September Wikio Rankings

As of 00.20 the September

Wikio blog rankings

aren't up officially, but it seems

Cranmer has been given

a sneak preview. TB has broken into the top ten for the first time. Thank you! He is fairly sure this might have something to do with the links coming in from the Total Politics rankings but an honour none the less. Thank you to all the other bloggers who have sent their traffic this way and hence helped TB creep up the rankings:

1 Iain Dale's Diary

(=)

2

Guy Fawkes' blog

(=)

3

Liberal Conspiracy

(=)

4

Labourlist

(=)

5

Liberal Democrat Voice

(=)

6

And another thing...

(+4)

7

Harry's Place

(+1)

8

Dizzy Thinks

(-2)

9

Politicalbetting.com

(-2)

10 Tory Bear (+1)

Watchout PB, TB's coming...

Yes He Can!

Leaping Salmond

Delusions of grandeur

anyone

?

"ALEX Salmond is to demand a place in the TV debate featuring party leaders unveiled by Sky News yesterday, claiming he has as much right to take his place there as any of the leaders of the UK-wide parties.

The SNP is to write to the satellite broadcaster to get a guarantee that he would have a podium place alongside the three UK parties."

Get a grip man, you're not even leader of your party in Westminster. Nick Clegg barely qualifies so TB isn't sure what Salmond is on. This debate should be between the two leaders of the two parties that have a chance of forming the next government. That's what people want to see, that is what is important. The last thing anyone wants is annoying upstarts butting in at every moment, lying through their teeth about how they think they could actually win the election.

Don't forget to sign the petition for the Sky debate

here

.

Is she or isn't she?

There was some speculation recently that a particularly blonde tory hotty was engaged. This was quickly denied upon some probing by TB but now his eyes and ears are reporting the young lady in question is wearing a ring:

Sorry lads looks like this one is off the market, but who could it be?

Answers on a postcard...

Quote of the Day:

Overheard in the Red Lion:

"My friend used to go out with the Women's Officer of Labour Students, but he dumped her because she didn't like the Manic Street Preachers."

TB could probably tolerate this.

Adam Boulton Definitely Calls Shotgun!

TB was out last night when the details of

this

came through and subsequently spent most of today lying down. But TB was right with his hunch the other day.

Are you a reader Adam?

OUCA vs OUCF

The Mail is

reporting

that Oxford University Conservative Association have now been officially disaffiliated from the University after the accusations of racism at last year's election hustings. This is on the back of the the right-leaning Oxford Union

banning the society

from holding events on their premises too.

Interesting then that TB's sources have confirmed that an Oxford Conservative Future have been registered and will be recruiting freshers across the colleges. OUCA refused to affiliate with CF for years, just as many of the older university associations did not.

This split will be one to watch.

Quote of the Day:

In reply to

this

, Kevin Maguire said:

"Tate Modern? Recycled airliner tag? Glass of fizz? The Waitrose home delivery wing, Ocado? Great to see The Guardian getting away from the caricature of climate change as an obsession of namby-pamby, middle class yoghurt knitters. Not."

Never thought TB would agree with anything Kevin said. Meh.

Have the Conservative Toffs Gone Bonkers?

Yeah that headline got TB's attention too. It seems the cyber-nat blogger

Advanced Media Watch

has taken a summer course at the Damian McBride School of Political Science:

"Could you just imagine Tory Bear campaigning in somewhere like Castlemilk with is bow tie and bowler hat on and wheezing off to the locals how a bunch of Eaton [sic] graduates are going to save the union ?"

So does AMW really approve of the universally derided, pathetic failure of a class war campaign that Labour used in Crewe and Nantwich? Why is a sworn enemy of the Labour Party endorsing their lowest botched campaign?

Hmmm looks and sounds like a smear to this bear, he doesn't have a top hat thank-you-very-much and he most certainly didn't go to Eton. Thank God.

The Future is Bright...

As

Yapping Yousuf

notes, on first impression, the headline figures for

Westminster voting intention in Scotland

isn't great for the Tories. While it will be fantastic to take back seats like Edinburgh South and Perth and North Perthshire, that we would with these figures, it is hardly the massive Caledonian recovery that many would like to see.

However it is not all bad news. If the figures for just those under 55 - the next generation so to speak, are studied, the tories are in 2nd place behind Labour. There is still the resentment of Thatcher and the last tory government, but it seems to be beginning to fade. It's the Conservatives who will be the opposition to Labour's stranglehold on Scotland in the elections that actually matter - ie Westminster.

Labour cannot be trusted to defend the union, especially given the chaos that they will be in after the election. They are not going to be in any fit state to fight the referendum campaign hand in hand with the tories after they have been wiped out whenever the election is.

The tories must capitalise on this fact and hoover up the pro-union votes of the overwhelming majority of Scots who do not want to destroy the UK.

Ed Miliband Gets Bitchslapped.

