Parlez~me~'n~Tory

Rightly wry, satirically right

I’m sure we all remember LLM Communications (a Lobbying firm which was formed in 1997 by several Labour Party aides) because of its involvement in LobbyGate and the “Cash for access” scandal back in 1998 which featured Derek Draper heavily when he was recorded boasting about how [they] could sell access to government ministers, obtain advance copies of sensitive reports, and create tax breaks for their clients

Hardly the sort you would wish to do business with let alone hand taxpayers money to, eh?

But, that is exactly what the Government did when they sanctioned £38,200 in 2006/07 to LLM Communications in a contract authorised by Ruth Kelly (who is standing down at the next election in an allegedly unrelated move to her claim for £31,000 for decorating her second home), which went about its work in a decidedly dodgy way.

Originally LLM were contracted to highlight the work the Government was doing to showcase their plans to build thousands of extra houses in the South East but things went a little awry when a new group calling itself Campaign for More and Better Homes stepped in to support the Government and attack any group opposed to the plans specifically singling Green Groups to attack in their pro-Government press releases.

All’s well and good you may say until you discover the Campaign for More and Better Homes was being run from the quieter back offices of LLM Communication.

As if that wasn’t proof enough that a PR firm was issuing Government propaganda one Nicola Gilchrist was the Campaign’s press officer who was in actual fact a paid member of staff of LLM Communication.

To compound the problems and potential illegality of this venture Ian Parker, who in June 2009 became special adviser to housing minister John Healey was working for LLM as a senior staff member at the time of the contract.

It seems that it’s good to keep these things in-house so to speak.

Grant Shapps (Conservative Housing spokesman) is in the process of making a formal complaint to the Whitehall Accounting Officer, so let’s see where this goes.

Footnote: LLM was set up in 1997 by Labour backers Neal Lawson, Ben Lucas and Jon Mendelsohn – now Gordon Brown’s chief election fundraiser. LLM is now part of Communications Consultancy FD.

Why do I need to speak when the good people of Redditch (apart from that last chap) says it all!

Following this mornings post on how Parlez~me~’n~Tory found it ironic that Parmjit Dhanda was presenting a briefing entitled RESTORING TRUST IN POLITICS I have an update to the theme of the lack of transparency provided by Parmjit.

This morning’s post ended with the following 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!

Well, after discussion with @DeclanLyons he reminded me that during Parmjit’s failed bid to become speaker of the House he preached to his potential congregation on how Parliament should engage with the public via the Internet, Facebook and Twitter…see for yourself (2mins 45 secs)

With that in mind @EllieMo1 wrote a simple Tweet (see below) to Parmjit asking what he had done with regards to the closing of the Cheltenham and Gloucester.

@parmjitdhanda asked for more information on mortgage and on repairs bill. Nothing yet from other Glos MPs

For her troubles he blocked her account and wrote her an abusive letter.

Somebody needs to remind Parmjit that with regards to him and other MP’s They Work For You. The forthcoming General Election would be a very good time to exercise that right.

Parmjit Dhanda, would you care to explain yourself?

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!

Following the Conference season during the past couple of weeks which was towards the end of the prolonged summer recess today is the day where our beloved MP’s make their way back for the first day of term.

In case you’ve forgotten, 17th July 2009 was the last day in the office and since then it’s just been fun all the way!

We’ve had Nick Clegg pleading like a spoilt child I want to be Prime Minister, we’ve had the leader of this once great nation admit that the Tories were right all along and that there will be cu*ts, lots of them and we shouldn’t trust the Tories because their cuts will be the horrible kind, and we’ve had David Cameron and George Osborne stand up and tell it like it is and watched them be lambasted for their honesty in the Left leaning press.

It’s also been a time of TWATS and CHUMPS!

Ah, yes, we also had this great BULLSHIT ALERT from Gordon Brown (#GoBro) himself.

How fitting then that today that the rank and file MP’s who’ve covered themselves in such glory during this recess have to return to more investigative research into their expenses, let’s see just how much the Prime Minister HAS to PAY BACK.

