”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5636916/MPs-expenses-Conservative-MPs-to-repay-250000-says-David-Cameron.html

“Conservative MPs are to repay more than £250,000 in the wake of the expenses scandal, David Cameron has announced”

(EDITOR: Who will be more upset? The Tory MPs for having to do this, or Gordon Brown for not having thought of the idea himself?)

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article6579297.ece

“Every time executive pay is published, the mood ranges from astonishment to sheer outrage, when they see what the bosses are getting,” one radio journalist said”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1195360/STEPHEN-GLOVER-How-Brown-humiliated-Mandy-manipulator.html

“How Brown has been humiliated by Mandy the manipulator”

Oh, dear. This will rumble on and on...

Paintball Gun Not Used To Deface Banksy Mural

Recent reports have wrongly blamed the use of a paintball gun for the defacing of a famous Banksy mural in Bristol.

Articles http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/8114184.stm claimed that the bright blue paint was shot from a paintball gun. However it is clear from the images of balloon debris and the commentary on the films that actually balloons filled with paint were thrown.

In fact paintball markers only fire small balls of harmless, fully biodegradable gelatine and certainly could never be loaded with a balloon.

Jonathan Mellor Marketing Manager Skirmish Paintball comments “Paintball is a popular, well organised section of the leisure industry in the UK, enjoyed by young and old and ought not to be inaccurately connected to acts of vandalism in this way”

“We have been established for 25 years in the UK with an excellent safety record. Over one million people safely played paintball at well controlled sites nationwide last year shooting nearly half a billion paintball,}” He concluded.

Thursday morning more expensesgate...

And there's also more Bercow. With mixed opinions on how well, or how badly, he did on his first day on the job.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/25/mr-and-mrs-exes-could-lose-home-115875-21469421/

“Mr and Mrs exes could lose home”

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23487667-details/MPs+want+23,000+grant+to+pay+for+second+homes/article.do

“MPs want £23,000 grant to pay for second homes”

(EDITOR: How the story was reported at the end of May)

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/25/brown-stops-800k-mps-pension-aid-115875-21469422/

“MPs will have to pay more for their pensions after Gordon Brown scrapped a taxpayer top-up bail-out last night.The Prime Minister bowed to public outrage and dropped an £800,000-a-year rise in workers' contributions to Westminster's payouts”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/5625034/Road-pricing-killed-off-by-Transport-Secretary-Lord-Adonis.html

“Plans to impose pay as you drive charges on every motorist in the country have been killed off by Lord Adonis, the new Transport Secretary”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/25/simon-hoggart-john-bercow

“New Speaker brings crisp order to clash of titans”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6572044.ece

“New Speaker John Bercow makes his presence felt for all of 3 seconds”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/cameron-attacks-pms-public-spending-lies-1718033.html

“Cameron attacks PM's public spending 'lies'”

http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/westminster/display.var.2516320.0.Speakers_calm_plea_ignored_as_terrier_goes_bear_baiting.php

“Speaker’s ‘calm’ plea ignored as terrier goes bear baiting MICHAEL SETTLE: With the new man in the Speaker's Chair, albeit without the silk stockings, it was nonetheless business as usual in the Westminster bearpit.The Tory terrier tasted blood last week over public spending and returned for more as he ripped into the Brown bear”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/25/editorial-public-spending-labour

“Gordon Brown dug himself deep into his favourite political dividing line at prime minister's questions yesterday, defending Labour investment against the threat of Tory cuts”

(EDITOR: Guardianspeak codswallop...)

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/simon-carr/the-sketch-theres-capital-to-be-made-out-of-browns-financial-confusion-1718034.html

“The Sketch: There's capital to be made out of Brown's financial confusion”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1195217/Spending-row-deepens-Cameron-says-Brown-big-admit-Labour-cut-back.html

“Brown accused of tricking voters after he admits public spending will FALL after the 2012 Olympics”

http://news.scotsman.com/uk/New-39super39-police-body-.5399752.jp

“A NEW nationwide policing body designed to tackle terrorism and human trafficking has been dismissed as a "wasteful expensive luxury" that will not serve the public interest”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1195052/Why-I-British-Muslim-woman-want-burkha-banned-streets.html

“Why I, as a British Muslim woman, want the burkha banned from our streets”

(EDITOR: Oh, dear! A different message from a Muslim woman! This will confuse the hand-wringers out there...)

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2009/06/24/national-library-of-scotland-boss-bans-saltire-over-racist-fears-86908-21466993/

“THE National Library of Scotland banned workers from displaying Saltires in the office - claiming they could be racist.

Bosses said the flags could "intimidate non-Scottish colleagues" - and also banned the Lion Rampant and tartan seat covers. The move - believed to have been prompted by one worker bedecking his desk in flags -sparked fury last night. SNP Msp Christine Grahame accused library chiefs of an "unforgivable slur on the reputation of Scotland's national flag".”

(EDITOR: PC lunatics at work north of the border, too, in Brown's Britain)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5623255/1m-asylum-seeker-project-helped-only-one-family-leave-Britain.html

“A £1 million government scheme to help failed asylum seekers was "mismanaged from start to finish" and resulted in just one family leaving Britain, a report has found”

And on that note, let's finish this item and see what happens throughout the rest of the day.)

Wednesday Morning update

A short update this morning.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1194863/MPs-face-year-prison-fiddling-expenses.html

“MPs could face a year in prison for fiddling expenses”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6565099.ece

“Farewell to tights as new Speaker John Bercow presides over Commons”

(EDITOR: “From Speaker to Spiv” in only a few years)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/5615023/Gordon-Brown-could-be-forced-to-give-evidence-in-Iraq-inquiry.html

“Gordon Brown could be forced to give evidence in Iraq inquiry”

(EDITOR: Really? And he'd tell the truth, would he?)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/surrey/8115667.stm

“A police officer who was sacked for cowardice for allegedly failing to help a colleague told a tribunal she was bullied for being "too posh"”

(EDITOR: Gordon Brown's Britain. Such a wonderful place!)

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article6565341.ece

“Lords panel criticises the Government’s plans for pensions tax relief”

http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/news/display.var.2516120.0.MSPs_to_investigate_impact_of_banking_crisis.php

“MSPs to investigate impact of banking crisis”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8115134.stm

“The Serious Organised Crime agency has been criticised after it emerged that for every £15 of public money it spent, just £1 was recovered from criminals”

(EDITOR: Gordon Brown's Britain, etc., etc.)

And that's it for this morning. Look out for more lunatic behaviour from Brown, Harman and Bercow throughout the day...

People make dogs dinner of counselling but there's no flea-in-your-ear with Drs Pooch and Mutt

Free counselling from Dr Pooch and Dr Mutt at www.drpooch.co.uk.

Girlfriend dumped you? Spent too much on your credit card? Worried about the future? Then talk to your dog! 59% of people are regularly off-loading their problems on their pets, according to the latest research.

This is all very well for pet owners but what about the millions of people who don’t own pets? Concerned that these people are missing out on valuable one-to-one counselling, professional listeners - Dr Pooch and Dr Mutt, are making their debut on the internet, giving away 5 free minutes of their time to anyone and everyone who needs a pet to talk to.

One of the benefits, of course, of discussing your problems with a pet is that they are great listeners and don’t interrupt or offer an opinion. So, pour out your problems to Drs Pooch and Mutt, or simply log on to share some gossip at www.drpooch.co.uk.

(EDITOR: Clearly, a cost-effective and more sympathetic counsellor that Derek Draper. After all, they'd never describe attacking the mental health of the wife of an opposition politician as "a great idea."

Not a sheep: So it's Bercow

Not a sheep: So it's Bercow

Bercow is now Speaker and more

John Bercow, MP, technically no longer exists. He has been replaced with Speaker Bercow. Nadine Dorries made some strong points as to why Bercow should not be Speaker. http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/debate/article-1194464/NADINE-DORRIES-Bercow-oily-opportunist-lacking-loyalty-courage--I-speak-Tory.html

“He makes petty criticisms of Conservative MPs’ use of grammar when they speak, while heaping obsequious praise on Labour MPs. This is pure opportunism. He has coveted the role of Speaker for years and has wooed Labour for its vote.

“Tories can reel off a list of reasons why John would be a disaster as Speaker. It includes his oily behaviour towards the Government, his lack of loyalty to his own party and the way he petulantly stormed out of two front-bench jobs”

(EDITOR: If so, Bercow needs to learn a whole new set of manners and attitudes unless he is to mire the chair of speaker in even worse smelling mud than even Speaker Martin did.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/5606353/John-Bercow-elected-Speaker-but-long-term-future-in-doubt.html

“John Bercow elected Speaker but long-term future in doubt”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5606352/Speaker-election-John-Bercows-expenses-claims-back-in-spotlight.html

“Speaker election: John Bercow's expenses claims back in spotlight: John Bercow, the new Speaker, convinced MPs that he was the man to oversee reform of the expenses system despite controversy over his own claims”

(EDITOR: Could Bercow become the shortest-lived Speaker ever?)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/5602842/Royal-Navy-destroyer-put-to-sea-without-missiles-a-disgrace.html

“Royal Navy destroyer put to sea without missiles a 'disgrace'”

(EDITOR: Hurrah for Brown's commitment to the Armed Forces...)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5606876/MPs-expenses-Gordon-Brown-to-unveil-plans-for-independent-regulator.html

“MPs' expenses: Gordon Brown to unveil plans for independent regulator”

(EDITOR: To be headed by a Labour placeman? Lord No-Hoper of Much Troughing?)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/cabinet-expenses/5602070/Alan-Johnsons-expenses.html

“Alan Johnson's expenses: It is a relief to many in the Labour Party that the most likely candidate to succeed Gordon Brown has emerged unscathed from the expenses scandal.”

(EDITOR: As in: “phew! There are at least two Labour MPs who haven't been troughing! What a relief!” No, that's not a relief. Next Labour government made up of Johnson and Field?)

That's it for this morning. Next update after teatime this evening!

John Bercow elected Speaker of the House

http://news.parliament.uk/2009/06/john-bercow-elected-speaker-of-the-commons/

Now, this could potentially turn out one of two ways: Either Mr Bercow will suddenly grow up and become a superb speaker. Or he will turn out to be just as inept and partisan as Speaker Martin.

So, what kind of a Speaker will Speaker Bercow make? Please leave your comments...

Alchemy Boss Calls on Directors on the Dole to Use Their Skills

Leading consultants’ consultancy The Alchemy Network is appealing to so-called “directors on the dole” to invest in their own skills and experience and maintain their careers in the downturn.

More than 100,000 people are currently being made redundant every month, many of whom are CEOs, directors and highly qualified business professionals.

And David Abingdon, the CEO of Alchemy – which trains and supports business management consultants through extensive professional development to assist companies to become more successful, is urging those being made redundant or leaving professional jobs to realise how valuable that wealth of experience can be.

David, an entrepreneur who rose from a council house background to own a country estate and who has personally taken three businesses to multi-million pound status from a standing start, says that those losing their jobs should remember that they are also being offered new opportunities and can even benefit from the effects of the recession.

“Such experienced people, who have run businesses, worked to generate profits and customers and contributed to a company’s success, are exactly the sort of people we are keen to speak to,” says David, who was formerly the founder of the Quantum Organisation and Insurety PLC.

“Sometimes, when you are in the situation where your existing role is gone, it can be hard not to feel despondent and to forget to properly value what you have to offer. Yet the whole Alchemy ethos is about showing just such experienced individuals how to harness their talents and make a huge difference to companies, while creating a successful career for themselves in the process.

“The Alchemy process is so straightforward that it works whatever the state of the economy and whatever kind of business. In fact, our consultants can have an even more dramatic effect when times are tough, because companies are struggling to see more than day-to-day difficulties and business owners are so consumed that they can no longer see the bigger picture.

“One of the professionals who attended our last course covered his course fees within a month and already has three clients with others in the offing. Another who attended last autumn now earns a sizeable six-figure sum advising companies and has more work than he has time to say yes to. All this is easily achievable when you combine their business acumen with our tried-and-tested, results-driven techniques.”

The Alchemy Network is a fast expanding international business development consulting organisation, operating UK, Ireland, Australia, the US, Germany, Switzerland, France and Nigeria, with Canada and New Zealand about to come on-stream. For more information on The Alchemy Network, go to www.alchemy-network.com

LV= reveals increase in people seeking legal advice on employment issues

Data from home insurer LV= reveals a sharp rise of 21% in calls to its legal helpline for advice. A quarter of all calls relate to employment issues such as redundancy - a rise of a third compared with 2008.

Further research conducted by LV= found that consumers are increasingly seeking legal advice in the recession, with up to one million people having to take legal advice on employment issues in the last 12 months*. Current unemployment numbers stand at 1.92 million people in the UK*.

Almost half of the people who have sought legal advice about an employment issue in the last year (47%) cited the recession as the cause of their problems*. Common problems included being asked to work reduced hours, requested to take a pay cut or being made redundant.

LV='s analysis of employment related calls made to its legal advice helpline in the first quarter of 2009 shows that employers were acting illegally in one in three cases. In addition to the helpline, the legal cover that LV= offers as part of its home insurance will pay solicitors fees of up to £50,000 in the event of a case being pursued, with any payouts won being unaffected.

Almost half of the people questioned in the LV= research (48%) said that the company they work for has made redundancies since the onset of the credit crunch. A quarter (26%) also said that hours have been cut and the same number said that pay rises had been cancelled*.

The research by LV= revealed that potentially over half of all UK adults (55%) have had to take some form of legal advice in the past, with the majority opting to speak to a private solicitor as the first port of call despite the high costs involved*. The average cost of such advice is £708 per case. This compares with a cost of just £18.90 a year for adding legal cover - including unlimited use of the helpline and up to £50,000 in legal fees - to a LV= home insurance policy.

John O'Roarke, managing director of LV= home insurance, said: "The statistics from our helpline show that an increasing number of people are looking for legal help because of employment problems caused directly by the recession. The issues are far ranging, covering redundancies, a reduction in hours and pay, or changes in employment contracts.

Live video feed from Speaker's Hustings

Click the above link for live coverage:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8111887.stm

Monday Morning. And the whip-marks are starting to show

The race for Speaker seems to have been nobbled by the Labour Whips and the Iraq War comes back to haunt Labour

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8111887.stm

“Beckett tipped to become Speaker: Labour MP Stephen Pound told Sky News that Labour whips were "touting Margaret Beckett" and said that they should "stop doing it”

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/politics/Labour-accused-of-39stitchup39-to.5387040.jp

“Labour accused of 'stitch-up' to anoint Beckett as Speaker”

(EDITOR: Oh, surely not?)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1194622/As-hostages-bodies-returned-Miliband-admits-We-failed.html

“As hostages' bodies are returned to the UK Miliband is accused of incompetence and admits 'we have failed'”

(EDITOR: If that's the way you feel, then you should resign, Miliband)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labours-covert-effort-to-ensure-beckett-win-1712233.html

“Labour's 'covert effort' to ensure Beckett win”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1194592/MELANIE-PHILLIPS-A-new-Speaker-isnt-answer-The-problem-MPs-whove-hold-jobs-real-world.html

“A new Speaker isn't the answer. The problem is MPs who've never had to hold down jobs in the real world”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8111855.stm

“North Down MP Lady Hermon has told BBC News that she was asked by senior Labour Party figures to be a candidate for House of Commons Speaker”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1194614/ANALYSIS-So-role-did-Alastair-Campbell-play-Iraq-war.html

“Like ghosts at the feast, the sulphurous spirits of Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell loom large over Gordon Brown's latest political disaster”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/5595131/Gordon-Brown-insists-Labour-can-win-election-despite-Cabinet-spending-fears.html

“Gordon Brown insists Labour can win election despite Cabinet spending fears”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jun/21/tobias-ellwood-bournemouth-punched

“Tory MP hurt in confrontation with youths: Police are hunting for four youths who attacked an MP in a seaside resort in his constituency, leaving him with temporary hearing damage”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8112090.stm

“Zimbabwe and UK PM set for talks”

(EDITOR: Let's hope Brown doesn't wish Zimbabwe well...)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8111788.stm

“Brown's sympathy at UK hostage deaths”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1194612/GRAEME-MOORE-Mr-Brown-asked-Susan-Boyle--sons.html

“Mr Brown asked after Susan Boyle - but not our sons: The Foreign Office has been useless ever since my son and four others were kidnapped two years ago, and I am not afraid to say it”

And on that sad note, let's close this update. More is expected later especially regarding the Speaker's race. Eventually, hen I have my new Blackberry figured and configured, I might be able to start mobile blogging.

