Sir Ian Kennedy Needs to Get a Grip

News is breaking

tonight that Defender of the Pigs - Sir Ian Kennedy wants to be so down and trendy wiv da kids that he putting the restoration of trust in our Parliamentarians in the hands of a Facebook consultation. FFS.

Why the constant need to waste even more taxpayers money consulting even more people. Experts from across the spectrum gave evidence to Kelly, how much did the inquiry cost? Why the need for another?

The Kelly report should be implemented in full without delay. The three party leaders have backed it, and the majority of our elected officials have too. The web of committees and boards and unelected goons such as Kennedy are part of the reason Parliament was able to get into this mess in the first place. If Kennedy cannot back the Kelly reforms then the party leaders should let it be known to the Speaker tomorrow morning that they have lost all faith in him. Then his position should be filled by someone who hasn't got their head shoved quite so far up their own arse, someone that can see that employing your wife isn't acceptable business practice and that making hundreds of thousands by swindling the taxpayer through capital gains tax loopholes doesn't exactly endear MPs to their bosses.

Here's a thought, why can't Kelly be put in charge of implementation?

The Soldier

If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

- Rupert Brooke

Quote of the Day

"Labour's sin over Lisbon is far greater than the Tories', for as the party of government, they were in a position to set in motion the referendum on the EU constitution that they promised. Everyone knows that Lisbon is the constitution by another name, as Giscard D'Estaing cheerfully admitted over two years ago, and no one - not even themselves, one imagines - was convinced by Labour ministers' fibs that it is something else entirely. To his credit, Cameron made no such pretence, and it seems likely that if he had been able to have a referendum before the Czechs' ratification made Lisbon fully operative, he would have done so. Being in opposition, however, the position he has now taken – accepting that the treaty has passed, and to try to claw powers back from Brussels instead – should strike any even-handed observer (ie one whose mind is not clouded by delirium at the prospect of Tory civil war over Europe) as a sensible and pragmatic response."

-Sholto Byrnes

Know it's a long one today but it was

from The Guardian

of all places.

The whole piece about Hannan is a must read.

Caption Contest - Real Prize

TB has a busy afternoon and evening so he thought it had been a while since there had been a caption competition. There is a copy of the new

The "Yes

Minister" Miscellany

up for grabs for the best caption left below in the comments. This hilarious little guide to all things Hacker would make a rather good Christmas present for any political geek. But to the contest...

Wee Dunky has been "cleared" of being a fiddling trougher apparently...

But do your worst:

Winner announced Monday.

Closing Time...

TB was rather sad to hear the news that his favourite lefty watering-hole is calling last orders at the bar, ringing the bell, and locking up for the last time. In these tough economic times, caused by Gordon Brown's recession, pubs are closing down at record rates. There were twenty nine pubs a week shutting down at one point this year, but TB never thought

Sadie's Tavern

would go under.

Sadie's blog was good before lefties realised they needed good bloggers. Sod Draper, Labour should have looked to her to lead any online charge. A combination of serious, well constructed argument, biting sarcasm and gin always made for riotous read. The blogosphere is also at a loss with out its top totty too.

TB wishes the landlady the best of luck in the real world.

It Was All Going So Well

TB was vaguely enthused by the Kelly recommendations and would have been happy to see them installed immediately to end the troughing. However it seems Bercow has dropped an absolute clanger in his choice of Sir Ian Kennedy as head of the new implementation body the IPSA.

Well it seems he is New Labour through and through, close friend of Campell who is obviously rattled by the Telegraph given he has gone into auto-defence mode over on appalling designed and hard to read blog.This is of less concern to what

he has said

about the Kelly report:

The seven-month review resulted in a comprehensive report encompassing 60 recommendations which Sir Christopher said should be “handed over to the new regulatory body for implementation in full”.

All of the party leaders also called on IPSA to implement the Kelly report in full.
When he unveiled his report, Sir Christopher called for the rapid implementation of all his reforms, saying: “There is a risk that, as the impact of the revulsion caused by the Daily Telegraph revelation fades with time, some may be thinking of distancing themselves from their earlier expressed determination to implement our report in full. If so, that would, in my view, be an error.”

However, in a direct riposte to Sir Christopher, Sir Ian has told Westminster insiders that the Kelly report was “only one of the bases of the conversation” into the future of MPs allowances.

He added that, according to the legislation under which IPSA was founded, there was “no obligation to implement” Kelly and it was “merely his [Sir Christopher’s] assumption” that it would be.

