Undressing the Issues
>VN towers was spared the nonsense of PMQs this week, however, we have been alerted to a rather odd exchange between Red Ed and Cameron:
Ed accused Cam of being ‘a child of Thatcher’ to which the PM apparently replied: ‘I’d rather be a child of Thatcher than a son of Brown’.
Now multiple Lib Dems seem to be gleefully claiming Lord Paddy Ashdown as their father,which is nice. Let’s be honest, if there is one many who could father an entire generation it would be Paddy….
>Being on the Paddy and Ken show last was never going to be much fun for the Labour lamb sent to the slaughter, but new girl Gloria De Piero faired particularly badly. Like most in the Labour party she has screeching and finger waving down to a tee. Is there a training session of self-righteous anger that runs at Labour conference?
While Ashdown and Clarke brought wit and knowledge to proceedings, De Piero offered nothing by cheap, humourless tirades. Even on Howard Flight, where VN slightly agrees with her, she rendered her point meaningless but saddling up and getting onto her high horse. The rants became so boring and predictable she almost made Nigel Farage seem reasonable. Almost…. You can still watch the Paddy and Ken show on BBC iPlayer.
>A leaked letter from Defence Secretary Dr. Liam Fox to David Cameron is causing chaos in Whitehall, as MOD police search cupboards and computers to try and work out how it became public in the Daily Telegraph. The letter, marked ‘For the Prime Minister’s eyes only’, detailed Dr Fox’s fears that “this process [the strategic defence spending review,] is looking less and less defensible as a proper SDSR and more like a “super CSR” (comprehensive spending review).”
Many were hoping that the much respected former marine, and former Lib Dem Leader, Lord Ashdown would have some formal role to play in the coalition government’s defence team. Liam Fox has though been relatively strong in the role, although he is under increasing pressure on finances, Afghanistan, and the renewal of Trident. He is said to be furious that this letter has come out.
The Defence Secretary’s fears at the outcome of the spending review are well known around Westminster but, as the Spectator’s Fraser Nelson points out, he is far too an experienced front bench politician, holding far too an important role, to pull such a stunt. Could it be a member of his staff, thinking they had a wink and a nod form their boss? Possibly. Could it be a member of the Prime Minister’s staff trying to outflank the MoD? Very unlikely. But the number people who previously knew the letter existed must be very small. The leaker needs to be weeded out.
Virtually Naked 