It’s great to be back!

We all know there are those who should be on holiday right now and those who shouldn’t.

Generally, those who have thus far worked all year should be enjoying the break and those who haven’t (the vast majority of MP’s) shouldn’t be away from their desks.

The sad reality is that the enitrety of the Westminster village is deserted save from a few die-hards that ‘pop’ in every now and again but it was against this backdrop that one of the greatest miscarriages of justice this country has ever seen was conducted.

Worse still, it was conducted by the head of state, Her Majesty, The Queen.

So what is this travesty?

How about Baron Martin of Springburn, of Port Dundas in the City of Glasgow nonetheless! Following authorisation from The Queen this week.

There was enough embarrassment surrounding the decision that Parliament did not officially announce his Peerage instead they let it be known by the lesser channel of the London Gazette, which is the official outlet for Parliament but holds a readership level that is sadly trounced on a weekly basis by the Beano.

Let’s not forget that this bumbling idiot whilst now a Lord was the first speaker to be ousted from his post in more than 300 years.

There was a large calling for him to be denied the almost automatic honour and this was led by Lord Lawson of Blaby, the former Chancellor who had support from Lord Desai, a Labour peer, and Lord Oakeshott, a Liberal Democrat, who both said that the ex-Speaker would not be welcome in the Lords.

Well done Sirs, good effort.

Unfortunately we have our dear old meddler Hattie Harman to thank as just after the election of the new Speaker, the Leader of the House asked the Queen to reward Mr Martin for his service.

Harriet Harman moved the motion and it was carried without a vote.

The motion was worded as thus

That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying Her Majesty that she will be most graciously pleased to confer some signal mark of Her Royal favour upon the Right Honourable Mr Michael J Martin for his eminent services during the important period in which he presided with such distinguished ability and dignity in the Chair of this House

Maybe yesterday’s post which posed the question what’s in it for you Jack should be reworded to what’s in it for you Hattie?

Baroness Harman? Perish the bloody thought!

That’s it then. Parliament is now on the wind down towards it’s summer recess with only Monday and Tuesdsay to go.

No matter how you look at it it’s just plain and simply wrong that our elected elite (that does not include #GoBro who remains an unelected dictator) leave the office for 12 weeks. Taken another way that is 82 days.

Ok, they’re not going to be sat around doing nothing during that time, at least we hope not. But the question does beg as to why they need such a long period.

There will of course be some surgeries, constituency gatherings and in my local MP’s case more photo calls. Living in Frome and opening the ‘orange’ Free Press (Free as in cost, certainly not alliance) it’s like a living and breathing episode of Where’s Wally!

LibDem energy spokesman Simon Hughes makes an interesting point but it raises further questions:

Nobody outside Parliament understands how we can leave Westminster on July 21 and not come back until October 12, and do our job properly

…so, Simon, are you saying once again that we, the electorate aren’t part of your inner circle? That being an MP is a closed shop? I invite you to explain and elaborate on that quote and please, if you would, supply the actual justification for the prolonged absence. Or, perhaps it’s ‘all within the rules’.

If I were an MP this summer I wouldn’t get too comfortable on the sun lounger as Andrew Strauss lifts and kisses the tiny urn before sending Messrs. Ponting and co on the first plane back to Australia as I fear there will be many more deaths in Afghanistan, many more claims and counter claims in the press about equipment and the lack of it. Ultimately, I feel that Parliament may well be recalled to debate the worsening situation for our highly valued troops.

With that in mind I do hope I am wrong.

It’s certainly been an explosive term this time around with the expenses scandal, e-mailGate, a vote of no confidence in the speaker forcing the first resignation from the post in over 300 years and a typically poorly planned and executed coup to oust #GoBro. The result of which is that GuacamoleMandy is now the PM in all but name.

That little fact should worry you greatly.

I know we’re a day late on this but one has to marvel at the utter brilliance of the work. How I dearly want to be the one who kicks the football at #GoBro’s head @1 minute 20 seconds.