Worst week anyone?

It's OK, he has nothing to worry about. After all, a large amount of blinkered misinformed people will support the PM no matter what happens or what he does. It is, after all, Labour's fault.

You forgot to mention Nick that also during the week, a famous economic historian, drew attention to the ' economic illiteracy' of 'Wallpaper George', highlighting the fact that he got his training to be the chancellor by collecting the money and calling out the numbers at the Bullingdon Club bingo nights.

It's a great time to be a tory photographer!

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So far the PM has back tracked on so much. Perhaps it is to appease the coalition. He needs to consider the voters. Not many people want Europe, not many people seem to agree with forming alliances with former enemies, not many people are happy with Eurocrats dictating our lives. It seems only criminals, terrorists and those who wish to operate above the law, or challenge the country's way of life want the ECHR, not many of the normal voters.

As for the incompetence of staff - some thing as severe as a potential bomb plot should not have ever been withheld from the PM, and even if Obama knew 10 hours before, why wasn't he on the phone? He is supposed to be an ally (or am I wrong here)?

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2#

Who would that have been then Sout?

Tough weeks come and go, and anyone can create a "worst week" by listing all the negatives, and ignoring the positives (e.g. agree with it or not, the Coalition appears to have come up with a University fee package that will hold together).

It could all be a lot worse - he could be Red Ed, who yet again has just put up a pathetic performance at PMQs.

I think Nick needs to get out more. Someone messed up over the toner bomb; but has DC gone into melt down over it, No. Cool and calm, bit different to the total over reaction we have seen displayed in the past from NuLabour. Remember the times when they made a huge fuss about terrorist raids etc . The info was usually duff and they were left with egg all over their faces. I don`t think DC is worried too much about the EU budget or the usual suspect storming Norman et El. Its called being pragmatic. The prisoner votes thing was a nice parting gift from Labour - left in the pending tray for someone else to do their dirty work for them. Finally the photographer. Many people turn up at No10 charities etc. Won`t it be nice now for them to have an official photo of their visit?

I thought Nick might have commented about DC at last commenting at PQMs on Labours 2010 manifesto (written by Ed) in which they pledged to make cuts in Housing Benefits so that they are in line with levels the working man or woman could afford. Not above it, as Andrew McNeill pointed out today with 50 people in London receiving £104K a year in Housing Benefit alone!

And don't forget 'the honeymoon is over' statement due any day now! Its good to see sniping politics alive and kicking and the glorious American mid term elections that so enthralls the British public, who when given a chance to engage, vote for a clown and a monkey as mayors! (London and Hartlepool!)

David Cameron is a very "slippery fish" and if anyone can avoid the flak then it's D.C. The arch villain over the question of university fees is of course Nick Clegg and both he and the Lib/Dems will be annihilated come the next general election and they have lost my support for ever.

Nick, you didn't mention rogue state Israel's petulant refusal to share intelligence with us because we may attempt to prosecute their war criminals!

Vodaphone and Tax Evasion.
It was upsetting to hear via todays Guardian and other websites that vodaphone, by the use of a third party have avoided paying in excess of
4 BILLION Pounds Sterling in Tax. It is also claimed that Nick Clegg is involved in this. Meanwhile the rest of us will see Tax go up, VAT go up, but those governed by Greed are seeing 2 things profit up tax down.

It is my sincere hope that the BBC will follow The Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree) and report on this long standing piece of nonsense.

At this time of difficulty for the majority of real people in the UK can we please ensure that our Nes-Media follow this up as the Telegraph did with the expenses debacle.

Cheers folks

Iain

The security issues are points that can largely be resolved by Dave calling people in and tearing them off a strip.

But, the two things in the list above that really get my goat are both related to the EU. I simply cannot accept that in our straightened times we should be paying even £1 extra to the EU. The word "no" springs to mind. Cameron's climbdown is all about pacifying people - especially the LibDems - and reflect Cameron's inablity to see the wood for the trees. Demonstrated most vividly in the Defence Review.

As to prisoners getting the vote, we really need to tell the European Court where to go.

@1

Most of the things on this list were either not his doing or out of his control.

How many Labour staffers and hangers-on were remunerated from the public purse at the courts of Tony and Gordon?

A quick comparison with the Coalition would be useful. I think I can guess who generated the higher wage bill.

All very small beer Nick. Just look back to the daily occurrences only 6 months ago.

But But But surely.....


