Events | 2009.09.29
Hugh Muir's Diary
One in, one out. Trouble in the blogosphere as Lord Moneybags writes a cheque
"We are delighted to announce that PoliticsHome has secured additional investment to develop and expand its in-depth coverage of UK political news." said the release and, frankly we were delighted for them. More money, more insight. Top stuff. If only there had been room to mention that as a result of this new investment, from Lord Ashcroft, bankroller-in-chief of the Conservative heartlands, the editor-in-chief, the Observer\'s Andrew Rawnsley, resigned. He regrets "the decision made by Stephan Shakespeare, the chairman, to do a deal which places PoliticsHome under the ownership of Michael Ashcroft, the deputy chairman of the Conservative party. The site has been folded along with ConservativeHome into a new entity in which Lord Ashcroft is the majority shareholder." It will remain nonpartisan, insists Shakespeare, the PoliticsHome chairman. Also, the chairman and founder of ConservativeHome. Once the bag man for Lord Archer. Why the doubts?
With hopes rising that she will soon return to Gordon\'s cabinet, we receive a missive from Margaret Hodge. "This might startle you a little as you might have seen or read about me but really don\'t know me in person," it says. Apparently as a "Minister of State under Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom", she "was compelled to make an overestimation during a budget and set aside the sum of Six Million Three Hundred Thousand Great Britain Pounds (*6,300,000.00GBP) with the sole intention of channelling it all into charity." She wants us to sort it out. We get 11%. No cut for her but she "will be absolutely fulfilled, if and only if you remain sincere to me on the handling of this project with utmost sincerity and confidentiality; and eventually utilise the funds for the purpose which I have explained to you above." She is based in Nigeria now we see. Good of her to get in touch.
Yes, it\'s John Woodcock for Barrow and Furness as he leads the pack to take over John Hutton\'s soon-to-be-vacant seat. The final vote to select Labour\'s candidate is on Saturday. We think we know who is going to win. This could be thanks, at least in part, to the no-holds-barred campaign Gordon\'s adviser – previously John Hutton\'s adviser – has been running in this internal contest. Personalised letters to members showing our John grinning alongside the logo of Barrow\'s favourite company, indeed our favourite company, BAE Systems. Immaculately produced leaflets, including one glossy four-pager; there\'s John with Gordon, John with Alistair Darling, John with Ed Miliband. The signs are that it will all be too much for the likes of Mark McDonald, a young barrister, who impressed some of the locals but who, sadly, appears to lack a certain something. Does he hang out with Gordon? Chew the fat with Alistair? We just don\'t know.
As Obama wows the watching millions with his jokes and gravitas on the David Letterman chatshow in the US, couldn\'t our leader similarly help his profile with a slot on Jonathan Ross? If Mandy is busy, Gordon could go.
For where Obama leads, others will follow. He makes things happen. "Yes We Can". But that slogan, forced upon the would-be president by his wife, according to a new account, wouldn\'t work here. Nick Hornby, tells the Word magazine why. "There\'s quite a \'can\'t-do\' culture in Britain, and I find it quite funny. I like it that people go \'No, mate, I can\'t do that – the structures aren\'t in place anyway, and if I do it everyone will think I\'m an arsehole.\' I know it\'s an attitude that can be frustrating and dishonest, but it\'s also more realistic." In the States, says Hornby (pictured), aspiring authors are usually upbeat about their endeavours. He\'ll ask: "How\'s it going?." They\'ll say: "Really great! Really well!" "Most British people would go, \'Oh, it\'s shit\'; and that\'s good. It means they\'ll be surprised if everything works out, and not be an insufferable dick when it doesn\'t." So much to make us proud.
For more information, please visit
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/sep/23/1
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