Who is Grant Tucker and Conservative Future

Not Malcolm's younger brother, no. Grant Tucker Esq is Iain Dale's new Executive Assistant. He is also the newly elected Chair of Conservative Future Wales (despite living in London working for The Nations Favourite Political Blogger TM)

Several months ago he was forced to step down after comments made on his Facebook page about George Galloway; in which he stated he would like to see the terrorist supporting, Saddam Hussein helping, race baiting MP dead. Gorgeous George took umbrage to this and threatened to involve the Police. Odd, considering that Tucker was 17, didn't really threaten him, and Galloway had previously stated that assassination of Tony Blair and George W Bush would be just. (That pair taking offence might have been, you know, a little more justified)

So despite his immature statement, his decision (the parties decision) to step down, Tucker is back with vengeance! Re-elected quicker than a Peter Mandelson return to the Cabinet all whilst leaving Gods favourite country for that there London. Hope he has a young persons railcard.

Anyway, this isn't a personal attack on Tucker, Keir is sure that he is a perfectly pleasant fellow, although he does muse whether the Norfolk North botherer was au fait with the "highly knowledgeable and articulate young man..." he chose past. but it does highlight a wider issue. A scandal hit candidate re-elected easily? How so you might ask? Well, out of 18,000 members, 200 cast ballots! 200! Casts Tories comments on the Union turnout in the leadership campaign in a new light and makes an interesting contrast with this:

100 new members at the Cardiff University Labour Students Society. great turn out and great showing. the fight back begins...

We are all in this together...

We are all in this together, Gideon Osborne tells us. Unless you are a Conservative councillor that is.

Keir is uncomfortable using cliches but "they just don't get it"

(Loving the BBC new look by the way)

Incidentally this is Barnet Council, the same council that was lauded by some as being the first 'no frills' council. Keir can neither confirm or deny that you are only allowed one bag of rubbish per person per week, that council workers wear vomit inducing t-shirts, or that the council run buses drop you off in Luton.

Political Reform?

Both Clegg and Cleggerer now support the "right to recall" MPs; something which across the pond happens quite regularly: a recall in 2003 of California Gov. Gray Davis led to the election of the Governator, Ahnuld.

Keir knows why the right to recall was proposed; for similar reasons that a referendum on the voting system was proposed.

1. The Liberal Democrats are shameless local campaigners and the possibility of recalling an MP mid Parliament would not only give them added impetus (because you can guarantee any issue, be it slight or even only perceived would be waved around by the Libs: what constitutes an issue big enough to even attempt a recall is a problem and was the catalyst of writing this...) but also the opportunity to maybe pick up one or two seats. (A recall campaign would be all about GOTV; and the Libs can be pretty good at this.) As with reform of the voting system, the Libs support this because it is to their advantage.

2. The Liberals support 'political reform' because its part of their created personality: it is amongst the things they do: eat muesli, read the Independent, want to put us all at risk by abolishing Trident (and supporting a rise in VAT more recently!). They have cultivated this personality; they are 'different' from the "same old tired two parties" (if Keir had a tenner every time Cleggy had said that during the election campaign he could physically come back to life, not just through the blogosphere) although this might now be at risk because no longer can they sit on the sidelines throwing shit...

3. Because all parties were desperately incapable of coping with the fall out from the expenses furore. While admittedly, the drip drip from the Torygraph didn't help, nor the rabid reaction from the most vocal person any TV crew could find, most MPs, in fact, were probably guilty of some sort of abuse of their expenses, even if completely legal. Take for example Jenny Willott, the reelected Liberal Democrat MP from Cardiff Central. She claimed 1700 pounds for a bed. Why so much? Because it was the only bed she could dissasemble to fit into her flat in Adamsdown (or wherever she lives now!) You, as much as Keir, know that that is utter bollocks!
All parties were completely incapable of dealing with the expenses because they were all as guilty as each other (Yes, I know what the Liberals pretend, but see David Laws and his hubby, and the insufferable Sarah Teather and her Office situation), and other than saying "We won't do it again" and reforming the expenses system, (both particularly unmeasurable by the public) what could they do, anyway? Therefore, "political reform"; AV and 'recall' is an attempt of cooling the anger of the electorate: and I feel that some are falling into this trap: see the support for AV in the most recent polls. AV is hardly more proportional, and doesn't really address the problem of expenses: which is that certain MPs were venal thieves, while several were criminal.

