Points, In Order

Jailhouse Rock

BONG! Three new "super-size" gaols to be built. Either because we're all getting fatter or the Government plans on banging more people up. One of the two. BONG! The consensus appears to be that the Gord just about pulled ahead of the Boy Cameron in PMQs. Really? Westmonster thought Davy… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 5 Dec 2007 5:42 PM. Permalink

News from the United Federation of Muesli Knitters

When there's something strange in the neighbourhood ...

... who ya gonna call? Caped Crusader, scourge of dodgy donors, and campaigner for truth and justice [draws breath] Chris Huhne has turned his forensic eye to the Conservative books, having spent the previous week analysing the Labour ones. From his official site:… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 5 Dec 2007 1:10 PM. Permalink

Ministry for Paper Waving

LIVE!: PMQs, 5/12/07

So, what did we think? Again, Westmonster feels that Cameron was competent enough, but banging on about the chairmanship of a Committee stopped short of winning the They Talk About Nothing Else On The Streets of Rotherham Award. Possibly he was wary of dragging the Donorgate thing out any longer… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 5 Dec 2007 11:40 AM. Permalink

While You Were Sleeping

Airing dirty laundry in public

Perhaps one of the less bright ideas of the Conservatives was the debate yesterday on party funding as it gave the hitherto ignored questions ("they're just trying to smear us, you know," CCHQ had previously claimed, flouncily, when the words "Lord" and "Ashcroft" were put to them in any sort… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 5 Dec 2007 8:51 AM. Permalink

Points, In Order

Edifying scenes and the smearing smear

BONG! The party funding debate is rumbling on in the House of Commons as we speak, and what follows is the summary thus far. Conservatives: Labour's corrupt and funded by smelly working class people ... uh ... unions, we meant the unions. Labour: at least we're not funded by Darth Ashcroft and… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 4 Dec 2007 7:15 PM. Permalink

Our Friends North of the Border

Torches and pitchforks at the ready

In case you've been living under a rock (or reading London Lite) for the past couple of days, you won't have failed to notice that there's a baying mob outside the front door of ol' Wendy Alexander. Will she go? Maybe. The Tories want her out certainly as it's quite… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 4 Dec 2007 3:27 PM. Permalink

News from the Carlton Club

Boy David: "la la la la! I can't hear you!"

"There will be nothing to stop us this time," muttered Darth Ashcroft as he ordered his minions (aka Davy Cameron and chums) to put in for a topical debate on party funding today. The Gord's down on his luck, the media's saturated with Opposition politicians being sanctimonious all over us,… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 4 Dec 2007 10:11 AM. Permalink

Points, In Order

Back To Black

BONG! Cripes! It looks like Bojo's got his priorities in a wangle again and has been taking time out from his campaign for the mayoralty to write to a judge explaining what a jolly good chap a certain convicted criminal is (via Luke Akehurst). BONG! Take cover folks, the Westmonster… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 3 Dec 2007 5:38 PM. Permalink

Our Friends North of the Border

Wendy Alexander fingered

The Telegraph is reporting that they have proof that Wendy Alexander, the leader of the Scottish Labour Party, was more than aware of the illegal donation from Paul Green in spite of her protestations that she only found out about the personal contribution to her campaign yesterday. Green, a tax exile, is… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 30 Nov 2007 4:33 PM. Permalink

News from the Carlton Club

You Should Not Have Come Back, Gord

Confirmation that the Forces of Darkness (whose earthly manifestation is Tory peer and donor Lord Ashcroft) are behind the Government's recent woes comes from no lesser sage than Ben Brogan: Stepping out of the fray for a moment, I can't help but be impressed by the scale of the operation being run… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 28 Nov 2007 2:45 PM. Permalink

Ministry for Paper Waving

LIVE!: PMQs, 28/11/07

Iain Dale reckons that Cameron slam-dunked it, but here at Westmonster we're not so sure. Yeah, okay so Davy managed a few jibes about Brown's trustworthiness but really, any child with an above room temperature IQ could have managed that today. Maybe he's worried about some hitherto undiscovered logs in… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 28 Nov 2007 11:41 AM. Permalink

While You Were Sleeping

Trouble up t'Home Office

Poor Jacqui Smith's getting a bit of a drubbing in the papers this morning over the latest immigration scandal to hit the Home Office. The Telegraph takes her to task for failing to station pitchfork-wielding mobs on the white cliffs of Dover, the Independent takes a broad look at… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 14 Nov 2007 8:15 AM. Permalink

While You Were Sleeping

Beware the backlash, David.

The Boy David is to state the obvious on rape later today - namely that many rapists go unpunished, and too many men feel that they have some sort of divine right to access lady-parts whenever they fancy it. Obvious it may be, but a big thumbs up to Davy for planning… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 12 Nov 2007 8:35 AM. Permalink

Behind the Terrace curtain

Jetsetting Tories: "Oops I Did It Again"

For those of you who have more interesting, wait, check that - for those of you who have lives and don't spend your Saturdays rifling through TheyWorkForYou, intriguing news reaches us via their most recent upload of the Register of Members' Interests, released this week. From Cameron's entry: 20 October 2007, I… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 10 Nov 2007 3:35 PM. Permalink

While You Were Sleeping

Deep Throats in the Treasury (hur hur!)

