Fancy a flutter?

Tory Bear trusts the

betting markets

far more than the polls...

Sorry Gordon looks like you won't see another Christmas in Downing St...

Bercow4Speaker

TB spotted this one late but it seems John Bercow is continuing his one man crusade to butter up the left in order to launch a bid to become the next Speaker.

This time

he is praising Harman and calling for positive discrimination. TB can't help bit think for every single vote he picks up on the Labour benches he will be losing one on the tory side...

And let's not forget the voters of Buckingham...

Damage Limitation

So the Labour Student shit has hit the metaphorical fan tonight. Tory Bear's last story has caused a flurry of activity in the normally charming and placid, calm and composed world of student politics at Edinburgh University tonight. As far as Tory Bear can tell there has been outrage in Labour Students and a botched witchhunt was undertaken earlier tonight. There has been outrage elsewhere that this election is defiantly not about Labour, but before anyone forgets - about the staff and students of Edinburgh. 

TB first got wind of the story published earlier tonight from an anonymous tip-off and now it seems after an evening of furious activity aimed at one particular member of the university Labour club, the following statement just pinged into TB's inbox. Deep Throat revealed so to speak:

"I would like to apologise unreservedly to both Labour Students and George Foulkes for comments I made to Tory Bear. I spoke out of line, out of context, and inaccurately represented a friendly conversation I had with a Labour student. I can only apologise if I suggested that the member was put under any pressure, and I further apologise for suggesting any lack of support for George Foulkes within Labour students. It was inaccurate to suggest that any individual put pressure on them. What I should in fact have said was that there was inherent pressure for any labour supporter or student to support the Labour candidate. "

Euan Oliphant 

Edinburgh University 

You can all be the judge on this one.

Owned.

He walks right into the trap... classic stuff!

So which Lord is

next

?

Exclusive: "This isn't about George, or you, it's about the Labour Party"

Tory Bear has said it before and will say it again - the Labour Party from the very top, to the grassroots is in a pretty desperate state of affairs. Now you may have noticed that TB has been focusing somewhat on the Rectorial election at Edinburgh in the last few weeks and though some have suggested this isn't exactly high profile news, one campaign in particular has flagged up some fascinating insight into the inner workings of the Scottish Labour Party. Party elder Lord Foulkes has had a colourful career and is now looking to settle into a cosy retirement as a member of the Edinburgh establishment. However things aren't going exactly to plan. Despite being the first candidate to declare, his campaign has got off to a rocky start and has only began clawing back, in terms of impact, in the last couple of days. The campaign team is dominated by members, past and present, of Labour Students but it seems that not all of them have been fully on board from the beginning. TB's sources tell him that it has taken some serious heavy handed techniques from the highest echelons of the party to whip Foulkes's team into shape. It has come to Tory Bear's attention from sources close to the top of the Foulkes campaign that a particular member of the Labour Students was taken aside in the Scottish Parliament and threatened not only by Foulkes but by Iain Gray, the chaotic leader of the Labour Party in Scotland.

TB understands that the individual in question, though a very active member of Labour Students was not happy to support Foulkes as he did not agree with his voting record or outlook on key issues. However Mr Gray can be quiet persuasive it seems: "It'd be a shame if you're career ended here" he apparently said, adding "George is very important in Scotland, and he has a long memory..." The individual in question, for the sake of their career, has now bitten the bullet and is signed up to the campaign under sufferance. No doubt "This isn't about George, or you, it's about the Labour Party" can be a forceful message when whispered in your ear by the Leader of the Party.

As one would expect Gray's not so charming gate keeper denied the story as "nonsense" but there was a slightly more chaotic and nervous reaction from Foulkes's office when TB put this story to them earlier today. (This is what happens when you employ students to run your office, as is seemingly the case with Foulkes's continued employment of Matt McPherson, his campaign manager. If that isn't the case then TB wonders what Mr McPherson is doing answering the phones in an MSPs office.) However both Gray's office and Foulke's henchmen refused go as far as to call TB's source a liar. McPherson stated "I can categorically assure you that no one from within George's Rectorial campaign team has ever issued a threat to anyone." but gave no comment on whether anyone above the level of student team, someone such as Mr Gray had been involved...

