Civil Servant Pulls Anti-Tory Blog & Blocks Twitter Account

If it was impartial all along why the need for this?

Now you see it:

Now you don't.

Background here and here.

Updated - DEFRA Statement

"Staff at certain grades can take part in national and local political activities provided they do not occupy sensitive posts. We can confirm that the civil servant in question is not in a politically restricted role. The Civil Service code sets out the duties and responsibilities of all civil servants, whatever their jobs. Defra takes the impartiality of its employees seriously and is confident that impartiality has not been compromised in this case."

Interesting...

Some further questions:

What is her job?

Why then was "the civil servant in question" allegedly prohibited from attending Labour Party conference this year due to the sensitivity of her role in briefing ministers?

So Defra is fine with their civil servants writing for an

officially endorsed Labour website

?

How do the following not compromise impartiality:

"I pay my union dues (I'm a proud Unite member) and a couple of quid to Amnesty. I'm also shelling out for my Labour Party membership, plus Compass and the Fabian Society."

Compass and Fabian both actively lobby departments such as Defra.

From

the blog

:

"I'm beginning to think it's time to revive tactical voting. I disagree with the Lib Dems on substantial issues. That's why I'm not a Lib Dem, interestingly enough. Still, if I live in a constituency where it's a choice between a Lib Dem and a Tory MP, where the Labour candidate is unlikely to get a look in, I'd strongly consider voting for the Lib Dem candidate."

"In 2005, I had the dubious privilege of a meeting with Davey C, then Shadow Education Secretary, along with university classmates. (Yep, Dave and I have the same degree from the same Oxford college. Only I didn't get a first.) I asked him his feelings on proportional representation. He slammed me down fairly comprehensively in that charming oh-what-a-silly-young-Irish-woman, don't-ask-me-difficult-questions sort of way."

Conservatives - "They'd be funny if they weren't so dangerous."

Plus TB's favourite: "Every time I hear anything about the Tories these days, it reminds me of

this

."

How can they be confident impartiality has not been breached when this impartial civil servant is so clearly repulsed by the prospect of a potential incoming Conservative government?

Where does calling Tories c**ts fit in that impartiality thing? Will she be able to form the "same relationship with those whom you may be required to serve in some future Government"?

TB didn't think so either.

UPDATE 16.15: DEFRA Senior Press Officer Sima Parmar has refused to comment on why Quigley was not allowed to go to Party conference. Funny that.

For those faceless anonymous commenters, with a limited number of IP addresses, who are asking why TB wants this person fired, let him make a couple of things clear. He has no desire to see this person fired just the blog and the Young Labour chairmanship to go while she is taking the taxpayers shilling.

Why is DEFRA Stalling?

TB has put some very simple questions to the DEFRA press office.

Firstly is Miss Quigley's role political?

If yes, then fine, move along. Nothing to see here.

But if not, as inferred by the press officer this morning, then how is her position as a regional office holder, not local, but regional office holder of the Labour Party acceptable as a non-partisan civil servant?

Secondly how does the fervent anti-Tory rhetoric on

her blog

fit into to the idea that she would be able to establish the "same relationship with those whom you may be required to serve in some future Government"? These aren't private political views when she is actively campaigning and promoting them online and around the country.

DEFRA claim to still be "looking into the matter". How long can it take?

Is she political or not?

Did Christine Not Get the Memo?

While TB waits for the DEFRA press office to call back he thought he would share this:

Impartiality

You must:
carry out your responsibilities in a way that is fair, just and equitable and reflects the Civil Service commitment to equality and diversity.

You must not:
act in a way that unjustifiably favours or discriminates against particular individuals or interests.

Political Impartiality

You must:
serve the Government, whatever its political persuasion, to the best of your ability in a way which maintains political impartiality and is in line with the requirements of this Code, no matter what your own political beliefs are;
act in a way which deserves and retains the confidence of Ministers, while at the same time ensuring that you will be able to establish the same relationship with those whom you may be required to serve in some future Government; and
comply with any restrictions that have been laid down on your political activities.

You must not:
act in a way that is determined by party political considerations, or use official resources for party political purposes; or allow your personal political views to determine any advice you give or your actions.

It's a riveting read.