Oh, dear. Brown will lead Labour That'll put paid to Labour...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1194541/Gordon-Brown-admits-walk-away-Downing-Street.html

“Brown advised to 'start being himself' as he confirms he will lead Labour through next election”

(EDITOR: What? So, being a power-crazed megalomaniac will help him win the next election? Dream on, Brown.)

http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/news/display.var.2515616.0.Martin_If_I_had_chosen_to_fight_on_I_would_have_won.php

“Martin: If I had chosen to fight on, I would have won”

(EDITOR: “I could have been a contender!” In your addled brain, Martin)

http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Brown39s-39I-could-walk-away39.5386453.jp

“Brown's 'I could walk away' claim fuels fresh calls for a general election”

(EDITOR: Yes, Brown. Go now)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/21/mps-expenses-crowd-sourcing-data

“A crowd gathers as MPs' expenses claims prove surprise web hit”

(EDITOR: Only in the loopy minds of Grauniad journalists could this be a surprise.)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8111506.stm

“Scotland's information commissioner has criticised "disingenuous" MPs over the withholding of details from their published expenses”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5589236/MPs-expenses-Parmjit-Dhanda-repeatedly-claimed-wrong-mortgage-payments.html

“The youngest contender to become the Speaker of the House of Commons has repeatedly claimed the wrong amount of mortgage on his expenses”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5588020/Margaret-Beckett-claimed-three-more-times-for-hanging-baskets-on-MPs-expenses.html

Margaret Beckett, the leading contender for the Commons Speakership, submitted three expenses claims for hanging baskets and garden plants totalling £1,380 despite having previously dismissed a similar claim as a "mistake".

(EDITOR: Sure these were not for nose bags?)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124545523522932925.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

“U.K. Police Start Probe of Expenses”

(EDITOR: How the WSJ reported this issue)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/one-disk-six-reporters-the-story-behind-the-expenses-story-1711261.html

“One disk, six reporters: The story behind the expenses story: Holed-up in a top-secret bunker, a small team of 'Telegraph' journalists worked 13-hour shifts on revelations about murky claims that have left politics reeling. Matthew Bell reports”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5581618/MPs-expenses-Janet-Anderson-claimed-6250-too-much-petty-cash.html

“Janet Anderson, a Labour MP, has admitted claiming £6,250 too much in petty cash through her office expenses”

(EDITOR: “Och, Janet! What Will Dr Cameron have to say about this?”

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/janet-street-porter/editoratlarge-the-class-rift-at-the-heart-of-the-expenses-debacle-1711560.html

“Editor-At-Large: The class rift at the heart of the expenses debacle”

(EDITOR: Shock! Horror! Janet Street-Porter makes excellent points!)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8109947.stm

“Britain's most expensive MP Eric Joyce has defended himself after it emerged he paid a "very close friend" thousands of pounds for policy advice: The MP for Falkirk gave contracts worth £8,000 to Ross Martin's firm, Networks Central, in 2005/06. No other firms were invited to bid for the work”

(EDITOR: Why don't I have friends like Eric Joyce, MP, with £8,000 to throw about like a drunken sailor in a Thai strip joint?)

http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/sundaymercuryexclusives/2009/06/21/expenses-scandal-midland-mp-list-of-shame-66331-23934816/

“Expenses scandal: Midland MP list of shame”

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/108975/Main-residence-Mr-and-Mrs-Expenses-moved-out-a-year-ago

“A LABOUR couple dubbed “Mr and Mrs Expenses” were facing fresh questions last night after neighbours claimed they have lived full time at their taxpayer-funded “second home” for a year”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1194190/Browns-500-expenses-painting-summer-house-flipped-Scottish-home.html

“Brown's £500 expenses bill for painting summer house at 'flipped' Scottish home”

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2009/06/21/mps-expenses-west-bromwich-mp-to-sue-over-sunbed-claims-slur-97319-23936724/

“Sandwell MP Adrian Bailey said he would sue The Guardian after a reporter misread Sandwell Training Centre, which helps jobless people find work, for Solihull Tanning Centre”

(EDITOR: Exclusive: Grauniand is really, really crap at spilling, Onglsh and ect. Illiterate little arse)

http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2009/06/21/midland-mp-received-2-500-too-much-in-expenses-66331-23934817/

“MIDLAND MP David Kidney received more than £2,500 too much in expenses to cover his council tax, it was reported yesterday”

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2009/june/20/uddin_in_frame_for_police_quiz.aspx

“Uddin in frame for police probe”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/21/iraq-inquiry-public

“Iraq inquiry likely to be public as Gordon Brown prepares for U-turn”

(EDITOR: “Ministerial sources indicated that...” Oh! Mystery meat, then?!)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/5594879/Gordon-Brown-will-want-to-forget-most-of-his-time-in-power-analysis.html

“Gordon Brown will want to forget most of his time in power: analysis”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mandrake/5588101/Gordon-Browns-shamed-adjutant-Damian-McBride-plots-return-to-old-school.html

“Mandrake can disclose that the Prime Minister's former right-hand man Damian McBride is being considered for a job at his alma mater”

(EDITOR: Not if the school has any sense!)

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/benedict_brogan/blog/2009/06/20/gordon_brown_i_wish_i_was_good

“Gordon Brown: I wish I was good”

(EDITOR: Oh, Benedict! Wicked... but oh so very true and so very funny!)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/5587735/We-cant-have-an-election-until-its-too-late.html

“We can't have an election until it's too late: European Commissioners are obsessed with the need to keep David Cameron at bay until the Lisbon Treaty is ratified, says Daniel Hannan”

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/tracy_corrigan/blog/2009/06/19/total_refinery_strike_shows_brown_must_fix_european_workers_law

“Total refinery strike shows Brown must fix European workers law”

http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/news/display.var.2515621.0.Clegg_calls_on_next_incumbent_to_revamp_role.php

“Clegg calls on next incumbent to revamp role”

That's enough for now, I think.

Sunday update. Yes, the expensesgaqte saga rumbles on.

Who next will it run down? Bercow's name is in the frame and there'll be more, you can count on that.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/21/speaker-candidates-expenses

“Speaker rivals face expenses scrutiny Margaret Beckett claimed almost £11,000 for garden and John Bercow twice claimed for tax return accountant, Telegraph says”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5588377/John-Bercow-claimed-nearly-1000-for-tax-advice-on-MPs-expenses.html

“John Bercow: claimed nearly £1,000 for tax advice on MPs expenses: A front-runner for the post of Speaker twice charged the public purse for the cost of hiring a chartered accountant to complete his annual tax return”

(EDITOR: Are we SURE Bercow isn't already a member of the Parliamentary Labour Party?)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/5587033/Gordon-Brown-to-reconnect-with-voters-by-appearing-on-Songs-of-Praise.html

“Gordon Brown to reconnect with voters by appearing on Songs of Praise: Gordon Brown is to appear on Songs of Praise as he attempts to "reconnect" with voters in the wake of the political crisis which almost cost him his job, The Sunday Telegraph has learned.”

(EDITOR: Pass the collection plate? More like pass the sick bag!)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1194475/Brown-resign-New-Year-party-new-Election-leader-claim-Labour-insiders.html

“Brown 'plans to quit before next election to avoid humiliating defeat'”

(EDITOR: In these circumstances, a sane, rational leader would resign. However, that's the key to this problem, isn't it? A sane rational leader would not have got themselves into this situation in the first place. So, will Gordon Brown quit? Difficult to know at the moment.)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5igFjdB19IgcE83sa5zugo69nJfUQ

“Brown vows to battle on, lead Labour to victor”

(EDITOR: This AFP wire story draws an entirely different conclusion)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5582211/MPs-expenses-Police-open-criminal-inquiry-into-MPs-and-peers.html

“MPs' expenses: Police open criminal inquiry into MPs and peers”

(EDITOR: This is all well and good. But they'll get away with it. Because unlike someone suspected of benefit fraud, these people will be able to afford topclass lawyers. And not some jaded solicitor in a small town practice who will be tempted to advise his benefit clients to roll over an plea guilty for a reduced sentence even though they are more like innocent.)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5588188/MPs-expenses-Sir-Alan-Beiths-long-distance-staff.html

“The MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed arranged for Gill Cheeseman, his Westminster assistant, to travel more than 400 miles to stay in a £220-a-week apartment in Alnwick, Northumberland, at a cost to the taxpayer of £911. Under Commons rules, the employee, who is paid from the public purse, is not permitted to campaign on behalf of the Liberal Democrats"

(EDITOR: Another one bites the dust...)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5587531/MPs-expenses-Sir-George-Young-claimed-YouTube-broadcasts.html

“Sir George Young, the Conservative MP who lost to Michael Martin in the last election for Speaker, billed taxpayers for the cost of a video camera so that he could broadcast clips of himself at work on YouTube”

(EDITOR: And? What of it? Do Jas and Paddy, the authors of this article, buy their own equipment, or does their employer fund it? The Telegraph is starting to look a bit silly, now and need to be careful not to dilute the impact of the story of the real cheats in the House of Commons.)

Four Sentenced In A $10 Million “Ponzi” Fraud

Four men who operated high-yield investment schemes have been sentenced
today to a total of over ten years after admitting their participation in defrauding investors worldwide of a total of US$10 million. A fifth man was sentenced in September 2008. At the centre of the fraud, entailing one of the most complex investigations undertaken by the SFO and Cheshire Police, was a project to extract gold from spent ore, though not an ounce was produced, and no revenue generated.

Maincrest Investments Ltd and London & General Finance Ltd. Two of the men, Frederick Taylor and Martin Shaughnessy, (both former Cheshire police officers) ran Maincrest Investments Ltd (“MIL”) and London & General Finance Ltd (“LGF”) between 1996 and 1998 from an office in Lymm, Cheshire.

They solicited investments in multiples of $100,000 (usually through intermediaries who were paid high levels of commission) from investors in locations across the world including Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Netherlands, Holland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Canada, Spain and Singapore as well as the United Kingdom, The investigation was greatly assisted with co-operation from these various overseas jurisdictions and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice in Texas and the American Embassy in London.

Saturday Morning. Just another day in la-la land for Brown and Co.,

We lose trial by jury and everything goes to Hell, whilst Gordon Brown threatens to take his ball home.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/police-will-investigate-mps-expenses-claims-1710730.html

“Police will investigate MPs' expenses claims: Politicians who claimed for 'phantom mortgages' come under scrutiny By Nigel Morris, Deputy political editor”

(EDITOR: Oh, dear. Oh VERY dear! Someone just turned the heat up under the pan...)

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/latestnews/Parliamentary-expenses-Payback-time.5385312.jp

“THE parliamentary expenses scandal intensified last night as Scotland Yard announced that a small number of MPs and peers faced criminal investigations”

(EDITOR: AND Peers? This could become interesting, again...)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/19/mps-expenses-police-investigation

“Detectives move in just as MPs hoped the expenses storm had passed”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/19/alastair-campbell-iraq-inquiry

“Alastair Campbell backs Gordon Brown over secret Iraq inquiry”

(EDITOR: Of course he bloody does! A Turkey would not vote for Christmas!)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/20/mps-expenses-council-tax-claims

“MPs' expenses: Council tax claims row as leaders pledge clean sweep”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/19/lisbon-treaty-ireland-eu-law

“Promises made to Irish on Lisbon Treaty to become EU law: Ireland guaranteed special dispensation for pushing through yes vote on treaty after leaders agree legal formula”

(EDITOR: And should the people of Ireland vote 'no' again, why, they'll be made to vote again and again until they get it right!)

“http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/5582471/Gordon-Brown-I-could-walk-away-from-office-tomorrow.html”

“Gordon Brown: 'I could walk away from office tomorrow'”

(EDITOR: How bloody childish and immature of Wee Jimmy Brown! “If you don't play to MY rules, then I'll take my ball home!” How pathetic!)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/19/miliband-cameron-eu-clarke

“Cameron's EU policy puts party before country, says Miliband”

(EDITOR: something Miliband would NEVER do. It must be wonderful being able to follow Gordon Brown's broken Moral Compass)

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/2009/06/20/sectarian-shame-of-would-be-commons-speaker-john-bercow-over-claims-he-sang-the-sash-at-rangers-party-86908-21456828/

“Sectarian shame of would-be Commons Speaker John Bercow over claims he sang The Sash at Rangers party”

(EDITOR: This was exposed by Guido at www.order-order.com and is now picked up by the Scottish Daily Record, who credit Guido for his scoop)

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Public-inquiries-into-rail-tragedies.5385533.jp

MINISTERS have come under fire after ruling out public inquiries into two fatal rail accidents.

Rail unions and relatives of the victims have long pressed for inquiries into the 2002 Potters Bar crash which claimed seven lives and the 2007 Grayrigg derailment in Cumbria in which an elderly passenger died.

(EDITOR: This decision was announced by Lord Adonis who seems to delight in dancing on the graves of the dead of both rail disasters)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5582210/MPs-expenses-MPs-face-a-pay-cut-if-they-have-other-jobs.html

“MPs with lucrative outside jobs could be paid less than full-time politicians, the man reviewing Commons salaries has suggested”

(EDITOR: Does Bill Cockburn include Labour peers and MPs who illegal trousers thousands of pounds in {cough! Cough!} consultation fees? Of course not!)

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/20/straw-hits-back-at-sonnex-slur-115875-21456475/

“Jack Straw yesterday angrily denied cash cuts in his ministry were behind the blunders that let maniac Dano Sonnex free to kill... But a leaked letter shows his ministry told probation chiefs they could carry forward at least 2% of their budget if it was not spent.”

(EDITOR: Getting Jack 'man of' Straw to admit responsibility for anything is not easy)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5572704/MPs-expenses-Kitty-Usshers-17000-tax-dodge-would-have-remained-hidden.html

“The disclosures that led to the resignation of Kitty Ussher, the junior Treasury minister, would never have come to light had The Telegraph not seen her uncensored expenses files.”

(EDITOR If this is the case, then, well done The Daily Telegraph)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jun/18/john-twomey-trial-without-jury

“One of the men facing Britain's first criminal trial without a jury gave evidence against the police during a notorious corruption inquiry in the 1980s”

(EDITOR: And now we lose trial by jury. Sorry. Can anyone tell me were Britain went?)

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Expensesgate Day 1,000,007 (Or something like that)

Also, an idea of what really happened and what really went wrong.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/18/labour-conservatives-mps-expenses-claims

“MPs expenses: Still shutting the stable door, long after the horse bolted: Many more will quit warns senior Labour backbencher: MPs face intense criticism over 'censorship' of expenses”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/18/mps-expenses-censorship-black-out

“MPs' expenses: critics attack censorship as redactions black out documents”

(EDITOR: Perhaps Polly Toynbee will have a word with he good friend Gordon Brown on this dreadful situation? Not at the moment, as she is having one of her anti-Brown funny turns? Yes. We'll wait until she goes pro-Brown, again. It can't be long, after all. Incidentally, I have decided not to link to stories in The Times for a while. They probably wont miss the generated, but it will make me feel better)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/5566766/Former-cabinet-secretary-Lord-Butler-to-criticise-Gordon-Browns-Iraq-inquiry.html

“Former cabinet secretary Lord Butler to criticise Gordon Brown's Iraq inquiry”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/18/kitty-ussher-gordon-brown

“Gordon Brown today paid tribute to Kitty Ussher, the MP he sacked as a junior Treasury minister last night after evidence emerged that she had "flipped" her homes to avoid paying capital gains tax.

The prime minister told Ussher she would have to stand down as exchequer secretary to the Treasury after the Daily Telegraph revealed that an accountant had advised her how to avoid paying the tax”

(EDITOR: 'exchequer secretaries to the Treasury' shouldn't avoid paying tax. As Kitty found out.)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/17/gordon-brown-tories-spending-2012

“Gordon Brown was accused by the Tories last night of misleading the House of Commons and perpetrating a "big lie" after the prime minister made claims about future spending increases that appeared to contradict official Treasury figures”

(EDITOR: Whattt? Gordon Brown misleading people? Perish the thought!)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/5561667/Gordon-Brown-accused-of-dishonesty-over-spending-cuts.html

“Gordon Brown was last night accused of being "dishonest" about Labour's spending plans as the political row over cuts to public services intensified”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1194047/Quick-nurse-Im-starting-fear-Brown-believes-whoppers-theyd-make-Joe-Stalin-blush.html

“Quick, nurse! I'm starting to fear Brown believes all his whoppers (even though they'd make Joe Stalin blush) Oh, how I'd love to be Gordon Brown! Do you realise that everywhere he goes, people pour out their hearts to him, lavishing him with praise for his masterly handling of the economy and thanking him, with tears in their eyes, for the way he's transformed their lives? Don't take my word for it. Read what the man himself has to say about the nation's feelings, in an article he wrote for last week's Sunday Mirror”

(EDITOR Tom Utley's piece is wickedly funny. Or funnily wicked. Read it and judge for yourself!)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5572330/MPs-expenses-almost-500000-returned-to-taxpayers.html

“MPs' expenses: almost £500,000 returned to taxpayers: Almost a third of MPs have been shamed into repaying money they have claimed on expenses, with a total of £478,616 so far returned to the taxpayer, it emerged on Thursday”

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/06/19/mps-must-understand-voters-have-had-enough-91466-23919878/

“MPs must understand – voters have had enough”

(EDITOR: The Daily Mail knows this. As does the Western Mail, above. How come so many MPs don't?)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/blears-faces-wrath-of-party-activists-ndash-but-holds-on-to-her-job-1708978.html

“Blears faces wrath of party activists – but holds on to her job: Former communities secretary faces protests over expenses claims”

(EDITOR: “Don't worry. I think we can get away with it. By the time the election comes, they'll have forgotten all this.” Don't be so sure...)