Foulkes expected to walk this election for Rector and now that things are not going his way he is calling in favours from his high powered colleagues. The quotes may be dismissed because they are anonymous but Tory Bear is protecting someone who, having been threatened before, isn't too keen on rocking the boat too much. TB is however willing to vouch for the authenticity of the source and has spent the last 24 hours checking out the story. For the leader of the Scottish Labour Party to be putting a bit of stick about, to be bullying members half his age and twice his integrity shows once again just how stale and tired and nasty the Labour Party has become.

He told the BBC that he and his wife were "living the grime scene"

It seems Iain Dale's old North Norfolk rival, Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb is down with the kids. His son is a

music producer

and Lamb has

mortgaged his house

to help out the blossoming career of grime artist "Tinchy Styder"

The scene that is more associated with crack and the odd pistol, rather than MPs turning up to gigs in suits, has been a bit of an eye opener for Norman. Dismissing the criticism of the grime scene he said "Inevitably there's a diversity within grime or urban music. There's stuff that is accessible and there's stuff that's not. Sometimes the lyrics in urban music are quite challenging, but there's other stuff that's really good and clever."

Well that settles it then. Brup.

L is for Labour...

Further to TB's story earlier about Labour spinning the campus newspaper's polling it seems that their cyber team have been

hard at work

:

20 votes in one hour... who are you kidding Kez?

It's funny that the Labour campaign has been picking up today given what Tory Bear has heard about some strong arming going on from the most intriguing of places...

Here's a political hot potato... catch!

Tory Bear has had a busy couple of days, including fun and games yesterday with the Young Britons' Foundation heading up north. As part of their nationwide tour training activists up and down the country, YBF took the Scottish Parliament by storm yesterday afternoon...

With intensive media training, a very sound chat with Murdo Fraser (mid budget negotiations,) and the best dressed activists in the country the day was a great success.

The drinks flowed late into the night and Edinburgh University's Tories are now fully prepared to face the big wide media world. If you would like YBF to come to your campus then TB recommends you get in touch with

YBF

asap. 

How Labour would like polls to be conducted...

The race to become the next Rector of Edinburgh University is hotting, no warming up at a gentle pace. There are still a few weeks to go yet Galloway is out and about at the moment. Last night he led a protest outside the BBC Scotland HQ that TB happened to be next to at the time, more on that later, but it was essentially about twenty people, pretty pitiful really! Today he is doing the rounds of lectures theatres on the hour, pumping his unique brand of vile and disgusting, yet ultimately brilliant oratory into hungover 1st year undergrads barely awake in their 10am lectures.

While Galloway and Foulkes are all set to destroy each other, the more moderate candidate, political pundit,

Iain MacWhirter

seems to be hoovering up support left, right and centre based on the fact he is the only local candidate, living closer to the university than TB and is the only candidate who will actually have the time and commitment to be a working Rector - dealing with the students and staff he is elected to represent. While not everyone may agree with everything MacWhirter is standing for, there is something for everyone in his manifesto and he has been out and about every day rather than the fleeting visits of moonlighting politicians. The fact his name is not George is also helping.

Things aren't looking too good for ol'thumper though. Lord George Foulke's

campaign

is rumoured to be somewhat in disarray and this message, intercepted by TB, from the campaign manager (Foulke's paid Chief of Staff, nice work if you can get it!) to campaigners, shows just how manipulative the old Labour bunch get when they are under pressure:

TB bets that the grown up Labour Party would love to be able to manipulate the polls like this lot, but sadly that's not how the real world works now is it! Surely it would be more useful for the Foulkes team to stop and think about why they are so far behind in the polls (Foulkes's pro-war, pro-tuition fees, pro-Labour brown nosing and criminal record isn't resonating too well with the students,) instead of trying to spin their way into looking more successful than they really are.