It's All Labours Fault?

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Oh my goodness, please forgive me, but the picture of David Cameron seems to beg the caption: "A bomb? What bomb? The President hasn't told me about a bomb. No one's told me about a bomb? Where is the bomb? No 10?"
It's only Wednesday and nothing so terrible has happened to the PM. He is just experiencing the relatively small ups and downs of austerity implementation. If he believes in his own convictions, all will go ...
up and down a lot more in the future.

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Whatever happened to the Central Office of Information. That non-political organisation full of professional photographers and film makers?

" 7. At 3:20pm on 03 Nov 2010, DonRuggio wrote:
So far the PM has back tracked on so much. Perhaps it is to appease the coalition. "

Isn't this what the PR ooops sorry the PM does?

My heart bleeds for the poor man, but it could be worse: he could be a low paid worker about to lose his job and housing benefit, facing huge rises in the price of food and fuel, with his kids' educational prospects destroyed high university bills, no jobs available, high mortgage bills and reduced social safety net... but higher taxes.

That sounds to me like a pretty good "worst week ever".

If he'd made a reasonable attempt to shift the burden of repaying the debt onto the class of people who ran up those debts (i.e. the middle class who got into the housing bubble to make a quick buck), perhaps I'd feel warmer towards Cameron.

But instead he decided we're "all in it together". I don't see much in their manifesto about equally sharing wealth. So why do we have to equally share repayments on a debt that was mainly caused by the top 60% of earners?

Hmm not quite the worst week, much worse if the thing had exploded, and rained down radioactive toner over say Birmingham.

Grateful that we have a functioning Government making some tough decisions. Kind of tired of turning on BBC Breakfast to see everything the Government are trying to do being run down, attacked or rubbished. 'Critics argue X, Y and Z' well guess what, these are tough times and if cost cutting meant better services or more money for all then we really would be in a crazy world. Stop being so negative about everything it's so tiresome.

Now we have the university fees fiasco to add to your list.

Many of the people who voted for snooty and co. will now find that their kids are priced out of good universities.

At the same time, those middle class tory voters will face insult in on top of injury. They will find that the chav down the road - who got lower grades than their own child - is being subsidised and slipped in on the ConDem 'degrees for dopes' scheme.

It's a great time to laugh at the tories.

I strongly doubt you will get more than ten sensible comments on this. The rest will either agree with you because Cameron is a Tory, or disagree with you because Cameron is a Tory.

I will first declare an interest, namely that I do support the Conservatives, but will seek to be objective regarding the subject of your blog.

Yes, this must go down as his worst week so far.

The bomb plot is obviously bad news; clearly it's no failing on his part but chilling details of terror plots are bad news for everyone.

Boris' housing benefit hyperbole doesn't count as bad news (aside from the fact that it was more than a week ago...) I am confident that there is popular support for the reform.

The EU budget deal is bad news, but less bad news than many of us feared. I don't know the ins and outs of it and presume very few of us do, but I suspect that if a freeze were achievable then Cameron would have got a freeze, given that France and Germany (and others) supported him. Besides, Labour can hardly make political capital out of it, after its MEPs voted against a freeze.

The worst of the lot, in my book, is this prisoners' votes issue. I have absolutely no sympathy at all for Cameron on this one. It's no use lamenting that Labour kicked the issue into the long grass or stating that it'd be too costly not to change the law. That's pernicious nonsense. As a sovereign state, we should make our own laws and have themn interpreted and applied by domestic courts. We should not surrender to diktats from Strasbourg. He's spoken in the past about scrapping the Human Rights Act and bloody well should have done, instead of wringing his hands about the issue now. We have a long tradition of rights protection in this country and should have autonomy over this area.

What hope is there for a Big Society which encourages us to take responsibility for ourselves and take decisive action when the government itself sits on its hands, makes excuses and hides behind mealy-mouthed words?

20#

Arguably, whilst some is not, some of it indeed most certainly is.

Particularly exposing us to the Islamist threat by following onto Dubya's coat tails into Iraq on dodgy intelligence and letting hate preachers carry out Friday prayers on the streets in Finsbury Park.

Not to mention giving up the EU rebate without a whimper, signing us up to the full Human Rights Charter without a referendum...

Dont dig too deep, even in jest. After all, its never stopped you blaming someone else who has been out of power for 20 years, has it?

