Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Nicol ‘who?’ Stephen's Amnesia Returns
It appears that Nicol ‘who?’ Stephen, the Deputy First Minister of Scotland has promised that the LibDems would mount a ‘major onslaught on red tape’.
Well Squealer seems to recall that Nicol has had quite a few years in which to do that. After all he was in charge of the Enterprise portfolio. I guess he is a bit forgetful. Or maybe it is just LibDem ‘hypocrisy taken to new heights’. Squealer certainly leans towards the latter. Looks like he's got a lot of work to do before May.
"I promise to do things that I could have done a real long time ago when I was in charge of those sorts of things. Serious. I will. Why are you laughing? Don't you know who I am!?"
Monday, March 26, 2007
The £2.4 million question that won't go away
A very interesting post in Iain Dale's Diary which rather undermines the Fibs saying Michael Brown no longer has anything to do with them.
Old Porridge wonders how they'll answer this little one when it comes up in future interviews. Particular Mr Ed Davey who's taken up a peculiar interest in other parties funding arrangements.
Old Porridge wonders how they'll answer this little one when it comes up in future interviews. Particular Mr Ed Davey who's taken up a peculiar interest in other parties funding arrangements.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Brown Scandal Returns to Haunt LibDems
If the LibDems thought that the Michael Brown scandal had gone away this morning's Times will have given them a jolt. A pensioner is claiming that the £155,000 he gave to Michael Brown to invest for him, actually ended up in LibDem coffers. It has also emerged that the LibDems' second biggest donor, Paul Strasburger, is funding Michael Brown's legal fees. The stories are HERE and HERE. Meanwhile the Electoral Commission investigation into the admissability of Brown's loan awaits the verdict of the City of London Police.Not, of course, that this has anything to do with the LibDems at all. No, Sirree. Never let it be said. Whiter than white. Yellower than yellow [enough - ed].
The Fibs proposed alternative to the House of Lords did not meet with approval
Friday, March 23, 2007
Lies Taking Their Toll?
Iain Smith and Andrew Arbuckle have been in favour of bridge tolls and then against them in a bid to save their political hides.
Tavish Scott, however, has consistently been in favour of bridge tolls.
Imagine, therefore, our surprise to learn that Tavish has been appointed to the position of national campaign manager by the Lib Dems.
One wonders what the position of the Liberals will be on the issue of bridge tolls...
"Some people face that way, some people face the other way, but Liberal Democrats face both ways."*
* - with apologies to Ray Bolger.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Rocket Man Rennie
It seems like Willie (Wil-lie) Rennie has secured a victory!
The MoD are going to ban the two kinds of cluster munitions, the RBL 755 aerial delivered cluster munition and the Multi launch Rocket System M26 munition.
You see, Raytheon had a very big hand in making the Multi launch Rocket System. The very same system that fires the cluster munitions and the very same company Willie's PR firm used to work for. I wonder if Rennie will return for another visit to the Raytheon factory that is outside of his constituency anytime soon?
This just keeps getting better. Shame on you Wil-lie. Shame on you indeed.
This just keeps getting better. Shame on you Wil-lie. Shame on you indeed.
Willie assured his fello fibs that this Raytheon Rocket Launcher's arsenal was cut by half...and now only used for peace
Monday, March 19, 2007
Did Somebody Mention Pots and Kettles?
So, Malcolm Bruce decided to launch a broadside against the SNP for accepting a £500,000 donation from Brian Souter, the Stagecoach magnate.
Lib Dem election campaign chairman Malcolm Bruce said: "The nationalists should be utterly ashamed to take money from a man who put £500,000 into his own personal homophobic campaign. What kind of party is the SNP?"
While we don't necessarily agree with Mr Souter's personal or political opinions here at Fib Dem Towers, we cannot help but feel slightly bemused at this line of attack.
After all, Mr Souter has never been sent to prison for committing fraud.
Nor has he ever run one of his companies into the ground, leaving its workforce without pensions.
What kind of party would accept money from people with those sort of backgrounds?
Lib Dem election campaign chairman Malcolm Bruce said: "The nationalists should be utterly ashamed to take money from a man who put £500,000 into his own personal homophobic campaign. What kind of party is the SNP?"
While we don't necessarily agree with Mr Souter's personal or political opinions here at Fib Dem Towers, we cannot help but feel slightly bemused at this line of attack.