In the end they are only kidding themselves and TB has a feeling the name association and painful yet true celeb appeal of Galloway, coupled with the genuine appeal of MacWhirter could force old folksy Foulkes into a dismal third place...

The joke is over...

This report

has been bouncing around blogs all morning but TB can't quite believe that Gordon was apparently in tears when he was begging his backbenchers to vote with him on Heathrow expansion yesterday. Along with reports of a

little accident

at a press conference last week, this is really too much. It's not a joke anymore about Gordon's marbles, there is a very real danger that the Prime Minister is not up for the job and his condition is hindering his government.

PMs should lead, not sob in front of their backbenchers...

Scary stuff!

Dolly bleats on...

The LabourList legal statement

says:

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How then does Dolly justify the innuendo and potential slander

this comment

?

He refuses to go into detail and instead hides behind Guido, a man and blog he has often berated. LabourList is a ridiculous website. It claimed it was there to help the Labour Party have an internal conversation but has just turned into a rubbish, badly designed, bitchy, tory hating, Labour love in. Where there is a serious need for somewhere for Labour to discuss just how the hell they are going to attempt to get out of the dire situation they are now in, (as

GoFourth

is proving,) LabourList won't be it while it focuses on the opposition. Instead of being a critical friend to the government it is constantly on the attack. Look in the mirror for heaven's sake! Gordon Brown is now behaving as if he is leader of the opposition and refusing to defend his own record, merely attacking DC and co and is seems Dolly is only too keen to help him do that.

If you have something to say about Lord Strathclyde and his actions in the House of Lords then say it Dolly, if not then don't drag him into your party's horrible sleazy quagmire...

Lib Dems getting desperate?

Labour are heading for electoral disaster and as much as the Lib Dems would like to hoover up some of the disillusioned voters, they are thank fully heading straight for Dave. However desperate they are getting though, invoking the conflict in Gaza for election literature in a London Borough by-election shows just how low the Lib Dems are willing to stoop...

Hat-Tip

Harry Phibbs

A lesson in DJ wizardry...

Cheeky sod

Machiavelli

has been raving about the Faye Lawson Mash-Up of DJ Tata's Spring Breeze that samples Obama since New Year's Eve. Ever the fan of a mash up, in every sense of the word, he has now managed to track it down, apparently to show TB how these things are really done...



Perfect way to start your Monday morning...

Carlsberg don't do Parliamentry sleaze, but if they did...

Just when Gordon's weekend couldn't get any worse, the news

has broken

in the last hour of yet more personal data losses. So the Labour government is incompetent as well as corrupt. The fact that a few shady Tory MPs took a couple of dirty twenty pound notes in brown envelopes for asking the odd question in the dying days of the Major government, while inexcusable, has been eclipsed by the news that Labour Peers are accepting hundreds of thousands of pounds to physically CHANGE THE LAW in the interests of their clients.

Labour don't do sleaze in half measures. It's never some crumpled fivers slipped under the table its eye-watering sums in return for absolute pure corruption. Under Labour you can donate a million quid and be exempt from advertising laws, donate to some education policy and get a peerage and a ladyship for the Mrs... and now the news that if you want to change the law, sod lobbying the Commons - just bung a old Peer anything from 30 to 120k and bob's your uncle...

When a Tory does his job and exposes the government for lying he gets his home and office searched and is arrested... These Labour peers should have exactly the same done to them. The Green treatment should be invoked by the Met first thing tomorrow morning. These Peers should be dragged kicking and screaming from the Parliamentry Estate by their overfilled boots.

This government is corrupt to the very core. The Labour Party, from the grass roots to the very top, stinks of greed and lacks an ounce of the morality and equality that name once apparently stood for.

Shame on them.