WHAT REALLY WENT WRONG?

And while we are on the subject, how come so many MPs -on all sides of the House- got suckered in to the systematic abuse of the expenses system? A colleague put that point to me yesterday. I have thought about it and this is the answer I have come up with. You are a new employee at a firm. The Wages/Salary office advises you that, due to budgetary restraints within the company, the wage rises have not kept place with inflation. So the company has come up with a system of using a complicated expenses system to subsidise the wage structure of the company. A kindly, older colleague sees that you are dubious, and they take you on one side and talk with you about it. “Isn't it dishonest?” you ask. “It's perfectly OK,” you are told. “Well, it must be as everyone from the managing director down to the shop floor does it. It's just a way of making the wages bill look lower than it actually is.”

Under the circumstances, how many of us would have refused to comply with this advice as a new employee?

In the 1970s I worked for a major firm who decided on an economy drive. If you went to the stationary stores the elderly man there was ordered to reduce every requisition by 50%. So if your department needed 20 pens, it only got 10 pens. On day 2 every order was doubled. If you needed 20 pens, you ordered 40, instead. It was fraud but done for a reasonably motive. The deire to have what you needed to undertake your job.

And I'll close this update on that note. Except to say there should be an investigation. To find out who introduced this systematic, top down, abuse in the first place?

Freelance journalists backbone of UK press, survey of commissioning editors finds

The market for freelance journalists is strong, with almost a third of newspaper and magazine commissioning editors saying that at least half of the editorial content of their publications is produced by freelancers.

The survey of more than 200 commissioning editors by Daryl Willcox Publishing (DWPub) found that a new influx of freelance talent on the market. This increase is due to redundancies across many publishing companies and is mirrored by significant demand for freelance journalists.

Twelve per cent of the commissioning editors questioned said freelancers were responsible for more than three quarters of their content, and almost one in five (18%) said between half and three quarters of content was commissioned out to freelance journalists.

The ability to tap into expert views (69%) and specific subbing, interviewing or production skills (62%) were cited as the main drivers for using freelancers. One in three respondents said they looked to freelance journalists to provide last minute cover.

The freelance market may be buoyant but direct feedback from editors shows that exploiting opportunities relies on hard work, persistence and a good work ethic. When it comes to the selection criteria for freelance journalists, top of the wish list is articles they’ve written before (86%) followed by recommendations (72%). Just over half of commissioning editors said titles that freelancers had worked for previously influenced their decision.

Reliability and the ability to hit deadlines were also cited by respondents as key attributes for the freelances they chose to use. As one editor wrote: “The most important thing to me in a freelance is their ability to deliver accurate, well-written copy on time. I also need them to be able to understand their brief and the readership that their article is aimed at.”

But although a proven track record is a fast track to a successful freelance career, a professional qualification in journalism doesn’t appear to influence commissioning editors in their choice of contributors.

Another commissioning editor commented: “Knowing the readership of the publication, and sending through targeted pitches that suggest an awareness of or interest in the magazine and its structure, is far more likely to get an untried freelancer a commission than a blanket pitch with no information on their areas of expertise or how their ideas could fit in to our existing format. Referencing a specific piece we've recently covered helps too.”

DWPub founder and chairman Daryl Willcox said: “Having been both a commissioning editor and a freelance journalist in the past I always knew that the freelance journalists played an important role, but this survey reveals just how much our media relies on them.”

More advice on the skills looked for in freelance journalists by commissioning editors can be found at www.dwpubjournalert.com, which also carries interviews with freelance journalists as well as media news.

The details of over 5,000 freelance journalists available for work are available to commissioning editors on www.journalistdirectory.com

Oh, dear. 56 too many tattoos!

Disgraceful Times. Where will it all end? (Times Story update)

This is a disgraceful thing for The Times to do.

Didn't their sister paper the News of the World get upset when their Fake Sheik was exposed?

So we must now presume that News Group/The Times have changed their minds? That it is now open season on exposing Times/News of the World undercover journalists? Of course not! One rule for The Times anorher rule for everyone else!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/5562056/NightJack-When-the-blogging-biters-bit.html

"NightJack: When the blogging biter's bit: The 'outing' of a policeman as the author of a highly controversial blog shows the power of this strange medium, says Damian Thompson"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8103731.stm

"Force discipline officer"

EDITOR: Great result Times. Hope you feel proud. By the way, exactly WHO did Nightjack cross in order for you to decide to target him?)

http://timesonline.typepad.com/comment/2009/06/i-have-had-quite-a-few-emails-and-comments-about-nightjack-and-the-times-story-revealing-his-identity-so-i-thought-i-would-g.html

"NightJack: rights and wrongs"

(EDITOR: Fink -for that it what he is- gives his ‘reasoning’ as to why he thinks his newspaper is right in exposing this police officer to the danger of possibly losing his job. Makes you proud that, does, it Fink? And just to push the point, Fink includes a copy of his photograph. So, Fink. Here’s the deal. Why don’t you publish the identity of every undercover Times and News of the World reporter on your blog? Oh! That’s different, is it? Fink, you are a disgrace. And you have been outed yourself, by the various comments in reply to your odious effluvial self-serving waffle.)

The Times can get stuffed.

UPDATE: Fink (or a hireling on The Times) is culling comments on his blog. And nor for swearing. Just for being right, perhaps?

Expensesgate and more. Day 392 or something...

Yes, more expenses stories today!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5563129/MPs-expenses-Out-today-the-censored-version-of-every-MPs-expense-claims.html

“MPs' expenses: censored version MPs' expenses claims goes online”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1193840/Lets-hope-Cameron-does-NOT-Blair-free-run-EU-presidency.html

“Let's hope Cameron is right about Blair and the EU presidency: The Tories' denial couldn't be more emphatic. It never crossed David Cameron's mind, they say, to give Tony Blair a free run as a candidate to become the first President of Europe”

http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/news/display.var.2514987.0.Ousted_MP_threatens_to_force_a_byelection.php

“The political earthquake of the MPs' expenses scandal continued to have aftershocks last night with suggestions that Labour's Jim Devine, deselected on Tuesday, might force a by-election in Livingston. The backbencher, who was cut loose by the Labour leadership because of queries over his expenses claims, is thought to be mulling over his options; another being staying on until the next General Election and standing as an independent”

(EDITOR: Quite clearly, Labour were not expecting that. Not very smart, are they?)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/5554319/Wheelie-bins-cause-angry-families-to-protest.html

Wheelie bins cause angry families to protest: Families angry at wheelie bins ruining their scenic town are to march in protest”

(EDITOR: Two-weekly bin collections. That's another rubbish idea pushed by Brown and co.)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/17/royal-mail-john-mcfall

My solution to the Royal Mail part-privatisation problem: The Royal Mail urgently needs certainty over its future, not more debate. The government must take a less controversial approach”

(EDITOR: “The government must take a less controversial approach” Doesn't sound much like Gordon Brown, does it?)

http://thatsmotoring.blogspot.com/2009/06/appeal-for-witnesses-assault-in.html

“Police in Bradford are appealing for witnesses to an assault on an elderly couple. It happened on Tuesday, 9th June at 3.10pm on Pollard Lane in Undercliffe”

(EDITOR: Today's Gordon Brown Britain. Such a wonderful place.)

http://www.spectator.co.uk/alexmassie/3704486/the-bnp-has-no-future-unless-the-tories-and-labour-decide-to-help-them.thtml

“The BNP Has No Future - Unless the Tories and Labour Decide to Help Them”

(EDITOR: An interesting point by Alex Massie. Let's hope Labour and Tory Politicians and the anti-BNP protesters read it.)

That's it for this morning. Though redacted, heavily, I am sure there will be more fun to be had in the expensesgate scandal. It is, indeed, the gift that keeps on giving.

Brown's Police deliberately target people they know are innocent. And it's “here, Kitty, Kitty” as Kitty Usher resigns in a new expensesgate scandal!

Yes, that's right: Brown's Police deliberately target people they know are innocent. How the Hell has Gordon Brown, Smith and the rest of the feckless fools who are self-described as Socialists allowed this to happen? Because perhaps to them, that is what Socialism is all about? Control by fear, by the random stop and search, by the 3am knock on the door?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jun/17/stop-search-terror-law-met

“Thousands of people are being stopped and searched by the police under counter-terrorism powers simply to provide a racial balance in official statistics, the government's official anti-terror law watchdog has revealed”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1193730/Police-warned-abuse-anti-terror-law-stop-photographers-taking-pictures-them.html

“Police warned not to abuse anti- terror law to stop photographers taking pictures of them”

(EDITOR: A civilian police employee warned me that if I continued to take photographs he would 'confiscate my camera.'. I showed him my Met/Home Ofice Gatekeeper press card (he clearly had not seen one before, as he seemed totally nonplussed by it) and warned him that as I was standing in my own garden, overlooking a street, that he'd better be 100% sure of his facts. He wasn't as he buggered off.)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/benedict-brogan/5562258/Gordon-Browns-purge-will-leave-us-with-MPs-fit-only-for-a-call-centre.html

"Gordon Brown's purge will leave us with MPs fit only for a call-centre: The Prime Minister is changing the face of the House in a spiteful act of class envy, says Benedict Brogan”

(EDITOR: A good article. Depressing, but good)

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1265777?UserKey=

“The head of the inquiry into Westminster’s scandalous expenses system yesterday accused MPs of “exploiting it for personal gain” and lacking principles: Sir Christopher Kelly’s comments came as Scots MP Jim Devine was deselected by Labour’s “star chamber” for submitting an improper bill”

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090617-706624.html

“U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the measures the government has taken to soften the economic downturn appear to be working”

(EDITOR: That report in the WSJ... was it Brown... or was it just Balls?)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5562864/MPs-expenses-Junior-Treasury-minister-Kitty-Ussher-resigns.html

“Junior Treasury minister Kitty Ussher tonight resigned from the Government following allegations that she avoided paying Capital Gains Tax.”

(EDITOR: Just when one might imagine that the expensesgate scandal was over, the gift that just keeps on giving, gives again.)

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting/a160427/gordon-brown-we-must-help-channel-4.html

“Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said that the government must help Channel 4”

(EDITOR: Why? Why must we (as in, we, the public) help Channel 4?)

http://www.bermudasun.bm/main.asp?SectionID=24&SubSectionID=270&ArticleID=41853

“Brown feels heat on the street: 'Brown must go' was the chant echoing through Hamilton's streets yesterday afternoon as hundreds of protestors called for the Premier to step down”

(EDITOR: Oh. It appears Gordon Brown isn't the only Premier Brown clocked as useless by the people. This is Dr. Ewart Brown, Prime Minister of Bermuda)

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d9f32cd2-5a0d-11de-b687-00144feabdc0.html

“President Brown? The most startling suggestion I have heard in recent days - and it came from a high-ranking EU diplomat - is that the EU's first ever full-time president could be none other than Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the UK. The thinking here is that, because the job will require its holder to represent the EU on the world stage, it would suit Mr Brown well”

(EDITOR: Shocked into silence, for once...)

http://denverthen.blogspot.com/2009/06/malik-one-million-percent-guilty.html

“Malik: One Million Percent Guilty!”

(EDITOR: An interesting take on the Malik situation from Denverstrope)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8105700.stm

“A new law requiring Scottish Parliament and council elections to be held on different days has been passed by MSPs”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1193582/QUENTIN-LETTS-God-help-pathetic-MPs-shameless-bumptious-expenses-fiddling-greaser-Speaker.html

“QUENTIN LETTS: God help us (and our pathetic MPs) if this shameless, bumptious, expenses-fiddling greaser becomes Speaker”

(EDITOR: Who could Mr Letts mean? John Bercow, apparently. Still it could be worse. Quentin Letts isn't an MP, so at least that's one greaser who will not be speaker. By the way, an anagram of Quentin Letts is Nettle Squint.)

And on that note let's wait until tomorrow to see what excitement is up and about beofre7.30am...

Martin goes with a whimper, not a bang , cops target the innocent and more Brownian rubbish

Yes, things are looking slightly weird in Britain, now.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8104311.stm

"Martin's parting shot on expenses"

(EDITOR: As the BBC puts it. Or "Martin goes with a whimper and a whine," as most other people would see it.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/labour-mps-expenses/5557143/MPs-expenses-Labours-Jim-Devine-hung-out-to-dry.html

"MPs' expenses: Labour's Jim Devine 'hung out to dry': "Shattered" Labour MP Jim Devine is considering his future after being "hung out to dry" and deselected by the party following an expenses probe"

(EDITOR: Don't worry. A friend of Mandelson will be parachuted in to serve as the candidate)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/17/gordon-brown-david-cameron-spending

"Tory leader accuses PM of refusing to give straight answers, while Brown says Cameron's party want to slash public spending by 10%"

(EDITOR: Of course, Cameron was not expecting anything else, from Brown, was he?)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8105068.stm

"Experts question UK broadband tax: One of the biggest surprises in the Digital Britain report was the news that everyone with a fixed line telephone would pay a broadband tax. Others question whether Gordon Brown's vision of "access for all" is achievable"

(EDITOR: Another of Gordon Brown's Big Ideas that seem really good whilst they rattle around inside his head and sound absolutely stupid when he allows them to leave the confines of his cranium. Or as a young friend of mine said: "Pay a tax to have a phone line? He's having a £$%*ing laugh at our expense!")

And this is how many people see Gordon Brown. As some clown having a laugh. At our expensive.

Wednesday Morning, Gordon Brown under attack and and the expenses debacle rumbles o

Gordon Brown, the man with the broken moral compass

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/5554649/General-Sir-Mike-Jackson-criticises-Gordon-Browns-decision-to-hold-secret-Iraq-inquiry.html

“General Sir Mike Jackson criticises Gordon Brown's decision to hold secret Iraq inquiry

General Sir Mike Jackson, head of the Army during the Iraq invasion, has criticised Gordon Brown's decision to hold the war inquiry in secret”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1193361/Gordon-Brown-warned-public-sector-jobs-bloodbath.html

“Gordon Brown yesterday accused the Tories of plotting to cut frontline services even as he was warned of a 'bloodbath' in public sector jobs under Labour. The Prime Minister was accused of 'breathtaking dishonesty' after he used a speech to the GMB union to claim the Conservatives will slash public-service budgets by 10 per cent. He also risked widening a Cabinet rift over whether to be honest with voters over the need for the Government to tighten its belt”

(EDITOR: Gordon Brown. The man with the morally bankrupt compass...)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1193593/DAILY-MAIL-COMMENT-Why-wont-come-clean-spending.html

“We all know, too, there's considerable waste in every government department, where officials squander billions on non-jobs without a thought to offering taxpayers value for their money. Why, then, do unscrupulous Labour politicians waste their breath trying to deny these palpable facts?”

(EDITOR: Because they are following Gordon .Moses' Brown, the man with the broken moral compass)

http://www.realbusiness.co.uk/news/leadership/5647606/listen-to-your-people-gordon-brown.thtml

“Entrepreneur Rik Hellewell, owner of 15-year-old professional oven-valeting firm Ovenu, has some advice for Prime Minister Gordon Brown: find out what the real people are talking about in the real world”

(EDITOR: What a dangerous idea! It is normal for Labour Party members like Gordon Brown to TELL ordinary working folk what they are thinking...)

http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/local-west-yorkshire-news/2009/06/16/lazarus-mobility-boss-stephen-collins-to-meet-gordon-brown-86081-23889141/

“A HUDDERSFIELD man who has overcome disability to build up his own business is to meet Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Stephen Collins, who heads Lazarus Mobility providing disability aids online and from a showroom at Aspley, will be a guest at 10 Downing Street”

(EDITOR: Will Brown listen to what he says?)

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/mark-steel/mark-steel-why-not-hold-all-trials-in-private-1706863.html

“Mark Steel: Why not hold all trials in private? They'd have put Cherie Blair on the inquiry, only she'd have charged a fee”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mandrake/5542901/Bad-tempered-Gordon-Brown-oversees-a-culture-of-mobile-phone-throwing.html

“Bad tempered Gordon Brown oversees a culture of mobile phone throwing: Gordon Brown's unfortunate habit of sending mobile telephones flying seems to be spreading at the centre of government”

That's it for this Wednesday morning update. Let's see how many more preposterous lies Brown comes up with by teatime! Perhaps he will resist the temptation, but I doubt it somehow...

Things are Looking Brown for bleak... And he is caught lying, again! Has he no shame?

