More good news..

From ConservativeHome:

"The Conservative Party's principal asset - almost its only asset apart from its core of loyal supporters - is evidently the Blair Government.... Only 36 per cent of those who bothered to go to the polls at the 2005 election voted Labour. According to YouGov, 33 per cent say they would still vote Labour today. In other words, despite a chaotic reshuffle, evidence of gross mismanagement in government departments, "loans for peerages" and John Prescott's 10-gallon hat, Labour support over the ensuing 15 months has dropped by only three points. The explanation must lie overwhelmingly in the Tory Party's continued lack of popular appeal and in the fact that the economy, if not exactly buoyant, remains in most people's eyes in reasonably good shape."

Now... I really must go back to the pool...

Good News

It has taken an extraordinary amount of time, but at last justice has been done for the people of Kingstanding.

Message from Tuscany

The first thing to say is... it's bloody hot here! OK, so, what a suprprise, I hear you say. You go to Italy in July and discover it's hot, hardly a novel discovery I suppose. But this is really hot. I've been to the Sahara in southern Algeria, and that was hot, the South of France, and Marrakech... but this is as hot as I can remember ever having experienced... and it's fantastic.

This has been my first chance to catch up on the news from home, and the fact that Doug Ellis is not only still alive, but also still in control of Aston Villa, is a matter for deep dismay. What is more I see from today's Guardian that the decrepid old sod has managed to frighten away one lot of investors and the possibility of Martin O'Neill becoming manager (although I think a lot of O'Neill's credentials to date are in the heads of his media mates). I also see the spectre of Sven has been raised. When it was mentioned in the Screws scam last year everyone had a good cackle.. perhaps the fake sheikh knew more than the rest of us.

Ah, well, back to the pool....

Going to cool down

Blogging may be a bit spasmodic as Mr & Mrs P are heading off to Italy, leaving teenage son Michael to wreck the house with the assistance of his mates... which probably means blogging will be spasmodic after that too whilst I get the computer mended.

Whew! That's one gone. Now could someone give Souness a job. Quick!

Squeaky bum time

There are a large number of Labour councillors outside of London who are very worried indeed. Many of those councillors are those who are up for re-election next May. They had assumed that by then Blair would have gone, the party would have been re-energised under whoever the new leader was, and they would be laughing all the way to the polling stations. Now they are not so sure. It looks like he may not go, and for them it threatens to become the nightmare scenario. Whereas it seems fairly obvious that despite New Labour people still don't trust the tories in Government and are very uneasy about the Dave factor... a protest vote in the local government elections, or staying away altogether may become increasingly attractive.

Well, councillors, you know what to do. We all have a responsibilty to get this leadership issue resolved, and your interests are more concentrated than many.

John McDonnell on his leadership challenge.

With all Prezza's problems, inside and outside the trouser department, the string of revelations about the Home Office, Tessa Jowell's 'private' problems, 'cash for honours' and Levy's arrest, a deeply unpopular war in Iraq and a Prime Minister whose popularity is plunging, and all the problems associated with burn out and over familiarity.... the Labour Party could not have been surprised if it found itself 12-15 points behind in the opinion polls.

But we're not. The Tories have a very small lead, and even that looks vulnerable every time Cameron shows his face on TV. Over at ConservativeHome, one of the commenters thinks he knows why:

The current political landscape is fascinating, even when like me you are on the wrong side of it. I decided not to renew my Conservative membership as I loathe so much of what Dave is doing in aping his idol, Tony Blair. However, it's clear that the Conservative Party is attracting new voters. Question is do the new ones offset the old ones like me who are going to stay at home.

Sad anecdote: my safe Conservative seat has seen Association membership fall this year from 1250 to 900. Wonder why.

Iain Dale slams Tory-Lib Dem coalition

Now, this is fun. Comrade Dale has hit out at a scam being performed by Lib Dem-Tory run Camden Council... and then tries to imply that it is Gordon Brown's fault that the Council are on the fiddle. What's more... Iain confirms that it is not just the Council that is useless, they have a useless Press Department too.

Ellisgate

Just a couple of points about this article in The Guardian.

Having recently relinquished his position on the board, the greatest day in the club's history had passed him by.

Errm, not quite. He hadn't recently relinquished at all. Ellis had gone before we won the league title in 1980/81... and in fact he would have sacked Ron Saunders if he hadn't been thrown off the Board in 1979. as it was, he bought back into the club when we were European Champions... and within three years he had sacked the manager and got the club relegated!

The other interesting bit is right at the end...
Ellis has certainly had that in terms of his investment. He purchased Villa for around £80,000 in 1982 but, although the club is worth about £50m now.