People 1: Government 0

You wouldn't know it if you relied on the BBC website as the source of all your news but fall out from the global economic downturn has brought down it's first government. The normally placid people of Iceland, a country that has just a hundred people in prison, 700 police officers and the most notorious bankers in the world, have

risen up

against their government forcing resignations at the very top. As

other bloggers

have highlighted, this isn't your usual lefty rent-a-mob protesters but desperate citizens rising up against the state. They weren't trashing Starbucks or private businesses but instead targeting government institutions and the police.

Despite the BBC and co attempting to stop the people of Britain getting any ideas, these riots have spread across Europe. TB wonders just how long before the frustration and pain the British people feel will turn to anger...

People shouldn't be afraid of their governments... you know the rest.

The curious case of Carla Jones...

A few weeks ago TB got a Facebook friend request from someone he had never heard of, this isn't unusual as most of his readers that add him are people he has never met. However the fact that Miss Carla Jones had no photos, no interests other than than Party related groups and was only friends with a plethora of tory PPCs led this bear to be rather suspicious. Other members raised their concerns about this mysterious woman who no one had heard of yet was adding everyone. Well to cut a long story short, this morning the CCHQ press office had a tip off that Carla Jones was in fact a not so elaborate ploy to sniff out dirt on tories from their Facebook profiles. Who was behind all this? Well the Daily Mirror of course.

Luckily it seems most people now have rather sensibly updated their security settings and think twice now about what they post on Facebook for the world to see. Not long ago the Mirror attempted to infiltrate CCHQ but got busted with IP addresses being traced and it seems their underhanded tactics have back fired once again.

The whole affair smacks of desperation.

More on that NUS stuff...

After the fun and games at the the NUS conference on Tuesday, most people are once again reminded what a useless waste of time the National Union of Students really is. With the hard left storming the stage and generally making a tit out of themselves in an anti-Israel protest the Labour Student leaders and other factions (who are funded and supported the

Union of Jewish Students

,) were quick to attempt to stamp out the trouble.

The World of JR

, though a little too pro-NUS for TB's taste, has more. 

However despite the Conservative Future national executive rejecting plans to lead an escalation in coordinated CF involvement with the NUS, it seems some of the more pro-members are looking to get more involved. TB has been chatting to KCL tory and blogger

Benjamin Gray

about his bid to get elected onto the NUS block of 15 at the main conference in April.

Benjamin said: " I feel the National Union of Students has for too long distracted itself from the real issues affecting students. Students risk being clamped in a pincer of recession and uncapped fees, and it is imperative that the NUS lead the way in supporting those students most at risk.  Spending hours debating the blunter points of foreign policy is a luxury we can no longer afford.  Where once it was an annoyance, at moments like these it is utterly irresponsible.

I am running to oppose those who would see our union derailed and divided in petty campaigns to stir up tensions on campus. I am running to help rebuild a national union that can both campaign in public and lobby in private, wielding real influence and commanding authority. I am running for an NUS that offers real leadership, not empty rhetoric and tired slogans.  I want to be part of an NUS at the heart of education policy, engaging with students at all levels, rather than just talking to itself."

TB is not entirely sure what one man can do and without a couple of grand and a coordinated strategy to stand in all the posistions TB can't see CF making much of a dent on the NUS - especially now that the passed Governance Review has basically muted minority parties, but he wishes Benjamin and any other tories planning on standing the best of luck.

Detail of how to nominate Benjamin can be found

here.

Obomber

It is being

reported

Obama has taken part in his first military action. An unmanned drone bomber killed 7 people on the Pakistan/Afghan border. The fact that the attack was on the the Pakistani side of the border means it has to have been an executive order from the Commander in Chief. 

TB wonders if President Obama might be rather hawkish after all...

Farewell Credit Crunch

So there it is

, the official news that the Pope is a Catholic and the British economy has entered into a recession. Now before you have a go at TB and jump on him in the comments for celebrating this fact, there is a just one silver lining to this latest development. The ridiculous expression "Credit Crunch" can now be consigned to the dustbin of history. Invented by a journo and irritatingly overheard on buses, in Starbucks, class rooms and trade floors across the world for the last eighteen months, it has become the most ridiculous buzz word that everyone knew secretly meant the R word. 