DonRuggio thankyou for the belly laugh. "Not many people want Europe, not many people seem to agree with forming alliances with former enemies..." France? Last time we were at war was 1815. Time to move on!! Following your thinking I am struggling to think who we should have alliances with...... Or is that your point.

Anyway time to saddle up and go home

He could and should have mounted a defence of hiring the photographer and film maker. I think he would be on to a loser anyway and was badly advised to bring in people he was so closely linked to prior to becoming PM. The fact is he was asked twice in the commons and twice refused to answer.

I think DC is begining to misjudge the public mood. Instead of meeting matters head on he is increasingly retreating into the Tony Blair trick of ignoring the question. He forgets that the public saw through that and Blair became despised by many for it.

Whether he likes it or not, the Opposition is there to hold the government to account, not the other way around. It is an important part of our democratic process. As leader of the opposition he regularly refused to be drawn on policy. If he really wants to expose hypocrisy, answer the question then highlight the lack of credible alternative.

Trumpeting the dawn of the new politics but acting like a bastion of the old will soon begin to cost him.

And now his Housing Minister admitted on the Daily Politics earlier today that he did not know that the "TEA" Party stood for The "TAXED ENOUGH ALREADY" PARTY. Unbelievable!

Impressive. Quite a few people claiming it wasn't his fault already. This man is in charge. He is Prime Minister. The buck stops with him (as President Truman would agree).

His catch-all answer "It's Labour's fault" has gone from being observant, to boring, to somewhat negligent in that he has appeared to absolve himself of all responsibility (and Betsan Powys's blog has a very apt quote about this).

I'd also like to echo the calls for the media to shout more about the Vodafone tax avoidance issue. That right-wing wonder the Taxpayers' Alliance, seems strangely reticent about this subject. A bit negligent given their title.

Yes, the news that the tax payer is to fund the tory official photographer - a post which has never existed under any previous government - is pretty rich.

Particularly at a time when we are told there is a 'national emergency' which justifies (latest estimate) 1.6 million job losses.

But not as rich as the taxpayer funding the conservative chairwoman on the pretext of her being a so called 'minister without portfolio.' (AKA - minister without any particular job to do)

It's a great time to laugh at the tories.

The person who is knocking up the points week for week for 'worst ever' is the over intellectual 'I'm so clever, I can hardly believe it' line of lame questioning from the leader of HMLO ... Ed Miliband.

I presume HMLO now stands for 'Her Majesty's Lame Opposition'?

It's a great time to be a tory...

Could it be that the employees of the 'rodents' from down under, now running the No 10 press office are not up to the job?

This is "can't see the wood for the trees" material, Nick - outside Westminster, the public at large have no interest in the schoolboy exchanges at PMQ, and they don't enjoy one little bit the minute dissection in the news media of every word one politician or another says and the slanging matches that ensue. They long for grown-up politics and grown-up political reporting, where what really matters is what people do rather than what they say, where people can speak honestly without fear of their words being twisted to one agenda or another by their opponents or the media, where politicians show respect for each other and do not resort to mere abuse, and where they do not feel constrained to come up with the 5 second soundbite which is all the TV stations consider our attention spans will stand. Unfortunately for all of us it is the news media who set the agenda, by deciding not only what they report but also how they report it - I was lucky enough to escape all news media for 2 weeks on a recent holiday and it was amazing how much more relaxed one is without the haranguing tone and "bad news" focus of our 24 hour news society, and how throughly depressing it is to be thrown back into it. Journalists, political and other, have a lot to answer for.

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Can anyone confirm that when Nick Clegg was asked last week who was the biggest joke in British politics, he replied, David Cameron

Nick, really?

And if the bomb had gone off - now that would be bad
And if he hadn't got some EU budget concessions - certainly less good
And a terrors suspects row - just as they find a bomb - hardly difficult
And the ECR ruling - more fodder for the "No more powers to the EU" line

If this is as bad as it gets it will be a dreadfully dull until the next election.

It may be his worst week but at least he'll have some very nice (tax payer funded) photos for the album.

Re being informed about the bomb plot - how many such plots are there every week? Does he really NEED to be told about every single one (as opposed to WANT to be told)?

I mean what could he actually do that hadn't already been done by the Home Office / Security Services?

None of these are earth shattering, but there are indications that the teflon isn't working as well as it did. This was inevitable and may not be such a bad thing.

