The night I met my blogging friends

Posted by on Sep 30, 2006 in updates | 11 comments If you usually spend Friday nights blogging, you may have noticed it was a bit quiet on the Tory front last night. That’s because we met up in London. A few bloggers had arranged to get together for a pre-conference drink, and distance was no object for some.  I thought if Alan (Daily Propaganda) can hot foot it from Switzerland and Prageutory from the...
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Women of passion we must never forget

Posted by on Sep 29, 2006 in Uncategorized | 10 comments What an extraordinary revelation, the report that suffragettes planned to shoot Prime Minister Herbert Asquith at the beginning of the last century, such was their desperation to vote. I admire the restraint shown by police who responded by merely redoubled their precautions, fearing that publicity resulting from the women’s arrest would further inflame the situation. Yet these...
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The mystery of the vanishing Cromer crab

Posted by on Sep 29, 2006 in updates | 8 comments It’s not just the blue shark that is an endangered species, the crustaceous Cromer crab is in danger of fast disappearing too. Nobody knows why supplies have halved over the last three years, with traders reporting their worst season for 30 years. Some wonder if the seas have been over fished, whether the blame lies with increase in the voracious velvet crabs which could have been taking...
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Confucius say – time to recognise women now

Posted by on Sep 28, 2006 in updates | 7 comments I can only imagine the euphoric delight experienced by the latest female descendents of our esteemed Chinese philosopher Confucius. A fifth-update on the family tree is being currently carried out which will include women for the first time after 2,500 years. The 77th generation descendant of Confucius agrees they have to “adapt with the times”. Up until then,...
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Conservatives push for EU-India free trade pact

Posted by on Sep 28, 2006 in Uncategorized | 3 comments David Cameron must be delighted with the speed that an EU-India free trade pact is coming to fruition. My MEP Robert Sturdy (pic)is Conservative International Trade spokesman and naturally delighted. We are already India’s biggest trading partner at some 40 billion euros annually. Our press release today endorsed plans to strengthen and develop strategic trading links, which will be...
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Crusade to oust St George will be debated in Parliament

Posted by on Sep 28, 2006 in updates | 9 comments The crusade to oust St George as England’s patron saint is gathering momentum and will be heard in Parliament. Conservative MP David Ruffley also believes it is time to restore the title to St Edmund (see pic). He plans to raise it as a debate in the House of Commons on behalf of his constituency. He said: “I’m going to be reading the petition to the...
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Why good PR pays – you need look no further!

Posted by on Sep 27, 2006 in updates | 6 comments It’s very rewarding when after issuing a press release for a client, the editors from two Cambridge glossy magazines call almost immediately asking for higher resolution pics to be sent. The pic in question was Xanthe (left) taken by Pali Rao (right), one of two stunning shots which won him high commendation from the prestigious International Photography Awards. Pali was naturally proud of...
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Beware of nodding Bulgarians

Posted by on Sep 27, 2006 in Uncategorized | 5 comments Last night I was told how Bulgaria and Romania can offer great business opportunities for the UK, and I met some traders who have already established contacts there. The question that was repeatedly asked was why is our Government keen to push trade links with India and China, but not doing the same for our European neighbours – western and eastern? India and China might be great for the...
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Cherie’s words may win the day

Posted by on Sep 26, 2006 in Uncategorized | 6 comments Prime Ministers’ wives should seemingly be seen and not heard – that may have been a requisite in days gone, but Cherie’s free-speaking has broken the mould, not once, but twice. Nobody believe she did not mean those words when she accused Gordon Brown of lying, she’s obviously at the end of her tether and Brown’s tribute to Blair was too much for her to bear. Her...
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Plans to oust St George as England’s saint

Posted by on Sep 26, 2006 in updates | 13 comments A campaign has been launched today to oust St George as England’s patron saint and replace him with St Edmund, who was the country’s original saint before he was toppled. It is strongly felt St Edmund should be reinstated and a petition is being jointly organised by the East Anglian Daily Times and BBC Radio Suffolk which will be presented to the Government. St...
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Conservative MEPs take on Spanish fishing fleet

Posted by on Sep 25, 2006 in Uncategorized | 4 comments Conservative MEPs led by the erudite Struan Stevenson will take on the might of the Spanish fishing fleet this week to ban the cruel practice of removing fins from the Mediterranean blue shark. The World Conservation Council have announced that blue sharks are now an endangered species facing extinction because of the Chinese’s love of shark fin soup, which dates back 2,000...
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Charles Clarke and those "ill-advised" words

Posted by on Sep 25, 2006 in Uncategorized | 4 comments Did he mean it, or didn’t he? And did the presence of Ed Balls induce sacked Home Secretary Charles Clarke into admitting he was wrong about saying those nasty things about Gordon Brown. Clarke effectively conceded that his savage personal attack on the Chancellor had been unhelpful to the party. And he acknowledged that people, including himself, had behaved in “not the most best...
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Sam Mendes film exploiting the homeless

Posted by on Sep 24, 2006 in updates | 13 comments I’m sure award winning producer Sam Mendes has no idea that homeless people recruited as extras for his latest film are being way paid below the going rate. The film makers probably think that £50 a day is fortune for these down and outs, compared to the basic rate here of £78.40 per day, or £72.50 a day for this latest Stephen Fry drama, and my husband believes he was paid £75 a day...
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The best kiss of all