Thank goodness we can just call it by it's real name now.

Free Douglas

The Standard

and

Iain Dale

are reporting this lunchtime that the rights' answer to Michael Moore, Douglas Murray, the author of

"Neo-Conservatism: Why We Need It

" and chief of the

Centre for Social Cohesion

has been banned from speaking at LSE. Douglas has been a big hit on Question Time and campuses around the country and can often be found entertaining young tories in the Carlton late into the night. His refreshing style and fearless attitude has got him into trouble before but for a university to attempt to gag him with the classic line about public safety is deeply concerning.

Tory Bear has lots of eyes and ears around LSE who have been reporting in the last year or so about just how eye-watering the extremism of the left is becoming on campus, but this is a step too far. He was meant to be chairing a debate on the merits of Liberalism against Islam and it seems the LSE has pandered to the hard left in stopping things kicking off in what was likely to be a lively evening...

Fact Checking...

ConservativeHome are running a series of posts at the moment discussing possible candidates to be given peerages under a tory government. It seems the

excellent suggestion

of National Convention head honcho Don Porter has given a certain elected CF official the perfect excuse for a bit of brown nosing...

Might want to check your facts though Owen. Don Porter is not and has never been an MP- did you even read the post?

Champagne Swampies

You may remember Tory Bear going after the PlaneStupid eco-rahs a while back. Now Sister Bear has given them two barrels in a this week's Spectator. My Lords, Ladies and Gentleman welcome to the age of the

Champagne Swampies

...

"Chief among the Champagne Swampies is Tamsin Omond (Westminster, Cambridge, daughter of a baronet), the Heathrow protest pin-up and founder of Plane Stupid. In her wake follow other equally glamorous Swampies: actresses like Miranda Richardson and Emma Thompson; then the pop-star contingent headed by Chrissie Hynde.

They’re the rich, often famous or aristocratic eco-activists who found a purpose in life saving the world from global warming, and as the recession eats away at less affluent people’s green resolutions, they’re becoming ever more noticeable."

Rhythm of the night...

Now TB has taken a lot of stick in the last year for not being Obama's biggest fan but he can't resist one more crack at him. Now this isn't an ideological thing, or an unwarranted attack but TB just wants to throw this out there...

He really cannot dance.

The British public rejects socialism.

Trot thug Tommy Sheridan has failed to win yet another election. Tommy was tonight booted off "celebrity" Big Brother... Shame.

The boos that greeted Tommy as he left were fantastic.

Most compelling evidence yet...

Tory Bear has often wondered why Obama had his Superman complex but the fact yesterday he was indeed bullet proof must be his best claim to the title yet.

He was

apparently

wearing a custom made bullet proof suit made by the Colombian designer Miguel Caballero. The fabric is seven times more flexible than a Kevlar vest and can stop a shot from a 9mm revolver.

That is pretty cool!

NUS shambles.

He would happily have chewed of his paw than have to sit through another NUS extraordinary conference in Wolverhampton, but word is reaching Tory Bear from various hacks that today's conference has been hijacked by Student Respect. They have have taken over the stage in a protest about Gaza and are apparently refusing to sit down and generally being very naughty.

Update: Apparently the trots went wild and stormed the stage, bringing procedings to a somewhat aprupt end. The Governance Review vote was pushed forward and passed. NUS reform is finally done.

Thanks to

Benjamin Gray

for the photo.

+++ Developing +++

Barry's big day...

Obama trounced McCain. It was inevitable and Tory Bear is over it. Regardless of his own political beliefs the inauguration of Barack Obama will be a pretty incredible thing to watch and TB has a six back of Bud cooling in the fridge. Washington is preparing for its $170 million party and the world is waiting with baited breath.

