Chris Whiteside's Blog

Top pollster Peter Kellner has published an article in "Prospect" magazine in which he makes a very brave attempt to suggest what a good or bad result in the local elections in England would look like for each of the five main political parties. I am using the word "brave" not as "Yes Minister" code for " stark staring mad " but because this is such a difficult thing to do under any circumstances, and particularly now at this very unusual political time. I must admit that my first reaction to some of these was "Do you really think that?" As he himself explains in the article: " More than 5,000 seats will be contested, covering London (1,817), most big cities (1,419), including Birmingham and Newcastle, and some counties (430), districts (781), unitary authorities (405) and new authorities (162). The chart below suggests some yardsticks for judging each party. It looks perverse: if Labour loses 800 seats it will feel triumphant; if...

 

"I was in the chamber at PMQs today, and one thing I noticed was the public gallery laughing at all of Badenoch’s jokes while shaking their heads at Starmer. I remember sitting in that same gallery just after the election, and to say the mood has shifted would be an understatement." ( Ellie Hodges on X, referring to yesterday's PMQs)

I have stood for election in the past on a Conservative manifesto which included replacing the House of Lords with an elected second chamber. That would have been a genuinely democratic reform, but every attempt over decades if not centuries to do something of the kind was defeated by an unholy alliance of those who wanted no change, those who wanted a different kind of reform, and those MPs who don't want the check on their power represented by any second chamber at all. Instead we have had, from two Labour governments, so-called "reforms" which replaced one unelected chamber with a slightly different unelected chamber from which it was easier for them to get what they wanted. Don 't let anyone imagine that the removal of the years of experience and service represented by the remaining hereditary peers who step down today will improve the ability of the House of Lords to perform its' functions. If the Starmer administration had really been interested in real demo...

Whitehaven and Workington Conservatives were out today, asking people for their views on the Conservative plan for Cumbria which our mayoral candidate Mike Starkie is putting together. A big thank you to everyone who has already responded to our online questionnaire. And after an evening's hard work, here is a great piece to relax to:  Domenico Scarlatti's Sonata in a minor performed by Pizzicar Galante: Anna Schivazappa , baroque mandolin Ronald Martin Alonso , viola da gamba Daniel de Morais , baroque guitar Fabio Antonio Falcone , harpsichord

Two people, a man in his seventies and another in his thirties, are recovering in hospital after being stabbed in the street in Golders Green, apparently because they are Jewish. A suspect has been arrested and police have confirmed that the attack has now been declared a “terror incident.” Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing, confirmed that his team had taken over the investigation. CCTV footage circulating online shows a man launching two frenzied attacks on bystanders on Golders Green Road.  A Met Police spokesperson said: “ An investigation is underway and a man has been arrested following a stabbing incident in Barnet. " Local officers and armed officers attended, alongside the London Ambulance Service. “ The suspect also attempted to stab police officers, and was Tasered before being arrested. No officers were injured. “ Two men – one in his 70s and one in his 30s – were treated at the scene for stab wounds. They have been taken to hosp...

"To save his own skin, Keir Starmer threatened his MPs with the loss of their jobs unless they helped cover up his misleading statements to Parliament. It is a disgrace that 333 Labour MPs chose to be complicit in that cover up. It is very notable that the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister would not repeat his boss’s exact claim that there “was no pressure whatsoever” from No10 on the appointment of Peter Mandelson, instead trying to 'clarify' what he had meant. This is a government coming apart at the seams. They are more interested in their own survival than the cost of living crisis affecting hardworking families. Labour MPs will rue the day that they voted against this motion, because it is the day that people saw they believe there’s one rule for Labour and another for everyone else." Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch on the defeat of the motion to refer the PM to the committee of Privileges.

 According to Robert Peston, a Labour MP has sent him the following text meessage:  “ Irony of voting shortly to carry over the Hillsborough Law which includes the duty of candour as its central piece, but then being asked to oppose a Privilege Inquiry [into Keir Starmer] is not lost on some …”

Dan Hodges has an excellent piece in the Daily Mail: DAN HODGES reveals the SEVEN times Starmer has misled the House of Commons or broken ministerial code | Daily Mail Online He writes as follows: "MPs will be asked to vote on whether or not Keir Starmer should be referred to Parliament's Privileges Committee on Tuesday on a charge of misleading the House of Commons. Starmer and his allies furiously reject the allegation. On Monday, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds – in a desperate last-minute attempt to head off a vote – claimed repeatedly on national television that it had been 'categorically proven' the Prime Minister had not lied to or misled anyone. This statement was itself a lie. Keir Starmer has not been exonerated by anyone." "In reality, he has deliberately misled the House, misled the country and breached the Ministerial Code on no fewer than seven separate occasions over the Peter Mandelson affair. Offence 1: On September 10, 2025, Starmer told...