Posted by on Sep 24, 2006 in updates | 7 comments Well it is almost as good as the real thing, Rodin’s stunningly erotic statue of The Kiss, now on show at The Royal Academy of Arts. It seems fitting to give it a plug today, my wedding anniversary. I’m not sure whether my husband Stephen would have said “I do” if he had known 17 years ago that he was marrying an addicted blogger. Can you imagine the vicar saying:...
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Why Bob Russell MP threw a childish sulk

Posted by on Sep 23, 2006 in Uncategorized | 8 comments You would imagine an MP would want to share a drink with his local political journalist at their annual party conference, keep him sweet, particularly one as astute and as fair as Graham Dines, from the East Anglian Daily Times. Not so Bob Russell, (pic left) the Lib Dem honorable member for Colchester. It seems he threw a sulk because Graham reported how he had tried to lobby fellow MPs to be...
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Charging to chat with Ministers – is this the thin edge of the wedge?

Posted by on Sep 23, 2006 in Uncategorized | 5 comments Businesses are seemingly coughing up thousands of pounds to chat with Ministers at next week’s Labour Party conference. Had it been Conservatives, we would have been accused of sleaze and greed. If our leading politicians have their fingers on the pulse, surely they should want to meet as many people as possible from different backgrounds and exchange views. What about others who want to...
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A deafened Blair and the ruination of our NHS

Posted by on Sep 22, 2006 in Uncategorized | 15 comments Blair is certain to face a stormy week in Manchester where I hope Unison and others will continue to heckle and demonstrate fiercely in protest at the destruction of our NHS. Of course, it will all fall on deaf ears, Blair only wants to hear what he wants to hear. Did he listen to doctors, nurses and NHS staff, as well as the electorate? Do you remember the farcical Big Conversation? How much...
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What is the Government’s message to 7/7 victims?

Posted by on Sep 22, 2006 in Uncategorized | 6 comments I really feel for Rachel and other victims of the 7/7 bombings which shattered their lives. I feel their frustration at being fobbed off by a Government which simply states the obvious in its long-awaited report. We’ve already been told about failings on the day, this latest report merely repeats what has already been said by the London Assembly. What was the point in producing a second...
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The true human suffering behind an Italian tomato

Posted by on Sep 21, 2006 in Uncategorized | 5 comments Next time you open up a tin of Italian plum tomatoes, do bear in mind the true price in human suffering that could have been involved. This article brings tears to the eyes, it was written by a brilliant undercover journalist posing as an immigrant worker, and he exposes the horrific and cruel suffering inflicted against them – as well as murder. Fortunately, Sicily Scene blogger...
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Where the pen is mightier than the sword

Posted by on Sep 21, 2006 in Uncategorized | 6 comments Can you imagine Guido in the dock charged with “insulting Britishness” over his wickedly composed plots, rumours and conspiracy? I know the pen is mightier than the sword, but it is incredible that the fictitious characters in a Turkish novel have landed one of the country’s top writers in court charged with “insulting Turkishness”. The court has even hard-heartedly...
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Voters must first hand over guns at Yemen polls today

Posted by on Sep 20, 2006 in Uncategorized | 7 comments While the world’s eyes are glued on Thailand‘s dramatic coup and Hungary’s lying Prime Minister, I shall also be thinking of the 9 million voters in Yemen today at their first seriously contested presidential election. To set the scene, more than 90,000 police and troops will be on duty and voters must hand over their traditional daggers and firearms with security guards before...
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Hungary’s second Uprising

Posted by on Sep 19, 2006 in Uncategorized | 9 comments The extraordinary repeated lies of the Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany have led to violent scenes and clashes. Is this Hungary’s second Uprising? Thousands of protesters have clashed with police and stormed the headquarters of Hungary’s state television, furious over a leaked recording in which the shamed PM admitted that his Government “lied morning, evening and...
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Stephen Fry’s tortured mind

Posted by on Sep 19, 2006 in updates | 7 comments Tonight we can journey into Stephen Fry’s tortured mind, and other’s too who describe the blackness of living with manic depression. Stephen is one of 4 million sufferers of bipolar disorder in the UK, which has driven him to the brink of suicide. He hopes his frank account will help many others. I’m absolutely convinced it will. The tragedy is that knowledge and understanding...
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Sick War on Terror boardgame launched in Cambridge

Posted by on Sep 18, 2006 in updates | 11 comments  Two Cambridge men have launched a War on Terror boardgame, no doubt hoping it will be a Christmas best seller. It is based on terrorist atrocities and the aim of the game is to “liberate the world, ridding it of fear and terrorism forever”. It even comes complete with an “evil balaclava” and a “Suicide Bomber Gift Certificate” thanking...
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Hospital consultant stands as parliamentary candidate to save NHS

Posted by on Sep 18, 2006 in Uncategorized | 7 comments A top hospital consultant Barry Monk is to stand as a parliamentary candidate in the next General Election to fight for a decent NHS in this country. His skills should be focused on caring for patients, not battling with an uncaring Government. Yet he feels he has no choice as his own hospital in Bedford could one of those axed in a regional shake-up and he doesn’t want to lose it. It is...
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