Times reports on Tory "cash for honours" probe

Full story on Tory donors helping police with their "cash for honours" enquiries in The Times today which also reports that David Cameron's own constituency Conservatives benefitted from a donation from the mysterious Linconshire-based Midlands Industrial Council.

Police question Tory donor who is member of mystery Lincolnshire group

A leading member of the secretive Lincolnshire organisation which helps fund David Cameron’s Conservative Party has been questioned by police, according to the top story on BBC Radio Four’s Today programme this morning.

Car importer Robert Edmiston who is known to be a member of the Midlands Industrial Council, was put forward by the Tories for a peerage. But the application was blocked.

Mr Edmiston is reported to have turned a £2 million loan to the Tory Party into a donation last year.

As reported here, the MIC is based in a terraced house in the village of Bassingham near Lincoln. So far, David Cameron, who says he wants to "clean up politics", had failed to back calls for MIC's books to be opened.

BBC Radio Lincolnshire are also reporting the story of Mr Edmiston’s chat with plod as a national story, but they have not yet cottoned on to his Lincolnshire connections.

Remember who delivered today's wage increase for millions

Lincolnshire has one of the lowest paid workforces in the country. But today, thousands of workers across our county - and millions across the UK - won an automatic pay-rise without going on strike, threatening industrial action, or even having to negotiate.

All thanks to a Labour Government.

For as well as the much-publicised and long overdue anti-age laws which came into force this weekend, the National Minimum Wage rose today from £5.05 an hour to £5.35.

The minimum wage will be one of the lasting legacies of the Blair Government - for not even the Tories could reverse it now. And it has made a huge difference to the lives of millions, particularly those living and working in rural economies like Lincolnshire's.

Without a minimum wage,

"the good employers are undercut by the bad, and the bad are undercut by the worst".

Not Blair’s words. But Winston Churchill speaking in 1909.

A minimum wage was one of the demands of the forerunner of the Labour Party, the Labour Representation Committee at the turn of the century.

But it wasn’t Churchill who brought in the minimum wage. And it wasn’t Labour leaders Kier Hardy, Ramsey MacDonald, Clem Atlee, Harold Wilson or Jim Callaghan either.

It was Tony Blair.

I remember the Conservative outcry when Labour made a national minimum wage a manifesto pledge for the 1997 General Election.

Tight-arsed Tories like Peter Bone – now MP for Wellingborough – claimed it was an outrage for Government to force employers to pay decent wages. He boasted he paid his staff at a travel agency less than £1 an hour.

The official Tory line in the 1997 General Election was that a minimum wage would destroy a million jobs.

In fact, at the same time as putting a floor under wages, the Blair Government has created more than a million new jobs. Today, there are more people in work in this country than ever before - after a generation of hoplessness in many East Midlands communities.

Across the East Midlands, well over 100,000 new jobs have been created. At the same time, long term youth unemployment has been virtually eradicated.

With four million on the dole in the nineties under a Tory Government, Labour would have been laughed out of court if they had promised in 1997 to eradicate long term youth unemployment.

But that’s exactly what the Blair Government has achieved.

Tories pledge "no limits" to privatisation of NHS

Cameron's Tories would put "no limits" on private sector involvement in the NHS, according to an interview with his policy chief Oliver Letwin published in the Sunday Times.

It sounds like despite the warm words, the Tories are still determined to end free healthcare as we now know it in Britain.

Letwin's frank comments are bound to take the gloss from Cameron's first speech as Party Leader due for Sunday afternoon.

Cameron attempts to dump more baggage...

Tory spin-doctors have briefed the Sunday papers that David Cameron will use his first Conference speech as Conservative Leader on Sunday to urge the party to "stick to the political centre ground".

That's more than a tad ironic - as it was Cameron who wrote the most right-wing ever Tory manifesto at the last General Election.

And his attempt to place the Tories in the middle of the road will clash with big-hitters like John Redwood who is expected to call for big tax cuts in a new pamphlet for the "No Turning Back" Group.

The other irony is that John Redwood heads Cameron's policy commission on economic competitiveness!