Obama perhaps didn't get wise to reality quick enough and seems to be paying a heavy price (though long term significance is still debateable). If Cameron is as clever as some say he is he will learn from these minor setbacks and come back stronger.

The news about Cameron's photographer isn't in itself a big thing compared to everything else that the government is doing to attack working people and there job security but it is a great example of Tory hypocrisy in general.

@Fubar_Saunders - that whole list is laughable but this point...

"c) POTUS knowing 10 hours before him. So, the US Government has faster means of communications and during a weekend, can be contacted easier than he can. Slightly embarrassing, but effect on the public - nil. Big deal."

... huh? Mobile phones are faster in the US? Not sure I've encountered this! It just goes t demonstrate that the UK is really just a player on the world stage and clearly not of major consideration to the united states.

This is perhaps something that this country needs to realize and focus more on looking after our own needs that behaving like an empire without portfolio.

2*

You can keep your "famous economist" if he thiks spending a £100 billion a year more than you receive is sensible.At least GO did something about rather than that chicken GB who could never say no and spent spent spent.

#35 labour have been using the "its all thatchers fault" for the last 20 years

32 Noah Remember Mers - El - Kebir ? The French wont forget it in a hurry.

Typical anti-coalition hyperbole. The first four points on your list all relate to the same story - and none of them can be blamed on Cameron. Yes, it's probably slightly embarrassing he didn't hear about the bomb immediately, but it's not his fault that the lines of communication broke down nor that the police failed in their duty.

Similarly, giving prisoners the vote is not something that can be pinned on Cameron either, given that it will result from a European court judgement.

The EU budget 'victory' may not satisfy the unreasonable and rabidly anti-EU press here, but halving the proposed budget rise and forging agreement with France, Germany and other leading EU nations is actually a positive achievement for Cameron.

The leak of Cameron's concern about the control-order debate is not exactly Watergate, and the private photographer issue is indeed embarrassing, but something of a triviality.

If Cameron ever looks back on this as his worst week as PM, he'll be very very happy indeed.

"I'm away from Westminster today but it occurs to me that no-one's used the phrase ('in the prime minister's worst week ever') for David Cameron yet."

NR. Always ahead of the game.

Not.

"He is embarrassed by the revelation that the taxpayer is going to foot the bill for a personal photographer and camerawoman - a small fact but one which will be used again and again by his critics to claim that he is a vain hypocrite." - Nick R

No, not a great use of public money. Bit surprised at him too, for this. More the sort of "ooo look at me" behaviour I'd expect from Osborne.

Can't we just say 'NO' to the ECHR about prisoners getting the vote?

Didm't France completley ignore them on the ROMA deportation issue? And what happened to them? - Nothing!

We need to follow F.R.E.D's advice and 'just say no!'

47. At 4:50pm on 03 Nov 2010, IR35_SURVIVOR wrote:
"#35 labour have been using the "its all thatchers fault" for the last 20 years"

Really? Please furnish me with quotes where Blair or Brown claimed it was all Thatcher's fault.

So my post at #21 is getting further moderation, for what?

Daring to suggest that the continual slagging off by the media (and Nick) of the coalition and/or the Conservative party or the LibDems is getting ridiculous.
If what was listed in the 'story'is another worst week, I can only presume that it is another of Nick's worst weeks.

kaybraes hmmm Mers-el-Kébir - forgive my wiki blindspot. Of course the advantage of sharing aircraft carriers is that the French are unlikley to look for revenge by sinking their own carrier. Or is that their cunning plan? The damn fool English: they never expected that.

This is almost a pointless HYS. As usual Tory supporters will cry 'foul' and 'not fair', whilst Labour supporters will happily keep on critising. What about the poor country?

I think that "49. At 4:58pm on 03 Nov 2010, fictionalemu:
Typical anti-coalition hyperbole. The first four points on your list all relate to the same story - and none of them can be blamed on Cameron. Yes, it's probably slightly embarrassing he didn't hear about the bomb immediately, but it's not his fault that the lines of communication broke down nor that the police failed in their duty." should realise that as the prime minister DC should have been informed and he should make it his job to know. The prime minister is the PRIME minister not some also ran!!

49. fictionalemu

'Similarly, giving prisoners the vote is not something that can be pinned on Cameron either, given that it will result from a European court judgement'

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't agree with you on that.

David Cameron is the Prime Minister of a sovereign state. We, as a country, should not be bound by judicial decisions from Strasbourg (nor Brussels for that matter, but that's a different can of worms). He could put a stop to this.