Pressure Mounts on Goldie

The reaction to TB's post last week about the need for a new leader for the Scottish Conservative Party had mixed reactions. He was particularly amused by the amount of Labour people claiming she is the Tories best asset north of the border. If they are the ones that like her, things are clearly not going in the right direction. There was a combination of texts ranging from "I can't believe you said that!" to "thank god someone said that!" to "I can't believe you said that, people are going to think it came from me!"

TB already knew he wasn't alone in his thinking and yesterday's Sunday Herald had more:

Tory industry supporters, in common with other senior party figures, do not believe she is the leader the Conservatives need. One senior party insider said: “She fits none of the requirements of the modern Conservative party.” While the UK Conservatives continue to record substantial leads over Labour in UK opinion polls, the Scottish Tories are struggling to make an impact. At the last Holyrood poll, Goldie won 16.6% of the first-past-the-post vote, and 13.9% of the regional vote.

However, Cameron is believed to support Goldie as he cannot see an obvious alternative. One well-placed Tory source said Goldie’s inability to persuade Cameron to back more financial powers for Holyrood was an example of her ineffectiveness. MSPs were said to be taken aback at Goldie’s anger at the piece, with one insider saying that the Scottish Tory leader had been “furious”. A small number of culprits have been identified as the potential source of the leak.

TB gets the impression a ball is beginning to roll.

Good Morning Labour

This is Christine Quigley:

On Saturday night Christine was controversally

elected

as Chairman of London Young Labour. So what TB hears you cry...

Well TB understands Miss Quiqley better go tell her day job boss about her new very very political role. TB hopes she realises that it could potentially be against the law if she hasn't...

The Bear will be calling in an hour so to make sure everything is hunky dory.

developing...

Cartoon - Kerry Does a Derek Edition

Floreat Etona

Both

UKIP

and the

Libertarian Party

have this weekend chosen new leaders. Congratulations to

Lord Pearson

and Chris "

DK

" Mounsey respectively. Add them to the list of Old Etonian Party leaders. Alongside Dave they keep great company. Mr Mounsey was quick to dismiss that this is a coordinated big right-wing conspiracy...

"No it's a coordinated Old Etonian take over."

Exclusive: Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole

Well don't ever say TB doesn't provide a comprehensive service. The sexual tension is pretty obvious, the little jokes and the hand draped on the back, and that's without the way he looks at her. TB's man in the know has just confirmed what he has long suspected - Simon Cowell is getting it on with Cheryl Cole. Good lad. TB has had this double sourced now.

Hello! and OK! better credit him!

Quote of the Week

"It's like the break up of The Beatles, during the fall of the Roman Empire, while fucking Jordan is divorcing that bloke. All happening in a tiny fucking terraced house."

-Malcolm Tucker

discussing

the current mood in No10.

Cough.

Salmond's "McBride Moment"?

All that talk of dear Damian leads nicely into

this story

coming out of Caledonia. Seems the SNP have got their fingers burnt as it turns out one of their most prolific and aggressive "cyber-nats" was in fact a paid up employee of the Scottish Government - in charge of the office of Culture Minister Mike Russell.

Oops, no surprising then that one Mark MacLachlan no longer works for the SNP and his blog has now disappeared. As

The Herald

reported:

"Mr MacLachlan suggested some Labour politicians got a sexual thrill from bullying women, branded a prominent Tory “the biggest liar in the Scottish legal system”, and posted a picture of Gordon Brown in a noose with the headline “duplicitous lying bastards”.

He also alleged a married Labour MSP visited gay cruising spots, badmouthed the daughter of Lord David Steel, the former presiding officer at Holyrood, and described several opponents as “c***s”"

Sounds fairly typical for a nationalist blog then. The now defunct

Universility of Cheese

was one of the few to actually have the balls to name George Foulkes as a gay cruiser though. This isn't smeargate stakes as there is no evidence to link Alex Salmond directly to this blogger. TB wonders which other Scottish bloggers are getting very nervous about who they work for now though. Also there is no evidence of malicious scheming in the office to make stuff up a la McBride and all, but it has certainly destroyed the SNPs constitutional media strategy for this week.

Who could have leaked a thing like that eh?

The Gloves Are Off

TB occasionally enjoys his banter with soon to be former Labour MP Kerry McCarthy. Kerry,

a known expenses trougher

and vegan, should spend less time on twitter and more of her weekend attempting to defend her wafer thin majority, against the odds.

