Steerpike, Author at The Spectator

Tuesday

27 January 2015

Cameron reckons Gove prefers a ‘chillax playlist’ to ‘hip-hoppy’ Beyoncé tunes

After Sarah Vine revealed that her husband Michael Gove's ringtone that infamously disrupted a cabinet meeting was the latest Beyoncé hit, David Cameron has thrown doubt on this version of events. Speaking to LBC this morning, the PM was tackling the big issues. When host Nick Ferrari played a series of Beyoncé tunes, Call Me Dave seemed confused: 'I don’t think it was any, my memory is it sounded like something from the sort of chillax playlist on Spotify. It wasn’t... that’s all a bit more you know sort of hip-hoppy and I don’t think it was that. But I mean it didn’t last very long. So we weren’t playing beat the intro. We were trying to have a cabinet meeting let’s be clear.' The mystery continues...

Steerpike

Another day, another Tory Ukip defection

Sloppy seconds are on the menu for both Ukip and the Conservative party this week. Many questions remain for the Tories after Ukip MEP Amjad Bashir defected to them following a Ukip party investigation. Now, Nigel Farage has claimed another Conservative for his side. Paul Bellis, a Tory councillor from Stockport, has left the Conservatives and joined Ukip. Bellis, who has served Bramhall South and Woodford for over two decades, made the decision to join Farage's party after he was deselected by the Conservatives. Not that this information has dampened Ukip members' spirits. Conservative to UKIP defection. Conservative Cllr Paul Bellis, on Stockport Council, joins UKIP.

Steerpike

A medieval war of words: Salman Rushdie vs Times Literary Supplement

Pencils are being sharpened on both sides of the Atlantic as a tiff between the Times Literary Supplement and Salman Rushdie reaches full swing. The author of The Satanic Verses has threatened to 'get medieval' with the literary magazine after it ran an article criticising his response to the Charlie Hebdo attacks. Following the attacks in Paris, the New York based author released a statement. 'Religion, a mediaeval form of unreason, when combined with modern weaponry becomes a real threat to our freedoms,' he wrote. 'This religious totalitarianism has caused a deadly mutation in the heart of Islam and we see the tragic consequences in Paris today.

Monday

26 January 2015

Steerpike

Ladbrokes’ election guru should stick to politics (and avoid football)

Politics nerds are obsessing over every single nugget of information about the election. Ladbrokes seems to be offering a rich bounty, set by Matthew Shaddick, the company's in-house 'Head of Political Betting'. But can his advice really be trusted? In a recent message accompanying their latest batch of odds, Shaddick was quoted as saying: 'If Cambridge can come from 2-0 down to beat Chelsea, I suppose anything is possible, although The Pub Landlord becoming an MP at 100/1 is surely going a bit too far.' Only problem is Cambridge didn't beat Chelsea this weekend, Bradford City did (the final score was an astonishing 4-2 to Bradford). Cambridge drew 0-0 with Man U. Place ya bets - with peril!

Steerpike

How will the Guardian and the BBC cover the Trinity Mirror phone hacking?

Trinity Mirror have admitted that they published 71 stories which were enabled by phone-hacking. Now eight cases are due to come before Mr Justice Mann at the beginning of March, with a two-week trial scheduled. Those they concern include Alan Yentob, Sadie Frost and Paul Gascoigne. Steerpike is curious to see what coverage the trial will get in the papers and from the BBC. Both the corporation and the Guardian have taken glee in the past at resting the phone hacking crimes firmly in Rupert Murdoch's court. Giving the impression, of course, that the sin of hacking came straight from the blackness of Murdoch's heart - rather than a sin that was spread right across an industry.

Steerpike

Ed Sheeran unimpressed by Boris Johnson comparison

While Boris Johnson may be pleased to learn that Ed Sheeran has been mistaken for him, the 23-year-old singer was dismayed when a member of the public mistook him for the 50-year-old Mayor of London. Someone just mistook me for Boris Johnson and I wish I was joking — Ed Sheeran (@edsheeran) January 26, 2015 Sheeran hasn't always been so unhappy to be associated with a Conservative politician. He previously dedicated a song to the Prime Minister. 'I was playing this gig at some guy’s house and it was a very, very intimate environment, and they stopped the gig and I only had one song left,' Sheeran recalled. 'He was like ‘I’m so happy that you came here Ed. Obviously David Cameron is here, would you dedicate a song to him?

Steerpike

Should the Guardian apologise to David Cameron over orgasm blunder?

