"I don't understand why anyone should want to be proud of being a homosexual."

Honestly, I am astounded that these views are still being peddled by senior politicians of David Cameron's European bedfellows, Poland's Law and Justice Party.

The Guardian carries the story today that;

"Professor Ryszard Legutko has been chosen by MEPs of Poland's Law and Justice party to stand for the chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), the Tories' anti-federalist group in the European parliament."

The election to pick the new leader is due to take place on 8 March and is expected to be close run.
Will David Cameron remove the Conservative whip from Timothy Kirkhope who is standing against Ryszard Legutko?

He did when Edward McMillan-Scott successfully stood against Michał Kamiński, the Polish MEP chosen to lead the new group, for the post of vice-president of the European parliament, and as a result he had the Tory whip removed.

Edward McMillan-Scott then defected to the Liberal Democrats.

Michel Kaminski, who described gay people as "faggots" on Polish television, has resigned from the Law and Justice Party claiming the party had been taken over by extremists.

Slightly ironic given his own extreme views.

Last year during the general election campaign our own leader, Nick Clegg accused David Cameron of aligning himself in the European Parliament with "nutters, anti-Semites, people who deny climate change exists and homophobes".

Ryszard Legutko's views seem to back that view up, even now.

According to the Guardian Legutko insists he is not homophobic, coming out with the classic line;

"Some of my closest friends are homosexuals and I don't have a problem with them,"

Legutko went ton to say he doesn't see the point in gay pride rallies either.

Why does Cameron claim he is pro-gay rights and yet still seem happy for his Conservative group in the European Parliament to sit with these right wing homophobes and even be led by them?

I say to David Cameron - stand and cast these people adrift and show people that you practice what you preach on LGBT issues.

To Ryszard Legutko I say, I'm gay and I'm very proud of being gay.

Losing a parent is never easy...

...whether you are the Prime Minister or not.

So, my heart felt condolences go out to David Cameron and his family tonight.

Last Thursday was the first anniversary since my Mum died, they say time is a great healer, well I need more time.

I miss our chats, the laughs, the tears and most I just miss my Mum.

The photo shows the oak tree we have had planted in Windsor Great park to remember my Mum, the two roses at the bottom are from my Sister, Jenny and I to remember Mum one year on.

Mum's Oak Tree

David Cameron, Margaret Thatcher and Gordon Brown

Back in 2007 Gordon Brown was roundly criticised for inviting Margaret Thatcher to 10 Downing Street.

So, even though he is also a Conservative, will David Cameron receive the same criticism for inviting Margaret Thatcher to 10 Downing Street today?

Photograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA

Conservatives to freeze pay of public sector workers on £18,000+

One of the Conservative manifesto pledges is to freeze the pay of all public sector workers who earn £18,000 and above.

Yes, that's right every nurse, police officer and fire-fighter across the UK will be hit hard in the pocket by David Cameron's party should they win on Thursday.

The Conservatives’ pay freeze plans will hit 43,575 nurses, 4,107 fire-fighters and 14,548 police officers across Scotland.

These people, care for our sick relatives, keep our streets safe and protect our children from danger – often at real risk to themselves.  They have dedicated their careers to helping others by working in our frontline public services. 

Our families and local communities owe them a debt of gratitude - but David Cameron and the Conservatives are targeting their wages to fund tax cuts for millionaires.

So, when a Conservative canvasser knocks on your door, ask them why they are penalising our nurses, police officers and fire-fighters?

Was the YouGov poll fair last night after the Sky Prime Ministerial debate?

So, the second TV debate on Sky for the Prime Ministerial debates took place last night, I didn't watch it live, but thanks to Sky+ watched it soon after.

I was sort of following it via Twitter as I was writing target letters.

What was interesting is despite the UK media turning it's guns and might (not as honestly as you would have thought) on Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats, we wnot only withstood it but yet again Nick Clegg came out as the winner of three of the five polls last night, not as clear a victory as before, but still showing the voters of the UK that there is a real choice at this election.

Nick Clegg was shown as the winner with ComRes, Angus Reid and ICM  and David Cameron with YouGov and Populus.


However, should it have actually been four of the five polls for Nick, because YouGov published the results before Nick Clegg's final speech according to some on Twitter (someone I trust) - was that fair or balanced?

I wonder if they had held off and done it fairly, rather than just trying to rush it out, would the result have been the same?

It seems obvious to me that the Conservatives are in panic mode now.

Two weeks ago the Conservatives were riding high in the polls, with Labour closing the gap.

Now it is the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives fighting for first place with Labour languishing at the bottom, out of the race.

With two more weeks to go it is clear the voters of Britian have had enough of the traditional two party politics as portrayed by the media. 

