Chris Whiteside's Blog

"Nigel Farage does not have enough serious candidates. Many of the people he has recruited would struggle to pass the standards of someone appointed to run the village fete, let alone govern a country." Kemi Badenoch.

“ This application is legally flawed, evidentially deficient, and procedurally defective. It constitutes an abuse of the process of this court, driven by an improper motive and facilitated by serious breaches of the duty of candor. The application for a summons is refused. ” With the above words Judge Goldspring rejected an attempt by Pro-Palestinian activists to bring a private prosecution against a man with joint British and Israeli citizenship who had been conscripted into the IDF and been called up as an ID reservist. As all Israeli citizens are conscripted into the IDF, and there was no evidence that the person concerned had actually committed any war crimes, this effectively amounted to an attempt to criminalise him for being a citizen of Israel. Looks like Judge Goldspring didn't think the application aligned very well with the law or was very truthful, either.

The satirical website NewsThump has a piece supposedly by Andy Burnham on why he has chaned his mind about having a general election when the PM changes ... You can read it at Why I’ve changed my mind about having general elections when Prime Ministers resign, now that I’m next in line – by Andy Burnham – NewsThump but here are some extracts: " Why I’ve changed my mind about having general elections when Prime Ministers resign, now that I’m next in line " – by Andy Burnham Back in October 2022, when Liz Truss resigned after roughly the shelf-life of an avocado, I joined many sensible people in calling for an immediate general election. In fact, I was so convinced that the British public deserved a say in who governed them that I even tweeted “ #GeneralElectionNow ” . A bold stance, and one I stand by completely. Well, mostly. Obviously, circumstances have changed. Specifically, the circumstances have changed to me being the person who is about to become Prime Minister. When I...

I think quotes from trade union leaders here have been less common than from Labour MPs but here is a good one. Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, Britain’s biggest trade union:  “It is no secret that I disagree with Ed Miliband on almost every issue relating to a workers’ transition. Ed only seems to be interested in one side of the equation, rushing Britain to net zero with almost no thought for jobs, skills and national security.”  Hat tip to Andrew Neil who added, " I couldn't put it better myself. "

Sir Keir Starmer has resigned as leader of the Labour party and will step down as Prime Minister when his replacement in that post is elected.

Two years ago today, during the 2024 election campaign, journalist Michael Crick posted this on X: "In two to three years time, when Starmer and his government are no doubt deeply unpopular, I hope we in the media will ask ourselves:  " Why were we so supine during the long 2024 election; why didn't we hold Labour properly to account while we could, and ask more probing questions, and explore their records, rather than give them such an easy ride? ". Michael Crick on X: "In two to three years time, when Starmer and his government are no doubt deeply unpopular, I hope we in the media will ask ourselves: "Why were we so supine during the long 2024 election; why didn't we hold Labour properly to account while we could, and ask more probing" / X Well, there was a tweet that aged well. I don't always agree with Michael Crick but I have a huge amount of respect for him, because he really does try to hold all parties to account and they are all terrif...

 'Reform are economic fantasists - the numbers never add up. They had £140 billion worth of unfunded commitments and tax cuts. The numbers do not add up and, seemingly, they do not seem to care about that. They just simply think that if you go out and promise the Earth to everybody, somehow that is going to be enough - well, it isn't responsible.' Mel Stride , Shadow Chancellor

"Voters are not ours to trade like football cards" Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch in the Mail on Sunday today, from an article ruling out any pact between the Conservatives and Farage's Reform UK. A fuller version of the quote: "Farage may be trying to unite the right. I am trying to unite the country." "If you want lower taxes, you cannot vote for a party that keeps finding new ways to spend money it does not have. Reform UK dress like Thatcherites but act like Corbynites. Reform is not like the Conservative party. At all. We are not the same, and voters are not ours to swap ike football cards." She added "I know that Reform has tapped into the country's anger. But it is easy to promise everything. It is easy to blame everyone else, as Starmer did. It is easy to shout abut betrayal, easy to offer unfunded giveaways and move on before anyone asks how the numbers add up. Winning elections may be about popularity, but government is different. Government ...

 

No apologies for posting again the so-called "Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor for Strings" as I do like this performance of it. As I have previously posted, most if not all of this piece was actually composed by 20th century Italian composer and biographer Remo Giazotto who claimed to have based it on a fragment he allegedly found in the ruins of a library wrecked during the RAF and USAF bombing of Dresden, of a piece he thought had been composed by the the 18th-century Venetian master Tomaso Albinoni.  The library which was destroyed in the 1945 Dresden bombing raids did indeed contain a substantial and irreplaceable collection of Albinoni's work and it is, sadly, almost certainly true that much of the composer's work was lost forever to allied bombs.  However, it is more than a little suspicious that neither Giazotto (who died in 1998) or his heirs have ever produced the manuscript fragment supposedly recovered from the museum, and sceptics have described the claim...

Kemi Badenoch posted today: " While the Press will be focused on the battle for the Labour leadership and Conservatives celebrating our win in Aberdeen, there are two people I want to pay tribute to. The first is Michael Winstanley @Winstamike who was an excellent candidate for us in Makerfield. He represented our party with grace, dignity and competence. The result was no reflection on him but on the circumstances of a peculiar by-election where the question was not “who would be the best representative?” but “should Andy Burnham challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership?” The second is Jack Cruickshanks @j_cruickshanks whose valiant efforts in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry took us from 3rd behind Labour to 2nd place, increasing the Conservative vote share. By-elections can be more intense than general elections because of the focus and scrutiny.  I am proud of all our Conservative candidates this morning.  Part of a strong, united team. " Kemi also published this let...