In practical terms, I genuinely don't see what the Council of Europe could do if we simply refused to kowtow and held firm in denying law breakers the chance to elect law makers. Could they sue us? If so, what if we don't pay? Trading sanctions? If so, how would they affect us? Would France and Germany etc really cut off ties with us just because we don't allow prisoners to vote? I can't see it.

Then of course, there's the ultimate sanction for non-compliance: the use of force/ But what is the Council of Europe going to do? Invade? They don't have a standing army, so presumably that isn't too likely...

"34. At 4:09pm on 03 Nov 2010, mrnaughty2 wrote:
And now his Housing Minister admitted on the Daily Politics earlier today that he did not know that the "TEA" Party stood for The "TAXED ENOUGH ALREADY" PARTY. Unbelievable!"

That's because it doesn't. While the phrase fits the name of the current movement, it derives its name from the 'Boston Tea Party', an important event in the 18th century 'no taxation without representation' movement.

If someone printed a poster with "Labour Are Boring Old Uneducated Rejects" you wouldn't say that that was what the name 'Labour' stood for. Which would be ironic.

so "TEA" stands for err...."Tea".

as long as he doesn't lose the plot altogether & start attacking war protestors banners.now that would make him look an unmitigated fool.

Labour spent half a billion each year on a 'communication budget'. The coalition is to cut this by two thirds. And will hire a temporary photographer. Result,huge protests by the Labour Party and an unbelievable fuss from the media. Have they got nothing better to complain about?

RE; 15,
I too would like the bbc to pick up on this story. If the facts are as I have read, the extra 4 billion in tax revenues would have meant that the cuts would not have needed to be so deep.

It also makes you wonder how many other corporations are getting away with not paying all of the tax that they owe. If they all paid all of the tax that they LEGITMATELY owe, would the cuts even be necessary, after all according to Richard Murphy @ Tax Research UK, UK companies avoid £12 billion in taxes each year.

And before we get the "you must be biased" comments, let me just point out that I voted Lib Dem and support the coalition attempts to bring down the deficit, however the cuts would be a lot more palatable if it could be shown that we REALLY "are all in this together"

53 - "Gordon Brown will today blame Margaret Thatcher for Britain's low rates of social mobility and accuse the former Conservative Prime Minister of creating a lost generation by "denying many children the chance to progress.
The Prime Minister will say that the economic policies of Conservative governments in the 1980s meant Britain has become a harder place for poor people to get ahead."

From The Telegraph, June 2008. 18 years after Thatcher left office. i.e the entire life of an 18 year old and with Labour having been in power for 11 of those years.

Sorry Andy C555, you are wrong, while the TEA party has a historical resonance with the 'no taxation without representation' ideals of the original, the current name IS an acronym for Taxed Enough Already...

@58 additionally you will see this if you look at the placards that they carry

And a picture of Cameron looking serious and a bit glum. Very clever.

I appreciate that it would be harder to write a 'what was the worst week for Brown" column as there would be so many to choose from but here's a pic for when you do, to save some time.

https://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2010/04/brownhead415.jpg

"63. At 5:55pm on 03 Nov 2010, Nirmal Singh wrote:
Sorry Andy C555, you are wrong, while the TEA party has a historical resonance with the 'no taxation without representation' ideals of the original, the current name IS an acronym for Taxed Enough Already..."

Obviously the word TEA is an acronym for 'Taxed Enough Already". But why did they pick 'TEA' when there are hundreds of other acronyms that would get the message across? It's becuse of the earlier anti-tax movement a key event of which wasa the Boston Tea Party

The name wasn't chosen BECAUSE the letters were an acronym, the name was chosen because of the earlier event.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement

"64. At 5:57pm on 03 Nov 2010, Nirmal Singh wrote:
@58 additionally you will see this if you look at the placards that they carry"

The name came first, the acronym and placards came second. So it's wrong to say that that is what the Tea in 'Tea Party' 'stands for'.

See the poster below from 18 months ago. Mentions of the founding fathers and something 'brewing'. Mention of taxation without representation. Pretty obvious what the allusion is to.

https://www.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/teaparty%284%29.jpg

62 - 'quotes' is plural. You've provided me with just one, and one which was rare enough to warrant a story in the Telegraph.

Somebody should tally up the number of times Labour blamed Thatcher, and the number of times the govt has blamed Labour. Given that every other sentence uttered by Cameron is along the lines of "it's Labour's fault" I think we know who'll win that one.