In Scotland the voters are used to a four party system and understand it as well, so although the polls show Labour in the need it is the SNP being squeezed by the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives a long way behind in fourth place.

Cameron's Conservative candidate Peter Lyburn misleads the public

We all know there are banana skins during an election - from other parties helpers trying to infiltrate under false pretences (I recall from the Brent East by-election a Conservative member of staff pretending to be a journalist) or even the media just trying to catch a candidate out on policy or the like.

But, when you create your own banana skin, there is very little sympathy out there.

Peter Lyburn is the Conservative candidate for Perth & North Perthshire and he has made a major mistake this week.

David Cameron has made a major issue of getting business men and women to sign a letter agreeing with him that should he get the keys to 10 Downing Street he will scrap the Government's proposal to raise National Insurance.

Well, I wonder how Cameron feels about his Perth & North Perthshire candidate 'making up' a list of his own of local businesses claiming to support the very same policy?

The Courier have the full story.

Despite The Courier having contacted quite a few of those listed on Peter Lyburn's and the majority not being happy about being included, Peter Lyburn was then quoted responding to The Courier;

Mr Lyburn responded, “The Conservatives have been very clear in press releases and interviews that we welcomed support from businesses for our economic plans. Every business person on that list supports Conservative plans to scrap Labour’s jobs tax.”

This quote just shows how completely arrogant the Conservatives are being about this.

Their candidate has made a major mistake and not only misled these Perth businessmen by not telling them explicitly their names would be given to the media, potentially damaging their local reuptation but this then misleads the public who quite rightly will assume these people knew.

The President of the Perthshire Chamber of Commerce, Paul Shields, a local hotelier, said;

“I’m disappointed that I’ve been misquoted and disappointed that I’ve been used for political games.”

I think Peter Lyburn needs to think about his political career, nominations close tomorrow!

Caron's musings carries a very good part two to this story, here is a little snippet;

Anyway, here are Mr Lyburn's pledges to the people of Perth....
Pledge 1 "To show by our actions that politics need not be a dirty game"
Pledge 2 "Not to mislead the public"
Pledge 5 "To fight a clean, honest and positive campaign."

It looks like the Scottish Conservatives, with just one MP in Scotland won't be making a breathrough in Perth & North Perthshire.  So, that 'list' of eleven target seats is now down to ten then Dave?

The Leaders (for Prime Minister) debate

I sort of had an evening off from the General Election campaign last night, to watch the Leaders (for Prime Minister) debate on ITV.

The reason I quantify the Leaders debate with the (for Prime Ministers) part is because of the lack of SNP and Plaid (who appear to be acting as one one anyway) in these debates, but very simply wee Edinbugh 'Eck (Alex Salmond - for my English and Welsh chums) is not standing for this election, cannot therefore be Prime Minister so who should he be on?

Anyway, I was extremely impressed with Nick - as I've said before, I didn't vote for him in the Lib Dem Leadership race, I was firmly in the Huhne camp - last night, he carried himself well, his body language was always open and honest and he was just generally what you would expect from the Prime Minister of the UK.

To hear the panel from Bolton praise Nick at the end was fantastic.

The ITV viewers poll of 4,000 correctly weighted come out 43% for Nick Clegg, 26% for David Cameron and 20% for Gordon Brown shows this election is NOT a two horse race for Number 10 Downing Street.

However, the race for Number 10 is not what people vote on.  People vote to elect an MP who will stand up for them in Westminster.

Across Scotland it was the Liberal Democrats who were second to Labour not just in number of MPs but also in the share of the vote.

So, if you are seriously thinking of voting Liberal Democrat on May 6th, just do it and here are some poll figures from last night for you to show you, you are not alone;

COMRES ITV (4000 voters) - Most authoritative
Nick Clegg 43%
David Cameron 26%
Gordon Brown 20%

COMRES ITV (4000 voters) - Best on immigration
David Cameron 37%
Nick Clegg 35%
Gordon Brown 20%

COMRES ITV (4000 voters) - Best to deal with Public Service cuts
Nick Clegg 36%
David Cameron 36%
Gordon Brown 20%

YOUGOV for The Sun
Nick Clegg 51%
David Cameron 29%
Gordon Brown 19%

Angus Reid
Nick Clegg 44%
David Cameron 22%
Gordon Brown 20%

After watching the debate, would you say you are more likely, just as likely, or less likely to vote for the Liberal Democrats in the General Election?
MORE LIKELY 42%, JUST AS LIKELY 32%, LESS LIKELY 19%

Cameron's Conservatives in NHS hospital hypocrisy

I know it is no great shock to learn that the Conservatives say one thing and then do entirely the opposite but it is important that voters understand that this is coming from the supposed Prime Minister and Government in waiting.

Now, let's overlook the fact that the Conservatives are being completely arogant and most of them actually think they have already won this election.