Yes... not to mention the near million pounds a year he has taken out of the club in salary and dividends since he 'handed it back to the supporters' by going plc and converting his stake in the club into a small goldmine for the fat travel agent.

Another Tory snout in trough...

Ian Dale smeared former Labour MP David Hinchliffe and accused him of "trousering close on £6,000" as a non-executive director of an NHS Trust. But as PoliticalHackUK points out, there is a former Tory Council candidate sitting on the same Trust Board! Has he also got his nose in the trough?

Declaration of interest: Councillor Bob Piper is the Chair of the Sandwell Mental Health Trust, (which is undoubtably sufficient evidence of having nose in trough direction for Iain I suppose) .... but does not receive any remuneration for trashing Iain Dale's dafter posts.

No tears here

There'll not be any regrets in Birmingham 6 about this. Now it's time for the other waste of space to follow him out the door after 23 wasted years. Does entrepreneur mean having the ability to stuff your pockets with money whilst ruining a business?

Let's here it for the Nobber

According to a poll carried out by ConservativeHome one of the favourites for the Conservative candidate to take a sound thrashing from Ken Livingstone is none other than... Nobber Norris. Nobber apparently attracted 10% of the votes... but behind him in the poll we find 3.5% of respondents also thought .... anyone but Nobber! They'll set 'em up, Ken, you can knock 'em down!

Anything for headlines

News of Dave's latest swing to the left, via Deadbrain

Hedonism Rules OK

I don't know how much further into the sewer the country can sink after this. Although I'm sure you can all think of some prime candidates to take part.

Speaks for itself.

Forward.... but which way is forward?

Iain Dale responds to Tim Montgomerie of ConservativeHome who has criticised Cameron for appealing to the liberal conservatives and ignoring or alienating their traditional right wing support. Iain gives the game away when he says:

"...there are things which David Cameron has announced which cause me to twitch a little. But for the most part, we keep our noses to the grindstone and don't rock the boat. Why? Because we know that it's necessary and we understand the strategy."

The strategy is according to Iain is... keep quiet, put up with all this liberal shit, lull those disaffected Lib Dem a New Labour voters with a promise of New Conservatism under cuddly, hoodie-hugging/bike riding/ecologically concerned Dave.... and then sandbag them with a good dose of old style right-wing reactionary conservatism if we can get elected!

Just one warning for Iain and his mates... and Tim and his mates too, come to that... there are many here among us who thought that was what was going to happen under Blair. Once he was elected he would jump out of his telephone box, throw of that millionaire loving outfit, leave all that wage restraint and anti-union talk behind him, stop the creeping privatisation of the NHS, education and other public services and emerge as our socialist Party leader. Well, I never believed a word of it. Blair was, and remains, a member of the ill-fated SDP. He is what we would have got if David Owen had stayed and gone on to lead the Party. So, Tories... be warned. History does repeat itself, first as tragedy, then as farce, as a great philosopher once said

It just gets worse..

Not only are they going to allow the bastards to desecrate our neighbourhood, disturb people's sleep, blight their homes and be a general bleeding nuisance... they are even going to allow the swine to advertise the fact that they are doing it on our bloody telly!! Can I pass on a short message from my constituents to Mr. Andrew Brown, Chairman of the Committee of Advertising Practice and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice who announced this decision.... GO STUFF YOURSELF WITH THE RAW END OF A RED HOT RASP.

Spot on

Letter in the Birmingham Mail:

Juventus fans are moaning because they've been relegated and docked 30 points. They should try putting up with what we've had to endure during the Ellis years!

It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe...

The Planning Inspectorate has disgracefully given approval to Blue Chip Casinos to open an all-night casino in a converted pub in my Ward (see artists impression of this disgusting object, left) despite the overwhelming opposition of local residents and elected members. I can find no words to describe the wretched bureaucrats who have taken this decision, but I would bet a thousand pounds to a bucket of shit that they don't live next door to an all-night gambling den.

This decision will ensure the lives of the people living in the streets nearby are blighted. Tossers with more money than sense will be banging cab doors, shouting to their mates, starting up their cars or rolling around the nearby streets in the early hours of the morning whilst hard working folk are looking to get a decent night's sleep. Meanwhile, no doubt the gambling bosses will stuff the money of the stupid into their pockets, Ministers will roll over on their comfy feather pillows in grace and favour homes, and the Planning Inspector will sleep soundly in his quiet Bristol suburb.

Rot in hell!

Prezza's Pole (oops... Poll)

I normally avoid this sort of thing, but, this is your chance to say what you think ...What was John Prescott's greatest achievement during his time with the ODPM? The results so far are not encouraging.