Dave-all-style-no-substance-Cameron waits to see which way the wind blows

Following the Daily Telegraph poll this morning showing that the the Tories are sliding as people don't know what David-all-style-no-substance-Cameron stands for - it's worth reflecting on Home Secretary John Reid's Conference words on leadership:

This is a time for standing up for what we believe. All of us, irrespective of Party affiliation.

I want to see the widest, deepest, national alliance.

That's why I am genuinely saddened by the response of the opposition. I understand that David Cameron has not been in post long. The public may understand that he doesn't want to rush to judgement on every decision.

But he has to be capable of making some decisions.

That is what leadership is all about.

There are some issues so serious, so rooted in the very fibre of our national values, that we need to make the hard choices now.

David Cameron may find that those who wait too long to see which way the wind is blowing, get blown away by the gale.

And so the Tories end up talking tough, voting soft and hoping no one will notice.
But the public has noticed what they have opposed:- Tougher sentences for
murder, sexual offences, violent offences, dangerous driving, immigration,
asylum.

They voted against or abstained on all of them. Why? It's all too difficult.
Too controversial.

Actually it's because they are too lacking in leadership.

Dennis Skinner: a true servant of the Labour Party

On arriving at Manchester last week, I was saddened to hear news that Bolsover MP Dennis Skinner was in hospital and likely to be there for at least a week.

So it was a pleasant surprise to see Dennis in the Conference hall on Wednesday for President Bill Clinton's speech.

Like most in the Labour Party, I have huge respect for Dennis Skinner. He has much to teach some of his Parliamentary colleagues about loyalty.

Meeting Dennis on Wednesday reminded me of the words of Tony Blair the day before.

The Prime Minister listed a number of Ministers who had served his Government well, but who he had asked to step aside. He made the point that they had not then discovered their principles.

We all knew exactly what he meant.

A few months ago, I was working on the Blaenau Gwent by-election, and Denis was again in hospital. But a couple of days after his release, he made the long journey from London up to the Welsh Valleys determined to do his bit in the campaign. For Labour.

Shoppers in Ebbw Vale market loved the former miner turned politician who always tells it like it is.

Looking at the photo taken by a colleague, I notice we both have the same colour hair!

Daily Telegraph on David-all-style-no-substance-Cameron

The Conservatives start their Conference in Bournemouth reeling from news in today's Daily Telegraph that their seven point lead in the polls last month has been totally eroded - because voters don't know what their new Leader David Cameron actually stands for.

Well, that's not surprising. Mr Cameron is the Leader who was special advisor to then Chancellor Norman Lamont during "Black Wednesday" when the Tories hiked interest rates by five per cent in a single day.

And Cameron also wrote the Tories General Election manifesto last year which was rejected by the British public as the most right wing ever Tory platform.

Like his four predessessors who have attempted to take on Tony Blair, the former public relations man has had a honeymoon period which he has used to promote endless stunts to try to convince us he's changed. And even more difficult that the Tories have changed.

But voters are not daft. In his Conference speech this week Tony Blair had some good advice on David Chameleon Cameron:

David Cameron's Tories? My advice: get after them.

His foreign policy. Pander to anti-Americanism by stepping back from America . Pander to the Eurosceptics through isolation in Europe. Sacrificing British influence for Party expediency is not a policy worthy of a Prime Minister.

His immigration policy. Says he'll sort out illegal immigration, but opposes Identity Cards, the one thing essential to do it.

His energy policy. Nuclear power "only as a last resort". It's not a multiple choice quiz question, Mr Cameron. We need to decide now otherwise in 10 years time we will be importing expensive fossil fuels and Britain's economy will suffer.

He wants tax cuts and more spending, with the same money.

He wants a Bill of Rights for Britain drafted by a Committee of Lawyers. Have you ever tried drafting anything with a Committee of Lawyers?

And his policy for the old lady terrorised by the young thug is that she should put her arm round him and give him a nice, big hug.

Built to last? They haven't even laid the foundation stone. If we can't take this lot apart in the next few years we shouldn't be in the business of politics at all.

Garth School Saved - but no way to run a council

Congratulations to the Garth School Action Group on winning their campaign to save the Spalding Special School from closure.

But from start to finish, over the summer and into the autumn, this sorry episode has been appallingly handled by Lincolnshire County Council.