At 17:58 28/08/2009, Ed Miliband wrote:

Idris,

I emailed you earlier this week to tell you about my new website EdsPledge.com, well today marks a 100 days left until Copenhagen.

During the week people have been visiting EdsPledge.com to add their support – they realise that we need to show the strength of public feeling to get the ambitious, effective and fair deal we need.

The amount of passion I have seen in the messages of support people have left me in no doubt that we have more chance of getting a deal if we have real voices demanding action.

You may have many friends who aren't members of the Party, and won't receive this email, so I am asking you to forward this email onto them now. Ask them to make our pledge for a deal that's ambitious, effective and fair.

Share EdsPledge.com with your friends

Ambitious means no more than a 2 degree temperature rise, with developed-country emissions to peak in five years and then the whole world peaking within ten.

Effective means keeping countries to their word, and letting money flow to where it will make the most difference.

Fair means supporting the poorest countries to cut their emissions and adapt to climate change.

So please forward this email on now, or EdsPledge.com lets you send an email invitation, post a message to Facebook or Twitter - or simply just forward this email on to few friends right now.

Share EdsPledge.com with your friends

Thanks for your support.

Ed

Ps. If you want to get instant updates on how the campaign is going just follow me on Twitter.

---------------------------------------

Reply to: Ed Miliband :

Mr. Miliband,

It's "Mr. Francis" not "Idris" to you, Mr. Miliband - I have no intention of being on first name terms with you or any of your terminally incompetent colleagues.

At almost 70 years of age I cannot remember a more clueless, a more dishonest, a more devious Government and Cabinet than we now have. That you still, apparently, believe that "global warming" is man-made - when for 10 years the earth has cooled, that for centuries it was warmer than it now is, that the science - more akin to a religion - is pure junk and hocus-pocus - tells us all we need to know.

Time is indeed running out, for ZanuNuLabour, only a few months to go before the lot of you - those who survive the election at all - are consigned to the back benches for a generation.

Good riddance, may it be sooner rather than later. God knows, little did I think when Major headed what was then the worst government in living memory, that he would be succeeded by someone and some Cabinet worse still - or that they in turn would prove to be excellent compared to the debris and swarf of political life that now holds power.

But not for much longer, Mr. Miliband, not for much longer. The endless lies, hypocrisy, false claims, pathetic promises that end up broken, all will soon be at an end.

Like your career in politics, and like your brother's

Sincerely

Idris Francis

Well that should have taught him the error of his harvesting ways.

UPDATE 17.47: It seems this post has caused some stirrings on the left. Tom Harris MP seemed to have missed the fact TB posted this funny exchange due to the stinging rebuke that a Minister received from, shock horror, a actual member of the public and instead spun it as proof the Conservative Party aren't progressive. For the record TB set down his views on the man-made climate myth

here

.

Adam Boulton Calls "Shotgun!" on TV Debate

Sky News political editor Adam Boulton has

added to the calls

for there to be televised debates between the party leaders at the next election, simultaneously placing him in line to be the man to host and chair such an event. It is highly likely that these debates will take place finally and fair play to Boulton for positioning himself early.

Beats Andrew Marr any day...

Given that it's a Bank Holiday it will probably be raining today, so TB had a youtube trawl for some classic US debate moments to keep you all entertained. Enjoy:











Who's got some good put downs for Dave to use?

A week is a long time in...

Ladies and Gentleman, TB would like to introduce a charming lady friend Hermione Hope-Change. Hermione works for an MEP and will be reporting weekly from the European Parliament. Expect gossip, rumour and saucy tales from the dark heart of Europe...

Here we are again, the start of a new term. Was at home for the summer hols so took the opportunity to pop into Smiths for a new highlighter set and some colouring pencils which are neatly installed in my stationery drawer now. Also spent Monday arranging my pictures in the new office. Darling Boris is near the door so that I can look at him but still appear to be attentive when El Boss-man sticks his head around to keep me up to date with what Hannan's been up to.

Speaking of Hannan, sweet Dan, I can't for the life of me understand why they ban Facebook in some offices. I was one of the first people to know, for example, that last month he said something about idolising Enoch Powell. And rightly so – the NHS wastes veritable rivers of blood through maladministration yearly, I'm told. Maybe I should organise a Parliamentary blood drive; show the country we're behind the health system too.

Although frankly I'm not sure I have time to take on another project. These Committees are terribly complicated, and half the time the reports are in French or even Czech. I know it's a dreadful stereotype and one mustn't subscribe to them apparently, but the French secretariat staff are so bloody rude. I swear the only work they ever do utilises an emery board. And it's not just a bias due to jealousy on our part because we don't share their sense of style – one of them actually tutted at me the other day when I pointed out that my French teacher had recently said that my accent was definitely improving.