Things are looking rather bleak for Brown. He's now at risk of losing union funding. For example...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/5552252/Union-drops-funding-for-Labour.html

“Unison, one of Labour's biggest financial backers has warned Gordon Brown that it will pull vital election funding unless the embattled Prime Minister does more to help public sector workers”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/jun/16/expenses-mps-unison-commons

“The public sector trade union Unison announced today it was suspending constituency development money for 64 Labour MPs and holding back another £1m in grants to the party in protest at MPs' misuse of expenses and failure to fight off privatisation of public services”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8104140.stm

“Jim Devine has become the fifth Labour MP to be barred from standing at the next election over his expenses claims”

(EDITOR: Of course, a useful point in any court cases would be the apparent sacred cow status of some senior Labour MPs...)

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/benedict_brogan/blog/2009/06/16/simon_lewis_will_see_gordon_brown_out

“Simon Lewis will see Gordon Brown out”

http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/featuresopinon/display.var.2514721.0.Inquiry_is_a_stitchup_that_kicks_truth_into_the_long_grass.php

“Inquiry is a stitch-up that kicks truth into the long grass”

http://timesonline.typepad.com/law/2009/06/gordon-brown-is-wrong-about-lawyers.html

“Nothing could be less likely to produce a searching quest for the truth and illuminating testimony than Mr Brown’s private inquiry, which will fumble to elicit key facts without the power to subpoena witnesses. No blame will be apportioned even if the inquiry finds facts that inculpate certain people...”

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23708121-details/Former+Law+Lord+calls+ID+cards+an+%27invasion%27+of+civil+liberties/article.do

“Former Law Lord calls ID cards an 'invasion' of civil liberties: ID cards will not tackle serious crime or terrorism and will cost the country billions at a time of recession, a former Law Lord declared today. In one of the most savage attacks yet on Labour's flagship policy, Lord Steyn said the £5billion scheme was "unnecessary" and "un-British". Lord Steyn used a lecture at Gray's Inn Hall to accuse the Home Office of introducing the cards step by step as a way of "conditioning" public opinion”

(EDITOR: But in the mind of Gordon Brown, (Or wee Jimmy Brown) it will be the Law Lord who is wrong. Not him.)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8103159.stm

“Tory 'threat' to services – Brown”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/5543135/Ed-Balls-and-Alistair-Darling-clash-over-public-spending.html

“Ed Balls and Alistair Darling clash over public spending”

(EDITOR: Come on Brown! Come on, Balls! Come on Darling! Either your fellow Labour minister is the threat or the Tories. Who is it to be?)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/5552495/Gordon-Brown-hires-new-head-of-communications.html

“Gordon Brown hires new head of communications: Gordon Brown has hired a new head of communications to try to revive his political fortunes”

(EDITOR: He'd have been better using a Faith Healer...)

http://www.publicservice.co.uk/news_story.asp?id=9779

“Sir Christopher Kelly, whose forthcoming report on MPs' expenses and allowances Gordon Brown has already indicated he will implement in full when it is published in the autumn, has said that he was "shocked" by the spate of revelations that virtually took over the national press for a month as they rushed to reveal the latest scandal... I was ... surprised and, I think it is fair to say, shocked."

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/16/72bn-for-more-council-homes-115875-21444631/

“Gordon Brown to pledge £72billion for more council homes”

(EDITOR: That's right, Wee Jimmy. Throw some money at it! That's the boy...)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/5543489/Stuck-with-Brown-like-a-burnt-out-Ramsay-MacDonald.html

“Stuck with Brown, like a burnt-out Ramsay MacDonald”

http://www.thisiswesternmorningnews.co.uk/news/BROWN-ATTACKED-BUDGET-CUTS/article-1079714-detail/article.html

“GORDON Brown has come under fire for budget cuts inflicted on key regeneration projects in the South West”

(EDITOR: Hang on! Didn't Gordon Brown tells us that the Tory Party were the party of cuts? Not Labour? Oh. We caught Brown in another lie)

Pension Savers Miss Out On £720 Million

The UKs retirement savers are missing out on an extra £720 million tax relief by not making additional pension contributions

Research from www.Unbiased.co.uk, the professional advice website, has revealed that working people in company pension schemes are missing out on huge sums by neglecting to save in tax-efficient ways. High-rate taxpayers that are members of their employers’ occupational pension scheme will miss out on an extra £720 million tax relief this year by failing to make Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs).

AVCs run alongside employers’ pension schemes and allow employees to pay extra into their pension which should result in a larger pension pot at retirement. AVCs benefit from the same tax relief as contributions paid into the main pension scheme, so it makes sense to benefit from this tax-efficient way of saving for retirement.

David Elms, Chief Executive of Unbiased.co.uk comments: “Failing to save for retirement has become an increasing problem for the UK population. The onset of the credit crunch has further compounded this problem as the value of people’s pension funds is decreasing and they are also finding their money doesn’t go as far as it used to. A discussion with an IFA is a good way to ensure you are planning effectively for your retirement and get your financial planning in order.

Check out how much you could be savings by being tax efficient with Unbiased.co.uk’s tax waste calculator.

OFT Estate Agent Public Register Goes Online

The OFT has today launched an online version of its public register listing estate agents who have been given warnings or been banned from estate agency work.

View the register at www.oft.gov.uk/estateagentregister.

Under the Estate Agents Act 1979 the OFT can issue warning and prohibition orders against individual estate agents or agencies who have broken the law.

The register, which can be browsed alphabetically or by date, provides a crucial tool allowing consumers to search whether the OFT has taken action against estate agents. The information can also be used in order to report to the OFT suspected breaches by an estate agent of an existing warning or prohibition order.

The OFT can issue warning orders or take action with a view to banning estate agents where there is evidence that they have committed certain specified offences such as:

• offences involving fraud, other dishonesty or violence,
• discriminating on the grounds of race or gender in the course of estate agency work,
• engaging in residential estate agency work but failing to belong to an approved redress scheme;
• failing to comply with the requirements of the law, or
• engaging in specified undesirable practices.

Mike Haley, OFT Director of Consumer Protection, said: “Under the law, estate agents must ensure they act in the best interests of their clients and that buyers and sellers are treated honestly, fairly and promptly. The online register gives consumers direct access to important information explaining where we have taken action against estate agents.”

Asda Launches Cheapest Bicycle In The UK

Today ASDA launches the lowest priced bike on the market as part of Pedal Power; a new ASDA initiative which aims to get more Brits on their bikes by making cycling more accessible to all.

Launched to coincide with Bike Week, (13th-21st June), these four bicycles, starting at £50* for kids and £70* for adults, are part of the iconic British Eagle label. ASDA has brought tens of thousands of the bikes so they are able to offer them at this permanently low price. Incredibly ASDA will not be making a penny from the sales such is the supermarket's commitment to getting the nation on their bikes.

Considering the average cost of petrol alone for the car commute is £454** and a London zone 1-6 travelcard comes in at £1904 using the bike to get to and from work could save you literally thousands of pounds.
Pedal Power is all about getting people on their bikes and encouraging families to take up a new activity that they can do together. The initiative was launched by ASDA CEO Andy Bond and Olympic Champion Sir Chris Hoy - both united in their passion for cycling and committed to raising its profile as an affordable mode of transport with inherent health and environmental benefits.

Mike Logue, ASDA’s Leisure Trading Director, comments, “Price should not be a barrier on whether or not to buy a bike therefore ASDA has worked incredibly hard to introduce these British Eagle bikes at market leading price on a not for profit basis. Cycling is the perfect low cost activity for all the family to stay healthy and spend quality time together."

All four bicycles are now available online and will be in store from 21th July to 9th August. For under £250 a family of four can each have a bicycle and get out on the roads.
Included in this offer are:
•26” British Eagle 18 speed Men’s Mountain Bike, £70.
•26” British Eagle 18 speed Women’s Mountain Bike, £70.
•2 children’s 20” British Eagle bicycles, £50 each.

ASDA is also encouraging it’s 165,000 colleagues to get on their bikes by signing up to the governments Cycle to Work Scheme; an initiative which provides tax breaks to colleagues when buying a bicycle and cycling equipment under this scheme.

More infighting and more drama from Labour

Yes, there's more infighting, more drama and more claptrap from Labour!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1193077/Labour-anger-Balls-acts-surrogate-chancellor-spending-pledge.html

“Ed Balls was accused of acting as the surrogate Chancellor last night after exposing Labour divisions over spending on hospitals and schools. The Schools Secretary caused concern by insisting more cash would be poured into public services after 2011, despite the economic downturn and spiralling national debt. But Treasury Chief Secretary Liam Byrne slapped him down - insisting such decisions were a matter for Alistair Darling.”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2483175/Ed-Balls-sparks-chaos-on-spending-cuts.html

“Crystal Balls-up: LABOUR was in chaos over spending last night after accusing the Tories of planning cuts — only to admit they will have to do the same. Children’s secretary Ed Balls said Labour would INCREASE spending on schools and hospitals after 2011 by cutting payments to other areas like defence. But he was slapped down by one of his own Cabinet colleagues — with Deputy Chancellor Liam Byrne saying Mr Balls had no “crystal ball” and was WRONG to make the guarantee”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/16/labour-fiscal-cuts-tories

“The latest Guardian poll confirms Labour's one edge: public services. But to win the debate, it needs to be honest about the costs”

(EDITOR: Some honesty from Polly Toynbee would be a nice start. Though one suspects this might be a request too far)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6504824.ece

“Labour divided over health and education spending after election”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/16/mps-make-a-pitch-to-be-speaker-115875-21444543/

“MPs make a pitch to be Speaker”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/16/lords-back-donor-ban-115875-21444509/

“Lords back donor ban: A move to ban tax exiles from donating to UK political parties was backed by the Lords in a surprise defeat for the Government”

(EDITOR: Mind you, a similar ban did not stop Wendy Alexander getting money from someone outside mainland Britain, did it?)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5544119/Illegal-immigrant-amnesty-would-raise-3bn-for-British-economy.html

“An amnesty of illegal immigrants would boost the UK economy by £3 billion a year and raise tax revenues by £842 million, a report for Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has concluded”

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/57051fe0-5a0f-11de-b687-00144feabdc0.html

“European Union leaders are close to a deal on the legal guarantees of national sovereignty that will be offered to Ireland so that it can hold a second referendum on the bloc's Lisbon reform treaty, say EU diplomats”

(EDITOR: “And THIS time vote how that nice Mr Brown wants you to vote!”)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/majornews/5545521/Gordon-Brown-is-condemned-over-secret-inquiry-into-Iraq-war.html

“Gordon Brown is condemned over secret inquiry into Iraq war: The Prime Minister faced accusations of an “establishment stitch-up” after telling MPs that an investigation into the events leading up to the invasion of Iraq and the removal of Saddam Hussein would be held behind closed doors.”

(EDITOR: Anyone who thought Brown would do otherwise was delusional)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/rachel_sylvester/article6506159.ece

“There were three of us in this marriage, it was a bit crowded,” said the People's Princess. “I was the third person in the marriage. I was the casualty,” observed the People's Peer. For more than a decade Peter Mandelson was involved in a love triangle with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. They were, he says, the two and a half musketeers - “I was the half” - and all too often their swords were pointing at each other”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/5540715/Tory-MP-gives-up-City-second-job-and-criticises-Gordon-Brown.html

“Tory MP gives up City second job and criticises Gordon Brown”

Let's see what else happens by this evening. I think this will be another long Tuesday for Brown.

Jonty Pryor special.

Jonty Pryor, little liar? Or just another Labour buffoon?

Here's some information about Jonty Pryor:

http://www.student-direct.co.uk/2008/12/general-meeting-cock-up/

“General Meeting Cock-Up”

(EDITOR: Apparently Jonty can't chair meetings and gave a wrong result at the count of a vote on a motion. “One member of Union Council who wanted to remain anonymous said it was the Chair of Council who was at fault: “The chair cocked up...”)

http://www.manchesterpolitics.co.uk/articles/2009/gaza-crisis-motion-passes/

“In an extraordinary move, another motion was proposed asking for the removal of Chair Jonty Pryor”

(EDITOR: Clearly a popular little chap)

http://www.labourlist.org/jonty-pryor-budget-labour-list

“The threshold for paying income tax altogether needs to be significantly raised to around £10,000. Currently it is the least well off in our society who are suffering the most from the mistakes of bankers and we need to do all in our power to support them”

(EDITOR: “Notice how Jonty only blames the bankers and not Gordon Brown. I was puzzled that he did not include: “It all started in America” in his piece on the budget. However he does praise MP Lindsay Hoyle (“The Government also needs to look at statutory redundancy pay. There is currently a private member's bill courtesy of Lindsay Hoyle MP...” without mentioning his links with Hoyle. Naughty!)

http://davidmaclean.eu/

“Labour liar nailed by Guido. Jonty Pryor, whatever have you done? http://is.gd/12D3T”

“Political blogging from a North East journalist”

(EDITOR: Oh! Jonty! Whatever have you done?)

http://doverwatch.blogspot.com/2009/06/two-whats-its-names-with-one-rumour.html

“Two whats-its-names with one rumour?”

(EDITOR: This is a very interesting take on the situation)

Will more come out about Jonty Pryor? What will be made about his links to MP Lindsay Hoyle? Will Mr Hoyle drop Jonty Pryor like a hot coin?

Whatever happens, Jonty Pryor's problems have only just begun. And Alex Smith has shown that LabourList is still very much Labour Gauleiter-friendly.

Gordon Brown. He still, STILL doesn't get it, does he?

Examples of the not getting-itness of Brown and Labour...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/15/iraq-war-inquiry-conservative-reaction

“David Cameron says he favours a more open approach to Iraq inquiry”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6506651.ece

“Labour’s attempts to make political capital out of a Conservative pledge to reduce public spending backfired yesterday as ministers squabbled over whether they would match the cuts.”

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/politics-news/2009/06/16/birmingham-minister-won-t-rule-out-cuts-65233-23884986/

“Birmingham MP Liam Byrne...was unable to promise a Labour government would not also cut spending on schools or hospitals after 2011”

http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKTRE55E6UU20090615

“Conservatives extend lead over Labour”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/15/house-commons-speaker-hustings

“Speaker candidates call for end to prime minister's questions: But having sat through the 10 pitches, the Tory MP Douglas Carswell... said: "Perhaps to some people this is not about choosing a new Speaker and more about choosing a shop steward."

http://order-order.com/2009/06/15/who-punkd-guido-over-purnell/

“Who Punk’d Guido Over Purnell?: LabourList did a story on the weekend relishing Guido getting punked over that Purnell story. So a bit of background as to how it went wrong might be useful.”

(EDITOR: Guido names names. Good!)

There will be more news of Brown and his ineptness tomorrow, I am sure.

Smile! You could be a winner!

Lucky Pair to Experience All of Orlando’s More Than 100 Spectacular Attractions

Orlando CVB has launched the first worldwide search for an adventurous couple with great smiles.

The winners will then be sent on an assignment -- to experience every attraction in Orlando over the course of 67 consecutive days, the amount of time it would take to experience the more than 100 attractions offered in the renowned land of theme parks and alligators, and share their daily adventures with a global audience via social media outlets and media interviews. The Orlando CVB has created the project in conjunction with its new global marketing campaign, “Orlando Makes Me Smile.”

“There are clearly a lot of frowns throughout the world because of the economic downturn,” said Danielle Courtenay, Orlando CVB Chief Marketing Officer. “We want an engaging pair of people who you can’t help but smile along with as you follow their Orlando tale of some of the best holiday experiences in the world. You don’t have to have a perfect smile to apply – just a ‘smiling’ personality and outlook on life.”

”We have also decided to search for a couple because a big part of what makes you smile in Orlando is sharing the experience and creating memories with someone special,” Courtenay explained.

The pair will live in a two-bedroom condo in Downtown Orlando. For their 67 day assignment, they will also be given cell phones, digital video and still cameras, a Dollar Rent A Car and $25,000 U.S. to cover living expenses back home. The attraction experiences will include everything from rollercoaster riding to hang gliding, swimming with dolphins, spa-ing, golfing, gator wrestling, museum exploring, theatre-going, dining and more.

The “67 Days of Smiles” will begin this year in late August and end in early November. Potential candidates will be notified in July and the final selected pair will be notified in late July. Both people in the pair must be over 21 and pairs can be any combination of friends, family, or co-workers. All pairs are required to complete a personal profile; submit 500 words in English regarding why their smiles should be chosen; and upload a 60 second or less video in English of both applicants along with photos of both applicants at VisitOrlando.com/67DaysofSmiles by June 30, 2009.

For more information and to apply, go to VisitOrlando.com/67DaysofSmiles For real time updates follow Orlando on Twitter at Twitter.com/VisitOrlando or become a fan of 67 Days of Smiles on Facebook.

Invest in Retraining Rather Than Pursue Dreams Says ATA Selection

Redundancy is a life-changing event – but those who find themselves in that position need to think carefully about their next moves.

For those lucky enough to receive a generous redundancy package, the temptation to pursue their dreams can be too strong.

Some may regard it as a bit of a windfall and decide it is the ideal time to splash out on a longed-for luxury such as an exotic holiday, a new sports car or a yacht.