Just in case anyone thought it was all inauguration balls and dancing in the streets today, from Noon there, 5pm here Obama is the leader of the free world and let's take a peak at some of things he promised in order to get himself through the door:

• Close Guantanamo Bay -
  June 2007
• “Unrestricted rights” regarding travel and money remittances to Cuba -
  August 2007
• Stand firm against CAFTA -
  August 2007
• Remove all troops from Iraq -
  October 2007
  - Broken
  December 2008
• Face-to-face talks with Iran -
  November 2007
• Amend NAFTA -
  December 2007
• No action against Iran without Congressional approval -
  December 2007
• Get our troops out by end of 2009 -
  January 2008
• No permanent bases in Iraq -
  January 2008
• Unshakable support for Israel -
  May 2008
• Giving Israel $30 billion in aid -
  June 2008
• Switching focus to Pakistan -
  July 2008
• Switching focus to Afghanistan -
  July 2008

• Universal health care by end of first term -
  May 2007
• Ethics reform (restrictions on lobbying) -
  June 2007
• Merit pay for teachers -
  July 2007
• Sign Freedom of Choice Act -
  July 2007
• Net neutrality -
  October 2007
• Lobbyists “won’t work in my White House” -
  December 2007
  - Broken
  November 2008
• Health care benefits for vets -
  December 2007
• Financial aid to homeowners ($10 billion) -
  January 2008
• Credit card bill of rights -
  January 2008
• Will create searchable earmarks website -
  February 2008
• No public financing -
  February 2008
  - Broken
  October 2008
• Small business support -
  February 2008
• Gay employment bill -
  April 2008
• Raise cap on payroll tax for 3% of earners over $102,000 -
  April 2008
• Raise $97K cap on payroll tax exempting earnings under $250K -
  April 2008
• Roll back Bush tax cuts -
  April 2008
  - In jeopardy
  November 2008
• Regulating oil industry (Enron loop) -
  June 2008
• Helping college student loans (a $4,000 tax credit to help pay tuition and fees in exchange for 100 hours of community service. The campaign said the program would cost $10 billion a year) -
  June 2008
• $10 billion for early childhood education -
  June 2008
• 10% “universal mortgage credit” to homeowners who don’t itemize on their tax return -
  June 2008
• $150 billion a year for ten years to reduce dependency on foreign oil -
  June 2008
• Give American mayors more spending (”National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank” at a cost of $60 billion over 10 years) -
  June 2008
• Windfall profits tax -
  July 2008
  - Broken
  December 2008
• No NASA cuts -
  August 2008
• 1 Million Plug-in Hybrids by 2015 -
  August 2008
• Shuttle after 2010 -
  August 2008
• $1000 energy rebates -
  August 2008
• Will go line by line to check for unnecessary spending -
  September 2008
• Tax cuts for 95% of Americans, anyone under $75,000
  October 2008
• Not a single tax increase for Americans making under $250,000 -
  October 2008
• Raise minimum wage to $9.50 -
  November 2008
• 2.5 million jobs by January 2011 -
  November 2008
• Appoint Republicans to Cabinet -
  November 2008
  - Kept
  December 2008
• No smoking in White House -
  December 2008
• Taxes done in less than five minutes -
  No date

Better get to work straight away Mr President...

Hat-Tip to the

allamericanblogger

for keeping the list updated.

Liberal? Democrat

Most of the younger Liberal Democrats Tory Bear comes across are normally quite decent people who are basically tories but can't seem to stomach going blue - far from the bearded and sandal wearing grassroots image of a Lib Dem activist. Every so often, however, he comes across a real odious little "liberal" bastard that makes the most cringe worthy of tory boys seem like Cameroonian miniatures. It's even more wounding when they decide it would be a good idea to take up video-blogging...

James Harrison proudly

boasts

he is the vice-chairman of Glasgow University Liberal Democrats and the campaigns and publicity officer for Liberal Youth Scotland. Well he is not doing a very good PR job in the bigoted and ignorant rant below. He opens with a corker about the two things that annoy him - gay Conservatives and the SNP...