Readers of the Guardian had cause to splutter into their tea this morning after one bright spark seemingly put the wrong photo on an article advising a reader who has difficulty reaching climax during sexual intercourse. Some mistake surely by the @guardian website's picture editor pic.twitter.com/HLufxoiuoW — Paul Callaghan (@PMCallaghan) January 26, 2015 Although the reader's name was not listed, it is thought that it was not David Cameron writing in with his problem. Mr S imagines he would go straight to The Spectator's own Dear Mary should any issues arise. The photo on the article has now been changed to a more generic snap. It would certainly make an interesting read in their corrections column.

Steerpike

Dave’s chillaxed approach to keeping fit

First it was George Osborne on the 5:2 diet, then the Prime Minister revealed he had 'given up bread' in an attempt to shed some pre-election pounds. Today, Cameron has revealed further details of this vigorous health kick. Speaking in Hampshire, he claimed he rambles through the Oxfordshire countryside with his daughter Florence upon his shoulders 'to add to the exercise regime I am undertaking'. You be careful there, Prime Minister. Don't exert yourself too much.

Steerpike

Revealed: Nigel Farage once voted for the Green Party

Nigel Farage's secret is out. In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, the leader of Ukip let slip that he once voted for the Green Party. 'I voted Green in 1989 in the European elections,' Farage admits. While he fails to give any further explanation of why he supported a party that appears to be at loggerheads with his own views, Farage does go on to reveal the most insulting names he has been called. 'I was called a football hooligan once in public and I didn’t like that. I am many things but a hooligan I am not. I have been called everything this year, absolutely everything, racist, xenophobe – there’s a list as long as your arm,' he says.

Friday

23 January 2015

Steerpike

Who warrants a flag at half-mast? King Abdullah or Leon Brittan

The Palace of Westminster’s flag is currently at half-mast, as is the flag on top of Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and the Treasury. But who could it all be for? Treasury flying flag at half mast for King Abdullah, as are flags across Government estate. Controversial pic.twitter.com/zSR6OPWCD1 — Jason Groves (@JasonGroves1) January 23, 2015 Could it be for King Abdullah, the Saudi Arabian monarch, who died yesterday? Under his reign, the country has seen a higher number of beheadings than those carried out by Isis. Or could it perhaps be for Leon Brittan, the former home secretary, who also died yesterday?

Steerpike

Louise Mensch blasts David Cameron for King Abdullah tribute

Although Louise Mensch was once heralded as a 'Cameron Cutie,' the former Conservative MP's relationship with the Prime Minister has soured after he paid tribute to the late King Abdullah. The Saudi Arabia monarch's death was announced yesterday, with the cause of death thought to be a lung infection. Speaking following the news, Cameron gushed that he would be remembered for his 'commitment to peace and for strengthening understanding between faiths'. However, the fact that his reign in Saudi Arabia has seen a higher number of beheadings than those carried out by Isis appears to have not escaped Mensch's attention.

Thursday

22 January 2015

Steerpike

The Economist beats the Guardian to appoint its first female editor

With the Guardian still to name their new editor-in-chief, the Economist has thrown down the gauntlet by appointing their first female editor. Zanny Minton Beddoes will succeed John Micklethwait to be the magazine's next editor, making her the first female editor in its 172 year history. Formerly the publication's business affairs editor, Minton Beddoes interviewed for the post last Thursday, beating off competition from Tom Standage, the magazine's digital editor, and the foreign editor Ed Carr. It's thought that her wealth of knowledge about the US from her time working in Washington made her the favourite for the coveted role.

Steerpike

Here’s why nobody has been able to verify the ‘Green Surge’ membership numbers

'The Green Surge’ has already become a fixed feature of the election campaign, but are we just reliving the giant damp squib of ‘Cleggmania’? According to Green Party officials, their membership stands at 45,558. Since Cameron declared they should be in the TV debates, thousands have supposedly signed on the dotted line. Apparently, of the 14,780 new members that have signed up since 1 Jan 2015, just 151 are renewals. But there has been zero independent verification of the numbers; they are asking us to take their word for it. A spokesman tells Steerpike that the party was not prepared for the influx of new members: ‘Our servers did become overwhelmed for short periods. This was due to the quantity of hits to the site.

Steerpike

Will Will.i.am come out in support of Prince Andrew?