If only the Lib Dems had someone significant enough from their history, everyone could blame them too, in the interests of balance (although NC will no doubt fill that role soon enough).

65. At 6:08pm on 03 Nov 2010, AndyC555 wrote:
I appreciate that it would be harder to write a 'what was the worst week for Brown" column as there would be so many to choose from but here's a pic for when you do, to save some time.
================================================

No matter what the topic you tories seem forced resort to some nonsense about labour or blair or brown.

Haven't you caught on yet: they failed, they lost, they've gone. Good riddance.

Your tory mates are the government now.

Surely a rabid tory supporter can come up with some sort of argument in an attempt to support their policies? Don't tell me the situation is so ludicrous that even their own supporters can't manage to justify them?

Yes Nick - the way you've written this you'd almost think he'd run up a £800 billion debt by himself, whilst actaully planning the terrorist outrage!

Normally I rate you personally very highly, although I cannot say the same for the BBC's general Guardianista agenda, but I think this is a bit beneath you.

Nothing he has - or has not - done is responsible for the terror plot.

Nothing he can do can stop the EU giving itself ever higher budgets to play with (because he's in coalition with the EU loving LibDems, he can't put his foot down on this); the Tories also wanted to scrap Britain's adherence to the European Court of Human Rights and write their (our) own Bill of Rights, but this isn't do-able because of the LibDems, currently.

So it's a case of 'c'est la vie'; he's had a few events go against him. But he's dealt with this professionally and calmly, and I for one am still very happy that we don't have Gordon Brown making one dreadful decision after another, whilst throwing mobile phones around the room, bullying underlings and plotting to remove his cabinet rivals...

And this is all from someone who was once passionately pro-Labour...

andy @ 66

"why did they pick 'TEA' when there are hundreds of other acronyms that would get the message across?"

Because it stands for "taxed enough already".

Hate to say but it's quite clever (especially when allied to Boston Tea Party; getting two meanings of "party" for the price of one, plus a good acronym, plus the reference to a relevant and resonant historical event).

Definitely the most (the only, let's face it) intelligent thing about the Tea Party, their name.

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65/69 Oh Dear, lightweight humorous post to break the monotony not recognised....

Which "Coalition" (that's what the Government is, you know) policy would you like to discuss? I've discussed plenty on here. Maybe your memory isn't as good as it once was.

I hardly think Nick's blog is worth discussing any more as the 'worst week' tag has been demonstrated to be rather overblown. Which of the things that Nick highlighted do you think will be giving Cameron sleepless nights?

"71. At 6:52pm on 03 Nov 2010, sagamix wrote:
andy @ 66

"why did they pick 'TEA' when there are hundreds of other acronyms that would get the message across?"

Because it stands for "taxed enough already"."

Oh Jeez not you as well. See one placard on TV and think it must be true. You must have been worried that your old leader really was a "B-liar" after seeing those placards. They did not PICK "Tea Party" because of the acronym. They picked it because of the Boston Tea Party. The acronym came later.

What a yawn.

If the coalition remains intact we can all pass judgement in 2015; between now and then the government and the PM will have a few bumps and scraps along the way - so what?

Tina springs to mind again Nick. Labour hasn't got much to offer at present.

@56, yes of course he's prime minister and should be informed of things like this. but my point was that it's not his fault that he wasn't, and doesn't reflect badly on him or his leadership in any way

@57, again, i don't really think the wider question of obeying european judgements or not has anything to do with cameron's leadership this week

sagamix 71

'Definitely the most (the only, let's face it) intelligent thing about the Tea Party, their name.'

Well they're one up on the Labour party then.

It seems that some posters are whistling in the dark by repeating their mantra of 'it's good to be a Tory'. What a perversion to call it good to deliberately make fellow country men and women unemployed particularly when the Tories claimed before the election that they were the party of employment. Thatcher claimed that in 1979 and then doubled unemployment. So the nasty party is back.

"When Campbell was inside No 10 he used to note the monotonous regularity with which someone in the media trotted out the phrase "in the prime minister's worst week ever". "It occurs to me that no-one's used the phrase for David Cameron yet". And nor are they likely to do so anywhere near as often Nick! The comparative abilities of this Prime Minister and his main team when set against their Labour predecessors, are so far apart that you and your colleagues are more likely to be 'trotting out that phrase' out a sense of journalistic desperation - rather than professional or human justification... (as perhaps evidenced by this newslog - which is rather clutching at straws isn't it?)