After all, Mr Souter has never been sent to prison for committing fraud.
Nor has he ever run one of his companies into the ground, leaving its workforce without pensions.
What kind of party would accept money from people with those sort of backgrounds?
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Radiant Lib-Dems Suffer major Fallout
Squealer couldn’t wait for the Trident vote last night, and crikey, he wasn’t disappointed. It seems that we here at FibDems are not alone in spotting the absurd, ambiguous and non-sensical Lib Dem position on replacing the nuclear detterent.
The First up was Tony, who given an all too regular soft-ball from Minger responded:
We are set to reduce the number of warheads, but it is absurd to say that we can somehow put off the question of whether we take a decision now on this concept and design phase.
Therefore, we cannot put this decision off; we have to take it now. I recall that a few days ago, the right hon. and learned Gentleman said on this issue,
“I will not sit on the fence.”
I am afraid that “on the fence” is exactly where he is, and as I think that he will find, it is not a very comfortable place to be.
The First up was Tony, who given an all too regular soft-ball from Minger responded:
We are set to reduce the number of warheads, but it is absurd to say that we can somehow put off the question of whether we take a decision now on this concept and design phase.
Therefore, we cannot put this decision off; we have to take it now. I recall that a few days ago, the right hon. and learned Gentleman said on this issue,
“I will not sit on the fence.”
I am afraid that “on the fence” is exactly where he is, and as I think that he will find, it is not a very comfortable place to be.
Fence-sitting? Liberals!? NEVER
Opening the debate proper was the Rt. Hon Margaret Beckett. She took no time to assail the Fibs:
…There is therefore no evidence whatever for the notion that if we defer this decision, that will somehow magically produce a different response from other players than we have had hitherto. I simply say to him—I apologise if I am offending anybody in the House in saying it—that there are only two credible positions to take today: you are either in favour of this decision or you are against it. The notion that there is an excuse that allows people to get out of the problem today and return to it later is, frankly, escapology.
Well what is it Fibs? Yes or No or of course MAYBE. Now on the case of the Fib’s “expert advice”:
…The claim is made that those proposals are based on expert analysis, but nothing whatever has been done to explain either whom the experts were or what the analysis was
Fibs without any real evidence? I simply do not believe it. The Tories didn’t want to miss the show either. Dr. Fox got a good salvo off in his closing remarks:
The time scale was the fig leaf used by the Liberal Democrats to disguise their utter confusion and division on the issue. The intellectual spaghetti dished up by the Liberal Democrat spokesman reminded us of the difference between parties that have to confront the realities of government and those that are merely interested observers on the sidelines… I cannot help but feel that the delay that the Liberal Democrats propose is only to cover the fact that they cannot muster the political courage to face up to this most crucial decision. Today they were revealed at their most pathetic.
Well Doc, I couldn’t agree more! A classic fence-sitting, totally ambiguous and politically suicidal position from the Fibs – We love it!
Opening the debate proper was the Rt. Hon Margaret Beckett. She took no time to assail the Fibs:
…There is therefore no evidence whatever for the notion that if we defer this decision, that will somehow magically produce a different response from other players than we have had hitherto. I simply say to him—I apologise if I am offending anybody in the House in saying it—that there are only two credible positions to take today: you are either in favour of this decision or you are against it. The notion that there is an excuse that allows people to get out of the problem today and return to it later is, frankly, escapology.
Well what is it Fibs? Yes or No or of course MAYBE. Now on the case of the Fib’s “expert advice”:
…The claim is made that those proposals are based on expert analysis, but nothing whatever has been done to explain either whom the experts were or what the analysis was
Fibs without any real evidence? I simply do not believe it. The Tories didn’t want to miss the show either. Dr. Fox got a good salvo off in his closing remarks:
The time scale was the fig leaf used by the Liberal Democrats to disguise their utter confusion and division on the issue. The intellectual spaghetti dished up by the Liberal Democrat spokesman reminded us of the difference between parties that have to confront the realities of government and those that are merely interested observers on the sidelines… I cannot help but feel that the delay that the Liberal Democrats propose is only to cover the fact that they cannot muster the political courage to face up to this most crucial decision. Today they were revealed at their most pathetic.
Well Doc, I couldn’t agree more! A classic fence-sitting, totally ambiguous and politically suicidal position from the Fibs – We love it!