Others may decide that, after years of believing it to be only a pipe dream, they finally want to realise a cherished ambition of being their own boss, and set up their own business.

Tempting though these daydreams are, according to recruitment expert ATA Selection, many workers would be better off firmly resisting and investing their cash in their future.

“Often a redundancy package will represent the largest amount of money a worker will ever have received at one time during their working life,” said Andrew Hardaker, Managing Director of leading recruitment consultancy ATA Selection.

“Some payoffs can run into six figures and it is easy to be lulled into a false sense of security and think the money will last forever: it won’t, particularly if you end up struggling to get back into employment.

“Redundancy payments should never be regarded as windfalls: they are not – they are compensation for losing your income.

Some people see redundancy as the ideal opportunity to set up in business for themselves - but there are huge risks, particularly if the decision is taken hastily,” said Mr Hardaker.

“Even during buoyant economies successful ventures are few and far between and, especially in the current climate, this is an extremely risky option.

“While it is lovely to dream of luxury holiday or of turning a hobby into a business, the top priority is to secure your financial future.

“For many, the smart answer is to invest their money in re-training for a new job or second career which will underpin their financial security.

“That way, they are better placed to settle back into work much more quickly, rather than seeing any redundancy payments being eaten away on day-to-day living expenses if they fail to find more work.”

ATA Selection has a network of 9 dedicated branches across the UK and specialises in placing engineering and technical staff across a range of companies from small and medium-sized enterprises to multi-nationals.

The manufacturing sector has been particularly hard hit and many of those affected will be time-served engineers whose skills may be first class, but who may need to top up their formal qualifications to current recognised standards.

Sound advice to those in this situation would be invest some of their redundancy settlement on training that will secure their career moving forward.

Andrew continued: “Retraining for a different career direction – albeit based on their existing skills – can lead to a prosperous future and will pay dividends in the long run.

“Our advice would always be for candidates to spend settlements wisely by investing in their skills. Competition for jobs is extremely high and any additional qualifications that you will have will make you stand out to potential employers and emphasise your dedication to your career.”

"Sugar, you are sacked!" A real Real Entrepreneur Explains Why Alan Sugar is Wrong

A leading businessman who has generated three multi-million pound companies from a standing start says Alan Sugar got it wrong when he declared that an “entrepreneur” was impossible to define or create.

David Abingdon, CEO of the Alchemy Network and former head of the Quantum Organisation and Insurety PLC, said Sir Alan’s negative reaction on the BBC1 show The Apprentice – in which he said he wanted to “bop” people who asked him what made an entrepreneur and that it couldn’t be explained – was way off the mark.

David, who was profiled by The Guardian as one of its Serial Entrepreneurs and who has appeared on the BBC’s Money Programme, BBC News and the Sunday Times as a business commentator, has spent the past 15 years as the “business consultant’s consultant” and has trained in excess of 3,000 people from all walks of life and from around the world in business management techniques. And he says that not only can you define an entrepreneur but you can harness a person’s skills and drive to train them to become one.

“I think it’s easy to say what an entrepreneur is. It’s someone who can create something from nothing in business terms, whether it is a start-up or turning around a small or faltering company. It’s about seeing and recognizing opportunities that others can’t, taking risks and being willing to put themselves on the line, where failure is not an option and where there is no plan B, because planning for a way out is planning for failure and is therefore self defeating. Entrepreneurs are optimists and builders who display determination and commitment to get the job done and achieve success”.

“Also, what drives an entrepreneur is the need to improve and prove themselves. It’s no surprise that the majority of successful entrepreneurs come from humble backgrounds. As a result, they have a huge drive to prove themselves to others as well as themselves. In that way, entrepreneurs are created because they are driven from where they came from to better themselves, driven towards the elixir of success.

“What the Alchemy Network does is to use its study and understanding of the elements that make a entrepreneur; who they are, what they do and what they wish to become, and harness that hunger and passion for success and give it a laser beamed focus.

David Abingdon is an entrepreneur who rose from a council estate in a tough part of Birmingham to run a number of multi-million pound companies and own a country estate. His business development consulting organisation, The Alchemy Network, supports and trains consultants to assist companies to become more successful.

He explains how the principles of being a successful entrepreneur can be, in fact, be taught. “You can’t give people the hunger, but if you introduce people to the principles of how to succeed, both in their own companies and for others, and help them to understand how they should act and behave, then there is no reason why they can’t emulate the performance of high performing entrepreneurs. But integrity and honesty are also key, without these it is a sham. They promote a lie and get found out.”

“Ultimately, entrepreneurs are dreamers who turn their dreams into reality and highly successful entrepreneurs are those that learn to dream even bigger dreams.”

The same techniques and systems used by David to build his own multi-million pound businesses, and help others to do the same, are now available through Alchemy Consultants around the world - and can assist most businesses in increasing sales, customer numbers and bottom line profitability.

The Alchemy Network is a dynamic and fast expanding international business development consulting organisation, operating UK, Ireland, Australia, the US, Switzerland, Germany, France and Nigeria, with Canada and New Zealand about to come on-stream. For more information on The Alchemy Network, go to www.alchemy-network.com

Calman report urges: 'Buy Scottish votes with English money': Claims English Democrats

Today’s Report from the “Commission on Scottish Devolution” shows the big three, Lib/Lab/Con, Unionist Parties ganging up against Nationalists. Sir Kenneth Calman, the Chancellor of the University of Glasgow urges that yet more English money should be used to bribe Scots to vote Unionist to try to block the Scottish National Party’s call for Scottish Independence.

English Democrats’ Chairman, Robin Tilbrook, said: “The Calman Commission’s Report gives us English a rare glimpse of Unionist contempt for English interests. It also shows how U.K. politics is changing into a contest between Unionism and Nationalism. The Report confirms that Unionists regard England as just a cash cow to be milked to buy support from Scottish voters! English interests and protests are yet again to be ignored in the scramble for Unionist power in Scotland”.

Robin Tilbrook continued: "The Report’s approach is neither democratic nor proper and reflects a much more significant ideological corruption at the heart of Unionism than even its politicians’ expenses claims. Conservative support for this report also goes to prove that a Government under David Cameron would be just as hostile to English interests as Gordon Brown’s has been."

Monday Morning. Same Brown mess. Same Brown Spin

Poor deluded Gordon Brown. He just doesn't get it, does he?
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6499466.ece

“George Osborne confirms for the first time today that he would make significant cuts in public spending and says that Labour is being “dishonest” about the action required to avert financial disaster”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8099966.stm

“Shadow Chancellor George Osborne has called for politicians of all parties to have the "honesty" to admit there will be reductions in public spending”

(EDITOR: Now waiting for Labour spin operation re “at last, we see the real Nasty Party in action, we would never cut public spending, etc., etc.”)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5ikXzdkv7mwDGWdnk3TrRnHy7p7hA

“The Schools Secretary warned that party divisions were "letting the Tories off the hook" and allowing them to pursue a strategy of winning power by stealth, without producing a policy agenda for scrutiny”

(EDITOR: That's Balls. Who fails to recognise that one possible reason the Labour Party are doing so badly is that Labour MPs have been found to have the snouts in the trough and are now acting like weasels in a sack?)

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/15/gord-won-t-win-115875-21441645/

“Gordon Brown will not win the next election, former Cabinet minister Margaret Beckett predicted yesterday: Ms Beckett, sacked as Housing Minister last week, said a hung Parliament was now most likely with neither Labour or the Tories having an outright majority of MPs”

(EDITOR: Some whistling in the dark from Margaret Beckett?)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/harman-and-beckett-join-the-attack-on-struggling-pm-1705298.html

“Harman and Beckett join the attack on struggling PM: An attempt by Gordon Brown to boost his party's flagging fortunes with a Government reshuffle will not save him from electoral defeat, according to a Cabinet minister sacked from her post”

http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/news/display.var.2514353.0.Both_parties_face_cuts_says_Clarke.php

“Both parties face cuts, says Clarke: Public services face spending cuts whoever wins the next General Election, according to Shadow Business Secretary Kenneth Clarke. Gordon Brown yesterday accused the Conservatives of planning "savage" cuts in frontline services, branding David Cameron "Mr 10%" after one of his shadow ministers suggested this was the level of spending cuts expected under a Tory administration. But Mr Clarke dismissed the PM's claims as "childish nonsense", accusing Mr Brown of trying to deceive voters into thinking the election would be a choice between Labour investment and Tory cuts”

(EDITOR: Deception. One of Brown's favoured tools)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/5533606/Gordon-Brown-an-unelected-Prime-Minister-hands-power-to-an-unelected-Mandelson.html

“Gordon Brown, an unelected Prime Minister, hands power to an unelected Mandelson”

(EDITOR: A thoughtful letter to the editor)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1192913/Gordon-Brown-announce-Iraq-War-inquiry--faces-backlash-closed-doors.html

“Gordon Brown to announce Iraq War inquiry – but faces backlash if it's behind closed doors”

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124500992205413331.html

“Gordon Brown Helped Cause the Crisis: British voters have figured it out. Will Labour Party leaders?”

(EDITOR: An interesting question from the Wall Street Journal)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6493942.ece

“GORDON BROWN is being abandoned by the multi-millionaire businessmen who bankrolled Labour’s last election campaign, endangering the party’s efforts to fight off David Cameron at the next election”

(EDITOR: This is like people refusing to give money to a beggar when they realise he is only going to spend it on alcohol and who donate their money to someone working to help alcoholics, instead)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1192779/WILLIAM-REES-MOGG-Browns-conned-twice--dont-fall-again.html

“WILLIAM REES-MOGG: Brown's conned us twice - don't fall for it again”

The words of William Rees-Mogg are as good a close as any, so let's close this update. And see what happens during the rest of what could prove another long day for Gordon Brown.

Sunday Morning update: There's been a revolution. Only nobody seems to have noticed

Sunday Morning update

Revolution, Anyone?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/14/peter-mandelson-question-time-lords

“Mandelson to get own 'question time' in Lords: Peter Mandelson is set to get his own regular "question time" session in the Lords, reflecting his new status as Gordon Brown's most powerful minister.”

(EDITOR: There's been a revolution. Only nobody seems to have noticed)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/5506996/Labour-admits-it-cannot-increase-NHS-funding.html

“Labour admits it cannot increase NHS funding: Labour has admitted that it cannot commit to increased funding for the National Health Service after 2011, in a move the Tories claim is an embarrassing reversal of their policy”

(EDITOR: Oops!)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8094578.stm

“Spending row 'juvenile' – Tories”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/5526321/Gordon-Brown-includes-leadership-rivals-in-new-strategy-group-of-eight.html

“Gordon Brown includes leadership rivals in new strategy 'group of eight': Gordon Brown has been forced to set up an "inner cabinet" of his most senior ministers to plot the government's future strategy, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt.”

(EDITOR: “Och! How brilliant am I? That way, they dare not plot against me! Jings! Whit a guid idea!” Another of Brown's apparently brilliant ideas, doomed to fail)

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/14/gordon-brown-david-cameron-s-cuts-will-make-the-recession-worse-115875-21438548/

“Writing exclusively for the Sunday Mirror, Gordon Brown today brands David Cameron “Mr 10 Per Cent” in a grim warning about the Tories’ savage spending cuts”

(EDITOR: More dross from Wee Jimmy Broon, the Prime Ministerial Clown)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6481851.ece

“Communications minister Lord Carter is latest to quit the Government”

(More on Lord Carter taking to the lifeboats)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/5516001/Hazel-Blears-regrets-thoughtless-and-cruel-Gordon-Brown-comments.html

“Hazel Blears regrets 'thoughtless and cruel' Gordon Brown comments”

(EDITOR: I wonder if Brown ever regrets his 'thoughtless and cruel' comments and behaviour? Almost certainly not.)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/5523599/Margaret-Beckett-refuses-to-back-Gordon-Brown.html

“Margaret Beckett refuses to back Gordon Brown:Margaret Beckett, a former senior minister sacked by Gordon Brown who is now standing to become the next Speaker of the House of Commons, has refused to express backing for the Prime Minister”

(EDITOR: It doesn't get easier for Brown, does it? Mind you, it's 90% self-inflicted)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/moneybox/8098778.stm

“Politicians in Northern Ireland are asking Gordon Brown to compensate 9,500 people who have lost their savings”

(EDITOR: As this concerns the Presbyterian Mutual Society collapse, one would have thought the 'Son of the Manse' would have been over this like a rash. But, apparently not)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/14/david-mitchell-alan-sugar-bbc

“Whatever next - a man with an opinion?: Apparently, presenters of BBC shows are supposed to be impartial. I'm not entirely clear what that means (writes David Mitchell)”

(EDITOR: It means that they have to be impartial, Mr Mitchell. Exactly who or what is David Mitchell? He is one of these irritatingly chubby, talent-lite creatures who suddenly start appearing on programmes like “I am a trendy tosser, please give me licence payers money” and “I am so sharp, I cut myself talking”. If the Observer needs to fill its pages with claptrap like this, it's time to shut the doors and sell everything off)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/the-apprentice/5517559/Sir-Alan-Sugar-has-no-business-on-TV-now.html

“Sir Alan Sugar has no business on TV now: The appointment of Sir Alan Sugar as enterprise 'tsar' is a stunt, but it is a Government-sanctioned one: and, as such, he should no longer be allowed to appear on his rather coarse television programme, says Simon Heffer”

(EDITOR: Unlike David Mitchell, Simon Heffer seems to get the concern many express about Lord Sugar-Bags)

http://www.sundayherald.com/oped/opinion/display.var.2514191.0.alan_sugar_makes_great_tv_but_a_lousy_business_tsar.php

“Alan Sugar makes great TV... but a lousy business tsar”

(EDITOR: Muriel Grey seems to have spotted a flaw in the plan that went straight over the head of David Mitchell)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/14/gordon-brown-satire-politics

“The week that Gordon lost the plot: The prime minister didn't know whether he was coming or going, and neither did the rest of us. Ally Carnwath asked political writers and satirists for their take on the turmoil at No 10”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1192834/Perfect-new-role-Nanny-Jowell-making-sure-Gordon-gets-bed-time.html

“Perfect new role for Nanny Jowell: making sure Gordon gets to bed on time: Tessa Jowell has been given the unofficial role of ‘political nanny’ to Gordon Brown to prevent him working himself to exhaustion”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/14/conservatives-george-osborne-business-banking

“It's the Conservatives who are now promising real reform in the City”

http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/sundaymercuryexclusives/2009/06/14/video-exclusive-clare-short-labels-gordon-brown-a-control-freak-and-tony-blair-terrifyingly-ill-infiormed-66331-23871591/

"Video exclusive: Clare Short labels Gordon Brown a 'control freak' and Tony Blair 'terrifyingly ill-informed'"

(EDITOR: Great. Clare Short tells us this stuff long after the time that revealing it would have done any good)

That's it for this morning. What's the betting that Peter Mandelson will, by the end of the month, attempt to take over as the de facto Prime Minister? Or, Gord forbid, as the real Prime Minister? Trip to the Priory for Gordon Brown, anyone? Secret and exclusive facility for Very Insane People? Surely not even Mandelson would go that far? Only time will tell. This quiet revolution. Exaclty how far will it go? Can anyone in Labour stop it? Does anyone want to stop it?

Saturday morning and the thick plottens

Saturday morning, and the plotting continues, it's more smoke and mirrors from the Gordon Brown Project!

http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKTRE55B6BZ20090613

“LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown could face another attempt to depose him by disgruntled Labour MPs, Business Secretary Peter Mandelson said on Friday”

(EDITOR: Once again, I wonder if this looks to be coded signals from Mandelson?)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8098392.stm

“The foreign secretary has admitted that he considered resigning from the government at the same time as his former cabinet colleague James Purnell”

(EDITOR: Miliband = gutless. And so loyal to his masters. Not.)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/5517000/Gordon-Browns-Big-Government-needs-a-bigger-room-in-Downing-Street.html

“Bringing a new meaning to the term "Big Government," Gordon Brown's Cabinet is now so large that it cannot meet comfortably in its normal room in Downing Street”

(EDITOR: More people to make more mistakes?)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/5515443/Lord-Carters-departure-would-be-the-latest-sign-of-Gordon-Browns-crumbling-Government.html

“The Tories may be courting Lord Carter of Barnes as it emerges he is set to leave the Government”

(EDITOR: How Amanda Andrews sees the situation)

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1904081,00.html?iid=tsmodule

“Labour Pains: Gordon Brown is Running Out of Time: It was billed as tragedy — an insurrection that would topple the Labour Party's flawed hero, Gordon Brown — but it played out like a Marx Brothers farce”

(EDITOR: How Time saw the farce that is at the heart of the Gordon Brown Project)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/susan-boyle/5513123/Gordon-Brown-morphs-into-Susan-Boyle-on-The-Daily-Show.html

“Gordon Brown morphs into Susan Boyle on The Daily Show”

(EDITOR: Ho, ho, how amusing. Please, nobody make any comments on the fact that Jon Stewart has already morphed into a typical American turd...)