Am rather looking forward to Prague in two weeks for the European Conservatives and Reformist Study Week trip, and not only to watch Ratty, Kirkhope, Hannan and Helmer spend a week together in the same room (what a shame McMillan-Scott won't be there – the tension between him and Kaminsky would have been electrifying). Rumour has it that Ratty really bawled out Hannan and Helmer over the whole NHS debacle though, so we may yet have some entertainment. By the way, does anyone know the Czech for 'Thank you'? Or, for that matter, 'Glass of wine, please'?

Still no word back from Cosham Conservatives. I suppose they have a whole beauty pageant of applicants to look at by now, even that darned Tamzin Lightwater got in on the act. Still, I thought I was sporting a rather winning smile in that photo. Just the sort of image Cosham needs after duckponds...

Hermione will be back next Saturday.

A taste of things to come?

So the

news has broken

that Fraser Nelson will take over from Matthew D'Ancona as editor of The Spectator. Congratulations are in order to both of them, firstly to Matthew for what has been a fantastic tenure, of which the lasting legacy must be the 75k circulation and the

Coffee House

. TB is massively intrigued to where he is heading next and there has been

much speculation

already this evening. Just look where the last editor ended up. Secondly to Fraser, who is getting ready to fill a prestigious pair of shoes.

Nelson's News of the World column is a must read every week and TB is looking forward to see where he takes the Speccie.

Fib Dems

Owen Meredith

has been doing some digging around the Liberal Youth recruitment materials that have been published online

here

. He writes:

It was

reported last September

that a long-term Liberal Democrat policy would face the axe after Stephen Williams, Lib Dem Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, said free higher education and scrapping of tuition fees was not sustainable.

In a pre-conference interview with the

Times Higher Education

, Williams said that Nick Clegg, had come to the decision the policy was not viable after "long internal discussions".

The Lid Dem team is slowly but surely backing away from promises on free education, free personal care for the elderly and a raft of other unaffordable pledges a third party can make knowing they will never be in power or have to deliver.

It would seem that Elaine didn't get the memo though:

That's right, just recruit students with some lies about what your party stands for. Nice typo at the bottom too. Leaflets have already been sent out.

Savvy.

"You actually like me..."

TB is extremely chuffed to have been voted number eight in the Total Politics right of centre blog listings. When he came thirty fifth last year a friend said to him, that he would have be top ten next year, to which TB replied "Yeah right...". Thank you so much to everyone who voted and congratulations to everyone else. The full list can be seen by clicking through to

Total Politics

but here is the top ten:

1 1

Guido Fawkes

2 2

Iain Dale

3 6

Spectator Coffee House

4 3

Conservative Home

5 4

Dizzy Thinks

6 5

Devil's Kitchen

7 14

Daniel Hannan MEP

8 35 Tory Bear
9 12

Archbishop Cranmer

10 8

John Redwood MP

Thank you again.

"They want to save the world...

...but all they do is smoke pot and smell bad."

TB is getting increasingly pissed off with the news that the gypo encampment on Blackheath common is growing. Sources down wind in Greenwich have reported that the stench of cheap weed and compost loos is already becoming quite unbearable. TB has a solution for dealing with this infestation of hippies, taught to him by a wise sage and great political influence, Dr E. Cartman.

Dr. Cartman designed the perfect hippy disposal device that TB recommends be employed to deal with the infestation of soap-dodgers as soon as possible:

Here is the "Hippie Core Drill Machine" in action:

Failing that some tear gas should do the trick.

Quote of the Day

TB was trying to work out where exactly the Daily Telegraph traffic he is getting this afternoon was coming from when he discovered

this gem

from

Ed West

:

"Enoch Powell was an influential economic thinker, a Thatcherite before Thatcher, something anyone with a modicum of intelligence will know – but unfortunately for a generation raised in the comprehensive system, whose knowledge of history could fill one of their gormless tweets, “Uncle Enoch” is known only for his views on immigration, a bogeyman in our liberal paradise."

Bang on. Ok last word on the subject, promise.

"I am a virus. I am the virus that kills socialists."

Not for the faint hearted or those of a wet disposition, but newbie blogger "Freedom Fighter" has given a

passionate defence

of Daniel Hannan and Enoch Powell. It is well worth a read:

"It's no wonder the left would despise Powell with such zeal; he was, for the most part, right. It's scary that an ideology that prizes economic freedom, individual liberty, and personal-responsibility is constantly under attack while a political ideology among whose ideological influences advocated eugenics, severe restrictions on civil liberties, property redistribution by force, dictatorial government, and at times outright murder is considered 'modern' and 'progressive'. When Parmjit Dhanda, Labour MP for Gloucester, asks 'is it acceptable for a the modern Conservatives Party to attack the NHS and praise Enoch Powell?', I should bloody well hope the answer is yes, else Jonah Goldberg is right and 'we're all fascists now'."

If you like you politics blunt and sound then TB would recommend bookmarking

The Snakebite

.

So he hasn't gone native...

Andy Hartley has got in touch to

retract

the comments he made about Daniel Hannan yesterday.

That's more like it.