Parlez~me~'n~Tory

Rightly wry, satirically right

The election campaign is already starting to get heated. Yes, those in the frame for Leader of the Labour Party are really stepping up a gear.

We all know it is General Election year #GE10 and the most likely date is 6th May, following a Budget full of empty promises of investment, prosperity and pay later schemes. But there is currently an election looming far sooner and far more meaningful for the Labour Party and potentially the country.

It is clearly understood that any leader of the Labour Party other than Gordon Brown following a coup would be able to narrow the Poll gap between themselves and the Conservative Party as the incumbent would inevitably enjoy the honeymoon period and the ‘bounce’ that goes with a personality change.

For months it was assumed that 26th March would be #GE10 thereby allowing the Government to avoid announcing any form of Budget but that would simply not allow enough time for the new leader to make the role his/her own.

Following a pre-Christmas party hosted by Charles Clarke the former Home Secretary and one of the most vocal anti-Brown campaigners it seems one output was to brief a series of coordinated press releases slamming the leadership of Gordon Brown and stating how better off the party and the country would be without him at the helm.

Briefings: Charles Clarke, Barry Sheerman, Greg Pope, Polly Toynbee

…the list of those present includes Parmjit Dhanda, Malcolm Wicks and Meg Munn

So then, who is the in the driving seat and who is set to star in the shake-up of the Labour party?

Or, are we to face yet another failed coup from a bunch of snipers who haven’t got the courage to do anything other than moan about how bad a Conservative Government would be for Britain?

We already know that Harriet Harman is to head up Gordon Brown and the PLP’s #GE10 campaign which sidelines Lord Mandelson (a very risky strategy indeed), but was this appointment simply to the *Fearless Five striking first?

*Fearless Five are a group of rebels led by Jack Straw, the others are Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman, Chancellor Alistair Darling, Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Home Secretary Alan Johnson.

One also has to wonder how much Sarah Brown will be used throughout #GE10 as already she has persuaded an ex-colleague from the PR field, Helen Scott Lidgett to join her in the depths of the bunker.

Today, Gordon Brown will give a speech that will be full of empty promises and scorn on the Tories but will it be enough to stave the assassins from his door?

It’s only taken 12 years to get the truth out of the PLP but today we have it. Today we have an admission that sums up how the rest of the country is feeling

Seven or so months before a General Election. And it is not the best of times for the Labour Party. There is a general malaise. The opinion polls predict a significant Conservative victory…

From where do these wise words come?

This is the future of the Labour Party imaginatively named LabourFuture

Last evening there was wild talk of a coup in the making with those in charge signing up various henchmen at 11am today, the timing still stands.

ToryBear examines whether this coup will be successful.

Although I am more concerned with the briefing by PARMJIT DHANDA entitled RESTORING TRUST IN POLITICS

This is the same PARMJIT DHANDA who repeatedly claimed the wrong mortgage payments.

You may also wish to read the e-mail and response between the Sunday Telegraph/DHANDA. I find PARMJIT’s response quite ridiculous in some areas.

With regards to Sir Thomas Legg’s recent expenses enquiry PARMJIT has been asked to ’supply further evidence’, judging by his own acceptance of incompetence in the Sunday Telegraph response with regards to retaining receipts I don’t hold out much hope for an early night any time soon for Sir Thomas!

How’s that for restoring trust in Politics?

They work for YOU says

Voted moderately against a transparent Parliament. votes, speeches
Voted very strongly for introducing ID cards. votes, speeches
Voted very strongly for Labour’s anti-terrorism laws. votes, speeches
Voted a mixture of for and against the Iraq war. votes, speeches
Voted very strongly against an investigation into the Iraq war. votes, speeches

PARMJIT says

My expenses are based on some clear principles. I have never “flipped” main and second homes, my main home has always been, and will always be in Gloucester, with my constituents – a principle I maintained even when I was a minister.

Parlez~me~’n~Tory says let the people decide!

Update: Further evidence of a lack of PARMJIT’s transparency: I just received the following on Twitter after announcing this blog post!

@EllieMo1: Trust? Parmjit Dhanda? The man who, rather than face questions from a constituent, blocked her on Twitter?

Says it all really!

With the advent of today’s front page in The SUN we can safely assume that New Labour has finally excorcised the ghost of Tony Blair.

Add to that the weight of the endorsement for David Cameron and it’s very difficult to see how ANY member of the PLP can paint this in a good light.