Just last week we saw David Cameron campaigning in Kingston hospital, this is the very same hospital that the Conservatives attacked the Liberal Democrats for scaremongering about it's closure - as I say why should that stop the Conservatives saying one thing and then do the opposite?

Liberal Democrat MPs Susan Kramer (Richmond Park) and Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton) have vowed to fight the secret Labour plans to close both A&E and Maternity services at Kingston Hospital.

Picture shows Susan Kramer, Nick Clegg and Edward Davey campaigning to save Kingston Hospital.

Senior NHS staff have blown the whistle on Labour proposals to close both Accident & Emergency services and Maternity services at Kingston Hospital.

The two MPs have been told this information by 5 senior NHS staff, including 4 chief executives and 1 senior clinician, at 4 separate meetings.

You can now read the leaked pages from the South West London Strategic Plan which was due to be published in December, but was pulled at the last moment over on Susan Kramer's website.

The Conservatives however accused the Liberal Democrats of electioneering and scaremongering but eventually realised that Suan Kramer and Edward Davey were in fact right and with their tails firmly between their legs they joined the Liberal Democrats campaign.

Now let's fast forward to yesterday.

David Cameron's Conservatives attacked the Labour Party for launching their manifesto in an NHS hospital, that's right, last week David Cameron was campaigining in an NHS hospital and now has actually attacked both the Liberal Democrats and Labour for campaigning in NHS hospitals.

Bloody hypocrites.

It just shows that despite Cameron's rhetoric that underneath the teflon (borrowed from Tony Blair and Edinburgh 'Eck) it is the same old Tories, just more arrogant and hypocritical than ever before.

LGBT voters switch from Cameron's Conservatives to Clegg's Liberal Democrats

Finally, the LGBT voters of Britain, well the ones that read Pink News anyway are starting to see that perhaps the Conservatives and David Cameron are not quite what they thought they were.

The recent Pink News poll shows that David Cameron's recent Gay Times interview and Chris Graylings comments about bed & breakfast owners having the right to turn away gay customers are having an effect on the views of LGBT voters.

The Conservative record on supporting gay rights is nothing short of shameful. David Cameron cannot pretend a quick apology for Section 28 will make up for the entrenched and often bigoted views of his hand-picked frontbench colleagues in the House of Commons.

David Cameron and the Conservatives like to pretend that they have changed but they remain the same old Tories.

The Liberal Democrats are now the most popular political party among the LGBT community.
Last month, 25% of the LGBT community said that they would vote Conservative at the upcoming general election, 25% said they'd back the Liberal Democrats and 28% said they'd vote Labour.

However, this month, just a day before a general election is expected to be called, counting only the votes of those that had taken part in the March poll, 20% of the LGBT community have said that they will back the Conservatives, a fall of 5%. Support for Labour remains unchanged at 28%, while support for the Liberal Democrats has increased by 5% to 29%.

The Conservatives still remain the most popular party among those aged 23 and under, but at 35% this month, this is 5% down on our poll a month ago. 32% of those too young to vote at the last election said they would vote Liberal Democrat and just 13% said they'd vote Labour.

Labour's record over the last thirteen years has not convinced that particular group.

PinkNews.co.uk found that 30% of LGBT people felt less favourably of Mr Cameron following an interview broadcast on Channel 4 News, where Mr Cameron was unable to answer questions about votes in the European parliament and the decision to give MPs and peers a free vote issues relating to gay rights.

Last month, 25% of Pink News readers said they'd like to see David Cameron become Prime Minister, ahead of Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg. This month, just 20% of our readers backed David Cameron, 29% backed Gordon Brown and 28% backed Nick Clegg. An increase of 5% for both Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg.

57% of respondents said that the economy is the most important policy issue they will consider when casting their vote, 16% LGBT rights, 9% healthcare, 6% education, 5% foreign policy, 4% immigration and 2% crime.

The PinkNews.co.uk poll had already begun prior to The Observers story of comments by the Conservative MP Chris Grayling where he backed the rights of bed and breakfast owners to ban gay couples.

But the swing from Conservative to Liberal Democrat did increase markedly in the early hours of Sunday.