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/13/mandy-we-must-ditch-the-pound-115875-21436919/

“MANDY: WE MUST DITCH THE POUND”

(EDITOR: Shilled and shrilled the excitable Daily Mirror. This statement from Mandelson did not appear to play well with the rest of government.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2480163/Fury-as-Mandelson-insists-Britain-will-join-Euro.html

“Euro scrap rocks Govt: THE Government reacted in fury yesterday after Peter Mandelson claimed that Britain would join the euro: The Business Secretary infuriated Downing Street and the Treasury with his comments about scrapping the Pound”

(EDITOR: Or is this all part of a plot for Brown to appear Euro-sceptic, thus to try to defuse the support shown for UKIP and the Tories at the election?)

Well, that's it for the moment. Thats News gets to go and do some bread and butter work, now, covering Midsummer fêtes and the like. Will the rest of Saturday be quiet? I rather suspect that it might. However let's see what stories break overnight as the Sunday papers vie for our hard-earned coinage, shall we?

“Everyone Makes a Million Mistakes and Is Mandelson Plotting some kind of a coup?

“Everyone Makes a Million Mistakes” by Claude King is a classic Country and Western song. It could also be the epitaph of the Gordon Brown Project as he, and everyone else involved, makes one million mistakes. And is Mandelson plotting some kind of a coup?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8097955.stm

“Hazel Blears will face a motion of no confidence next week at a meeting of her constituency Labour Party”

(EDITOR: “Vee haf vays of having our revenge!”)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/12/david-miliband-gordon-brown-labour-leadership

“David Miliband: Voters still don't know what Labour and Gordon Brown stand for”

(EDITOR: Mr Miliband, I think you will find that the public does know what Labour and Gordon Brown stand for, but that the public doesn't like it)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/5518942/Peter-Mandelson-warns-Gordon-Brown-will-face-another-challenge-to-his-leadership.html

“Peter Mandelson warns Gordon Brown 'will face another challenge to his leadership' : Gordon Brown will face another attempt to unseat him this autumn by a group of Labour MPs who will never be reconciled to his leadership, Lord Mandelson has said.”

(EDITOR: Is this code for: “I'm coming to get you!”?)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6488302.ece

“Bring outside talent to the dispatch box: Enough of frivolous reshuffles and trivia. We need broader skills and experience to deepen the quality of government: by John Major and Douglas Hurd”

(EDITOR: We had them. Gordon Brown pissed them off and replaced them with Lord Sugar. I think that's all we need to know on that one...)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/5518009/A-Left-turn-for-Labour-will-do-profound-damage.html

“A Left turn for Labour will do profound damage”

(EDITOR: At present all it does is spin)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/charlesmoore/5517608/Why-cant-MPs-speak-up-and-Gordon-Brown-pipe-down.html

“Why can't MPs speak up, and Gordon Brown pipe down?: We don't need many new laws to reform Parliament, says Charles Moore - just the will to change”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/simonheffer/5517435/Gordon-Browns-PR-wont-stop-duck-houses-or-flipping.html

“Gordon Brown's PR won't stop duck houses or 'flipping'”

(EDITOR: I'd rather have my money spent on a house for ducks than £1,000s on food for Michael Martin)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8097654.stm

“Left wing Labour MPs are threatening to stand under their own manifesto at the next election if Prime Minister Gordon Brown fails to adopt their policies”

(EDITOR: It is to be hoped they have the guts for intestine warfare within the Labour Party)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6489143.ece

“Self-pity and a dread of things to come as MPs lick their wounds”

Well, that's it for this evening. Unless, of course, Mandelson annexes No. 10 tonight...

Plato Says: Financial Gain Spotting

Plato Says: Financial Gain Spotting

It's Friday, It's 7.29 and another minister resigns and more trouble for Malik

The expenses row still continues to haunt Gordon Brown, aka Wee Jimmy Brown, the Prime Ministerial Clown. And yet another minister's reported resignation

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5509468/Shahid-Malik-failed-to-tell-whole-truth-on-expenses.html

“Shahid Malik failed to tell whole truth on expenses: Shahid Malik failed to disclose information about his use of Parliamentary expenses to the official inquiry that cleared him of breaking ministerial rules over his rental arrangements.”

http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/news/display.var.2513897.0.Another_day_same_old_problems_for_Brown.php

"Another day, same old problems for Brown”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/11/labour-conservatives-public-spending-cuts

“Labour has hit list of ministries facing big cuts, say Tories”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/5497844/Commons-sketch-Gordon-Brown-the-unwanted-guest.html

“Commons sketch: Gordon Brown the unwanted guest: The unwanted guest declines to take our hints that it is time for him to leave. We have tried telling Gordon Brown there is no more wine left and all the money has gone”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/11/caroline-flint-resigned-loyalty

“Caroline Flint: I resigned because Brown questioned my loyalty: Former Europe minister says plotters' names were put to her by the prime minister”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1192455/Darling-Balls-showdown-looming-cuts-public-spending.html

“Darling and Balls in showdown over looming cuts in public spending”

(EDITOR: OR: “Brown Darling, do you have the Balls?”)

http://www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13837344

“Stoppable force meets immovable object: BRITONS fearing for their jobs in the recession must wish for employers as indulgent as the parliamentary Labour Party. Observers assumed its patience with Gordon Brown, who already looked likely to lead it to a mauling at the next general election, would expire if Labour fared poorly at local and European elections on June 4th. In fact, the party plunged below even the worst-case forecasts: it now runs not a single county in England, and won less than 16% of the vote in the European poll”

http://www.goal.com/en-india/news/137/england/2009/06/11/1319272/gordon-brown-manchester-united-to-bounce-back-after

“Gordon Brown: Manchester United To Bounce Back After Cristiano Ronaldo Sale: The British PM believes United will bounce back... “

(EDITOR: Not now, they won't! Beware the Curse of Brown!)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/5509758/Lord-Carter-quits-Government-after-just-a-few-months-as-a-minister.html

“Lord Carter quits Government after just a few months as a minister: Lord Carter of Barnes, the former head of Number 10 communications, was last night said to be poised to become the latest minister to resign from the Government”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1192181/Why-does-British-TV-make-heroes-nasty-bullies-Alan-Sugar-Gordon-Ramsay.html

“Why does British TV make heroes of such nasty bullies as Alan Sugar and Gordon Ramsay?”

(EDITOR: And why does Gordon Brown suck up to them?)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1192250/GORDON-BROWN-told-Craig-Brown--Today-Ive-got-hat-hip-hip-hip-hooray.html

“Gordon Brown (as told to Craig Brown): Today I've got my hat on, hip hip hip hooray”

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/david_hughes/blog/2009/06/11/put_gordon_brown_in_the_commentary_box

“Gordon Brown was looking chipper on the lunchtime TV bulletins. What was he talking about? Yesterday's welcome news from the National Institute for Economic and Social Research that the recession has ended? The Tories' admission that they will have to cut Whitehall spending? The apparent flowering of democracy in Iran?: mNone of the above. He was offering his considered prime ministerial view on the sale of the Portugese football player Cristiano Ronaldo by Manchester United to Real Madrid for £80 million (which is roughly what this government is borrowing before breakfast each day)”

Friday can be a long day. Let's see what else happens, shall we?

Beyond the Boys Club - strategies for achieving career success as a woman working in a male-dominated field

Beyond the Boys Club

- strategies for achieving career success as a woman working in a male dominated field

One of the things about equality is not that you be treated equally to a man, but that you treat yourself equally to the way you treat a man."
Marlo Thomas

The most successful women working in male-dominated fields know that you can't win the game if you're not willing to play the game. These same women understand that the best way to change the game - and make it work for them - is as a key player - not as an outsider. Suzanne Doyle-Morris, PhD, founder of Doyle Morris Coaching & Development, herself an exceptional high-achieving woman, a leading global expert on gender equality, diversity in the workplace and career progression for executive women is author of Beyond The Boys Club - strategies for achieving career success as a woman working in a male dominated field (Wit & Wisdom Press, £13.99, October 2009).

"Career progression especially in male dominated fields is a blend of aptitude and attitude, manoeuvrability, understanding office politics, coupled with self awareness and confidence," comments Suzanne. "As a professional coach developing high-potential female talent, I have yet to meet an ambitious woman who wasn't already delivery high quality work. What women tend to lack is the knowledge of how to raise their profile well, when most of their colleagues are men, and how to unlock the level of confidence required to take the next step up the career ladder to the boardroom/senior roles. It's the way we draw attention to what we do and achieve that sets us apart from others. It's not our gender."

Beyond The Boys Club - strategies for achieving career success as a woman working in a male dominated field features interviews with over 21 women at the top of their professions including and imports cutting-edge research from the authors' PhD research at the University of Cambridge

Prof. Athene Donald – Deputy Head of Physics Dept, University of Cambridge and winner of 2009 L’Oreal-Unesco Women in Science Award

Joanna Hewitt – Director, Barclays Private Bank

Rebecca George, Partner Corporate Finance, Deloitte

"Women who get ahead are those who make key decision makers aware of their wins," comments Suzanne. "When you work with men you have to learn how to play the game and get comfortable raising your profile the way they do. We need to learn how to play with the boys in order to move beyond the boys club. We should take the best of what they can teach us whilst maintaining a sense of our own integrity, individuality and independence."

TRAITS OF HIGH-ACHIEVING WOMEN WORKING IN MALE-DOMINATED FIELDS

• They have a clear sense of self-worth and self-acceptance
• Able to overcome feelings of self doubt and indecision
• Are willing to take risks to avoid standing still or feeling stale in their work
• They make the right contacts inside and outside of an organisation
• They love what they do - passion is evident
• They constantly review what works, and what doesn't and are always looking to raise their game
• They value relationships, networking and connectivity with like-minded people
• They take control of all aspects of their personal PR – from public speaking to engaging with the media and more
• They select the right career advocates, e.g coaches, mentors and even 'anti mentors'
• They learn to play the self promotion game, just like their male colleagues
• They review career goals regularly to ‘survive and drive’ their careers
• They continually hone their skills and self invest
• They learn to handle office politics knowing it’s a skill any ambitious professional must master

Beyond The Boys Club has 14 chapters and helpful Resources section and includes: To Win The Game, You Have to Play The Game, Making it in a Man's World, Profile-Raising, Connecting to the Right People, Taking Risks, If You Have Something to Say, Image, Establishing Your Presence, Contact and Bonding, Exploring External Networks, Mentoring and Coaching. Beyond The Boys Club is a career development bible for women working in male dominated fields. It is a must-read for any professional woman and for the men who want to help develop female leaders for real organisational and bottom line benefits.

ISBN 0956268803, price £13.99 Wit & Wisdom Press
www.beyondtheboysclub.com
www.doylemorris.com

Listen to Iain Dale on the radio

(Not) On the ball with The Telegraph

"A spoof video depicting Gordon Brown as Adolf Hitler in the film 'Downfall' has become a YouTube hit"

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/google/5504984/Spoof-depicting-Gordon-Brown-as-Adolf-Hitler-becomes-YouTube-hit.html

 

Regular reader's of www.order-order.com and www.iaindale.com will already be very well aware of this. But nice try to be hip and up-to-date, Telegraph!

 

 

 

More waffle and piffle from Wee Jimmy Brown, the Prime Ministerial Clown

Yes, there is, indeed, more waffle and piffle from Wee Jimmy Brown, the Prime Ministerial Clown

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/06/11/mps-behaving-badly-face-commons-expulsion-as-brown-gets-tough-inparliament-clean-up-91466-23841132/

“MPs behaving badly face Commons expulsion as Brown gets tough inParliament clean-up”

But not if they are 'special', presumably...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5499647/Shahid-Malik-faces-new-questions-over-his-expenses.html

“Less than 48 hours after his return to government, Shahid Malik is facing fresh questions about his use of parliamentary expenses”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5485793/Gordon-Brown-refuses-to-publish-report-into-finances-of-Labour-MP-Shahid-Malik.html

“Gordon Brown is refusing to publish the independent report which Downing Street says clears Labour MP Shahid Malik over his housing arrangements”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8094291.stm

“Public bodies should automatically release all information that does not need to stay secret, the information commissioner is expected to argue”

(EDITOR: Not, I fear, if you are Gordon Brown)

Doubtless there will be more waffle and piffle from Wee Jimmy Brown, the Prime Ministerial Clown, later in the day.

Margaret WHO as Commons speaker?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1192143/Labour-MP-Margaret-Beckett-launches-bid-Commons-Speaker.html

“Veteran Labour MP Margaret Beckett is to make a surprising tilt at becoming the next Commons Speaker”

No, No No, NO! Sorry! But this just will not do! Margaret Beckett? To be a successful speaker you have to have certain natural traits. You need gravitas, to be trustworthy, and able to control without being controlling.

You need to be able to be influential without being a namedropper. You must be of an independent mind, but not insular. Popular, yet not populist. A good listener, but not an empty vessel. You must keep your finger on the pulse, but not be obtrusively nosy. You must be loyal, but not slavish. You must be everyone's friend, but you must have no favourites. You must be able to converse with people, not at them.

You must defend the interests of the House of Commons against whatever the threat, and whatever the source.

Now, this sounds like a description of Speakers Boothroyd, Thomas and Weatherill. But not of Martin. And almost certainly not of Beckett.

Europe: Whale Enemy No.1

Conservationists Outraged by Escalation of Whaling and Whale Meat Trade by European Countries

Two weeks before the annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), taking place from 22nd to the 26th of June in Madeira, Portugal, European whaling nations provoke the international community with an increase of whaling quotas and granting export permits for whale meat to Japan. In response WDCS, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, calls

"Europe: Whale Enemy No.1" and launches its campaign to request immediate action taken by the US government as well as the Member States of the European Union.

Iceland: The Hvalur 9 whaling vessel has begun preparing for a hunt of up to 150 endangered fin whales in the coming weeks in the North Atlantic for commercial purposes. This, together with 100 minke whales, is the highest self allocated whaling quota by Iceland since the moratorium on commercial whaling was implemented in 1986. With almost no domestic market for such huge amounts of whale meat in Iceland, the fin whaling company, Hvalur hf, has announced that the meat from all 150 fin whales (amounting to some 6000 tones of meat) will be sold to Japan by one company. Previously this company has sold 80 tonnes to Japan.

Norway: Facing the same situation of a decreasing market demand for whale products, WDCS just found out that Norway, hunting up to 885 minke whales for commercial purposes this year, has granted two export permits for almost 50 tons of whale meat and blubber to be exported to Japan.

Denmark: In a parallel development, Denmark is going to request the killing of 50 humpback whales off the western shores of Greenland, during a period of 5 years. This is in addition to more than 230 large whales that get killed under an "aboriginal subsistence whaling" quota in Greenland every year as well as around 4000 small whales. Humpback whales have not been commercially hunted for decades. Although Denmark says Greenland needs the meat to feed its people, the fact is that Greenland has a yearly surplus of whale meet, which is being stockpiled and sold in supermarkets.

"Europe likes to point the finger to Japan as a rogue whaling nation, and rightly so. However, off its very own shores Europeans are not much better and whales are being killed in increasing numbers as well," says Kate O'Connell, campaigner at WDCS and continues "In fact, Europe has become the whale enemy Nr One."

WDCS has launched an online campaign to make the public aware of the increasing whale hunts taking place in European waters and to call on their governments to take action. As a charity, WDCS is seeking for support from the media to provide pro bono online-banner space helping to spread the message.

Please visit http://www.whales.org for background information on the situation in Europe.

Wednesday Morning's update. And it's full speed ahead for the iceberg!

Wednesday Morning. Captain Brown, “Full speed ahead, engine room! That iceberg will move, I tell ye!”

But that's not what happens with icebergs. But no crew member has the guts to warn Captain Brown of this salient fact. Excerpt those who already took to the lifeboats.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1191907/Labour-MP-announce-bid-Britains-Asian-Commons-Speaker.html

“Labour MP to announce bid to become Britain's first Asian Commons Speaker”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/cabinet-expenses/5489522/Shahid-Malik-and-the-mysterious-second-office.html

“Shahid Malik has claimed at least £6500 under parliamentary expenses for a mysterious second office, The Daily Telegraph can disclose”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1191937/MAIL-COMMENT-Clean-whistle--word-it.html

“MAIL COMMENT: Clean as a whistle... but we'll have to take their word for it”

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/politics-news/2009/06/09/wolverhampton-mp-keeps-trade-role-in-brown-s-reshuffle-65233-23820182/

Wolverhampton MP Pat McFadden has been given the task of defusing a major row between Labour MPs and Gordon Brown, as he keeps his job in the Department for Business and Enterprise”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/09/simon-hoggart-political-sketch

“The Lord High Everything Else, aka the Bruise Tsar”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/5478806/Sir-Alan-Sugar-to-step-back-from-business-to-stop-conflict-of-interest.html

“Sir Alan Sugar to step back from business to stop conflict of interest”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/take-me-off-the-blacklist-shock-jock-tells-brown-1701064.html

“Take me off the blacklist, shock jock tells Brown: When Jacqui Smith stepped down as Home Secretary last week she may have expected that the most toxic job in the Cabinet was behind her. But one man has not forgotten her.