He is said to feel that Sir Christopher’s lengthy inquiry, which included more than 1,000 witness statements and nine public hearings, was not a “proper” consultation.
In particular, he has told officials that he is unhappy with proposed reforms which would ban MPs from employing relatives, and require those who made profits from the sale of second homes to hand it over to the taxpayer.

In another direct challenge to Kelly, Sir Ian has also said that there is “no appetite” for legislation, meaning that he does not immediately plan to adopt the Committee’s call for the setting of MPs’ pay.

It's not looking good. Oh Bercow what have

you

done.

The Bear Unmasked

TB has crept up the

Wikio rankings

again this month. He is now in seventh place and hot on the tails of the legendary Tom Harris MP. Just goes to show you how far a gossip and teddy bears can get you. Thank you for the links and traffic that these rankings are based on.

So who is this bear who has been tapping at the keys for the last eighteen months? Well, while anonymity was fun for the twenty-five minutes it lasted, the Bear's identity is hardly a secret. The only reason references to it are not allowed in the comments is due to the fact it winds lefties up so much. Simple pleasures. Anyway TB has set up a website for his alter-ego and day job existence:

Check it out

. You can find out more about the bear and more importantly keep this blog going by supporting his little

freelance consultancy

earner. TB has been doing social media tutorials one on one, blogging advice, videos on demand, event PR etc unofficially for a wee while to keep him ticking over, but decided to see what happened when he advertised his services officially. His rates are surprisingly reasonable and whatever you need, however small, can probably be sorted out very quickly. Whether you're a blogger, candidate, company, pressure group, whatever,

get in touch

. Particularly good on everything you wanted to know about internet campaigning and the blogosphere but were too embarrassed to ask.

Sounds like a book title...

i⋅ron⋅ic [ahy-ron-ik]

TB and Bono have never quite seen eye to eye but

this one

really takes the biscuit:

A U2 show marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall has run into controversy - after organisers built a wall around the venue.

A two metre barrier has been erected around the Brandenburg gate to keep out people without tickets for the show.

The desire for U2 and MTV to make a quick buck out of the event shows just what a hypocritical toad Bono is. If he Bono had any respect for freedom or an iota of understanding of the significance of the wall coming down and the crushing of communism he would have publicly intervened by now, but as the

BBC reports

; "Calls to representatives of U2 and MTV seeking comment have not yet been returned."

No doubt champagne will be served backstage.

Quote of the Week

Sir Ian Blair is the finest policeman this country has seen in modern times - veritably the heir to Sir Robert Peel. His support for ID cards, 42-days detention for terrorists, the DNA database, and the arrest of Damian Green speak for themselves.

-Commenter "Proud to be Labour" during TB's Live Chat last night.

Dave's quote to the National Curry Awards on Tuesday was a close second. He told the BNP to:

"Wake up and smell the curry."

Should MPs Get a Pay Rise?

TB polled his readership last night:


Seems like a pretty comprehensive no to him.

QT Live Chat - Trigger Happy TB Edition

UPDATE: 00:01 - you snooze you lose. You had to be here, same time same place next week.

Hannan, Helmer and the Drunk Chick

You must know what TB means when he describes a drunk chick who has been thrown out of a nightclub for being an idiot and does that thing on the pavement where she screams and rants at the bouncers, blaming everyone else in the club for the fact she fell through a table. Eventually she just bursts into tears and is bundled into a cab by her more attractive friends. Well Edward McMillan-Scott is the drunk chick at the party.

He really needs to just go away somewhere, sit down, be quiet and never come back, but instead he was on the BBC earlier calling Hannan and Helmer to be expelled from the Party for disloyalty. Just as he was. But no, you pathetic moron, stop trying to drag others down with you, just because you destroyed your own career for the sake of your overinflated and frankly unwarranted ego. No one wants to hear what you have to say. Has been.

Perhaps the concept of a resignation with dignity is too much for McMillan-Scott to comprehend, he after all didn't have the balls to resign when he disagreed with Party policy, something Hannan and Helmer had the honour to do. Rather than lie to themselves and those who elected them. No McMillan-Scott was humiliated and rejected by force. The two H's do not want to cause any more trouble, hence the radio silence, but have levels of principles and integrity that McMillan-Scott can only dream of possessing.

Can someone call him a taxi please.

Mr Miliband Goes to Brussels?

Jonathan Isaby is plugged in and

he is suggesting

the speculation about Miliband D accepting the job in Europe and thus triggering a South Shields by election in true. Will Mandy attempt a return to the Commons? Well

Karen Allen

might have something to say about that.

This would also kill the Blair for President campaign stone dead.

It's a Love/Hate Thing

TB had a great time at the

@tweetminster

event at Edelman last night. Much hilarity ensured as ever when there are giant twitter feed screens, free booze, and a room full of people on Blackberries.