The voting records of current Conservative MPs who are standing in the coming general election show that:

• One in six, voted in favour of Section 28 in 1988. A sixth voted against its repeal in 2003 including David Cameron and a third of the Shadow Cabinet
• One in ten voted against dropping the age of consent for gay men from 21 to 18 in 1994
• Almost one in five, voted against the Sexual Offences Amendment Bill in 1999 which aimed to reduce the age at which anal sex was legal from 18 to 16
• One in three voted to allow only heterosexual, married couples to adopt in 2002 including seven members of the Shadow Cabinet
• One in three voted against the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations in March 2007 which allows the Secretary of State to make regulations defining discrimination and harassment on grounds of sexual orientation. This included thirty-three, or a third of frontbenchers and four of the Shadow Cabinet
• The Conservative Party opposed The Equality Bill 2008-09. Nineteen members of the Shadow Cabinet joined attempts to block the bill which will introduce a single 'public duty' requiring all publicly-funded bodies to pro-actively promote equality across the board and remove barriers to fair service provision

More stories you can read about the Conservatives and their LGBT record, or lack of it;

Tory LGB group in turmoil over Cameron's catastrophic gay times interview
Cameron crashes as Popplewell asks about Conservative Gay Rights record
Cameron slips up on gay equality - Channel 4 News
Cameron's Conservatives tells Republicans in USA to embrace gay rights
Gay friendly Tories are just wolves in sheep's clothing

Cameron's Glasgow South West candidate, Heather MacLeod quits over party’s ‘nest of vipers’

Only the day after David Cameron admitted he does not expect the Conservatives to do well in Scotland, one of his leading candidates has quit the Conservative Party.

In today's Sunday Herald Heather MacLeod, who has resigned after a “bitter and bloody” feud with fellow Conservatives, said she felt “complete and utter disgust” with a section of the Scottish Conservatives.

She also accused the Scottish party of failing to match leader David Cameron’s progress and said she had concerns about an allegedly inappropriate relationship between two senior Tories.

Heather MacLeod’s problems with a group of fellow party members started last year when she and another Conservative candidate, Fiona Houston, set up the Social Justice Scotland think tank.


The pair then fell out over the organisation’s direction, and the row was made even worse when some fellow Conservatives raised questions about Heather MacLeod’s financial background.

According to Companies House, Mrs MacLeod has been a director of companies that have gone into liquidation.

However, Mrs MacLeod has told the Sunday Herald that a “nest of vipers” in the party had tried to “discredit” her to seize control of Social Justice Scotland.

The row is a blow for a party whose senior strategists expect to win only a handful of Scottish seats at the election.

One senior Conservative source said he feared Mr Cameron could be deprived of an overall majority due to the under-peformance of the Scottish Conservatives.

As I said yesterday though, when the leader, David Cameron and senior Conservatives like Tim Montgomerie don't believe in you, then it doesn't leave many who do and certainly the Scottish voters may well just turn their back on the Scottish Conservatives.

The Liberal Democrats have more MPs in Scotland than the Conservatives and SNP combined.

With just one MP in Scotland (who is at risk anyhow from David Steel's daughter, Catriona Bhatia for the Liberal Democrats), Cameron's Conservatives are in fact the fourth party in Scottish Westminster politics and their boss, David Cameron has finally admitted that he doesn't actually think they will win many more seats in this election.
 
With daily catastrophies such as this story hitting the Scottish Conservatives it is hardly surprising they won't win many seats here in Scotland.

I will leave the final word to Heather MacLeod;

“The Scottish party really needs to look at itself. It needs to understand why it is not electable. It is becoming more reactionary, rather than learning about how to become more successful.


“The party down south has moved on, but the Scottish Tories have not.”

Conservative Chris Grayling MP in homophobic comments interview

Only two months ago Sir Michael Scholar warned Chris Grayling MP that the way he used the figures for violent crime were "likely to mislead the public".

Well, now Chris Grayling is embroiled in a homophobic row.

Last month a gay couple were turned away from a B&B run by a Christian couple as reported in the Guardian, well now Conservative MP Chris Grayling has defended this and is in fact urging other B& B owners to do exactly the same, but not hotel owners!

From today's Observer;

The row will alarm David Cameron as he prepares for a general election that looks certain to be called on Tuesday. The Tory leader has gone out of his way to win over gay and lesbian voters by stressing his new-look party's liberal credentials. Last year, he apologised for section 28, the law passed by Margaret Thatcher's Tory government in the late 1980s that bans the promotion of homosexuality in schools. Cameron has also voted in favour of civil partnerships.

However, his progress in attracting the gay vote has been halted by a series of disputes involving his own MPs and MEPs. Tory MEPs last year refused to support a motion that condemned a new homophobic law in Lithuania.

Cameron was also left embarrassed during a recent interview with Gay Times, broadcast by Channel 4 News, in which he admitted he did not know his party's position on a series of votes involving gay rights issues in the UK and European parliaments.

Chris Grayling said in the interview to the Centre for Policy Studies;

I think we need to allow people to have their own consciences," he said. "I personally always took the view that, if you look at the case of should a Christian hotel owner have the right to exclude a gay couple from a hotel, I took the view that if it's a question of somebody who's doing a B&B in their own home, that individual should have the right to decide who does and who doesn't come into their own home."

Sorry Chris, it really doesn't work like that, irrespective if it is their home or not, once they decide to open a business, in this case as a bed and breakfast they have to comply with the law.