 Kemi Badenoch has been asked again if a post-election deal with Reform UK is possible… Her response is clear to anyone with two or more working brain cells: “No, no, no, no, no, no… I don’t know what people don’t understand about the word NO.”

Britain needs an economic revolution. This is the Conservative plan

Congratulations to Douglas Lumsden, the new Conservative MP for Aberdeen South, who gained that seat from the SNP yesterday by 6,000 votes. This is a massive result. In  MAKERFIELD RESULT In a by-election dominated by tactical voting, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham held the seat for Labour and contrary to expectations, it wasn't close. Makerfield by-election vote shares result: LAB: 54.8% (+9.6) REF: 34.5% (+2.7) RST: 6.8% (+6.8) CON: 2.2% (-8.7) GRN: 0.7% (-3.7) LDEM: 0.4% (-6.4) I will confess to being disappointed that the excellent Conservative candidate and my good riend Michael Winstanley didn't do better. I campaigned in Makerfield for Michael more than once, and a very high proportion of the local residents I to whom I spoke had a high opinion of Michael - many of them referring to him unprompted by his first name - but he was hit by two diametrically opposed forms of tactical voting. Many of those who would normally have backed Michael Winstanley either said the...

"You cannot regulate your way to growth. You cannot tax your way to prosperity. And you cannot build a stronger economy by making life harder for the people who create jobs." Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch

Polls have now closed in the three parliamentary by-elections, in Makerfield, Aberdeen South and Arbroath. A big thank you to everyone who voted, especially those who voted for Michael Winstanley, Douglas Lumsden, or Jack Cruickshanks

Polls are now open in three by-elections, in Makerfield, Aberdeen South and Arbroath In the Makerfield by-election the Conservative candidate is Michael Winstanley. This is an exceptionally unusual by election. Having been to canvass for Michael, I can say only two things about the election with total confidence. The first is that of all the candidates, Michael Winstanley would make far and away the best MP for Makerfield and is by a country mile the candidate with the strongest commitment to the Makerfield area where he lives and has been a councillor. The second is that if anyone attempts to extrapolate any implications at all about any other election from whatever is the result of this one, their conclusions should be taken with a bucketful of salt.   In Aberdeen South, which is a seat won at the last election by the SNP, the Conservative candidate is Douglas Lumsden, who is the pro-Union candidate with the best chance of defeating the SNP. For any  voter in Aberdeen S...

Robbie Lammas serves as a Councillor in Medway, Kent. He worked for Conservative MPs for over eight years and served as a Special Adviser to the Chairman of the Conservative Party. He wrote on Conservative Home at Robbie Lammas: I made a mistake defecting to Reform. They are not a serious party | Conservative Home that his decision last year to defect to Reform was an enormous mistake which he now regrets. Here are some extracts from his article. "I made a huge mistake leaving the Conservatives last year. I was wrong and I apologise. Here’s what happened and why I changed my mind. Following the worst defeat in its history in 2024, the Conservative Party faced a clear choice: to change radically or to sit back. Many senior Conservative voices urged immediate renewal, but the choice was made and Farage filled that vacuum. I was very concerned. I too shared a concern that the breadth of the Tory church was too broad and lacked the will to drive through the constitutional restoration ...

"Anyone who still downplays Russia’s attacks is one of two things: wilfully ignorant or complicit.  There is no third category. The Kremlin is not ambiguous about its intent. Nor should we be. Those who bend the knee to Moscow are traitors." Rt Hon Tom Tugendhat MP

Congratulations to the Scottish men's football team on winning their first World Cup match! This is a proud moment for everyone involved, a win in their first World Cup in 28 years is a historic moment and is something to celebrate.  Wishing the players, coaches, and supporters every success for the rest of the tournament.

Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition and of the Conservatives, writes: " Our Armed Forces cannot defend Britain on empty promises and delayed plans.  Keir Starmer’s Defence Ministers resigned as his plan falls short. Their warnings are extremely serious.  I’ve written to the PM offering the support of my MPs to vote to cut welfare to fund defence. " Here is her letter

"A number of far left politicians, commentators & other useful idiots seem to have a very hard time understanding that fracturing a policewoman’s spine with a sledgehammer isn’t magically transformed into some beautiful act of protest because it was done for the Palestinian cause." Daniel Sugarman on X

The Green party leader posted that it was "gut wrenching" to see four "Palestine Action" activists who broke into a Filton factory with sledgehammers and did more than a million pounds of damage, sent to prison. One of them was convicted of grievous bodily harm after he hit a policewoman in the back, twice, with his sledgehammer. Kemi Badenoch replied as follows: "These thugs fractured the spine of Sgt Kate Evans, who spoke in court of the medical and emotional trauma she still lives with. Prison is where they belong. Unlike Zack Polanski, I want serious consequences for anyone who attacks police officers risking their lives to protect us." Quite.

From one of the defence ministers who resigned on Thursday. I don't often praise or agree with Labour MPs, but John Healey and Al Carns behaved with honour and put their principles and the needs of the country before their own careers when they resigned, and we would be wise to listen to them.