Department for Ctrl-Alt-Delete

The Jam meme: latest sighting

Yesterday we kicked Gus O'Donnell for cracking down on blogging in government, so it was good to see Tom Watson (in a, yes, very good speech on government and technology) defending Civil Serf at the Tower 08 conference yesterday. It was less good to see him trumpeting the latest badge… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 11 Mar 2008 8:09 AM. Permalink

News From The Big Tent

Watson on the up

We like Tom Watson, we do. But even we would balk at calling him more influential than David Miliband, as the Torygraph does this morning. He's described as "burly but likeable", which points to an odd latent fatism over at Telegraph Towers which we haven't detected before.… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 13 Feb 2008 8:50 AM. Permalink

Department for Ctrl-Alt-Delete

Watson the new e-Czar?

Is Tom Watson, inveterate blogger and newly promoted permanent secretary, going to take over as the Government's Internet bod? Consultant Simon Dickson thinks so, and also ponders what this might mean for Watson's attractive attack-dog mentality on his website. Watson's already using his site to ask for people to suggest… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 1 Feb 2008 8:08 AM. There are 1 comments so far. Permalink

Ministry for Moules Frites

The MEP for Alabama, West Midlands

Click on the image at left, and look closely at the mighty Birmingham skyline. Look familiar? Well, you must spend a lot more time in the southern United States than does Westmonster. That's right, the Tory MEPs for West Midlands have been in Brussels (Belgium) and Strasbourg (France) so… read more…

Written by Andrew Levy on 9 Jan 2008 9:25 AM. Permalink

Department for Ctrl-Alt-Delete

IT: harder than you think

We were going to write a long, thoughtful post on government IT, bringing in our own experiences from the land of private technology and web media, and it was going to be really good. But then bloody Dizzy Thinks wrote it instead. His point is this: until government IT is… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 18 Dec 2007 3:46 PM. 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

Behind the Terrace curtain

The mystery of the Flying Lion (ctd)

Last week Inspector Watson of the Yard asked a couple of questions of a firm called Flying Lion, which was taken up by various politics nerds with no life such as Westmonster enterprising individuals in the search of the truth. Well, David Hencke of the Guardian has picked up on… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 4 Nov 2007 4:42 PM. 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

Points, In Order

On Liberty (and what it costs)

BONG! Brown's speech on liberty has generated much comment. Sunny asks why we just can't have a codified constitution, Peter Kenyon queries whether he should practice what he preaches with regard to the Labour Party, and Boulton and Co. aren't that impressed. No pleasing some people, eh? BONG! MPs' expenses… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 25 Oct 2007 6:00 PM. Permalink

While You Were Sleeping

The stench of hyperbole

The debate's underway in the blogosphere over the Gould report into Scottish elections released yesterday. Iain Dale: "Douglas Alexander has Blood On His Hands and should resign!" Kezia Dugdale, however, has not only read the report but appears to be a bit of an expert in these matters agrees that… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 24 Oct 2007 7:43 AM. There are 1 comments so far. Permalink

While You Were Sleeping

Old sins have long shadows

The Times on the rivalry of the two leading candidates for the LibDem crown. Apparently Chris Huhne and Nicky Clegg were best buds until Chucky K. stepped down in 2005 and the United Federation of Young Turks agreed that nobody would stand against Ming, giving him a clear run.… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 17 Oct 2007 7:23 AM. Permalink

Points, In Order

The Blair Backlash cometh

BONG! Wee Matty D'Ancona reports on the Charge of the Light Brigade against the Gord, led by former Lord Chancellor, Charlie Falconer. A week may be a long time in politics, but the memories of m'lud's rumoured partners in battle - former Blairites Charles Clarke, Alan Milburn, and Stephen Byers -… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 14 Oct 2007 6:20 PM. 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

Points, In Order

No vote, Tories gloat

BONG! And so, the backlash cometh. So far Brown has been called yellow, a feartie, frit, and been accused of bottling it. As Westmonster is out and about today, she doesn't know for sure at what point Brown uttered his traditional "we are more concerned with getting on with the business of running… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 6 Oct 2007 6:21 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

Points, In Order

Dave's speech: the fallout

BONG! Cameron's choice of campaign song is questioned by Tom Watson: apparently it's about gangstas, taking drugs, smacking hos, shooting up the pigs, and all of the jolly unpleasant things that the Tories are dreadfully unhappy about. Poor show, chaps! BONG! Five minutes before Dave is due to address Conference, Nadine… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 3 Oct 2007 6:48 PM. Permalink

Points, In Order

Shape making and flagellation

BONG! Shadow Treasury spokesperson Philip Hammond has queried whether the public are ready to trust the Tories on the economy and public services. We at Westmonster, however, trust that he'll probably be drinking alone tonight. BONG! The Gord is more popular than Cameron amongst women, according to the Fawcett Society.… read more…

Written by Lloyd Shepherd on 2 Oct 2007 5:19 PM. There are 1 comments so far. Permalink

Westmonster: “Tom Watson”