Fair Deal Phil reports on how a senior Tory has admitted that they have a mole in the Treasury. Say it ain't so! The wonderful, impartial civil servants (who are only out to pursue the common good, against the wishes of those eeeevil politicians) that the likes of Tom Bower… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 9 Nov 2007 8:40 AM. Permalink

While You Were Sleeping

Resignations and turmoil

In response to the Enoch-stylings of one time PPC Nigel Hastilow, Olly's Onions suggests that the Tories take advantage of the publicity and launch a poster campaign ... Fair Deal Phil has a look at what all this says about the real impact of Dave's shiny, shiny hair on… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 5 Nov 2007 8:49 AM. There are 2 comments so far. Permalink

Points, In Order

Handbagging at 4pm

BONG! The LibDem leadership contest is officially ON! Nominations closed at 4pm today and the unseemly bitchslapping between the only two candidates commenced almost immediately. Nicky Clegg gave an interview to the Telegraph outlining how Chris Huhne is a receding hairline away from being exactly like David Cameron, whilst Huhne contended that his advanced… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 31 Oct 2007 7:29 PM. Permalink

While You Were Sleeping

Happy Halloween!

If this doesn't scare you nothing will: final proof that Rudy Giuliani does actually eat babies. Fact. The LibDems' poll ratings are improving - they are up four on 18% according to an ICM poll for the Guardian. Bad news for the comrades, though: down one on 35, whilst the… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 31 Oct 2007 7:58 AM. Permalink

Behind the Terrace curtain

Con Air: the Tag Team

Following on from Westmonster's post yesterday on Flying Lion and its apparent desire to jet members of the Conservative front bench around the world in the luxury to which they are doubtless entitled, Political Penguin has picked up the baton and done some top-quality sleuthing. Yesterday we were unsure as to… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 28 Oct 2007 11:49 AM. There are 4 comments so far. Permalink

Behind the Terrace curtain

Con Air

While Iain Dale is otherwise engaged in polishing the halo of St Michael of Ashcroft, may I direct readers to this interesting story... Earlier in the week Tom Watson asked what was known about a company called Flying Lion, which appears to be registered in Bermuda, and which seems to have a… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 27 Oct 2007 6:27 PM. There are 4 comments so far. Permalink

While You Were Sleeping

Thursday sing-along

The Government plan to claw-back funds from state schools has been shelved after bad publicity consultation with key stakeholders. Remember folks, even if 100 schools had said they thought the policy was a good one, the Gord would still not have gone ahead with it. Lorely Burt is the… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 25 Oct 2007 8:49 AM. Permalink

Department for Kite Flying

Lightsabers and Lord Vader

Dull day in the Sundays today - presumably because everyone was settling down for a pint of mild and bitter in front of the rugby last night. The major stories seem to be Chris Huhne and Nick Clegg breaking out the lightsabers over the LibDem leadership, and mutterings from the… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 21 Oct 2007 3:25 PM. Permalink

Points, In Order

High drama and whipping in Westminster

BONG! Much drama on the European Scrutiny Committee, according to Ben Brogan. BONG! Ministry of Truth takes apart the altruism of Lord Ashcroft. BONG! Whilst we at Westmonster applaud the enterprising approach of Liberal Democrat Voice in getting people signed up to the party in order that they can vote… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 16 Oct 2007 5:34 PM. There are 2 comments so far. Permalink

That Was The Week That Was

...and the Tories are back in town!

The story so far: A good week in the polls for Labour after their Conference ratcheted up speculation on a snap election, to the point that everyone just assumed it was going to happen. Gorgeous, brooding Gordon Brown - ably assisted by his brilliant coterie of young advisors - was… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 13 Oct 2007 10:14 AM. Permalink

Points, In Order

Friday Night Fever

BONG! David Cameron is in discussions with Arnie about being an extra in his his next film, Conan the Barbarian XIV: Hug The Huskies. BONG! At the end of a bad week for Brown, Guido imagines the scene chez Blair. BONG! ConservativeHome on how Lord Ashcroft is like a one-man trade… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 12 Oct 2007 5:55 PM. Permalink

While You Were Sleeping

Brown's day from hell

If you think your Monday's bad, check out Brown's diary: he'll get a hard time at the Downing Street press conference this morning, suffer heckles as he makes his Iraq statement (again, but in the Chamber this time), and finish off with addressing several hundred belligerent Labour MPs in the… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 8 Oct 2007 7:12 AM. Permalink

Out on the Stump

Why he should go for it

It knackers Lord Ashcroft's key seats strategy: The Tories have spent the last couple of years stuffing crisp tenners into the G-strings of their candidates in the chosen marginals, but as soon as the election is called legislation governing spending kicks in, ending these shenanigans. The longer Gord leaves it,… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 5 Oct 2007 6:10 PM. Permalink

While You Were Sleeping

Unscripted Dave: the morning after

Are we bovvered that Cameron managed to avoid political suicide in Blackpool yesterday? Oh no, not us, not at all. Couldn't care less actually. Ahem. Right, so Peter Riddell reckons that he did well, but stopped just short of a slam-dunk, the Independent thinks the boy did good, Ros Taylor… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 4 Oct 2007 7:47 AM. Permalink

Westmonster: “Lord Ashcroft”