There is an air of desperation creeping in to the Labour netroots, perfectly encapsulated by Kerry's actions. Playing the man instead of the ball is an understatement. She has clearly been taking evening classes at the Damian McBride School of Political Campaigning™ as she has managed to stoop to new lows of comparing Tory Bear to Nick Griffin. The highly tenuous connection being both are sceptical of global warming.

Her thought process

last night

went like this:

Nick Griffin = Racist + Global Warming "denier"
Tory Bear = Global Warming Denier

Tory Bear = Nick Griffin... shortly followed by "HEY ELLIE, GUESS WHAT!"

Well Kerry that is too far, shall we have a look through the Labour manifesto and the BNP one for a little game of spot the difference? This pathetic attempt to bat away a debate you know you would lose by smearing by association is a step to far. You don't drag Nick Griffin's name into a debate unless you are going for the cheap shot.

TB has been pulling his punches so far but from today until your agent turns to you on election night with a "sorry", the gloves are off.

Why Are Vampires Making a Comeback?

Asked Sky News last night. Someone there has a sense of humour:

Looks like they got an expert in

Labour To Bother Fighting Election

Labour HQ went into

recruitment overdrive

last night. The timing of these job adverts makes TB think a March election hasn't been entirely ruled out. TB hears that the money for these jobs has been specifically ring-fenced by donors to spent solely on the election. Labour are still in millions of pounds of debt though.

It will take a very brave rat to join a sinking ship.

Hello Sailor!

Ooooh.

Captions below, yes TB knows there are overdue prizes to be dished out and one day he will remember to do that, but if you make him laugh there is something up for grabs...

This Could Be Interesting

UKIP have

announced

their new leader. Their desired strategy of attempting to do this as quietly as possible has been remarkably successful. TB is the wrong side of a port and cheese board so he can't be bothered to find the exact figures, it is however worth remembering that UKIP cost the Tories countless seats at the last election. He is wondering what the impact of the new leadership will be.

Lord Pearson is sound. Outflanking potential in Tory heartlands could be massive...

Confessions of a Climate Change Denier

TB is finds himself increasingly using the term Global Cooling Deniers. Problem is he uses the phrase in jest. Others throw the word denier around in a far darker fashion. He is sick to the back teeth of the pious, tedious, deceitful and at times violent extremist stance that has been adopted in the last few months by the climate lobby and their spiteful mouthpieces.

TB disagrees with you about global warming. Ok? Got that? However much you hound him and rile him he is grown up enough to make a judgement all on his own. Vicious lists of “deniers”, drawn up and then spread around so others can target and bombard and harass are totally fucking unacceptable. What next? Will all the deniers be made to wear little green stars on their jackets?

The left are pathetic in their attempts to use a disputed and increasingly shaky idea to promote their hidden political agendas. There is a difference between being green, being respectful, being sensible and being sustainable out of choice rather than having to subscribe to a highly dubious scientific theory. You can want to leave this planet in a better state than it was inherited in without having to be forced to subscribe to a theory that makes you want to do it.

Being sustainable is common sense, it shouldn’t have to be forced upon us. TB understands and knows the need for the UK to reduce our dependency on oil and coal. We need to develop new energy creating technology. The wind and sea is free, we’d be stupid not to use it. Nuclear power is clean and efficient and in the long run far far cheaper than burning oil. TB knows this without having to subscribe to a quasi-religion, with all the dangerous pitfalls theology brings.

Of course TB doesn’t want to pollute and destroy the planet. Recycling is of course a necessary thing, but not because WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE if we don’t. The obsession with global warming is a patronising and pathetic attempt to control the individual. Hence why it is no surprise where on the political spectrum it’s most vocal advocates lie.

Now Will, Sunder, Grace, George, Brian etc and the anonymous lot, leave TB the hell alone. He has chosen on the base of his own decision making ability where his views on this lie. No amount of harassment and attempted shaming is going to change that until TB sees some bloody evidence (not nursed figures!)

TB respects this world because we should, not because we are made to.

Never Been One For Blondes

TB was fairly whelmed when he saw Philip Blond speak during conference season and has been less than enthused by the sort of people who are making swooning noises about him. Good news today though is he is reducing

normally sharp critics

to dismissive desperation. TB has however just had a chance to flick through some of what was

said earlier

.