Thursday, March 08, 2007
A charge sheet?
A few months old but still an example of the type of duplicitous campaigning we can expect in the months ahead as they fail to tell voters the true position:
Hat tip to the Crazy World of Politics
Fibdems would be more than grateful for more recent examples to show what fibs they are telling voters now.Sunday, August 20, 2006
Lib Dem's shoddy campaigning style
This is a little look at why every time we have an election I get particuarly angry with the lib dems. This is especially for Cllr Luke who really can't stand them and Tom who made the point when discussing the tax plans that we didn't absolutely have to detest the lib dems.
To start . . . one of the worst leaflets ever
This is taken from Antonia's blog. It was used in a recent by election. To paraphrase I think it is an absolute disgrace, I'll explain why later.
This beats the send Bush and Blair a message leaflets from May. We're all used to the Lib Dems shameless campaigning tactics when they are in opposition; but this takes things to a new level. At the time in Oxford they were in control. Do they really have no achievements to tell people about? Do they really not care about local services. And I'm sorry but the Middle East is not Iraq, this isn't a general election and it certainly isn't an issue to score cheap party political points over. I'm sick of them fighting local elections on wholly irrelevant issues. Incidentally labour won.
Lib Dems say one thing in Chester and another thing in Bromley
This was taken from Iain Dale's blog and the Chester anti lib dem site. It just had to be aired because although I have posted on that by election before, the tactics used by the lib dems were vicious, personal and didn't have the slightest thing to do with policy.A leaflet put out in Chester contained the following statement:
'Lib Dems do not believe it matters where a candidate lives but how committed they are to the area they wish to represent.'
Well thats not what you were saying in Bromley when you put this leaflet out.
Its just complete hypocrisy from a party who when it comes to campaigning have no principles.
Lib dems lie in Scotland as well . . . .This leaflet put out in Scotland was taken from ridiculous politics.
It is insinuating that the Lib Dem candidate will get the decision to turn down an application for a motorway junction overturned.
However the junction was actually turned down by the Lib Dem transport minister, Tavish Scot.
Dunfermeline and West Fife all over again. Idiots.
Hat tip to the Crazy World of Politics
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
There by the Grace of God...
...goes Ed Davey.
Has anyone reminded him that the only party with a Major donor in prison is this one?
Has anyone reminded him that the only party with a Major donor in prison is this one?
Old habits died hard for Ed as he desperately wanted people to believe he was winning the cup here
Lies upon lies
It would seem that Ming's speech and it's briefing has caused some real heartache in the Fibs as Iain Dale imparts here:
It couldn't happen to a nicer party and the others are laughing all the way to the ballot bank. Labour squeezed them in 1997 as they gave these hints and the others will just say a FibDem vote is now a Labour vote.
Ming's claims that he was on the phone were taken with a pinch of salt
So we had the usual cascade of Fibs as Ming hinted at a coalition, they briefed that they wanted a coalition and then they denied that they wanted a coaltion but then again maybe do.The Minging Briefer Uncovered
This is Mark Littlewood, who is Head of Press for the Liberal Democrats
for the time being at least. It was he who briefed out Ming's speech to journalists on Sunday and told them that PR wouldn't be a dealbreaker in a Lib/Lab coalition. Mr Littlewood is not flavour of the month on several LibDem blogs. I, however, salute him.
It couldn't happen to a nicer party and the others are laughing all the way to the ballot bank. Labour squeezed them in 1997 as they gave these hints and the others will just say a FibDem vote is now a Labour vote.
Ming's claims that he was on the phone were taken with a pinch of saltMonday, March 05, 2007
It's always so coincidental
One of our favourite FibDem Ministers, the nice and caring George Lyon, has got himself into some bother with his driving again.
However, instead of having to pay out for being behind the wheel George has been getting paid for not being behind the wheel:
Now where have we heard that before? Oh mortgages.
Of course it's not as if Edinburgh housing allowances of MSPs would be something other FibDems would be embroiled in? Is it?
Whatever next? Questions about large scale donations by developers to the party with power over planning?
One would think this was a party with major donors in jail wouldn't they?
Could that be why they are so keen on this?
