Oh, that Birmingham...!

How well do you expect members of the European Parliament to know the patch they are elected to represent...?

Brummie Tom Watson MP has a story that suggests that the Tory MEPs elected to represent the West Midlands can't tell the difference between Britain's second city and a town in Alabama...

People who own homes are 'neat and tidy...'

A couple of people phoned me over the past few days asking if I'd heard the astonishing attack on council tenants made by Tory front bencher Chris (not Tony as I called him earlier!) Grayling on BBC Radio4's Any Questions last Friday.

I hadn't and frankly couldn't be arsed to use the 'listen again' facility on the BBC's website to check it out...

But Tom Watson now has a transcript of the complete exchange with Jonathan Dimbleby - and LibDem Ed Davey which started with Chris Grayling saying:

...I walked down a street in Chesham in Amersham and I looked at one of half of the street that was privately owned and one half that was publicly owned and the side of the street that was privately owned was neat and tidy and looked after and I think owning your own home gives people a sense of pride.

Do Cameron's Tories believe that people in council houses can't have a sense of pride or be 'neat and tidy'...

I think we should be told!

Editor stands up to LibDem tricks

MP Tom Watson praises the editor of a local paper for standing up to a favourite LibDem dirty trick.

I've seen the LibDems pull this stunt in a number of by-elections to try to fool the voters and agree with Tom that they need to be challenged.

Well done, Mr Editor.

Tories savaged non-domicile tax plan they have now adopted...

Tory hypocrisy has hit new depths over their much-derided domicile tax plan unveiled this week.

It turns out that the idea was first proposed by the LibDems a few years ago - when it was ruthlessly savaged as unworkable by, er, the Tories!

Blogging MP Tom Watson has discovered the incriminating Central Conservative Office document which explains why it's a non-starter.

Where did Tom find the document that leaves David Cameron with egg all over his face as he prepares to try to save his bacon with a make-or-break speech later today?

Er, would you believe on the Conservative Party's very own website!

I hear the sound of Cameron's flip-flops...

US company brings in illegal workers...to keep them out?

When an American company won the contract to build a massive border fence to keep Mexicans out, they hired a very special workforce...more than 100 illegal immigrants from Mexico!

The Golden State Fence Company based in southern California will pay nearly $5 million in fines for hiring illegal immigrants after a court case in San Diego this week.

The U.S. Attorney says as many as a third of the Golden State's workers were in the country illegally — even after the company pledged to clean up its act when authorities discovered illegal workers on the payroll back in 1999.

Two executives could now face jail.

Ironically, their lawyer claims the case proves that US construction companies need a guest worker programme. It’s tough, low-paid graft that no self-respecting American would want to do.

The red-faced company says the illegals “slipped through the cracks...”

Doesn’t say much for the quality of their fence!

Hat-tip to Tom Watson MP

Iain Dale breaks his silence on my libel victory...

Iain Dale has responded, following Tom Watson's demand that he apologises to me which I posted on HERE.

In a comment on my blog today, Iain points out quite rightly that he didn’t repeat the allegations against me which became the subject of my libel case.

Iain’s not daft and could clearly see that the story about me was potentially libellous, as I eventually proved in High Court this week.

But the day the lies were published, Iain was quick as a rat-up-a-drainpipe to get posting and provide a link to the Mail-on-Sunday story.

Under the headline “Exposing the Real Face of New Labour” – and adding the infamous 1997 Tory “Demon Eyes” poster for extra effect – Iain praised Richard Gibbs, the source of the Mail-on-Sunday story, saying he ran an “excellent” blog.

Iain also said this:

Needless to say the Labour spin machine has swung into action and tried to trash Richard Gibbs by accusing him of joining the Conservative Party.

So who says the person who made the unfounded allegations against me was a member of the Conservative Party?

At the time, Richard Gibbs was co-author of a prominent weblog called The Cameron Leadership or TCL, a site then run by four members of the Conservative Party.

Iain Dale has a link to The Cameron Leadership on his own site so it wouldn't have been difficult to confirm that the Labour Party were telling the truth.

The opening page of The Cameron Leadership at the time confirmed that Richard Gibbs was one of four co-authors of the site who were all members of the Conservative Party.

It said:

“Richard Gibbs joined the Conservative’s (sic) in 2005…”

So is it really "spin" for the Labour Party to say Richard Gibbs was a member of the Conservative Party when he made the allegations?

Incidentally, Richard Gibbs’ own “excellent” site was taken down shortly after I issued libel proceedings against him and the Mail-on-Sunday.

Mr Gibbs no longer contributes to The Cameron Leadership (TCL) either.

The TCL site now says

Richard Gibbs posted on TCL for a while in early 2006. He has…retired from blogging for now.

So those are the facts.

I’m not going to fall out with Iain Dale over whether he owes me an apology or me or not. I’ve won everything I wanted in my libel case. I've been vindicated in the High Court and it’s time to move on.

Iain was gracious enough to say to me:

Well done for having the balls to take it to court and win. Not many would have seen it through to the bitter end.

Ever thinking of improving blogging, Iain adds the following:

Now, what are you going to spend your loot on? A badly needed new design for your blog perhaps?!!!

Er, probably not Iain. But thanks for the thought!

MP Tom says top Tory blogger owes me apology...

Tom Watson MP (left) says top Tory blogger and would-be MP Iain Dale (right) owes me an apology for repeating the untruthful allegations against me published by the Mail-on-Sunday last February.

Iain was one of the first in the world of blog to repeat the libellous lies and promote the Mail-on-Sunday's dodgy story. Iain gave credibility to the false claims by saying that the person who made them ran an "excellent" weblog.

Iain did not comment when the "excellent" weblog was closed down shortly after I issued legal proceedings against its author and against the Mail-on-Sunday.

I emailed Iain after the High Court hearing this week when the Mail-on-Sunday apologised to me and paid me damages after admitting there wasn't a shred of truth in their story. I hoped he might do the decent thing.

Haven't heard back yet.

Meantime, the official apology by the Mail-on-Sunday has just appeared on the Mail website where it will stay for 14 days under the terms of the settlement of my libel claim.

Iain's done a lot to promote higher standards and decency in political blogging, so I'm sure I'll be hearing from him in due course...