And being homophobic is clearly against the law!

This is clearly yet another example proving that the Conservatives are not gay friendly, they are still the same old Tories, Section 28 and homophobia is in their genes I'm afraid.  Whatever rhetoric David Cameron comes out with, they are still the same old Tories with their old and out of touch views.

It is time for David Cameron to act, sack Chris Grayling for his outdated homophobic views.

Cameron admits defeat in Scotland

Last November top Tory blogger Tim Montgomerie, of ConservativeHome fame said: "The Cameron effect has not reached Scotland like it has in Wales or the north of England. If the progress in Scotland is as limited as it looks like it might be, we should revisit the idea of creating a Scottish party with its own identity. It would help them break free from the Thatcher years."

You can read the story here.

 

Well, now David Cameron has admitted himself that the Conservatives will not do well in Scotland.

 

 

He told a caller during a radio show call in that “in Scotland, however well the Conservatives do, we're unlikely to get a very large number of seats”.

You can read the full sory in the Press and Journal.

Mr Cameron, however, refused to predict how many seats the Tories – who hold only one precarious Scottish seat – would win.

David Cameron then went on to show his ignorance of Scottish politics, or was he just confirming what Tim Montgomerie was saying about a breakaway party in Scotland, when he appeared to come close to equating the United Kingdom with England after making it clear the Scots are entitled to chose the Scottish Parliament and first minister they want.

He said: “We can now see it’s perfectly possible to have a different government in Scotland, an SNP government, and the government in Engla . . . in the United Kingdom, which is a Labour government.”

Well, David Cameron has admitted what we already know in Scotland, that the forthcoming general election is not a fight between Labour and the Conservatives, but in fact between the Liberal Democrats and Labour, who have the most Scottish MPs between them.

The Liberal Democrats have more MPs in Scotland than the Conservatives and SNP combined.

With just one MP in Scotland (who is at risk anyhow), Cameron's Conservatives are in fact the fourth party in Scottish Westminster politics and their boss, David Cameron has finally admitted that he doesn't actually think they will win many more seats in this election.

Tory LGB group in turmoil over Cameron's catastrophic gay times interview

I have to be honest, it's taken me a while to write this because I cannot believe how naive Matthew Sephton has been.  For someone who wants to be an MP, he perhaps needs to think a little more in life.

For those who don't know, Matthew Sephton is Cameron's Conservative candidate in Salford and he is also the Chairman of the LGB Tory group.

Now, you maybe you are wondering where this is going, well remember Cameron's catastrophic interview with Gay Times and Channel 4? 

If you don't know what I am on about (you must be the only one) you can read about it here or watch it here.

Well, young Matthew Sephton has got very upset about the treatment thereafter of David Cameron, from the likes of wicked queens like myself and others, especially Ben Bradshaw MP and those on the left for attacking "Dave".

Although Matthew goes on to say "the interview broadcast wasn't his best performance", which to be perfectly honest is an understatement, it doesn't excuse his naivety for circulating this email trying to get fellow Tories to jump in and defend Cameron.

It amuses me how when you attack the Tories they organise this controlled defence rather than letting the people decide.  Same old Tories, they don't trust you to make the decisions so like Matthew is doing, you get told what to to say and where to say it!

If you want to join an LGBT group that works to make a difference then join DELGA and help the Liberal Democrats ensure that neither the Tories or Labour try and 'own' the pink vote.

From: LGBTory Chairman manchester@lgbtory.org.uk
Date: 24 March 2010 20:05:54 GMT
To: Matthew Sephton matthew@sephton.org.uk
Subject: CALL FOR ACTION - inaccurate reporting and hypocritical Govt Minister without facts
Hello
You will no doubt have seen the coverage by now of DC's interview with GT. It's VITAL that we fight back wherever we can comment and that as many of us do so. Below are some places to comment. If you read the first article you'll see how hypocrite Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw either LIED or had no idea on the facts (funny considering that's what he was trying to have a go at DC for!). If you want any more information to back up your words, please look at the LGBTory Twitter feed from last night and today (www.twitter.com/lgbtoryuk) or email me back and I can provide you with more indepth info about one or more of the inaccuracies or misrepresentations that weren't able to be answered.

We CANNOT allow the left to monopolise this DC set-up and we have to point out that the Conservatives have made HUGE PROGRESS on LGBT issues under his leadership. Yes, the part of the interview broadcast wasn't his best performance, but, to be honest, just a few months ago even I probably would have found it difficult to know about many of these things too as I didn't think my sexuality was relevant (AND I'M GAY!). When I realised LGBTory was needed to ensure the left can never again feel they 'own' gay votes I realised I needed to know and act more.