So why did Keir write this blogpost? Well, Mark Reckless MP (Con-Rochester and Stroud) self diagnosed himself as being too drunk to vote on the second reading of the Finance Bill, early Wednesday morning. The expense crisis was a one off (and any MP who is worth their salt will be very careful where expenses are concerned in the future) so 'recall' is not going to be used to punish that. The question is: was Mark Reckless reckless enough to be recalled? Does getting shedded on the public purse while doing the peoples work constitute grounds for recall?

More on David Laws

He did nothing wrong, he was persecuted because of his sexuality!

Yeah, Right.

More Gillan

After completely failing to answer Huw Irranca Davies's question on Cabinet Committees (not, it seemed, even understanding what the question was) Governor General Cheryl Gillan has been in the news a little more recently. A front page on todays Western Mail no less!

But first: whilst SoS, Peter Hain had Leighton Andrews' former bag carrier David Taylor as his SpAd. Since Gillan has taken over the Welsh Office, she is yet to replace Taylor. She was expected to replace him with Welsh Conservative Press Officer Richard Hazlewood, who has lots of experience in Wales and Welsh Politics. However, rumour has it, that instead, she is going to install her researcher, Oxford Graduate Sam Gibbs (who has no experience in Wales, or of Wales). So the person directly assisting the SoS in organising the Referendum, and representing Wales in government, has as much experience as she does. Very little. Fantastic.

And the Western Mail. Put simply:

High Flying Civil Servant (who happens to be Welsh) queries why the GG insists in staying in the swanky St Davids Hotel in Cardiff Bay (very nice, but very expensive, Keir can attest) rather than at the flat the Welsh Office [perhaps] have (Billy Hague used to stay there: Keir is not sure if they still own it) or in a cheaper hotel, when she is in Wales, seeing as "...we are all in it together." It must be remembered that this is the same woman who now, it seems, rather hypocritically earned the praise of the TaxPayers Alliance by forcing civil servants out of first class.

High Flying Civil Servant (who happens to be Welsh) is moved to the Ministry of Justice.

So does she not want a Welsh civil servant working for her? Does she not want a civil servant who is anything but a yes[wo]man working for her? Welcome to the new politics. Of course, this wouldn't happen if we had a SoS who was, you know, Welsh, and from a Welsh constituency.

Oh dear David

Somewhere in the first half of 'The Blair Years', extracts Alastair Campbell's diaries released a few years ago, Campbell writes about a phone call he received in August 1997 from the News of the World, informing him that they would be running a story about Robin Cook's affair: 'your first sex scandal' Keir thinks, from memory, the line is.

It took Labour four months and it has taken the Coalition less than a month! Arise David Laws, the man variously described as a Tories favourite Liberal and a 'Bond villain'

But the David Laws story is much more than just a sex scandal. It is upsetting in the sense that Laws felt uncomfortable coming out, it is also upsetting that Laws has well and truly thrown his boyfriend under the bus to save himself, but more of that later.

So what is the story? To put it simply: a homosexual cabinet minister (who is, incidentally, a millionaire) in an attempt to hide his sexuality continues to claim rent for a second home when he is, in fact, living with his partner (claiming for rent to pay spouse or partner is forbidden). Said cabinet minister has defended himself by saying that he never really considered his partner as, well, his partner, pointing out that they didn't have shared bank accounts or shared social lives.

The definition of a partner? 'one of a couple… who although not married to each other or civil partners are living together and treat each other as spouses'.

So why the need to hide then, isn't that the crux of a relationship? If James Lundie didn't fill that definition then, well, he's not his partner and they are not in a relationship!

Keir has had several partners and has 'treated [them] as spouses', but has never had shared bank accounts with them and has always retained 'separate social lives'. Keir's parents have been married for almost 30 years, and have separate bank accounts. It is an odd defence, a defence that seems to be cobbled together and have no consideration for his long term boyfriend who, if it was Keir, would certainly be a bit upset at being described as not a partner!

So what should Laws do?