Not sure what the drivers are for this log but I would bet Gordon Brown would love this to be his worst week.

29. jon112dk wrote:

Many of the people who voted for snooty and co. will now find that their kids are priced out of good universities.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jon, Many of those who voted for Snooty & Co will now find that their kids are priced out of ALL Universities.

I guess the Honeymoon’s over for him now?
PS: It’s all Gordan’s fault.

Andy @ 74

"They did not PICK "Tea Party" because of the acronym."

It does stand for that though, doesn't it? What did Wiki say when you had a look? Yes, well there you go then.

Moderately clever. Like you.

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23. At 3:49pm on 03 Nov 2010, Stuart J wrote:

Moderated out for complaining about NR - surely not? No bad language just common sense about wasting taxpayers' money on his salary!

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What about Gove's "grant" to that "charity".....smells like a freshly opened tin of tuna...

Oh do stop it Jobs (77) - the Haverstock Comp factor? Grey matter to spare.

Before the election Labour plan 20% cuts to reduce the deficit, details to be announced after they have had a CSR.

After the election, the Coalition accuse Labour of having no plans on how to cut the deficit. They however, will cut by 25-40%, details to be announced after they have had a CSR. They say Labour's 20% is not enough.

Alexander says when he entered the Treasury he was horrified at the lack of plans Labour had to reduce the deficit.

Osborne announces in the CSR that the cuts amount to 19% overall, lower than those "planned" by Labour.

Which is right ? Or is it all just spin,spin,spin...

At 4:11pm on 03 Nov 2010, jon112dk wrote:

"Yes, the news that the tax payer is to fund the tory official photographer - a post which has never existed under any previous government - is pretty rich."

A bit previous Jon, the last Government appointed an official election "artist" who happened to be a photographer.

I am still waiting to see the official election show at the Tate Modern


As for the Vodaphone issue, it has been going on for 10 yrs and the agreement which means they pay less tax, was made by the HMRC Head Dave Hartnett appointed years before this mob came to power, the negotiator on the Vodaphone side worked with him at HMRC 2 years ago.

What Osborne should have done is sacked him and chief mandarin Dame Lesley Strathie the permanent secretatry for not effectively managing the HMRC, but then the last PS sacked at HMRC got a £2.3 million payoff from Gordon.

76. fictionalemu

'@57, again, i don't really think the wider question of obeying european judgements or not has anything to do with cameron's leadership this week'

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I wish I could say the same, but I'm afraid I feel it reflects poorly on him. Strong leaders don't get worked up about an issue but, ultimately, do nothing about it. Cameron should stand up against the European Court of Human Rights and ensure that Britain is still able to make its own laws. This is a fight worth having, not one to cower away from.

None of us should sweep this under the carpet: it's not going to go away. I'm genuinely angry with Cameron's hand wringing. Next on the European Court's agenda is a review of the mandatory life sentence. Watch this space. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the next pronouncement from Strasbourg is that murderers' human rights are being infringed by life sentences. Still, at least it'll give Cameron a further chance to express mock indignation and once again do nothing about a pressing problem.

No need to sack under performing civil servants and give them huge taxpayer handouts,just demote them and move them to a less prestigious post and let them slide down the pension scale. They will often be glad to leave the disdain as others pass them by.

AndyC555

In your professional capacity as an accountant I believe, Would you describe this motion voted on and accepted at the Labour Party Conference a tax avoidance wheeze or just financial massaging of a bottom line with very little assets and quite a few liabilities, when all Constituency Labour Party's are to:

"to transfer the beneficial ownership of their respective freehold and leasehold properties legal title........to and for the benefit of The Labour Party......."

I may be wrong but I can see a time in the future when the new Landlord might ask these CLP's to pay rent for something they owned once.

8 Fubar

When I read this blog I thought oh someone else has weeks like mine, ie everything goes wrong.

Then I read your demolition. It is even more of a non story than the Entent Frugale.

But Nick is giving us a blog to play with and real stories are a bit thin on the ground at the moment.

Nobody got excited over another attack on the Jury sustem and Student fees , who cares ?

I think its fair play for Nick to suggest that this week "just might be a candidate" for Cameron's worst as PM so far. Might not, but given the stuff listed and a few other things, for example another nasty independent bunch of experts casting doubt on the economic forecasts, well it just might be.