1, 2, 3 and 7 (ConHome) are the most important to act on. PLEASE COMMENT AND ENCOURAGE OTHER CONSERVATIVES TO DO THE SAME! DON'T LET THE LEFT WIN!

(1) http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2010/03/24/gay-labour-minister-accused-of-hypocrisy-for-attacking-cameron/#

(2) http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/mar/24/david-cameron-stumbles-gay-rights#start-of-comments

(3) http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/David-Cameron-Becomes-Flustered-During-Interview-With-Gay-Times-On-Equality-And-Europe/Article/201003415580968?f=rss

(4) http://twitter.com/cathynewman

(5) http://twitter.com/iaindale and http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2010/03/gay-row-that-exposes-bradshaws.html

(6) http://news.pinkpaper.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=2627

(7) http://playpolitical.typepad.com/uk_conservative/2010/03/cameron-stumbles-during-video-interview-with-gay-times.html

Best wishes

Matthew

Conservative election campaign is too complicated admit the Conservatives

It appears that the Conservatives own election campaign, including Oliver Letwin's policy pyramid has left many of their MPs and candidates confused.  Poor loves.

Over at The Times Online;

MPs and candidates were left baffled after being told at a private meeting to campaign on a combination of one slogan, three promises and six pledges.

To be perfectly honest I am astounded they managed to get this far, so Cameron's Conservatives are campaigning on one slogan, three promises and six pledges - but no policies?

Isn't that what Nick Clegg has been saying about the Conservatives for some time now?

In fact so confused are their candidates and MPs that two of the Conservative MPs after the meeting said about their party's policy;

that they would “make it up on the doorstep”

Given this announcement I wondered if any of their candidates had actually noticed there was indeed instructions from the high command, I mean, take John Lamont MSP in the Scottish Borders, he is quite obviously ignorning the wishes of David Cameron himself as he campaigns for one job in Westminster while already holding one in Holyrood.

It is hardly an inspriring thought is it, two jobs Lamont, when many people in the Scottish Borders don't have any job at all given the awful predicament they find themselves in during the recession.

The dual mandate aspect is a key issue in Scotland and MSPs from both Labour and the Conservatives, including John Lamont are just going ahead on their ego trips, ignoring the wishes of their leaders who claim they want to clean up politics but their candidates are ignoring them and instead are just thinking of themselves, typical Tories.

Senior officials inside Conservative headquarters said that the Campaign Guide, the detailed policy and attack manual for candidates, was unnecessarily complicated.

Unnecessarily complicated so much that candidates ignore it because they don't in fact understand it?

John Lamont has form for ignoring Conservative high command, take the photo below, taken at their Manchester Conference, when the great Eric Pickles said no one should be able to take photos of the Tories supping Champagne, but John 'Bubbles' Lamont ignored him then too.

Shadow ministers have admitted that if there was a Tory victory it would not come with the same enthusiasm that Tony Blair enjoyed.

So, the Conservatives are admitting that they have no policies, they won't be campaigning on them unless it fits into the pyramid puzzle, if they win it means that Cameron won but no-one else really did and they are not as popular as Blair was when he ousted the last Conservative Government!

Yes ladies and gentlement, it is time for change, real change with real people. So, vote for the Liberal Democrats a party putting fairness at the very heart of it's election campaign and policies.

Cameron crashes as Popplewell asks about Conservative Gay Rights record

As we near the General Election it is not only the political parties setting out their stalls to the voters of the UK, but also the Party Leaders as well setting out their pitch to be the next Prime Minister.

Let's face it for months many journalists and pundits all over the land thought David Cameron and the Conservatives had it all sown up, those of us within the political bubble perhaps thought differently, especially dependent on which party you happen to be a member of.

Well, as we know if Gordon Brown or Nick Clegg trip up or have a complete awful day or interview, Cameron's Conservatives are screaming from every blog, tweet and facebook status update within seconds.

However, when David Cameron himself does it, then they go on the proverbial attack as seen here on Iain Dale's blog. I normally have a lot of respect for Iain's musings, despite his politics and choice of football team, but on this occasion Iain has fallen into the trap that many of us are tempted to do when our leader or Party cocks up and just run for the battlements to pour boiling oil over the oncoming online attackers.

Yesterday, David Cameron was doing a joint interview, where as he was being asked questions for Gay Times as he was also being filmed by Channel Four , this is fairly commonplace now.  However, Dave just completely lost the plot and went into a serious meltdown.

The interview seemed to start well with the interviewer Martin Popplewell asking David Cameron about equality and then moving onto a key vote in the European Parliament about Lithuania introducing it's own version of Section 28.

I blogged about this very vote back in September 2009, you can read it here - Conservatives are complete hypocrites on LGBT issues as Section 28 raises its ugly head again - well Cameron just got tongue tied and although was being honest and saying I don't know about this particular vote just got himself worked up.

