2. Leg Iron talks about ‘The Creeper’.

3. Tory Radio says the Guardian are going to have to try a lot harder.

4. Raedwald winds back the (trade union) clock to the 1970s.

5. Tory Politico discovers yet another vile slur against the Conservatives.

- agony aunt Claire Rayner, accusing Nick Clegg of “flirting” with the Conservatives

It never fails to amaze me how Labour can reinvigorate their interest in a topic when faced with electoral defeat after almost completing ignoring it for 13 years.  After the hilarious decision to keenly introduce Alternative Vote into our democracy, having completely ignored the issue for 13 years, you have now been struck down by policy amnesia yet again with your firm commitment to reforming the entire House of Lords in one go, despite almost completely ignoring this issue for 13 years.

Your plan, set to unveiled before the general election, is to abolish the House of Lords and replace it with a 300-strong, wholly elected second chamber.  The proposals, which were leaked to The Sunday Telegraph, would clearly sweep away centuries of tradition and set you on a collision course with the current 704-member House of Lords, which is resolutely opposed to having elected members.  Following years of fruitless cross-party discussions and several votes in the House of Commons, you intend to provoke the Conservatives into objecting to your plans in order to paint David Cameron as a protector of the privileged few yet again.  Needless to say, members of the new-style chamber will have to be both UK residents and domiciled here for tax purposes and they would also be subject to a US-style “recall ballot” which would disqualify them for incompetence. 

The plans would see all members of the new-look assembly being directly elected – ending the system of party patronage – with polling under some form of proportional representation system taking place at the same time as general elections.  One third of the new chamber would be elected on each occasion with members serving three terms, up to 15 years, once elected in a similar system to the one used in the US Senate.  Ministers could only be appointed from peers who had been elected (bringing to an end the “GOATS” system which has seen Gordon Brown choosing as members of his government people from outside politics whom he has appointed peers) and members would be paid a salary which has yet to be fixed – but it would almost certainly be less than the £64,766 currently paid to backbench MPs.  You are also considering whether it would be possible to introduce any kind of artificial ‘balance’ so that the reformed chamber includes a certain proportion of women and members of different faith groups.  The remaining 92 hereditary peers – the relic of a deal done under Tony Blair’s premiership in 1999 – would of course be swept away under the proposed reforms.

- Alistair Darling, giving a suitably weasily answer about the upcoming Budget on Sky News’ Sunday Live programme. (full story HERE)

From the Daily Mail:

Gordon Brown hurled a torrent of abuse at EU Foreign Minister Baroness Ashton in a row over the way she is doing her job, it was disclosed last night.  The Prime Minister swore repeatedly at the Baroness over the telephone, leaving her shaken, according to well-placed sources. Details of Mr Brown’s latest bullying outburst prompted claims that Baroness Ashton, 53, is losing the confidence of her own Government, as well as Brussels. According to one source, he accused her of ‘letting Britain down’.

The disclosure came amid mounting criticism of the way the Labour peer is carrying out her role as the EU High Representative for foreign affairs.  It is the latest in a series of developments to undermine the former Cabinet Minister since she won the prestigious £250,000-a-year post late last year – with Mr Brown’s backing.  The sniping started in Westminster where allies of Peter Mandelson, who was upset not to have won the EU role himself, were accused of launching a whispering campaign against the Baroness. They said she was ‘too dull and too dim’ to succeed. It spread to Brussels, where bureaucrats said she had become the ‘mediocrity everybody loves to hate’. 

Criticism of her conduct erupted into the open after she failed to visit Haiti in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake there. She was upstaged by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who jetted in within days but the Baroness hit back, stating she refused to take part in ‘disaster tourism’.  There were also reports she was neglecting her duties by returning to the UK most weekends to be with her family and refusing to take calls after 8pm. Her aides say she prefers ‘behind the scenes’ diplomacy. But critics say her low-profile style and lack of political experience has proved to be a handicap. ‘She’s never been elected to anything and has spent the last few years in the Lords, hardly the cutting-edge of politics,’ said one. Baroness Ashton hit back in the European Parliament promising to be more ‘assertive’. In an attempt to answer jibes at her inability to speak foreign languages, she briefly switched into French and German.

Baroness Ashton and Downing Street declined to comment.

Interesting last sentence – no comment from Downing Street.  Remember how quick they were out of the blocks when Rawnsley launched his bullying claims?  Remember how the whole No 10 press team jumped into action and the rebuttals came thick and fast?  Not this time.  Brown the Bully strikes again….

2. A Very Public Sociologist explains why he, unlike other Lefties, can deal with the BNP.

3. Corrugated Soundbite describes what happens when political correctness goes wrong.

4. Adam Collyer tells David Cameron to clean up his party.

5. Newgate News discovers what happens when journalists don’t bother doing their research.

- Conservative MP Greg Hands, after it emerged that the trade union behind the British Airways strike has received almost £400,000 in taxpayers’ money in three years.  Unite is accused of having taken over the Labour party after donating £11 million and installing a former aide to Gordon Brown in a key role.  Britain’s biggest union, which has 2 million members, has also been the biggest beneficiary of a scheme set up by the Government to improve efficiency in the workers’ rights groups.  Unite, formed by a merger of Amicus and the Transport & General Workers Union in 2007, has received £334,934 from the Union Modernisation Fund over the past three financial years. When a separate payment to the TGWU is added, the total comes to £382,469.  (full story HERE)

First came ‘Change That Works For You. Building A Fairer Britain’ – without doubt one of the worst election slogans I have ever heard.  It means nothing, it tells me nothing, it will inspire no-one and it’s basically the same as the other two parties.

Now we have Nick Clegg calling for a 10% tax on bank profits.  In an interview with the Guardian, he said that ”bankers are Scargill in pin stripes. Scargill’s stated aim was to challenge who runs the country. The bankers have behaved in the same arrogant way … to benefit only themselves …”.  Obviously it is my mistake for thinking that a supposedly liberal party wouldn’t mind us occassionally doing things to benefit ourselves, and I think Cleggy seriously needs a history lesson or two if he thinks that bankers taking home a proportion of the money that they earn for their companies is comparable to the actions of the trade unions during the 1970s and 80s. *roll eyes*

2. Events Dear Boy thinks Labour might be deceiving us.  I know, shocking.

3. Dick Puddlecote lets the weapons-grade cock-sockets in Parliament know how he feels.

4. The Red Rag mocks the Lib Dem’s attempt to portray themselves as ‘fair’.

5. Pub Philosopher has an excellent example of Labour’s inability to make decent legislation.

- a note on the website of Anna Arrowsmith, a porn film director and the new PPC for the Lib Dems in the constituency of Gravesham.  Her website also mentions that she is “into all sorts of things, mainly partying and drinking – and porn, porn, porn!!!”.  A spokesman for the Lib Dems was previously quoted as saying: “The Liberal Democrats are proud to have candidates throughout the country with a great diversity of backgrounds and life experiences.”

(H/T Iain Dale)