“Yesterday, the controversial American talkshow host Michael Savage announced he was continuing his personal £100,000 libel case against the former Home Secretary after she placed him on a list of people banned from entering Britain and condemned him on television”

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/columnists/gail-walker/a-brown-witch-project-itrsquos-the-old-boysrsquo-club-that-spooks-me-14332176.html

“A Brown Witch Project? It’s the old boys’ club that spooks me”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/5487293/While-Gordon-Brown-was-the-SNPs-biggest-electoral-asset-Alex-Salmond-deserves-his-share-of-the-credit.html

“While Gordon Brown was the SNP's biggest electoral asset, Alex Salmond deserves his share of the credit: Despite European elections rarely predicting Westminster votes accurately, the voters who flocked to Alex Salmond's SNP have the party counting the days to a general election, writes Alan Cochrane”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1191903/Captain-Brown-clinging-wreckage.html

“Captain Brown is still clinging to the wreckage”

(EDITOR: “Does someone at the Daily Mail read Thats News? Or was Thats News fortunate enough to be first out of the journalistic traps with an obvious analogy?)

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/2473473/BBC-OK-to-Gord-hiring-Sugar.html

“APPRENTICE star Sir Alan Sugar got the green light from BBC chiefs to take up his new Government role BEFORE accepting it, TV Biz can reveal: The tycoon met Director General Mark Thompson days before he agreed to be PM Gordon Brown's enterprise tsar. The multi-millionaire, who also gets a seat in the Lords, declared: "I told Gordon Brown I ain't going to change my lifestyle or how I operate." “

(EDITOR: Unless, of course, other people think otherwise... This shows how out of touch Sugar is.)

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-business/article-23705160-details/Brown-Darling+power+struggle+casts+a+shadow/article.do

“Brown-Darling power struggle casts a shadow”

But let's see what else happens by -say- 10pm. It has the feeling of having the makings of being a very long day.

Brown is back in control. But was he ever in control in the fist place?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6466749.ece

“Gordon Brown will tell MPs today that he wants legislation to clean up their expenses system to be rushed through Parliament”

(EDITOR: Clearly, Mr Brown does not believe in 'more haste, less speed...')

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1191927/ALLISON-PEARSON-A-word-womanly-advice-Gordon.html

“A word of womanly advice for you, Gordon (writes Allison Pearson) Poor David Blunkett was left battered and bruised on Saturday after being trampled by an angry cow. Gordon Brown must know just how he feels. The Prime Minister's female ministers have been stampeding out of his government in record numbers. Blunkett sustained a cracked rib, which will heal in due course, but Mr Brown is more badly injured. It is his relationship with women that is broken and will be far harder to mend.”

(EDITOR: Of course, Mr Brown will not learn to mend his ways. Such behaviour world be totally alien to him and abhorrent...)

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?PM_Brown_back_in_control&in_article_id=682283&in_page_id=34

“PM Brown back in control”

(EDITOR: Back in control? It is as if Captain Brown, having seen the SS Lietanic starting to fatally list as it prepares to slip beneath the waves on its long and dark journey to the ocean floor has returned to the bridge and, as he watches the women and children making for the last lifeboat to manage to get away to sea, suddenly announces: “It's OK, everyone! I'm back on the bridge! In control!”

He then barks increasingly bizarre messages by speaker tube to the deserted and flooded engine room, the silent radio room, wondering why nobody is answering him.)

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/janet_daley/blog/2009/06/09/gordon_brown_tries_to_rig_the_voting_system

“Gordon Brown tries to rig the voting system: ...the most shameless attempt to rig the electoral process in living memory”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/columnists/maguire/2009/06/10/now-that-gordon-brown-has-survived-he-must-focus-on-david-cameron-115875-21428090/

“Now that Gordon Brown has survived, he must focus on David Cameron” (writes Kevin Maguire)

(EDITOR: Whenever I ready anything written by Kevin Maguire, I suddenly feel the need to wash my hands. With lots of soap and water.)

http://news.stv.tv/politics/101534-gordon-brown-braces-for-new-general-election-demands/

“Gordon Brown braces for new General Election demands: Gordon Brown is girding for another challenge to his leadership, this time from Opposition parties seeking a General Election”

(EDITOR: It will probably fail. But it will be another blow to Brown's credibility)

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23705151-details/Miliband%27s+slip+names+Alan+Johnson+as+leading+man+to+replace+Brown/article.do

“Miliband's slip names Alan Johnson as leading man to replace Brown”

(EDITOR: Was it a slip? Or was it a shot across the bows for Brown?)

Expect more excitement over night and tomorrow.

Brown clings to the wreckage of the Labour Party. Oh! Is that a shark, circling?

The wreckage from the SS Labour Party is a a pitiful sight. Look. A shark is swimming toward them!

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6461571.ece

"'That is that' - Miliband calls end to the revolt as Brown chairs new Cabinet"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/5478320/European-elections-2009-Jane-Kennedy-quits-after-call-for-loyalty-pledge.html

"European elections 2009: Jane Kennedy quits after call for 'loyalty pledge'"

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2009/06/09/jane-kennedy-why-i-rejected-gordon-brown-and-government-100252-23822928/

"Jane Kennedy - why I rejected Gordon Brown and Government: WAVERTREE MP Jane Kennedy said Gordon Brown’s "macho politics" and "character assassination" tactics led her to quit his government. Mrs Kennedy, who walked out on role as environment minister yesterday, said she was fed up with the negative briefing against members of his own administration"

(EDITOR: From what Jane Kennedy says, it is BROWN who is the shark, targeting the poor souls who cling to the wreckage of the SS Labour Party, picking them off, one-by-one in a one-fish feeding frenzy. Not because he is hungry, but merely because he can...)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/5478357/European-elections-2009-Views-on-Gordon-Browns-future.html

"European elections 2009: Views on Gordon Brown's future: Here is a selection of views on Gordon Brown's future"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/5477869/European-elections-2009-Labour-loses-1.5m-voters.html

"European elections 2009: Labour loses 1.5m voters"

(EDITOR: Lose them? No. Brown didn't lose them, He threw them away)

 

Clever rebels put clear water between themselves and Brown

Tuesday Morning and it is all going so well for Mr Brown. Now. When do the wheels fall off? Or when does he drive his new bus into a ditch? It should prove to be another interesting day. It is the opinion of Thats News that the rebels ever expected Brown to quit. They know full well what a flawed character he is, so they knew that all they could do now was to cause him damage. His arrogance has caused him even more damage.

But the rebels have successfully (they hope) put clear water between themselves and Brown, preparing themselves for the time (six or 12 months down the line) when those who remained loyal to Brown will be viewed as part of the problem and legitimate targets alnog with the likes of Brown, Balls and the like.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/5478604/European-elections-2009-Gordon-Brown-like-Michael-Foot-says-Labour-MP.html

“A backbench Labour MP has called on Gordon Brown to stand down and likened him to Michael Foot”

(EDITOR:Except that Michael Foot could be described as principled, but wrong. In the opinion of many, Gordon Brown is merely wrong...)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/09/gordon-brown-parliamentary-labour-party

“Gordon Brown's great escape”

(EDITOR: Or delaying the inevitable?)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/johnson-would-deny-tories-outright-victory-1700167.html

“Johnson would deny Tories outright victory: Exclusive: 'Independent' poll reveals that new leader could transform Labour's prospects”

(EDITOR: Really? I thought Mr Johnson was a former postman, not a miracle worker)

http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/news/display.var.2513245.0.No_daggers_just_a_cheer_from_the_party_faithful.php

“No daggers … just a cheer from the party faithful”

(EDITOR: Mr Brown's Politburo moment?)

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/09/humiliated-gordon-brown-survives-crisis-meeting-115875-21425868/

“Humiliated Gordon Brown survives crisis meeting”

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2513235.0.Humbled_PM_survives_trial_by_his_party.php

“Humbled PM survives trial by his party”

(EDITOR: 'Humbled?' Nobody humbles Gordon Brown. He doesn't do humility...)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/minister-resigns-over-pms-rule-by-smear-1700170.html

“Minister resigns over PM's 'rule by smear'”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8090477.stm

“Glasgow South MP Tom Harris said he did not think Mr Brown should lead the party into the next general election”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/08/martin-kettle-european-elections

“Labour cataclysm ushers in eight-party politics”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/5478468/European-elections-2009-Ukip-claims-political-breakthrough.html

“European elections 2009: Ukip claims political breakthrough: The UK Independence Party claimed a political breakthrough as it pushed Labour in to third place in the European elections insisting it was "no fluke".”

http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/news/display.var.2513249.0.Academic_model_that_can_predict_leaders_departure.php

“Academic model that can predict leader’s departure: Professor Qvortrup, formerly Professor of Politics at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Public Policy at University College, London”

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/06/09/brown-hangs-on-91466-23820596/

“Wales News: Brown hangs on”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8090571.stm

“Papers discuss Brown's survival”

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/06/09/pm-must-grasp-chance-to-prove-he-can-deliver-91466-23820007/

“Wales News: PM must grasp chance to prove he can deliver”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8090557.stm

“PM's new cabinet looking forward”

(EDITOR: Err... to what, exactly?)

Doubtless there will be more, later. Thats News has a feeling that it will be one of those days. For Gordon Brown.

Plato Says: Frank Field - Gordon's 'catastrophe'

Plato Says: Frank Field - Gordon's 'catastrophe'

Brown but not out!

Oh, how happy David Cameron must be, tonight! Brown is still the leader of the Labour Party!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/08/gordon-brown-leadership-crisis

“After a string of walkouts and disastrous election results, Brown faced a crunch meeting of Labour MPs and peers. Only five spoke against him”

(EDITOR: So, only five Labour MPs realised the seriousness of Labour's position? How freaky is THAT?!)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/5480104/Analysis--No-one-had-the-guts-to-ouse-Gordon-Brown.html

“Analysis: No one had the guts to oust Gordon Brown”

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Brown_hangs_on..._for_the_time_being&in_article_id=681332&in_page_id=34

“Brown hangs on... for the time being”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/5478925/Stephen-Byers-calls-for-Gordon-Brown-to-step-down.html

“Stephen Byers, the Blairite former Cabinet Minister, increased the pressure on Gordon Brown by calling for his immediate resignation, accusing him of governing without values or principles”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/5479906/Gordon-Brown-staves-off-rebels-with-emotional-speech-to-Labour-MPs.html

“Gordon Brown staves off rebels with emotional speech to Labour MPs”

(EDITOR: I can just picture it: “Will no one think of the children? Of Little Eddie Balls, teeny tiny Yvette, and poor wee Davey Miliband!”Och, deary me!”)

There'll be more of this kind of stuff over the coming days and weeks. Brown should go, but only five had the guts to tell him. Come on folks! He can't throw Nokias at all of you, if you all rush him at once!")

English Democrats say: “We did it cheaply and Cheerfully!”

“Our EU Election results show we doubled our 2004 vote, to 279,801 votes (an average of 2.1%). We are now indisputably the 7th largest party in England (in only our 7th year of existence!). We are also top of the 2nd Division! In Dartford, where we have the beginnings of a very active team, we came 4th with over 10.33%,” said a delighted chairman, Robin Tillbrook.

He went on to say: “We only delivered just over half a million leaflets, most of these by the hands of our hard working volunteers, to whom much thanks, while the TV, radio and British national newspapers barely mentioned us, to whom no thanks!”

He added: “Campaigning in the EU elections has cost us a total of £35,524 - which means that we have spent less than 13 pence per vote, making us not only cheerful for what we could have achieved if we had both more money and fair coverage from the broadcast media and British national press, but also that we are far, far cheaper per vote than any other serious political party!

Taken with our Doncaster Mayoral success, we have good cause to hope that: 'the future's bright, the future's Red and white!'”

He finished by pointing to the figures for all Nationalist Parties: “Looking at the broader nationalist picture: in Wales, Plaid Cymru, got 126,702; and in Scotland, the SNP got 321,007; giving us a total Democratic Nationalist vote, in Great Britain, of 727,510.”

(EDITOR: Mr Tillbrook inadvertently omitted the Cornish Nationalist Party, Mebyon Kernow, who received almost 15,000 votes.)

More resignations and more woe for Wee Jimmy Broon, The Prime Ministerial Clown

The PLP meeting this evening should be a real joy...

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8088862.stm

"Kennedy 'sacked' over PM loyalty"

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/elections/article6452347.ece

"UKIP claims greater share of the vote as Labour collapses"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8089102.stm

"Swedish pirates capture EU seat"

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/06/08/europe.elections.breakdown/?iref=mpstoryview

"European elections: Country by country with CNN"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1191604/Its-clear-Brown-stuck-YEAR.html

"It's so clear Brown must go that we might get stuck with him another YEAR"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/5474602/European-elections-2009-BNP-successes-horrific-say-main-parties.html

"European elections 2009: BNP successes 'horrific' say main parties"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/08/labour-european-elections

"Labour must change, or the party's over: Labour has never polled under 20% – now it has no authority left. Without change, a wipe-out at the next election could be terminal"

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/daniel_hannan/blog/2009/06/08/2009_european_elections_ten_conclusions

"Daniel Hannan: This is strongly Euro-sceptic result. The three anti-Lisbon parties (Conservatives, UKIP, Greens) increased their share of the vote. The two pro-Lisbon parties (Labour, LibDems) lost ground"

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2470127/Brown-blasted-over-smears.html

"…Ms Kennedy sensationally accused Downing Street of acting like the hard-left Militant Tendency by secretly launching "smear" campaigns against Labour MPs"

There will be more, later.

 

"Resign, Brown!" Says the public

Most voters think Gordon Brown should resign as Prime Minister according to a Sky News Panel survey- But people are no more likely to vote for a Labour Party led by someone else -

Seventy eight per cent of people who took part in an online Sky News panel want Mr Brown to go now, but 69% say it would make no difference to how they vote in a general election.

2,878 Sky News panellists completed the survey between 4th and 8th June and results released this morning show that four in five Sky News panel members say Labour backbenchers should mount a leadership challenge – but nearly a third of them (30.16%) don't care who takes over.

Asked which issue had most damaged the Government, 38.72% said MPs' expenses and a quarter of Sky News panellists said it was the economy.

Other members of the Sky News panel pointed to a distrust of Labour politicians, a lack of direction and spin.

New Home Secretary Alan Johnson was the most popular choice to replace Gordon Brown (13.31%) closely followed by David Miliband (10.22%).

However, Labour's share of the vote would increase from 13.21% to 16.06% if the Prime Minister was replaced as leader.

Sky News panellists are not keen on the idea of a coalition government. Almost 32% would not welcome one with a fifth (20.97%) saying they would support a coalition of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

For full story visit www.Skynews.com

Monday Morning Update: Very poor results for Labour. But it “Wasna my fault, ye ken?” will be Mr Brown's explanation...

Very poor results for Labour. But it “Wasna my fault, ye ken?” will be Mr Brown's explanation...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/elections/article6452723.ece

“No amount of defiance can hide the Labour Party’s dire position”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/elections/article6452563.ece

“Elections - BNP wins its first seat in European Parliament”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/5471893/European-elections-2009-far-Right-and-fringe-parties-make-gains-across-Europe-amid-low-turnout.html

“European elections 2009: far-Right and fringe parties make gains across Europe amid low turnout”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/5469514/Lord-Mandelson-Brown-is-angry-and-self-conscious.html

“Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, described Gordon Brown as "angry" and emotionally self-conscious in private emails which mocked the Prime Minister's claims to watch the X-Factor”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8088548.stm

“The Conservatives have hailed solid European elections as evidence they are making progress across the country”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/5472792/European-elections-2009-Gordon-Brown-on-the-edge-as-Labour-is-humiliated-by-BNP.html

“European elections 2009: Gordon Brown on the edge as Labour is humiliated by BNP”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/08/euro-trashed-115875-21423715/

“Brown suffers a humbling defeat in Brussels election: Gordon Brown had a Euro election nightmare last night as voters humiliated Labour. The party may have slipped to fifth or even sixth in some areas, early results suggested”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8088580.stm

“The Lib Dems say they have "held their own" in European elections despite seeing their share of the vote fall”

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/06/08/yes-it-s-every-bit-as-bad-as-labour-feared-91466-23813335/

“Yes, it’s every bit as bad as Labour feared”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/borisjohnson/5473556/Cash-foiled-the-coup-against-Gordon-Brown---and-killed-Labours-last-hope.html

“Cash foiled the coup against Gordon Brown – and killed Labour's last hope: Labour's MPs have shown themselves to be more interested in their expenses than the good of the country, says Boris Johnson”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/08/brown-s-manic-monday-115875-21423733/

“Brown's Manic Moday: Day of drama for Premier as he faces enemies at party meeting after Euro beating”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8088603.stm

“UK results: The figures explained”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/5469635/Labour-MPs-last-chance-to-tell-Brown-to-go.html

“Labour MPs' last chance to tell Brown to go”

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2009/06/08/labour-crushed-in-euro-poll-as-bnp-win-86908-21423957/

“Labour crushed in Euro poll as BNP win”

(EDITOR: We must thank Mr Brown for allowing the BNP to make such gains. His “British Jobs for British Workers” speech really helped... the BNP)

http://www.lep.co.uk/news/Tories-elect-most-MEPs-in.5342936.jp

“Tories elect most MEPs in NW region”

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/newshome/Labour-woes-in-Euro-elections.5342921.jp

“Labour got their second hammering in four days at the hands of the south's voters in the European elections”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/5472192/Analysis-European-elections-deliver-body-blow-to-Labour.html

“Analysis: European elections deliver body blow to Labour”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1191522/UKIP-second-great-Euro-race.html

“UKIP 'second in the great Euro race'”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/08/greens-european-elections

“European election results: Greens predict 9% share of the vote: Figures indicate that environmental party could have beaten Labour into fifth place in South East region”

http://news.scotsman.com/politics/Brown-39Britain-wouldn39t--forgive.5342893.jp

“Brown: 'Britain wouldn't forgive me if I resigned'”

(EDITOR: All you have to do is ask, Mr Brown)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jUoLuVg7TKA12vH-aUSKVaOUxaDw

“Brown on brink after Labour routed”

(EDITOR PA story)

That's it for this Monday morning update at 7.30am. Let's see what the rest of the day brings...

