I say fellow bloggers, but the truth is that so far I have been a pretty feeble blogmeister.
The real wizard behind this site, as you all know, is Melissa Crawshay-Williams, and I have for some time been consumed with guilt that I am not helping her by supplying more of my own stuff.
So here’s my New Year Resolution – try to get down to the blog at least once a week.
After all the snubbing and sniping, and the absence of a handover to Brown, will it be snap election time? With iridescent blue cheerleading pom poms or not the Conservatives must be firm in their resolve.
Interesting and hard-hitting views from down under at Crickey.com – Australia’s leading independent online news service, claiming that Blair is set to depart and lamenting the UK’s response to the tsunami disaster:
Continue reading Gordon Brown and Tony Blair: Division and Discord
Vote went 385 in favour 93 against and many abstentions.
edit: Boris was one of the ones who abstained and I have the impression that he will explain more fully on Thursday.
TO COME:
– Boris column on Thursday am
– Christmas message/opinions/views/contemplations: from M Steyn and political correctness to apocalyptic thoughts in The Economist to Yuletide Fun in Private Eye to Biblical Advent reflections
Boris Johnson hosted the “We Care: who Pays?” campaign launch for Sue Ryder Care on 15th December in the House of Commons. A number of people gave moving testimonies of how helpful Sue Ryder Care had been in looking after their loved ones who had suffered terrible disease. A few people were moved to tears, including the heroic Olympic rower herself.
This charity really does deserve every possible support.
Boris with Olympic rower Sarah Winckless, Phil Dalton and Barry Stuart – both affiliated with care Centres.
Press Release:
Boris Johnson MP this week sponsored the launch of the Sue Ryder Care “We Care: Who Pays?” campaign in Parliament. The campaign is aiming to promote awareness amongst MPs of the true cost of the care provided by Sue Ryder Care. It is believed that in the past four years alone, Sue Ryder Care has effectively subsidised state care by over £50million.
These are dark days, my friends, and it would be quite wrong for any of us to cycle around London without lights. Which is why it is all the more depressing that in Blair’s Britain they steal your bike lights within five minutes, and you are lucky if they don’t steal the saddle and the wheels as well.
So for the last two years I have used something called a Danlite, a magical device that fits in the side of your handlebars, winking white to the front and red to the rear.
And when you park your bike, you simply unscrew the Danlite (it is about the size of a large walnut) and put it in your pocket.
Be bright.
All night.
Danlite.
I was giving tea to some constituents from Chinnor in the Pugin Room and doing my best to show off about the famous people sitting around in the leather armchairs.
“And there,” I said, “is George Foulkes, the former Labour Minister for Overseas Development!” My friends nodded with due reverence to George.
But as we were wolfing our eclairs I noticed that I seemed to have lost their attention and out of the corner of my eye I saw something in powder blue, and I looked up and there she was again! It was Baroness Thatcher, looking just as transcendentally dynamic as when Melissa and le tout in Portcullis House spotted her last week having coffee.
“Did you organise that especially for us” said my awstruck friends, and I did not deny it.
For the first time ever in the known history of Portcullis House
Parliament was prorogued today, eagerly awaiting the Queen’s Speech in the House tomorrow, where we will all be interested to hear of the Government’s plans for future legislation.
Boris should enjoy the proceedings away from the pressures of Shadow High Office – no doubt he will make some points during debates and questions in the Chamber and/or in his column this week.
🙂 A reason to smile this week: Weblog’s own Tom Watson MP [in transit to a new host] was one of the first amongst quite a clutch of MPs to send consolatory letters to our office! 🙂
Cheers fellow blogger! what a great club
On the first Monday of Party Conference in October, Boris Johnson MP, will be outlining his views on the Arts at an Arts Council sponsored fringe event entitled “The Arts and the Next Government”. He will be hoping to get across the message that the Arts in this country are under-funded and fettered by a bureaucracy more interested in tallying social quotas than in supporting, promoting and investing in the Arts.
The issue of freedom then, will be at the heart of his speech. Museums, galleries and other artistic venues should be free to appoint the trustees of their choice, to raise money howsoever they can and to go about promoting themselves to as large an audience as possible free from the tyranny of target-driven quotas. This is not, however, an excuse to cut central government grant. The Shadow Treasury team has agreed with Boris to carry forward current levels of funding in the Arts into the future. Concretely, Boris will be hoping to help the Arts by fostering in this country a philanthropic culture similar to that found in America. Giving to the Arts needs to become both socially and financially more rewarding for the Arts to be placed on a sustainable basis for the future. More details of tax structure and how it could be altered to create a more amenable environment for the Arts will be outlined at an event to be held on 15th November at the National Gallery.
Information contributed by Olly – researcher to Boris Johnson MP. He invites your comments.
Boris will unveil some new tentative arts policy ideas at Party Conference in October.
Watch this space – Olly, researcher to Boris, will post a preview soon.