The Duke of York is expected to host a private reception tonight at the World Economic Forum, in what will be his first public appearance since he was accused of abusing an under-age 'sex slave'. One question that remains, however, is which of the movers and shakers at the summit will choose to attend the Duke of York's little soirée in light of the alleged scandal. Mr S hears that photographers in Davos have been tipped off that Will.i.am will be present at the do. The singer and judge on the BBC's The Voice is an old chum of the Prince, having worked closely together in the past on the Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award. The duo went so far as to host a tech party in London together last year. However, while Will.i.

Steerpike

Karen Danczuk gets closer to Ukip

When Simon Danczuk met Nigel Farage for a pint in December, the Labour MP was accused of plotting a defection to Ukip. While Danczuk denied this at the time, his wife Karen appears to be warming to the idea herself. Karen, who announced that she will stand down as a Labour Councillor from her Kingsway ward, got better acquainted with Ukip members at a recent debate on the NHS. Quick photo with @DanJukes17 & @jackduffin UKIPs finest. KD pic.twitter.com/GLlfwbBHy9 — Cllr Karen Danczuk (@KarenDanczuk) January 19, 2015 Now, Mr S hears rumours that a photo of the selfie queen actually wearing a Ukip badge is currently doing the rounds for the right bidder. If published, it wouldn't be the first time a photograph has got Karen into hot water.

Wednesday

21 January 2015

Steerpike

Will the US Embassy’s haggis virgin be tempted to lift the offal ban?

It was the culmination of an elaborate lobbying operation. The scene was set, the piper poised and the whisky flowing. As the Haggis was piped in to Boisdale on Bishopgate last night for the launch of the ‘Campaign to Overturn the US Haggis Ban’, all eyes were on Mr Stan Phillips, the Councillor for Agricultural Affairs from the US Embassy; a haggis virgin. The suave, bespectacled gentleman let his cool demeanour slip ever so slightly as he was told ‘you’re about to put an illegal substance in your mouth’. As his fork cut through the offaly oats a hush fell upon the room, the wind draining from the pipes. ‘Yeah...’ came an intrepid response, ‘yeah, it’s alright.

Steerpike

Revealed: Michael Gove’s ‘female ballad’ ringtone

After Michael Gove's mobile phone went off in a Cabinet meeting, everyone’s been trying to find out what the 'jazzy' ringtone is. As Mr S documented, even Charles Moore was thwarted in his attempts to catch the Chief Whip out by ringing his phone when they were both at dinner. Now his wife has revealed the woman behind the 'female ballad' ringtone in her Daily Mail column. 'Last week, during quite an important work meeting, an urgent email popped up in his inbox,' Sarah Vine writes. 'Not wishing to seem rude by looking at his phone, he instead turned to his latest gadget, a Pebble Smartwatch, which I bought him for Christmas.' The watch is a device of many talents, which include receiving emails and texts, checking the weather and playing music.

Tuesday

20 January 2015

Steerpike

Does Harriet Harman love or loathe Obama? It’s becoming hard to tell…

'Most people will feel that Obama does not really know what is going on in this country,' said a snappy Harriet Harman last night. The Labour deputy leader was sent out to bash the President after his glowing endorsement of David Cameron and tactical backing of the Tories for the May election. But Harriet has changed her tune. It seems like just yesterday that she was lavishing praise on Obama, suggesting that we apply his magic tonic to our country: 'Barack Obama's campaign challenged pessimism and defied defeatism and said "yes we can" - and he made this happen. That's what we need to do here as well.' Six years later and Obama thinks Cameron has done just that. No wonder she's angry.

Steerpike

Newsnight: Has Paxman just taken a shot at Ian Katz?

Since Jeremy Paxman quit Newsnight last year, he has hardly been discreet with regards to his feelings about the BBC's flagship current affairs show, claiming it is run by 12-year-olds. Now, he tells this week's Radio Times what programmes he has been enjoying of late, and surprise, surprise, Newsnight isn't one of them. 'I'm watching Take Me Out and listening to the World Service, where there's still real news,' he says. Paxman's penchant for ITV's dating show aside, could he be alluding to the direction Newsnight has taken under Ian Katz? In an interview this summer, the Newsnight editor went so far as to admit Paxman found his ideas 'infantile'. 'He’s dyspeptic about pretty much everything.

Steerpike

Coffee Shots: Facebook HQ ‘sceptical’ of Ukip

When Ukip officials arrived at Facebook HQ for a meet-and-greet, they were surprised to be led to a boardroom that went by the name of 'sceptical'. However, far from a tense affair, Steerpike's mole insists Facebook employees didn't mean anything by it. 'They swore it was entirely by chance,' a Ukip source tells Mr S. 'It was a fascinating meeting.