Something tells the bear that Kerry McCarthy MP, Labour's Twitter Tzar isn't a fan:

Nadine on the other hand was much more friendly:

That's more like it.

TB is off to join Old Holborn and co on a little walk. Armed, (with a video camera.)

Back later!

+Cameron's Europe Speech Live Blog+

Welcome back to Part II of Judgement Day.

DC expected up at 1600.

Apologies for delay - laptop died.

16.12: Never again seems to be the key theme. No referendum on Lisbon. No made up. referendum. But Conservatives will never let this happen again.

16.13 It's Blair and Brown to blame for this. Damn straight.

16.14 European law jurisdiction over British law will be renegotiated. This can't happen unilaterally. Changing rules Britain has signed up.

Negotiation must have agreement of all 27 states. Highly complicated. Hague is on the case.

Success will establish the fact that integration is not a one way street.

16.15: Essential, realistic, and deliverable. Identified areas of concerns that interfere with our democracy.

16.18 "remaining of course as a member of the EU." hmmm.

16.19 EU has mended painful divisions apparently. Would be ironic if the first president is a German no?

16.20: we will never allow Britain to slide into a federal Europe. That's more like it. "The mandate we will seek at the next election." Intriguing

16.21: Could well be enough to buy off the euro sceptics, and placate the euro-extremists. TB is pretty sold. It is clear a substantial renegotiation is about to take place if the Conservatives win. "not going to treat people like fools offering a referendum that will do nothing"

"A policy on Europe that we can believe in"

Newsnight get the first question.

ITV try spin this as a uturn and damaging to trust in Cameron. He smacks down straight away saying his promise was clear but the ratification of the treaty made the ref impossible.

"A clear and frank statement."

16.24: Sky's Glen O'Glaza asks about the threat of UKIP - "Everyone is disappointed, downcast" about a lack of vote. We pushed this issue as hard as we could" "If it hadn't happened we would have named the day."

We have to live for the day not the world we would like. Very Obamaesque.

Realistic, straight forward, deliverable are the buzz words. There every answer. Hitting home the point.

16.30 One of TB's favourite hacks Nick Watt asks Dave for a "cast-iron" promise about the rebate. Cheeky.

DC slams Blair in response saying he gained nothing with his rebate negotiations and essentially pissed money away. (TB's words not his.)

16.35: DC keen to wrap up quickly but conceeded a question from a continental journo "in the spirit of things"

16.40:

Peter Hitchins keeping his hand up while Dave is talking despite being continuely ignored. Wonder why. He looked like a tit though:

That's it folks, DC shut that down pretty quickly claiming it wasn't a press conference but a speech.

Could fooled the bear though.

Verdict?

TB buys it, as will candidates and the ones trapsing the streets for the next few months. There are bigger fish to fry in the short term, the renegotiation promise means Europe can now once again be put on the back burner. The conversation has beein saved for another day, when hopefully the tories will have the power to turn words into action.

What are you doing tomorrow?

It's that time of year again. A message from

Old Holborn

:

I will be w

alking at 12 Noon on Thursday November 5th from Trafalgar Square to Parliament. All are free to join me as I courteously hand a Carson Rose into Downing Street and then gain access to the Public Gallery of the House of Commons, where we can watch our paid representatives engage in lively debate about how to tax us, fleece us and subjugate us to their whims.

I shall be dressed in my usual attire, please feel free to dress however you wish but special invites go out to anyone who wishes to wear a pig costume for the day. It would give me great pleasure to herd a few noisy pigs and Guy Fawkes's into the Public Gallery to face their MPs.

TB will be there filming for

GuyNewsTV

. Come on down.

Full details

here

.

#PMQs

So there have it, the Kelly report is out there. TB was a little annoyed with the constant referral to what the new IPSA quango will be doing but can't complain about the recommendations. Could have gone further but Kelly has essentially been a good egg.

Let's see what the Party leaders and Bercow make of it. TB is busy busy, but will be tweeting away from PMQs.

Follow him on twitter

here

.

+Kelly Report Press Launch Live Blog+

09.28: TB is on his way to the launch.

Will Kelly disappoint or will he offer a bold and radical transformation of Parliament?

Read all about it here first.

10.05 clearly waiting for the headlines to be over on sky etc before starting. Flicking through the report. Good to see receipts for everything and no more mortage claims. Here we go....

10.08 Kelly opening gambit, the leaders agreed then, briefed them. Having a go at leaders for leaking. "The media briefings did not come from me". "Extremely irritating, frustrating for committee and those affected by recommendations that have not been altered at all."