This is really all about what it will be like for Cameron as PM and all he can hope is that there's enough policy stuff like student fees where it will be the LibDems that will take the flack. Now he's exposed as having a secret love affair with Europe and especially France the right wing rags will be at him like piranahs.

Cameron seems to want to deflect criticism of his decisions as PM by asking Labour what to do (I mean what they would do). Labour doesn't have to provide specifics just now just like Cameron didn't back in 2005, 2006, 2007. Oops there was one in 2007, something about a massive inheritance tax reduction for rich people. But then strangely events over the next 3 years kind of made that look even more stupid and unfair.

Cameron and Clegg promised new politics once those dastardly labour folk were run out of town. Instead we get just the same old jobs for the boys and Treasury ministers with dodgy expenses.

I reckon there will be plenty of better competition for what "just might be a candidate" for Camerons worst week over the next year.

Just a parting thought why does no one ever think to blame Major?

I'm fascinated by just how much they've got away with already.

They pretty much had no mandate in the first place - almost as many people voted labour as voted tory, yet labour supporters are completely unrepresented in power. Okay there's a few token Labour MPs around, but lib dems with basically just a bunch of students voting for them have people in all the positions of power.

In case you wondered this is why they have no mandate, and why people are talking about general strikes...

Then you have effectively a coup de etat in the country, Brown effectively forced out of office when all the laws we have say he's still the boss. I hated the guy too, but be nice if the media got a grip on reality when this sort of event happens, it was totally undignified.

Now not only do they not have a mandate for doing anything, even if hypothetically they did - they are doing things that weren't in their respective manifestos, and not doing things that were.

Are we really to believe anything these people say?

Then they lock themselves into office in a power grab that Hugo Chavez himself would be proud of - and set about changing all the electoral rules with no mandate and without asking the people (the 5 year rule is what I'm referring to).

David Cameron has one thing that's saving him right now, and that's the total impotence of Labour. They really should lead of with everything is because we have no money and it's the Last government's fault.

Feels like a good time to give them a hint: 2.5% growth over 3 years will put us into surplus with no cutting.

Craig @ 88

Does seem like spin is in the box seat, doesn't it? When they saw the books it was "worse than we thought" and yet they're cutting less than they'd planned. Implication is they're playing fast & loose with the public finances. Worrying.

Worst week anyone?

Well certainly not for me. Each week for the last twenty odd has been getting better and better as I realise with each passing day that never again will my life be blighted by the dullard that is Gordon Brown and his profligacy with my tax contribution.

I have no political affiliation with any party but there is an air of optimism that emanates from David Cameron. He gives me a sense that he understands the problems we collectively face and has a clear idea of the direction of travel. IMHO the decision to create a coalition was a brave move and I hope it manages to withstand the ineviatable tensions that will test it and to run for a full term.

Current fiscal adjustments will inevitable mean unavoidable pain for some, in the short term, (I anticipate personal job redundancy as the public sector cuts kick in), but, taking a medium term ten year view this might well prove a price worth paying.

I'll have another "no more Gordon" smile on my face in the morning.

53. At 5:05pm on 03 Nov 2010, RedandYellowandGreennotBlue wrote:

47. At 4:50pm on 03 Nov 2010, IR35_SURVIVOR wrote:
"#35 labour have been using the "its all thatchers fault" for the last 20 years"

Really? Please furnish me with quotes where Blair or Brown claimed it was all Thatcher's fault.

From Telegraph, 22 June 2008.

Gordon Brown blames Margaret Thatcher for poor social mobility:

"Gordon Brown will today blame Margaret Thatcher for Britain's low rates of social mobility and accuse the former Conservative Prime Minister of creating a lost generation by "denying many children the chance to progress".

Wasn't hard was it

88 Craigmarlpool

Very good points and shows the 'cake and eat it' approach from the Torylition. It would appear that knowing the general level of cuts coming up in the spending review was good enough for George's OBR, so we can assume that Darling's general level would also have been good enough. The CIPD, along with IFS (those nasty independents that used to be so nice before the election) has cast doubt on the numbers so it will be interesting to see the promised update from the OBR before the end of the year.

Maybe when that happens it "just might be a candidate" for the PMs worst week so far.

At least he didnt destroy a placard on video thus showing to the nation his contempt for peaceful demonstration eh nick ? That really would have been a terrible week.