James, or Jammy as he is apparently known to his friends, goes on to slag off LGBTory - the Conservatives official gay rights movement that has been personally endorsed by DC, Boris and other shadow cabinet big wigs, (TB will get round to writing about the reshuffle as some point FYI.) The organisation has over 300 members and plenty more supporters within the party and as Anastasia Beaumont-Bott, its head honcho, said when TB ran this video past her a moment ago - "I don't remember seeing any representation from the Scottish Lib Dems at last years Pride Scotia, or even the Lib Dems at Pride London. LGBTory exists not to create further divisions but to remind people you do not need to be gay to fight homophobia."

While it may seem like a good idea to bash the Tories again and again over Section 28, maybe "Jammy" should get his own house in order first. It's fair to say that LGBTory is the only gay movement within any of the political parties that is actually doing anything and actually registering on the radar with young members of the LGBT community. James asks "Why would you be a Conservative and gay? They hate you!" well Jammy, TB has news for you, Conservatives believe in freedom and right to live the life you want to lead, so it makes perfect sense that the Party is the natural home for anyone who wants to subscribe to that ideal.

As for his borderline homophobic comments well TB will let you be the judges on that one. Gay Christians also come under fire in his close minded little world... Wait for the classic at the end where he claims because he is a liberal he won't just slag you off because he disagrees with you politically. Hang on a sec, if this isn't Jammy slagging something off then hell hath no fury if you really piss him off!

What a horrible little man.

conservativefuture.com

TB has been a busy bear in the last week so apologies for the lack of blogging. Just catching up on emails and it seems a shiny new Conservative Future

website

has now gone live. This has been in the pipeline for awhile now and congratulations to Richard Jackson for chasing CCHQ to give the website address back to CF and for over seeing the new site.

Another old Face(book)

They must be taking this whole let's get online thing very seriously over in the red camp. Which old face has suddenly appeared on Facebook in the last couple of days?

Well if it isn't the King of Spin himself! His wall says he is planning on attending the European elections in May.

TB wonders in what capacity!?

Tony Hart 1925 - 2009

Having been away from the computer for most of the weekend Tory Bear was saddened to hear the news that Tony Hart had died. Smart Hart is one of the iconic children's television programs of this bear's generation and Hart's career spanned more than fifty years.

Who could forget this cheeky mashup:

Image: B3ta

Reach for the Stars...

Student hack Oliver Mundell (son of the Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland,) is a big force on campus and is branching out in new ways to help students.

Here he is discussing how to cut the cost of student life with Bradley from S-Club 7 who played in the Edinburgh Union last night. Given that Bradley is still touring as S-Club 3 and even stole his glass from the bar he is clearly a man who knows how to deal with living on a tight budget.

London launches with a bang...

TB is rather annoyed he couldn't make it to last night's launch of

London Conservative Future

... By all accounts it was a wicked night with over 200 people coming along and high profile guests Eric Pickles, Mark Field, Andrew Rosindell, Liam Fox and Ed Hallam entertaining the crowds.

Take note Lib Dems

. This is how you launch a movement and throw a damn good party.

Want to ask Dave a question?

In a new inititve DC will be taking questions at the first ever online policy launch. Head over

here

at 1.30 to check it out...

Won't get that on LabourList!

Do you suffer from B.B.C?

Do not click

here

if you are of a nervous disposition, are eating or drinking, are easily offended, intellectually insecure or live in Hastings.

TB smells bacon.

It was billed as the students of Scotland rising up against the the tyranny of Israel. The socialists were there, as were the hippies, as were two very sinister looking chaps dressed up in full Hamas gear, but in the end the Edinburgh University on campus Gaza protest was a bit of a damp squid. 60-80 unwashed hippies turned out with some pretty half hearted chanting, meanwhile streams of students poured past the protest barely batting an eyelid and in doing so gave their tacit consent to Israel's quest for a sustainable peace in the middle east.