Keir is rather depressed that the expenses issue has dragged on. Keir also notes Clegg and Cleggerer's often repeated mantra prior to the election "...this discredited parliament", and Clegg's sanctimony on expenses. (Incidentally, Laws took this holier than thou approach in a press release on his website in the midst of the expenses storm)

Should he resign? In a perfect world, yes. Financial impropriety like this definitely discredits the man responsible for telling us proles how many jobs are going to be lost. It also, hopefully, punctures the balloon of 'new politics', of 'change'. Keir thinks he will survive, just about. Keir does idly wonder if this might have had anything to do with his no show on the Campbell dominated QT on Thursday?

One thing Keir is confident of is that if James Lundie was Julie Lundie there would not be this discussion. Equality works two ways.

UPDATE @ 18.42: Looks like Keir was wrong, Ever reliable Iain Dale, Tim Montgomery, and even the lovely Sally Bercow are all twittering that Laws has gone, possibly to be replaced by Chris Huhne or Jeremy Browne. The BBC are yet to pick up...

Gareth Keenan

So Vince Cable resigned as Deputy-Leader of the Lib Dems last night.

Already the markets favourite to be the first Government Minister to pack it in, when a friend text Keir he was kicking himself that he hadn't put money on. But lo, St. Vince is only stepping down as Deputy Leader.

Many in the right wing blogosphere (with the Libs in it now it seems a bit odd to refer to it as that: maybe 'government blogosphere' would be better?) are of the view that maybe it is too much work? Keir doubts that. Keir thinks that St. Vince is distancing himself from Clegg, keeping his head down and getting down to the task at hand; because when the Coalition falls apart, its most vocal cheerleaders are going to get stabbed in the back quicker than you can say dissolution.

Vince' I was just following orders' Cable will be nowhere near as tarnished as Clegg or David Laws...

That or he realised that like Gareth Keenan, he was now only Assistant to the Regional Manager, I mean, Assistant to the Deputy Prime Minister.

Nicky C's public profile has shot up rather dramatically, Cable is no longer the public face of the Liberal Democrats...

More candidates

Sky is reporting that Ed Balls will announce that he intends to stand for the Labour leadership tomorrow. He has been added to the fancy new page detailing each declared candidates PLP support.

John McDonnell has seems to be proceeding as if he is going to stand, although Keir isn't sure whether calling the election 'discredited' is the best way to start on the way to the holy grail of 33 nominating MPs. (Especially when nobody really wants to vote for Michael Foot Mk2)

Mad Nad Fails

Well, Miss Dorries, who already is facing an enquiry into £10,000 of expenses she claimed to 'research and media services', it seems is going to lose out in her wish to see Speaker of the House, John Bercow, deposed.

In a Daily Fail article she wrote on the 16th of May, Mad Nad says that:

The Speaker will need to be authoritative, wise, knowledgeable and command the respect of the chamber. He will need gravitas and principle. In the forthcoming days of the coalition he will also need to be totally impartial.

She then claims that Bercow fulfils none of these criteria. Keir's not sure why not, but she uses a mixture of criticism of his wife and his desire not to wear the finery of office (apparently it reduces his gravitas and authority) to back up her argument.

Well it turns out she won't get her way: Patrick Wintour, in tomorrow's Guardian will state:

Opposition to Bercow is led by backbencher Dorries who claims Bercow failed to uphold the Speaker's "great tradition of authority, control and impartiality".

But Bercow has the support of both Nick Clegg and David Cameron, as well as the interim Labour leader, Harriet Harman.

One source said that if 20 or 30 MPs did vote against Bercow, more than most people predict, the outcome "will be cathartic, forcing a small parliamentary mujahideen to recognise finally that Bercow is legitimate figure".

Now Keir is not a big fan of Bercow, but he's even less of a fan of a self centred, self obsessed Conservative MP, who, whilst taking part in 'Tower Block of Commons' for C4, allegedly offered temazepan to single mothers she stayed with.

Keir will eat his beard if Bercow is defeated.

Edit: But if Iain Dale (worst Parliamentary candidate in history [tm]) is right, then maybe Keir will be seasoning his facial hair.

Poor old Montgomeryshire

Montgomeryshire is a lovely part of the world, even if my only experience is driving through it...

They don't really have much luck with their elected representatives though...