Finding a venue for the FibDem's next conference was far easier than the last time
However, instead of having to pay out for being behind the wheel George has been getting paid for not being behind the wheel:
Minister in car mileage claim 'error'Of course George has insisted he made a mistake and the form had been filled in incorrectly.
A HOLYROOD minister has claimed he made a mistake after records of his expenses showed he was charging for mileage on the same day as he was on a taxpayer-funded trip to America.
Deputy finance minister George Lyon submitted expense claims for two car journeys in early April 2005 to the Scottish Parliament and around his constituency.
Yet on the same two days, he was visiting the US as part of the official MSP delegation to the annual Tartan Week celebrations.
Now where have we heard that before? Oh mortgages.
Of course it's not as if Edinburgh housing allowances of MSPs would be something other FibDems would be embroiled in? Is it?
Whatever next? Questions about large scale donations by developers to the party with power over planning?
One would think this was a party with major donors in jail wouldn't they?
Could that be why they are so keen on this?
Finding a venue for the FibDem's next conference was far easier than the last timeYou Read It Here First
Loyal readers may recall this article.
It seems the mainstream media has finally caught up, and the Sunday Herald were keen to point out that not only has Ian Suttie donated a substantial amount to the Lib Dems, he is effectively bankrolling Nicol Stephen's election campaign.
We cannot help but wonder if the fact a property developer is bankrolling the election campaign of the Liberal Democrat leader might have anything at all to do with the Liberals voting against their own policy of introducing a third party right of appeal in planning cases.
So, two Lib Dem constituency associations in Aberdeen being bankrolled by property developers, remind us who it is that runs the city council in Aberdeen again...
It seems the mainstream media has finally caught up, and the Sunday Herald were keen to point out that not only has Ian Suttie donated a substantial amount to the Lib Dems, he is effectively bankrolling Nicol Stephen's election campaign.
We cannot help but wonder if the fact a property developer is bankrolling the election campaign of the Liberal Democrat leader might have anything at all to do with the Liberals voting against their own policy of introducing a third party right of appeal in planning cases.
So, two Lib Dem constituency associations in Aberdeen being bankrolled by property developers, remind us who it is that runs the city council in Aberdeen again...
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Another reason to warn the voters
Not to believe a single word the FibDems tell them. For example this:
And this:Jane Kennedy (Liverpool, Wavertree) (Lab): I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving way, because I know that many Members want to speak, but I invite him to consider the fact that we, as political parties, have a responsibility to ensure that voters are not misled. I invite him to consider what he would do if he discovered that after the electoral returning office had secured the signatures of postal voters as required, in the proper way, a prospective candidate for the local elections wrote to all postal voters, informing them that all current postal votes had been cancelled and that they should apply to him if they did not get a further application to register. If I told him that it was a Liberal Democrat prospective candidate for council, would he be surprised by the double standards that the Liberal Democrats apply?
Hon. Members: No.
Mr. Heald: The right hon. Lady has obviously struck a chord in the House. I noticed many hon. Members saying that they would not be at all surprised. Perhaps I would not be either. If I am really fair about this for a moment— [Interruption.] I think I should. The point that we are making is that if there are loopholes in the system and glaring omissions in security, there will always be people who are so desperate to be elected to whatever post that they will defraud the system. That is why we need the protections that we are talking about.
And special mention has to go to Simon Hughes for this brazen effort:Jane Kennedy: We have discovered in Liverpool a quite deliberate attempt by a Liberal Democrat councillor, Councillor Graham Hulme, who held his ward last year by only 13 votes, to mislead postal voters into believing that their postal vote had been cancelled and that the best way to get it back was to contact him personally. It is deeply dishonourable, if not fraudulent, for a politician to behave in such a way, and those involved should hang their heads in shame.
Bridget Prentice: I agree with my right hon. Friend. I do not wish to be partisan during this debate because I believe absolutely and profoundly that everyone should be encouraged to vote, regardless of the party for which they are going to vote. However, the description that she has given the House suggests to me that such an activity is outwith the guidance to which the Electoral Commission, the police and the main political parties have agreed. I suggest that she might wish to direct the Electoral Commission and the returning officer to that candidate so that the matter can be dealt with appropriately.
Simon Hughes (North Southwark and Bermondsey) (LD): I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman. He has pursued this matter assiduously and has rightly said that it is foolish to make party political points— [ Interruption. ] No: Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Democratic Unionist and British National party members have been convicted of electoral fraud in this decade.Oh really?