Now, Iain Dale said in his blog post that hardly anyone within the LGBT community knew about this vote - Pink News which is good at covering LGBT issues political and not so covered it back in September 2009, when the vote was first discussed, then December 2009 when it reared it's head again and then in February this year when the law was introduced.

Oh yes, and that small lobbying group, Amnesty International were on the case as well.  Apart from that and many thousands of people across the world Iain, no one noticed it.

Camerons team let him down yesterday, he should have been better briefed, if someone had asked me what does Nick Clegg need to know about for an interview with Gay Times, that vote would have been on my list!

Anyway, watch it for yourselves and see what you think?

Senior Conservative MEP defects to the Liberal Democrats

The former leader of the Conservative MEPs and the longest serving Conservative MEP who also stood against Tory-backed Michal Kaminski has announced his defection to the Liberal Democrats at the Party’s Spring Conference in Birmingham.

Edward McMillan-Scott, the Conservative’s most senior MEP, has today joined the Liberal Democrats.

Edward is the Vice-President of the European Parliament with responsibility for human rights and democracy, was welcomed to the Liberal Democrats today by Leader Nick Clegg.

Edward McMillan-Scott, MEP for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire said: “I have been around the higher circles of the Conservative Party for long enough to fear that on Europe Cameron says one thing in opposition and will do another in Government.

“I have long fought against totalitarianism and the extremism and religious persecution it brings. It was wrong of Cameron to associate with MEPs who have extremist pasts in his new European alliance.

“My reasons for joining the Liberal Democrats are that in Nick Clegg they have a leader whom I like, admire and respect. They are internationalists, not nationalists. They are committed to politics based the values of fairness and change.

“From being a liberal Conservative I become a conservative Liberal. Most of my family are liberals: I am pleased to join the Liberal family.”

Nick Clegg said: “I am delighted to welcome Edward McMillan-Scott to the Liberal Democrats.

“For many years he has fought for human rights and democracy world wide and he is rightly a respected politician across Europe.

“As someone of principle he has refused to cosy up to right wing extremists, despite pressure from the Tory machine.

“This flies in the face of David Cameron’s claims of change. It shows that people of principle, who believe in fairness and want real change for Britain are at home in the Liberal Democrats.”

The now Liberal Democrat MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber clashed with David Cameron last year over the Conservative leader's decision to remove his MEPs from the centre-right European People's party and set up a new group, European Conservatives and Reformists, with controversial allies from eastern Europe.

McMillan-Scott successfully stood against Michał Kamiński, the Polish MEP chosen to lead the new group, for the post of vice-president of the European parliament, and as a result he had the Tory whip removed.

From The Guardian;

Visiting Gordon Brown at 10 Downing Street today, Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, said he "regretted" Cameron's decision to pull the Tories out of the European People's party.

Cameron's Conservatives tells Republicans to embrace gay rights

I was reading this piece in The Guardian and to be perfectly honest, I really couldn't stop laughing.  Tory MP Nick Herbert is using his parliamentary recess time to go and tell the Republicans that they should embrace gay rights.

Nick Herbert will tell the Republicans that a Conservative government would "show leadership" on issues like homophobic abuse in sport and homophobic bullying, although he will not promise new legislation.

"We will also understand where we should give a lead and where there is a need for law," he will say. "Conservatives should never leap to legislate."

However, Liberal Democrat analysis of the voting record of Conservative MPs standing for re-election next year, including the Shadow Cabinet, has revealed the gulf between Nick Herbert’s words and his party’s actions when it comes to gay rights.

The voting records of current Conservative MPs who are standing again next year show that:

• One in six, voted in favour of Section 28 in 1988. A sixth voted against its repeal in 2003 including David Cameron and a third of the Shadow Cabinet
• One in ten voted against dropping the age of consent for gay men from 21 to 18 in 1994
• Almost one in five, voted against the Sexual Offences Amendment Bill in 1999 which aimed to reduce the age at which anal sex was legal from 18 to 16
• One in three voted to allow only heterosexual, married couples to adopt in 2002 including seven members of the Shadow Cabinet
• One in three voted against the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations in March 2007 which allows the Secretary of State to make regulations defining discrimination and harassment on grounds of sexual orientation.  This included thirty-three, or a third of frontbenchers and four of the Shadow Cabinet
• The Conservative Party opposed The Equality Bill 2008-09. Nineteen members of the Shadow Cabinet joined attempts to block the bill which will introduce a single 'public duty' requiring all publicly-funded bodies to pro-actively promote equality across the board and remove barriers to fair service provision

I do agree with Nick Herbert that Labour do not own the LGBT vote, but Cameron's Conservatives also need to start being a little bit more honest about their own history on this very same issue.