We had:

* The farce of an official confirming the school was under threat of closure, then Ececutive Member for Childrens Services Trisha Bradwell denying the school was under threat and wrongly blaming the Spalding Guardian for "whipping up a headline to frighten the parents".

* The chaos of Trisha Bradwell agreeing to meet the parents to tell them what was going on but then refusing to meet them at the last minute.

* Now we have more unneccesary grief caused by the way Trisha Bradwell chose to announce what should have been good news.

On Monday of this week, without any apparent consultation, she arrogantly put out a press release announcing that Garth would federate with another school in Spalding.

According to the Garth Action Group's site Trisha had not even had the courtesy to inform the Garth School Governors.

They were apparently blissfully unaware until they were contacted by the media.

It's no way to run a council and no way to restore public confidence following the damage of the Speechley-Croft era.

President Clinton eats Fox for Breakfast

While in Manchester last week, I caught a few seconds of an amazing newsclip of President Bill Clinton appearing to eat a Fox TV news reporter for breakfast.

I didn't have time to check it out at the time. But now back home, I have found this link to the interview on Fox TV which I think is an astonishing piece of television.

Fox is known for its right-wing agenda and for its savaging of Democrat politicians and anyone else with mainstream views.

But Bill Clinton is smart and had clearly done his research better than the jackass interviewer trying to make a name for himself.

I just love Clinton's body-language throughout which helps put him in control of the situation.

Apparently, this all happened last week in the US, before he came to Manchester to address Labour's Conference.

UPDATE: Sorry, I put wrong link on earlier - now updated with correct link...

Normal Service resumes tomorrow...

Just arrived home from Labour's Conference in Manchester. Totally cream-crackered. Hoped to find time to blog from the G-Mex, but never quite managed to find time.

More on the Conference after catching up on a few zzzzeds...

I'd hoped to make it home in time to get to Garth Special School in Spalding where Councillor Trisha Bradwell was finally due to meet parents following the controversial threat to close it down and transfer children to Willoughby School in Bourne.

The trains ran on time, but unfortunately the Vauxhall garage in Peterborough let me down.

I dropped the car in at Marhsall's on Boongate over a week ago for a service and to sort out a rattly exhaust and took the train to Manchester.

When I rang them today to arrange to pick it up, they told me my car is waiting for a part.

What part, I ask.

A catalytic converter, I'm told.

But aren't Marshalls the major Vauxhall dealer in the East of England...? Don't you carry a standard replacement part for a bog standard current model in your range...I ask.

Maybe, I'm told. But maybe we'd run out of them on the day we looked at your car, I'm told.

Don't worry, I'm told. It's on order.

When will it be here?

Hopefully a couple of days.

Courtesy car in the meantime?

Not a chance.

Thanks Marshalls.

Guardian prints the truth about what Trisha said on Garth fiasco

I was pleased to see that this week's THE Spalding Guardian ran the story about Councillor Patricia Bradwell blaming them for "whipping up a story to frighten the parents" of Garth School pupils whose school might be closing.

After the meeting a fortnight ago when she made her attack, I reported on her comments. But the Guardian wanted to verify them first - and eventually they managed to do just that.

I suspect that like me they could hardly believe the astonishing unjustified attack on a community paper who was simply doing its job and acting responsibly.

True to form, Councillor Mrs Bradwell refused to explain her comments to the Spalding Guardian.

Reuters on Osama bin Laden death reports

Reuters news agency are running the full report from a French paper today that says usually reliable Saudi sources are convinced that the world's most wanted man Osama bin Laden died from typhoid in Pakistan last month. Nothing yet on Press Association.

Osama bin Laden dead - French reports

A French paper is reporting that Osama bin Laden is dead

War on terror: strong words from Bishop of Lincoln

In his address to a national memorial service today, the Bishop of Lincoln spoke of

a random choice of people bonded by the loathsome lottery which is international terrorism

The Right Rev Dr John Saxbee said the war on terror would be won through the battle for hearts and minds.

The service at Southwark Cathedral in London, was to remember the 13 British victims of the Sharm-el-Sheik, Kusadasi and Doha bombings.

Bishop Saxbee was asked to give the sermon to reflect the number of Lincolnshire people who died in the terror attacks.