Gordon Brown waves goodbye (to his job)

In 1997 Tony Blair had the enthusiasm and vigour to lift his Party into power the public opinion of the Government of the day was stale, weak, feeble (seem familiar)?

Tony Blair did do some good work as Leader of his Party but he also made some horrific mistakes as Prime Minister of this country some of which he has yet to stand accountable for. But New Labour was nothing without its founding fathers, the Campbells, the Mandelsons and the Blairs. Once Gordon Brown forced them out of the picture he effectively applied for his own P45.

Following yestereday’s speech at the Labour Party conference in Brighton Gordon Brown stands even more isolated amongst his Party. The Cabinet were full of glowing praise yesterday but I maintain this will last only a very short time.

Already in several interviews this morning Cabinet members have been wheeled out to explain the drop in support from The SUN. Their response?

Papers have no influence. It wasn’t The SUN what won it in ‘97

Typically Labour, deceit to the end. Not just to the electorate but also to themselves.

Ok, where are we today with the Mandy vs Hattie X-Factor trial? Has the PLP got talent?

In yesterday’s Telegraph supporters of Mandy chose their words extremely carefully by attempting to dismiss suggestions that he could return to the House of Commons as an MP and fight for the Labour leadership.

Very clever. Note the …and fight…, if Mandy and his supporters get their way there will be no fight, their will be no opposition to his candidature.

In my post from yesterday I made mention of Mandy’s Grand Moff Tarkin persona which could all to easily come into play and once the first hurdle has been overcome/erased/wiped off the politicial map who would stand up then?

Hattie Harman - The lady with a 'man's name!

There is probably only one real man left in the PLP and that is James Purnell, the brave man who stood down a few months ago full of bravado but without his colleagues who had stated they would back him, he was left, all alone.

He is a man amongst cowards within his party.

Other than Mr Purnell I see nobody capable of taking on Mandy hence there will be no competition.

In the coming days @Parlez~me~’n~Tory shall be pondering the chances of this becoming a reality and whether there really is a place for Peter Hain alongside Mandy.

In a galaxy far, far away…

This weekend has been a turning point of internal politics within the PLP whereby we have seen each member being asked subliminal questions of their loyalty and their leaning.

The main spat is that between Lord Mandelson (Mandy) and Harriet Harman (Hattie) during their alternate periods of ‘minding the house’ whilst #GoBro hides in some quiet corner of the country getting Sarah to Twit their way out of this, their summer of discontent.

Grand Moff Tarkin AKA Lord Mandelson

On the face of it this really is one of those ‘no competition’ discussions you’d have down the pub. It is very easy for Mandy to don his ‘Grand Moff Tarkin‘ persona and simply remove Ms Harman from her position. but he won’t, not just yet.

Tarkin was in overall control of the Death Star in Star Wars and save for the infrequent interception of the figurehead (Darth Vader) on ocassion he really was in charge; switch to 2009 and we have the same situation with the British Government.

However, in this instance for Darth Vader read Gordon Brown (without the light sabre, the power or even the sharp suit)!

During the past couple of weeks there has been a storm brewing between both sides of the table in this spat which was brought to a head recently when Mandy left a meeting early citing an impending train to catch leaving Ms Harman unable to discuss the maternity leave issue she was so desperate to table. This was a simple avoidance tactic by Mandy as he was actually on the same train and I am led to believe the same carriage on the journey home as Ms Harman! It was a quiet carriage!

In recent statements Hattie has become more openely sexist by demanding that if two candidates were equal then businesses should consider employing the woman over the man (how does she get away with this)?

But over the weekend she set out a new low in her bid to slot into the main role as leader of the PLP by stating that one of the two top jobs within the PLP should always be held by a woman. It is clear that she is attempting to appeal to all women in the land by trying to take their vote to the hustings.

What Hattie fails to understand is that by ‘positive discrimination’ there is, by default always ‘discrimination’.

No fancy words can get around the fact that if you take a person for a job without considering whether they were the best candidate then that has discriminated against another candidate.

It must be understood that both Hattie and Mandy are likely to be the two fighting it out for leadership of the PLP following the impending departure of #GoBro.

This would of course require Mandy to renounce his life peerage before seeking a constituency seat though it is emerging that former whip Hilary Armstrong is readying herself to stand aside in her seat of North West Durham.

There will be much made of this spat during the coming days and weeks and of course this will be followed closely by Parlez~me~’n~Tory