Grumpy!

10.10 Fair and reasonable, not draconian, hmmmm.

10.12 -these measures will not make parliament only accessible to the rich. So don't even try that line Harman, Brown etc.

10.14 - central pay bank for rent and hotels. Cheaper and more effective, MPs can pay the difference if they want somewhere bigger if it meets criteria. Not quite the Olympic village but vast improvement.

10.15- LCA reduced. Sorry Mr McNulty.

10.18 - Kelly puts Harman in her place. Claims she supported the idea of family members not being employed during oral evidence in the summer but not this week.. silly wench.

10.20 Goodbye communication allowance, thank goodness for that. Costs should come out of office budget where it has to compete with other needs. PS MPs must meet the cost of travel home.

Kelly warning leaders not to renege on their promise to implement the recommendations. "leadership and determination" needed "however uncomfortable that may be"

Wants it in place by next parliament. - "if the will and the determination are there" it can be done"

"This committee will be watching."

C4 news get the first question- Kelly bats away issue of pay, fair as it's not in his purview.

Cathy Newman: Rental is more expensive in central London no? Is there a limit on hotel expenses?

Kelly: £120 per night for hotels. Has a dig at Dolphin Sq. City Inn rubbing hands together no doubt.

Nick Robinson is getting highly distressed that he hasn't been allowed to ask a question yet. Kelly clearly very grumpy with BBC leaks. Nothing for Sky yet either... Figures seeing as they both went to town on the report last week.

The Sun got a question, Nick Robinson checking watch.

Kelly says there is a considerable desire to get the expenses scandal behind us, in order to do that, MPs must accept the report as a whole and simply "get on with it".

Michael White praises the Fees Office. Predictably. Now bashing bankers. Seems lost and bewildered, slipped into Russian. Rambling. Drunk? Kelly "Thank you for that."

10.44: Nick Robinson checking his watch continually, still no question, getting grumpy:

10:45 if the HofC wants to bring itself into modern world families can't be employed. They don't do that "Even in Europe" - great line.

10.46: Sky get the question before BBC. Nick Robinson, steaming.

10.48: Michael White is now heckling from the back, defending MPs. Heavy night?

10.49: HAHAHA

Sunlight Centre

get a question before the BBC. Probably something to do with the

Shadow Kelly

report they published.

Ok Robinson nearly there, he's got the microphone in his hand.... is he going to get the last question as a thanks-for-coming-prize? Shame the TV news channels have already cut away. Very embarrassing for BBC.

10.58: Oh it just gets worse. Kelly handed a piece of paper saying ASK NICK ROBINSON A QUESTION. "I'm told you're looking gumpy Nick". Big bluster all very cringe.

Spot the Bear. It's a wrap folks.

The Big Day

Big day. Very big day. First up we have Sir Christopher Kelly reporting his recommendations for reforming Parliament. This is it boys, this is war. There will be tears, there will be tantrums but you can almost guarantee nearly all of what he recommends will come into force eventually. Many hacks are referring to today as the end of the expenses scandal. This is an extremely naive view though in TB's opinion.

Guido

has already reported a glimpse of what we are about to see once the local press get their teeth stuck in to their MPs in the run up to the election. This isn't the end but it will certainly be a landmark. Things in Westminster will never be the same, and for the better TB hopes.

The bear will be live blogging from the press conference so head this way for about 9.45.

Normally the high point of the political week, PMQs will pale in significance today. Will no doubt be a good one though...

Staying in Westminster TB will also be tapping away live at Cameron's speech about Europe that is at 4pm. Kelly will no doubt dominate the news agenda throughout the day and TB would be extremely surprised if DC pushes the story from the top of the bulletins at 10, maybe at 6. What can we expect from Dave then? Well if glimpses can be seen from Hague and Hannan who did the rounds of political slots last night, we might just get some form of referendum one day. There was much talk of renegotiating the UK's relationship with the EU - fantastic news - TB is willing to put money on the fruits of those labours being put to the country. Or at least promised to be by Cameron today.

Brown will get an earful and rightly so. He is the one that got us into this mess in the first place, and for the likes of Campbell, Bradshaw and Miliband to have a cheap shot about u-turns on referendums they can jog right on. Desperation is an understatement.

So it will be a busy day, but the bear is armed with his laptop, blackberry and a mocha-frappachino.

Let the games begin

Brave Sir Boris

TB is late to

this one,

but couldn't pass without comment:

"Boris Johnson has been hailed as a "knight on a shining bicycle" after he rescued a woman being attacked by a group of young girls."

What a legend.