I am sad to learn that Colin Micklethwaite died on Friday in Millom Community Hospital, where he had been receiving end of life care after fighting bravely for some time against prostate cancer. Colin was one of the nicest people I ever met, a kind man who was always cheerful, with a quick wit and a ready smile. He was Mayor's Consort in Millom in 2018-19 when his wife Jane was Mayor of Millom. He will be missed. Condolences to Jane who is a long-standing stalwart of the Millom Community. Rest in Peace

"This is going to be unpopular, but here goes. I believe Sir Keir Starmer. I don’t think he would be so foolish, or so careless, as to lie to Parliament. He is an ultra-cautious man, a creature of procedure. When he says that he did not discover until this month that Peter Mandelson had been denied security clearance as a potential ambassador, I think he is telling the truth. But here’s the thing .  He never allowed the slightest leeway to others in similar circumstances.   As leader of the Opposition, he always assumed the worst, always levelled accusations of lying, always demanded resignations. Boris Johnson was, in my view, also telling the truth as he understood it when he said that he had been “ assured that no Covid rules were broken ”. He plainly took the word “party” to mean a festive congregation of invited guests, not a break for tea among keyworkers. The only actual party in Number 10 was organised by officials while Boris was 40 miles away. Yet Starmer insisted th...

 

"The instinct after a crisis in No10 is always to add more process. But the Mandelson appointment wasn't a failure of process - it was a failure of political judgment. The right response to bad decisions is better decision-making, not process paralysis." Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP.

The app X, formerly twitter, is all too often full of poison, but every so often you get something on X which is so useful, entertaining or fascinating that it rewards putting up with the trash.  I love this crossover table which brilliantly fits together four famous sayings, principles or "thought experiments" - Chekhov's Gun, Schrödinger's Cat, Occam's Razor, and Murphy's law. NB - if you're looking at the top level of the blog, you don't see the bottom of the image with the fourth row of boxes: you have to click on " Read More " to see the whole picture."

The choir of Selby Abbey sang this beautifully aa the Communion anthem this morning. I don't have a recording of their performance, but here is a very good one by the Dolor Consort.

"The economic disasters of socialism and communism come from assuming a blanket superiority of those who want to run a whole economy." Thomas Sowell

"The Falkland Islands are British…no matter what Donald Trump says. We must defend British Sovereign territory, and to do that we must back our armed forces. Only the Conservatives have a plan to reinstate the two child benefit, and use the savings to fund our military." Rt. Hon. Kemi Badenoch, Conservative leader

( From X this week ) Sir Keir Starmer combines the veracity of Boris Johnson with the people skills of Gordon Brown, the charisma of Theresa May, the common touch of Jacob Rees-Mogg and the human empathy of Donald Trump.

"Last week No.10 published a blank vetting form they claimed proved Olly Robinson had misled the Prime Minister. Robbins said he’d never seen any form of that type. No.10 are refusing to publish the original. It’s a farce." ( Dan Hodges on X yesterday) ( Dan Hodges on X: "Last week No.10 published a blank vetting form they claimed proved Olly Robinson had misled the Prime Minister. Robbins said he’d never seen any form of that type. No.10 are refusing to publish the original. It’s a farce." / X )

 

"Happy St George’s Day. Be proud. Fly the flag." (Rt. Hon. Kemi Badenoch , Conservative leader) There is an accompanying video and extended version of the message which you can see and hear by clicking on this link: Kemi Badenoch on X: "Happy St George’s Day. Be proud. Fly the flag 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 https://t.co/VErmHJY0MQ" / X Events to celebrate St George's Day: St. George Events – Happy St. George's Day

Conclusion of an article in the New Statesman ...

Here are three quotes on X today from Dan Hodges . 1) "So I’ve just checked Hansard. And it’s clear that Starmer also misquoted Robbins. He took half a quote to make it look like Robbins had denied pressure had been brought to bear. Where the full quote actually says the opposite." 2) This is the quote that is sparking anxiety inside No.10 this evening. Starmer: “ No pressure existed whatsoever in relation to this case ”. Senior Starmer aides believe that statement is going to come back to bite him in a major way. 3) "I’m told Starmer was simply supposed to stick to quoting Robbins. But by extemporising he made a statement himself that is a provable untruth. Understand they are especially concerned about what Robbins predecessor Sir Phillip Barton will say on the issue." And here are two from Matthew Stadlen making a similar point : 3) "Starmer told the Commons at PMQs: "[Robbins] was asked if any conversations led him to believe that Mandelson needed to ...

Here is a Fantasia on the Yorkshire Anthem ( On Ilkley Moor Bar T'at ) by Simon Mayor, arranged for two mandolins, a mandola, and a mandocello. I must confess that I'd not previously heard of a mandocello, I am reliably informed that this is a plucked string instrument of the mandolin family. It is larger than the mandolin, and is the baritone instrument of the mandolin family. The term does not refer to a type of cello played by Mandalorians as in this picture posted  here on Instagram by the Piano Guys. This is the way ...