Eight police vans and a mobile CCTV unit, as well as the press, nearly out numbered the students. Instead of removing illegal masks or dealing with the menacing behaviour of said Hamas clad activists, who was it that came the closest to being collared by the law? Well the tiny minority of pro-Israeli students that were quietly watching. TB and a few friends stood quietly on the sidelines as the mentalists raged against a global Jewish conspiracy and when one person chose to display a simple but effective Palestinian flag with the words "Fuck Hamas" written on it, the police had a hissy fit. Grassed in to the law by the guy running George Galloway's rector campaign an argument about free speech soon erupted between TB and co and some very gruff coppers. Apparently it was this that was breaching the peace and not the hoard of terrorist loving scumbags that were yelling outside a library.

Lothian and Borders police should be ashamed of themselves. In response to TB's suggestion that freedom of expression was apparently still alive and well in this country, PC plod replied - "well I don't like swearing." Since when was the law in this country determined by the will of an individual copper?

Pathetic answer.

A goat amoungst wolves...

John Bercow was one of the few tories deluded enough to fall for Gordon's Government of all the Talents banter in the summer of 2007 and although it seems he was forgiven for joining Gordo's big tent, it seems he is up to his old tricks again.

According to today's

must read article

in the Mail by Quentin Letts, Bercow wants to be the next Speaker and is buttering up Labour MPs in the overture to some sort of campaign.

TB wonders what the fine people of Buckingham have to say about his siding with Labour?

Rules of Political Life #76 - Never get on a Segway

If you ever needed proof that blogging Labour MP Tom Watson was a bit of a pillock then look no further...

Well it didn't do Lembit any harm... Oh wait.

A spineless party...

As some of you may know three years ago Boris Johnson stood for Rector of Edinburgh University. All was looking good until Labour Students and the People and Planet trots who controlled the student council broke with the 200 years tradition and charity laws by using student union funds to campaign against Boris to the tune of thousands of pounds for the "Don't wake up with a dumb blonde campaign." These funds were justified apparently because of Boris's pro top up fees stance. Fast forward to this years campaign and last night's student council meeting where the idea of funding a campaign was rejected. Details can be found

here

but what really tickled TB was who was leading the charge against using union funds? Labour Students of course!

Their candidate this year is Lord George Foulkes famous for being in various parliaments for twenty five years yet seemingly unable to hold down a front bench job despite having one of the most loyal party voting records ever. Punching people didn't do John Prescott any harm but seems Foulkes was forced to fall on his sword after his little

hiccup

. He has voted in favour of top up fees on more than one occasion and yet despite their seemingly unwavering devotion to NUS and apparent anti top up fees stance Labour Students have decided to throw the full weight of their once very effective election machine behind Foulkes. They used the student council for financial gain against Boris and they used it last night to make sure the same treatment wasn't given to them. The levels of their opportunism is staggering and they have as much spine as the government they represent.

Now don't get TB wrong, he doesn't think that student unions should be spending students money on such matters but he chose to abstain last night because as much as he would have liked to see LS left with mud on their faces when the union conducted an anti-Foulkes campaign, he is not a hypocrite and has been one of the most vocal opponents to such action being taken. Labour Students are not the force they once were on campus and after 12 years of this rotten government the brand is very tainted. TB gets on personally rather well with some members, especially some of the more right-wing ones, but it's times like these where their true political colours come through and their unwavering tribal devotion that really irritates him. Even in the face of moral dilemmas and looking like hypocrites they will still always go with the option that apparently best helps their party.

They are the perfect microcosm of the higher echelons of the Labour Party and seemingly have no shame...

Make some noise...

It's rare that TB and his blogging flatmate end up sharing a story but

Noise Porn

, an underground repetative beat mongering site has an interesting call to arms today:

"It has been brought to our attention that the UK government wants to make it a legal requirement in the new tax year to introduce laws insisting anyone applying or re-applying for an entertainment license must have a noise control device fitted to their venue. This will be the final nail in the coffin for clubs (and live music venues too), as the level at which these devices cut off is pretty low, suspected to be 93dB.

If you like to hear music the way it’s meant to be heard and you believe that the government has now place to tell us otherwise, sign this petition now!"

Get involved.