"I really thought it was still the 1990's. Honest."
Why Ming has gone mad
No. It's nothing to do with his recent caped crusader impression making him angry. It was more likely headlines like:
Blow for Sir Ming as voters deem Kennedy better leader
Most voters want Kennedy as leader of the LibDems
Kennedy trumps Sir Menzies in Lib-Dem poll
Voters want Kennedy back - poll
Blow for Sir Ming as voters deem Kennedy better leader
Most voters want Kennedy as leader of the LibDems
Kennedy trumps Sir Menzies in Lib-Dem poll
Voters want Kennedy back - poll
Ming was so angry he decided to poke a pigeon in it's backside
Fight! Fight! Fight!
FibDems did think it very odd that Sir Ming was airbrushed out off Scottish FibDem central a few months back.
However word reaches old Porridge that things may not be as happy on the good ship FibDem between Admiral Campbell and Commodre Thingey.
Insiders tell Porridge that there has been a big fall out between the two in how the Scottish campaign should be run and who should be heading up the campaign. That who being a one Unable Seawoman Josephine Swinson.
Apparently Ming is determined to promote her as much as possible and thinks she has great potential. Nicol What's-his-name isn't too happy about this but it seems she is getting her way (even if it is unintentionally amusing).
However word reaches old Porridge that things may not be as happy on the good ship FibDem between Admiral Campbell and Commodre Thingey.
Insiders tell Porridge that there has been a big fall out between the two in how the Scottish campaign should be run and who should be heading up the campaign. That who being a one Unable Seawoman Josephine Swinson.
Apparently Ming is determined to promote her as much as possible and thinks she has great potential. Nicol What's-his-name isn't too happy about this but it seems she is getting her way (even if it is unintentionally amusing).
For once Nicol may have a point - but then we do view him as devious and incompetent rather than downright dim. It also highlights how the grumblers in the Fibs may have a point about Ming's faculties.
This infighting and may also explain why Porridge has detected a downturn in FibDem activity over the past few months and the subdued audiences at their recent conference.
This infighting and may also explain why Porridge has detected a downturn in FibDem activity over the past few months and the subdued audiences at their recent conference.
FibDem Campaign meetings were getting rather animated whenever the subject of Jo's lipstick came up
Spot the Will-lie
Yes it's that man again. He of no shame. He's put out his latest Parliamentary Report (via the taxpayer apparently) and we've got a copy.
So we thought we'd hold a competition.
Identify a howling Will-lie lie in the this copy and you get point. There will be double bonus points points for spotting any we didn't notice and a whopping 10 points if you can identify something which breaks the Parliamentary rules on this freebie publication that we pay for.
Prize is knowing that you have a conscience about misleading the voters to get a seat in Parliament. Post your answers in the comments section. Funniest ones get a free pass over the Forth Bridge.
So FibDem viewers - Come On Down!
So we thought we'd hold a competition.
Identify a howling Will-lie lie in the this copy and you get point. There will be double bonus points points for spotting any we didn't notice and a whopping 10 points if you can identify something which breaks the Parliamentary rules on this freebie publication that we pay for.
Prize is knowing that you have a conscience about misleading the voters to get a seat in Parliament. Post your answers in the comments section. Funniest ones get a free pass over the Forth Bridge.
So FibDem viewers - Come On Down!
Friday, March 02, 2007
Ming gone MAD
I mean, he is going to get mad. ‘Angry’ to be precise. Squealer is terrified. Not for his own safety but for Ming’s, he better do it slowly for his health’s sake.
Aside from this being simply hilarious, it, as always, is tinged with fibbery. Ming claims that, "People are right to be angry about the level of crime in their community".
Well besides being able to actually do something about that in Scotland for the last 8 years, we all know that the fibs are tough on crime, just take a look at their principled stances here. Of course when it comes to certain types of crime, they want to cut a low-profile.
Aside from this being simply hilarious, it, as always, is tinged with fibbery. Ming claims that, "People are right to be angry about the level of crime in their community".
Well besides being able to actually do something about that in Scotland for the last 8 years, we all know that the fibs are tough on crime, just take a look at their principled stances here. Of course when it comes to certain types of crime, they want to cut a low-profile.
Ming in 'Pre-Angry' mode