He will then go onto praise David Cameron for the way he has changed the Conservative party by making it more open to gay people and supportive of gay rights. . Obviously hiding his own voting record on the way.

I have blogged on this topic before - Gay friendly Tories are just wolves in sheep's clothing.

Barack Obama snubs David Cameron

Well done to the Mirror for this gem.  Billy no mates, aka David Cameron wanted desperately to meet Barack Obama before polling day, expected on May 6th to get a photo of the handshake in the Oval Office.

The Conservative leader thought a photo of him and Barack may help his poll rating which recently is on a slump, it's because people don't trust you David, not that they don't have a photo of you and Obama in their kitchens.

However, Barack Obama's White House team weren't playing ball or hadn't been sent the right script:

A Washington source said: “The President is too busy to meet foreign leaders. He is focused on domestic ­policy and world issues like Afghanistan. The leader of the UK ­Conservative Party is not on his radar.”

It seems that not everyone wants to meet David Cameron.

The Conservatives were hoping the meeting could have happened last week when Cameron was expected to be addressing a technology conference in California, however, this visit was ditched and Cameron did the speech by video link once the Conservatives realised a meeting between Obama and Cameron wasn't happening.

The Conservative leader was offered an alternative meeting though:

In a knock-back for the Tory leader, US officials said Mr Cameron could speak instead to Mr Obama’s National Security Adviser General Jim Jones.

 Oh dear, it appears David Cameron is not as popular as he and his team thought.

Cameron's Conservative Councillor in rant at East Surrey candidate shortlist

The Daily Telegraph has an interesting story about a Surrey Conservative Councillor who didn't appreciate having one gay man, two black men and three women on the shortlist imposed on them by Conservative Central Office to select the East Surrey Westminster candidate.

Beverley Connolly, a Tory councillor in Tandridge, Surrey, said: "I'm sure they are all eminently able candidates, but some of these people have been parachuted in from out of the area. We have a black candidate, a gay candidate.

"I'm not remotely homophobic. It's not a reflection on their abilities or personalities but you have to ask if people are there just to tick boxes. It's not about what's best for the party in East Surrey, it's about what the party wants."

This is a mixed story really, yet again, another Constituency Association objects to the way that David Cameron and Eric Pickles are running the 'new' Conservative Party.

The list of six includes the 'winner' Sam Gyimah, Tariq Ahmad, Iain Dale, Philippa Broom, Natalie Elphicke and Sally Marks.



This Conservative 'A' list of candidates has been around for a while now and seems to cause controversy all the time, first there was Bromley when the local Association rejected Cameron's 'A' list and instead picked three jobs (and I want a 4th) Bob Neill, last week we were reading about the problems with Joanne Cash, then there was Liz Trust and the affair and the list goes on.

Cameron maybe trying to convince the electorate that they Conservatives have changed, but we are seeing week after week that the grassroots Conservatives have not changed, they are still exactly the same.
Is Conservative Councillor Beverley Connolly homophobic or racist, probably not, does she dislike being told exactly what to do by David Cameron and Conservative Central Office? Definitely.

Joanne Cash, temper tantrums and twitter all in Westminster North

On Tuesday I blogged a simple message with a link to Conservative Home, that Joanne Cash, the Tory candidate for Westminster North had resigned.

Well, now apparently everyone's toys are all back in the respective prams and she is the candidate again.

On Joanne Cash's Twitter page, some toys are obviously still out of the pram, there is a line in her biog, for all to see, RIP dinosaurs - that's so grown up and clearly what local people will want from their MP isn't it?

No, it clearly isn't, reading this from the Daily Mail:

'She [Joanne Cash] lost a lot of goodwill by doing that. Labour will now have a field day. It may be best if both Sayers and Cash resign and we have a completely fresh start,' one local party member said.

This is not simply a clash of two alpha females as some in Cameron's Conservatives may have us believe.  Cameron and his team of interferers have had their noses put out out before, remember the Bromley by-election?

The local association didn't take kindly to interference from Cameron and his team and so ignored the A-lister thrust upon them and went for three jobs Bob Neill (and I want a 4th), and then came within 700 votes of losing the seat.

Cameron would have us believe his party has changed, but situations such as this show that it hasn't in any way, my blog post earlier about his attack on lobbyists only for a senior tory, Andrew Mackay to become one two days later, a Conservative Future chairman suspended for making Nazi comments, the twitter rules for twits saga, the list just goes on and on and on.

When David Cameron and Eric Pickles have to personally intervene in a dispute such as this, it really does show all is not well in Camp Cameron.

Has this public throwing the toys out of the respective prams just shown that Joanne Cash will resign again at the drop of a hat if she doesn't get her way?
It could make the voting lobbies in the House of Commons interesting on occasion if she does.

Was this a flash in the pan or a slow burning problem, let's see.