There is much that is right with the state and there is much that is wrong. What is right is that the state embodies in structured form a common concern – it represents the coalesced will of the people that there is a level below which you cannot fall and an undertaking that we as a body politic have a stake, a care and indeed a provision for you and every other citizen . In that sense the welfare state really does represent the best of us. In that sense the great triumph of the left is indeed the 1945 Labour government which laid the foundation of the modern welfare state. But what the working class thought would save and secure became something that gradually and over time, eventually helped to destroyed them. Why? Because the state instead of supporting society - abolished it. The welfare state nationalised society because it replaced mutual communities with passive fragmented individuals whose most sustaining relationship was not with his or her neighbor or his or her community but with a distant and determining centre. Moreover that state relationship was profoundly individuating - unilateral entitlement individuated and replaced bilateral relationship.

The working class did not ask for this – they wanted something far more reciprocal, more mutual and more empowering. All existing working class welfare organisations were sidelined by a universal entitlement guaranteed by the state based upon centralised accounts of need. Local requirements, organisation or practices were simply ignored and thus rendered redundant. Thus the welfare state began the destruction of the independent life of the British working class. The populace became a supplicant citizenry dependent upon the state rather than themselves and the socialist state aborted indigenous traditions of working class self–help, reciprocality and social insurance. Rather than working with each another in order to alter their situation or change their neighbourhood or city, relying on the welfare state only to get them through a temporary rough patch, working class people increasingly became permanent passive recipients of centrally determined benefits. As such welfare ceased to function as a safety net through which people could not fall, becoming instead a ceiling through which the supplicant class – cut off from earlier working class ambition and aspiration – could not break. This ‘benefits culture’ can be tied directly to the thwarting of working class ambition by a middle class elite that formed the machinery of the welfare state yes to alleviate poverty but also to deprive the poor of their irritating habit of autonomous organisation.

Interesting stuff. Jury is still out somewhat at this end but one to keep an eye on.

Nothing Says Grrr Like a Fisk

Busy day for TB but amused by this continuing tête à tête between Christian May and Heydon Prowse. CM has replied with a fisk. Scroll down the page for background.

"Some points: I never agreed to have an interview published in Labourlist. Seems like an interview to me. But then again, Mr Prowse has some experience about tricking people into interivews. I've never met Christian May (although I'm pretty sure he definitely reads The Guardian and maybe even Red Pepper). The last time I purchased the Guardian I was a university student, using it as an illustration of poor quality journalism in a presentation. I got a very high mark. I can't think of a bigger waste of my time than to get involved in this petty left/right bickering. Well at the risk of sounding like a kid, you started it. You really did. I can't believe a hugely important guy like Christian had time to write a 500 word response to a misquoted article that about 100 people read. Well it didn't take long to write, given that my passions were raw. Also, Alex Smith take note; Mr Prowse thinks only 100 people read your site. Perhaps he isn't the darling of the Left? I didn't read all of your reply Christian cos [sic] it was very boring and I have work to do, but it all sounds very good and noble. Thanks very much. It's probably fair to say that more thought has gone into my political views than has ever gone into your opportunistic, inaccurate, cheap, quick-sell political films. I guarantee, however, that your darlings Cameron and Osborne will sell out the Conservative roots and young idealists just as thoroughly as Labour did. If you know something about the Conservative Party that I don't, please let me know. As it stands, I'm happy to advocate on behalf of a Party I believe in. Not all of us are willing to write off politics simply because we're swept up in a populist anti-politics mood. Open your mind, Mr Prowse."

Over to your Heydon.

Catty

So it seems that Heydon Prowse didn't actually know he was being interviewed for LabourList in their

much trailed

"The Heydon Prowse Interview":

Some points: I never agreed to have an interview published in Labourlist. I've never met Christian May (although I'm pretty sure he definitely reads The Guardian and maybe even Red Pepper). I can't think of a bigger waste of my time than to get involved in this petty left/right bickering. I can't believe a hugely important guy like Christian had time to write a 500 word response to a misquoted article that about 100 people read. I didn't read all of your reply Christian cos it was very boring and I have work to do, but it all sounds very good and noble. I guarantee, however, that your darlings Cameron and Osborne will sell out the Conservative roots and young idealists just as thoroughly as Labour did.

Praise all round then.