Election Special 9:

More details on the Labour slump in Wales and the BNP wins first seats

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/07/scotland-european-election-results

“European elections: SNP enjoys key victories as Labour slumps”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/5471960/European-elections-2009-The-British-National-Party-wins-first-ever-seat.html

“European elections 2009: The British National Party wins first ever seat”

http://www.citytalk.fm/Article.asp?id=1359648&spid=25213

“Protestors Block BNP Leader's Path”

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/4424735.EUROPEAN_ELECTION_RESULT__Tories_3__UKIP_2__Lib_Dem1/

“Replay our live blog from yesterday's election and see all the results here”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/elections/article6452520.ece

“Labour faces disastrous results in European elections”

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/06/07/labour-heads-for-worst-result-in-90-years-91466-23813303/

“Labour heads for worst result in 90 years: Tories head for top place across Wales”

Election Special 8: Results and more

http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/kendalcommunities/kendal_headlines/4424651.Election_blog__European_election_results_for_North_West/

“Election blog: European election results for North West”

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1481981.php/Losses_for_Irish_government_Libertas_in_European_elections__Roundup__

“Losses for Irish government, Libertas in European elections (Roundup)”

http://www.todayonline.com/World/EDC090608-0000053/EUs-election-marathon-enters-final-pull

“EU’s election marathon enters final pull”

http://markreckons.blogspot.com/2009/06/european-elections-live-chat.html

“European Elections Live Chat”

http://www.jacksnewswatch.com/2009/06/07/irish-meltdown/

“Irish meltdown”

Just heard on Iain Dale's show Labour wipeout in Wales...

Election Special 7: Will Wales kill off Brown?

http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/3678753/european-election-results-live-blog.thtml

“European election results: live blog”

http://www.liberalburblings.com/2009/06/will-wales-kill-off-brown.html

“Will the Welsh kill off Brown?”

http://www.acouplethings.com/blog/2009/06/bbcnews-reports-suggest-conservatives-may-come-top-in-the-european-elections-in-wales-and-ukip-could-win-one-of-the-fo-httptinyurlcompwrjz3/

“Reports suggest Conservatives may come top in the European elections in Wales”

http://www.irishelection.com/2009/06/election-fallout-begins-as-greens-get-shaky-and-euros-leave-fine-gael-on-top/

“Late night election thread: Election Fallout Begins as Greens get shaky and Euros leave Fine Gael on top”

(EDITOR: News from Eire)

Election Special 6: Updates more updates

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/elections/article6452033.ece

“Euro elections - Brown to appease voters with Royal Mail delay and Iraq inquiry”

http://thethunderdragon.co.uk/2009/06/eu-election-results.html

“EU Election Results”

http://atoryblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/two-different-election-result.html

“Two different election result programs”

http://www.vitalread.com/qa-what-is-the-european-parliament-how-is-it-elected/

“Q+A: What is the European Parliament, how is it elected?”

http://mashable.com/2009/06/07/pirate-party-wins/

“Pirate Party Is Victorious, Joins European Parliament”

http://islamiswar.org/preliminary-european-election-roundup

“Preliminary European Election Roundup”

http://norfolkblogger.blogspot.com/2009/06/useless-bbc-election-coverage.html

“Useless BBC Election Coverage: Whilst Iain Dale on the Internet is reporting local Euro results from boroughs across the country, the BBC interviewed Nick Brown and the French Finance Minster. Is this really election coverage from the BBC or self indulgent waffle?”

http://mudhook.wordpress.com/2009/06/07/cornwall-election-results/

“CORNWALL ELECTION RESULTS”

Election Special 5. Another update

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/07/alan-sugar-50p-tax-labour-whip

“Alan Sugar says no to 50p tax – and what does 'taking Labour whip' mean?”

(EDITOR: Good move by Wee Jimmy Broon...)

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/European-elections-Gordon-Brown-Hoping-Labour-Will-Not-Fall-Behind-UKIP/Article/200906115298081

“The first European election results are due shortly and with them could come another and possibly decisive nail in the coffin of Gordon Brown's Premiership”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/07/lord-falconer-gordon-brown

“Lord Falconer urges Brown to stand down”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/5470472/European-Parliaments-powers-grow-but-EU-voters-have-switched-off.html

“European Parliament's powers grow, but EU voters have switched off”

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/European-elections-Gordon-Brown-Hoping-Labour-Will-Not-Fall-Behind-UKIP/Article/200906115298081

“Gordon Brown's Euro Election Night Fight”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/8085885.stm

“The Conservatives have taken control of the new Shropshire Council: The party won 54 seats, tightening its grip on the county where it already has four of the five MPs. The Liberal Democrats are the second largest party with 11 seats while Labour won seven seats and two independents were elected”

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/06/07/plaid-to-call-for-general-election-91466-23807369/

“Plaid to call for general election”

http://awlibdem.blogspot.com/2009/06/euro-election.html

“Euro Election”

http://www.simondyda.net/2009/06/election-night.html

“Election Night”

Election Special 4

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2009/jun/07/european-elections-eu

“European elections - live coverage”

http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-06-07-voa21.cfm

“Europeans Wrapping Up Parliament Elections”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/08/world/europe/08union.html?ref=europe

“European Voting Tilts Center-Right, Exit Polls Say”

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2009/06/200967173837886613.html

“Ruling parties set for EU poll hit”

http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=6556&edition=1&ttl=20090607211441

“What do you want from the new EU Parliament?”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1191424/BNP-win-seat-European-parliament-polls-EU-voters-backing-far-right.html

“Labour facing losses but BNP may win seat in European parliament as polls show other EU voters backing the far right”

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5560I120090607

“Q+A: What is the European Parliament, how is it elected?”

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hp5ElsY3q66TeGlGdJ6BWflOnDmQ

“Record low turnout”

(EDITOR: Press Association story)

http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/features/in-depth/eu-election-results-2009-$1300652.htm

“EU election results 2009”

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/world/-/1068/607708/-/sx3acm/-/

“19 EU states cast their ballots”

http://www.sofiaecho.com/2009/06/07/731854_bulgarias-mrp-elections-when-shall-we-three-meet-again

“If exit polls are correct, Bulgaria’s foreign minister, one of his predecessors and its European Commissioner – herself a former minister – have been elected MEPs. The question is whether any of them will”

Votes up in Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire

Votes up in Telford and Wrekin

Election Special 3

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/5470823/European-elections-2009-Labour-facing-worst-ever-national-poll-results.html

“European elections 2009: Labour facing worst ever national poll results: Labour is on course for its worst ever performance in a national election, at risk of finishing fourth in the European elections with less than 20 per cent of the vote”

http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/letters/display.var.2512948.0.Is_Prime_Minister_the_right_man_to_lead_or_an_electoral_liability.php

“Is Prime Minister the right man to lead or an electoral liability?”

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7df505b4-5390-11de-be08-00144feabdc0.html

“Tories march to Euro-impotence”

http://www.londonecho.com/20090607459/brown-vows-to-fight-on-as-critics-keep-up-the-pressure.html

“Brown Vows to Fight On As Critics Keep Up the Pressure”

http://www.londonecho.com/gordon-brown-is-saved-by-the-spinelessness-of-his-enemies.html

“Gordon Brown Is Saved By the Cowardice of His Enemies”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1191418/Title-goes-here.html

“Beleaguered Brown faces new showdown over Royal Mail plans”

http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/editorial/display.var.2512946.0.Labour_on_the_ropes.php

“Labour on the ropes”

Election Special Part 2

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1190834/Fresh-blow-Brown-half-grassroots-Labour-supporters-want-General-Election.html

“'Brown cannot win next election', Mandelson 'told Labour aide in leaked emails'”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/5470726/European-elections-2009-far-Right-makes-gains-across-Europe.html

“European elections 2009: far-Right makes gains across Europe”

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i2Sl3s_40gEE33lPCCizR9hhFLTw

“EU election marathon enters final straight”

(EDITOR; AP story)

http://www.sofiaecho.com/2009/06/07/731750_european-parliament-elections-bracing-for-impact

“European Parliament elections: Bracing for impact”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/05/liberal-democrats-nick-clegg-rennard

“The party of potholes: With Nick Clegg established as leader and Lord Rennard leaving, Liberal Democrats need fresh tactics to move forward”

http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/world/autocodes/countries/sweden/final-round-european-elections-begins-$1302039.htm

“Final round of European elections begins”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/5470043/European-elections-2009-Angela-Merkels-conservatives-suffer-losses-but-keep-lead-in-Germany.html

“European elections 2009: Angela Merkel's conservatives suffer losses but keep lead in Germany”

Election Special Part 1

This is the first Thats News look at what is happening in the European Elections...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8088133.stm

“Labour is bracing itself for "terrible" results in the European Parliament elections as pressure continues on Gordon Brown's leadership”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6451154.ece

“The “peasants’ revolt” against Gordon Brown appeared on the back foot today as opponents of the Prime Minister’s leadership appeared flagging and divided over tactics”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8087814.stm

“Prime Minister Gordon Brown has pledged not to "walk away", despite calls from former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer for a debate about his leadership”

http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/health/politics/labour-mp-calls-party-unite-$1302018.htm

“Labour MP calls for party to unite”

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hz_iiHHWnExs-sQ25oxJ6Bc8TVRAD98LV1PG0

“Labour faces crucial test, Brown's fate uncertain”

(EDITOR: AP, not following the UK media hagiography of Gordon Brown)

http://u.tv/News/Fresh-blow-for-Brown-as-Falconer-doubts-PMs-leadership/c34fb63a-c50d-4ff0-bd27-3f659a3eff34

“Fresh blow for Brown as Falconer doubts PM's leadership”

http://www.kentnews.co.uk/kent-news/Labour-MPs-rally-behind-under__pressure-Brown-newsinkent25062.aspx

“Labour MPs rally behind under-pressure Brown”

(EDITOR: Of course they do! Anything else means a General Election and kissing goodbye to their income!)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5izdadNI82Vhotk7dxyxl7Lz8LMVwD98LUB185

“Europe leans right as voters choose EU Parliament”

(EDITOR: How the AP sees the elections)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6449735.ece

“Gordon Brown readies for European election drubbing”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6446678.ece

“Blunt knives out for Gordon Brown: The prime minister may have fought off a half-hearted attempted coup but his botched reshufffle leaves him in danger”

Brown spikes Blair and more in the Brown Stuff for Wee Jimmy Brown

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8087826.stm

“New Welsh Secretary Peter Hain says tonight's European election results are going to be "very bad" for Welsh Labour”

(EDITOR: The theory behind this kind of statement is that, magically, it takes the sting out of the fact that it really IS a bad result for Labour!)

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/06/06/hain-sets-out-his-plan-for-labour-in-wales-91466-23803183/

“PETER Hain was handed a chance to rehabilitate his political career last night with Gordon Brown giving him the chance to return to his old job as Welsh Secretary”

(EDITOR: What HAS Wales done to deserve this? I mean, Welsh Labour were able to emasculate Plaid Cymru, so why this insult to Wales?)

http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/4423770.Loyal_Murphy_backs_Gordon_Brown/

“TORFAEN MP Paul Murphy backed Gordon Brown to remain as Prime Minister today despite losing his position as Welsh Secretary to Peter Hain in the cabinet reshuffle”

(EDITOR Wee Jimmy Brown doesn't deserve people like Paul Murphy!)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/martin_ivens/article6446327.ece

“With friends like Gordon Brown...”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article6445315.ece

“Cherie Blair has raised the prospect of her family turning into a political dynasty, saying she would be proud if her children entered parliament”

(EDITOR So Cherie Blair doesn't want her children to do a real job, either?)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/07/caroline-flint-gordon-brown-resignation

“Caroline Flint last night accused Gordon Brown of "using" women for his own political convenience. In her first interview since resigning she told the Observer that she was not ashamed of the photoshoot in this paper's magazine that upset Downing Street”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/07/will-hutton-prime-ministers-government

“Until we change the system, prime ministers will always act like king”

(EDITOR: That's not necessarily a problem. Unless we get someone like Wee Jimmy Brown who actually believe that they ARE the King...)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/5462215/Gordon-Brown-to-announce-Iraq-War-inquiry.html

“Gordon Brown to announce Iraq War inquiry: Prime Minister Gordon Brown is poised to announce details of a long-awaited inquiry into the Iraq War and its consequences, The Sunday Telegraph has learned”

(EDITOR: Is THIS how Wee Jimmy Brown plans to keep Blair out of the way as a possible contender for leader of the Labour Party and a challenge to his premiership?)

Warning of nursing shortfall in UK

According to Hays, specialist recruitment firm, the acute shortage of qualified workers, which continues to plague the nursing sector, is particularly apparent for A&E, critical care (ITU), theatre, intensive care (ICU) and emergency medicine nurses.

The magnitude of the shortage has however now also spilt over into other areas of nursing jobs such as obstetrician, orthopaedic, anaesthetic and gynaecologist nurses are also highly sought after by the health service. Additionally there is currently a shortage of accident and emergency expertise and a growing requirement for nurses from an emergency medicine background.

"Without a doubt, there is a shortage of nurses in the UK. The available talent from abroad throws an important lifeline given the pressing need for skilled nurses. Around 10% of nurses working in the UK have trained abroad and it is important that skills shortages in the healthcare sector continue to be addressed where possible, using labour from overseas where necessary," added Simon Hudson, the new Director of Hays Global Resourcing.

The UK has been able to benefit from the global mobility of the nursing sector and tap into the worldwide nursing talent pool to fill its vacancies, however, "The shortage of nurses is not just limited to the UK. Demand exceeds supply across the world, which in turn fuels this cyclical international movement of labour in the nursing profession," continued Simon.

Many UK nurses are leaving to go and work abroad to destinations such as Canada, Australia, the Middle East and the United States. There are several reasons why nurses from the UK are attracted to overseas destinations, but clearly it is more a case of lifestyle and financial reasons rather than an inability to find a job in the UK.

Nursing in the UK not only offers excellent and varied opportunities to learn valuable skills but also enables individuals to make a positive difference to the lives of others. The NHS encourages applications from people with a wide range of academic and vocational qualifications.

"Going on a work placement or volunteering are excellent routes into the nursing sector and a great way to get a feel for the industry," said John Faraguna, the newly appointed Managing Director of Hays Health and Social Care. Other ways of entering the industry include cadet schemes and apprenticeships, especially for those with previous NHS experience, for example, clinical support workers and healthcare assistants.

According to recent statistics from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), one in three community nurses are over 50 and over a fifth of practice nurses are over 55, which adds up to around 200,000 nurses who are due to retire over the next decade.

This represents almost 50% of the worker population and this will leave a massive skills shortfall if these problems are not addressed. This is a worrying prospect at a time when the size of the UK's elderly population looks set to continue to increase over the coming years, meaning the demand for specialist nurses will continue to grow with it.

"The best solution to this issue is a combination of more effective utilisation and retention of skilled nurses, increased emphasis on training new nurses and, in the short term, increased international recruitment" concluded John.

Latest update: Coo! The Coup is not over yet!

,http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/john-rentoul/john-rentoul-not-the-final-curtain-but-a-dress-rehearsal-1698608.html

“John Rentoul: Not the final curtain but a dress rehearsal: The Prime Minister has limped through a very bruising week, but he will be brought down in the autumn, and he knows it”

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/06/07/europe.elections/

“Under-fire PM Brown braces for EU vote blow”

(EDITOR: How CNN sees it)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8087648.stm

“The Conservatives say Sir Alan Sugar must choose between working for th