In the House of Commons they have everybodies favorite paraglider, bon vivant, celebrity botherer and Daily Star columnist Lembit Opik (Keir's significant other had the honour of sharing a lift with him, and he can exclusively reveal that our favourite Estonian kept his hands to himself.)


Whilst in the Senedd they are lucky enough to be represented by former Teacher and Farmer Mick Bates, who, Keir can not so exclusively reveal physically and verbally abused a paramedic after a heavy night on the probably taxpayer funded wine in Cardiff.


Obviously, the Liberal Democrats are the nice, fluffy, friendly party who have suspended him immediately...um, no, well, they are "investigating" things.

Keir was at one point a student and often did some rather silly things (although none really compare to assaulting medical staff) However, if he had tried to fob off friends in the morning by claiming he could not remember what happened then to say he would have been a laughing stock is putting it mildly.

Our representatives are meant to hold themselves to a higher level of probity. It has been made clear that they certainly don't at Westminster, (Hello Steen, Morley, Chaytor, I'm looking at you) and now it is clear that they don't in Cardiff Bay. It also seems pretty clear that these events happened (the paramedic is going to press charges) so I think that Micky's position should really be untenable. However, Montgomeryshire is going to be open warfare come election time, and do the Fibs really want to risk losing a seat in the Senedd? Keir supposes that the electoral math will overshadow the morality of things.

This case highlights how completely out of her depth Kirsty Williams is too. I mean, she is rather lovely, but "investigating"? That is the second most stupid thing I've heard a FibDem say recently, after Mark Oaten on 'Tower Block of Commons' said "...I need to investigate if the BNP is racist..."

It also shows that far from being the nice, environmentally friendly and personally unobjectionable party they pretend to be; the FibDems are just like the other two parties. Hopefully, people soon see through their nice fluffy exterior. In fact, on the ground, the yellow team are as nasty as you like.

As an upside, Keir would like to say that this furore masked coverage of the Fib's spring Conference in Swansea, but um, yeah, there wasn't much of that anyway.

It's a shame really, Keir is currently reading a history of the SDP; and if it wasn't for those pesky Liberals...

"Go Shorty, it's your bi..."

Or not.

In echoing LetUsFaceTheFuture's earlier post; I find it very interesting that despite the serious nature of Clare Short's accusations:

Mr Blair "and his mates" decided war was necessary, and "everything was done on a wing and a prayer", Ms Short said.

Despite Shorty claiming that Tony 'Bliar' Blair went to war on a lie, plain and simple (which no other witness, as far as I can recall, have) and "leaned" on his legal advisor, very little have been made of them.

In fact, the BBC ranks her evidence below Sion Simon quitting to run for a position that doesn't exist yet.*

Do you think, perhaps, because out of the whole list of witnesses, her evidence, in that deep voice of hers, was the most predictable; consisting of her repeating "Tony killed innocent kiddies for oil and lied to cabinet, you, and most importantly, me" over and over again?

*Sion Simon. OK the WebCameron video is funny for, well, all the wrong reasons (as a Labour supporter) to be honest. Can't say I'm sorry to see him go though. And to be honest, whilst giving his sis £40k is probably potentially maybe illegal (see, Keir is hedging) this, both the haircut and his foul attitude, is what he should get his collar felt for.

Rumours of a defection in Scotland

Courtesy of 'Yapping Yousef'

Word reaches me of a story that could really stick it to the SNP as an elected representative is planning to defect to Labour having felt so disillusioned with the Nationalists.

I'm afraid I can't say anymore at the moment but I would thoroughly recommend that everyone reads the papers tomorrow morning!

Now off the top of my head (or with a bit of wiki based research) I can't think of any MP/MSP who is on the edge, so it's probably a Cllr or something, which would be a shame. But then again, would Yousef be so, well, you know, out there about it if it was just a Cllr? This might be nothing, but who knows?

I hope it's not Nicola Sturgeon. Because I really do hate her. This picture is the most flattering one I've ever seen.

Cool your heels lads, she's a shrill and looks nothing like this in real life!

UPDATE: It was a Cllr; and not a pleasant one at that.

South Lanarkshire councillor John McNamee has quit the party, which had initiated disciplinary procedures against him over concerns over his expense claims and were investigating him over alleged “inappropriate behaviour” at a social function.