Steerpike

Steerpike

Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

Thursday

Steerpike

Douglas Carswell: Darling of the Tories, Labour and now Ukip

This is no ordinary defection. It would be easy for the Tories to brush off a member of the old guard as a swivel-eyed headbanger, but Douglas Carswell is not only a darling of the grassroots, he's also extremely popular in the House. And not just amounst Tories. As Mr S reported last year from Carswell's book launch, Tristram Hunt is a big fan: ‘In Douglas and his manifesto we have not as the whips office suggest a ranter, not a digger or a muggle-tonian but a true agitator with a modern Leveller tract, a 21st Century agreement of the people, and if the tools of the 1640s were the unlicensed presses of London, Douglas’ is the internet.

Wednesday

Steerpike

Citizen Brand

So it turns out the revolution will be televised after all. ‘Brand’, a full length documentary about the comedian turned political activist Russell Brand, is heading our way next year. The multi-millionaire comedian—who is dating a scion of the Goldsmith family—used a recent appearance on Newsnight to call for the overthrow of the state, claiming ‘profit is a filthy word'. It sounds like we are in for a treat: ‘This feature documentary film promises to follow his spiritual and biographical journey from comedian turned film star, and husband of pop star, to his present incarnation, following his realisation that he had, in Russell's own words, "embraced the superficial and doped up times in which we live, only to find it was an empty proposition".

Tuesday

Steerpike

Salmond finally works out how to wind up Darling

One of the many blows landed by Alex Salmond during last night’s debate centred on Alistair Darling’s criticism of the Office of Budget Responsibility, set up in 2010 by George Osborne to provide independent economic forecasts for the Treasury. The OBR’s numbers have been key to the Better Together's onslaught on the numerical black holes at the heart of the Yes campaign. Yet Darling was left spluttering that he was ‘taken out of context’ and ‘misquoted’ when Salmond pulled up criticism the Better Together boss had made of the OBR, with a more partisan hat on.

Friday

Steerpike

The ‘Buckingham Bonaparte’ is cornered

With the interventions of former Speaker Betty Boothroyd, ex-ministers -- including Jack Straw, Malcolm Rifkind and Margaret Beckett -- and the Clerk of the Australian Senate, Rosemary Laing, it is becoming increasingly hard for John Bercow to spin the fight over his choice for the replacement Commons clerk as a row with his 'usual suspect' critics. Yesterday's Times leader could not have been any clearer: 'Mr Bercow has done some good things as Speaker, and some of these would not have happened without his prickly personality. He has not minded irritating the executive by allowing more time to debate topical controversies. Yet he should beware of thinking that annoying everyone means he must be doing everything right.

Wednesday

Steerpike

Cry Bradford, for George and George

It’s going to be the battle of the Georges in Bradford West at next year’s general election – and Mr S reckons it could be a worth keeping an eye on George Grant, the Tory candidate selected for the seat on Saturday. After helping to launch the Libya Herald, the country’s first post-Gaddafi English language newspaper, Grant was forced to flee in 2013 when his investigative work into Benghazi's extremist militias made him the target of abduction threats. Which is a somewhat sounder tale of adventure in the region than those of his Bradford West opponent, George Galloway – not least the Respect MP’s cosying up to the late Saddam Hussein.

Tuesday

Steerpike

Owen Jones: ‘Our generation’s Orwell’?

Calling in a favour from a comrade to help flog your new book is hardly a new trick, but Mr S wonders if Owen Jones really thought this one through: Thankfully, Russell ‘the revolution is coming’ Brand is not known for his outrageous hyperbole.

Steerpike

Listen: Austin Mitchell’s curious theory about women in power

Where are the Labour sisterhood this morning? Presumably they're not listening to Woman's Hour, where one of their Westminster colleagues blamed the ladies for Britain's paralysis on the world stage. Outgoing Labour MP Austin Mitchell has—to say the least—a curious theory: 'I think the problem is simply this, that parliament with more women is going to be more anxious to discuss issues relevant to the people, that is to say family issues, social issues. And less inclined to discuss big issues like should we invade Iraq.

Thursday

Steerpike

Up the workers!

Mr S was interested to read that Mark Carney has sounded the alarm on low wage growth. In light of yesterday’s announcements, the Times’s business commentator Andrew Clark calls for bosses to ‘display a modicum of largesse’ to sustain the economic recovery. Mr S hears on the grapevine that business leaders are planning to open their pockets at the end of this year, if only to stop Ed Miliband, who is regarded with a certain amount of distrust. The thinking is that a wage rise will undermine Labour’s (increasingly successful) rhetoric on the cost of living. Mr S wonders: will a prominent Tory use the party conference, the last before the election, to demand that businesses share the proceeds of the recovery? What have they to lose by doing so?

Wednesday

Steerpike

Lauren Bacall — a true great

As so often, no one put it better than Papa. Here is Ernest Hemingway talking of all the movies made from his novels and short stories: ‘The only two I could sit through were The Killers and To Have and Have Not — I guess Ava Gardner and Lauren Bacall had a lot to do with it.’ Mr S can’t say fairer than that of Lauren Bacall, who has died at the age of 89. Bacall was, however, rather more than a husky voice and a sultry look. In 1981 she starred in The Fan, in which she played a middle-aged film star idolised by a demented fan (played by Douglas Breem) who mutilates or kills those close to the object of his desire. But the ageing star’s beauty has faded, and bears only passing resemblance to the youthful image that captivates the fan.

Tuesday

Steerpike

How far do the Lib Dems want to go over Gaza?

Well, well, well. What’s all this then? Uncle Vince has announced the suspension of 12 export licenses to Israel. Here’s what he said: ‘We welcome the current ceasefire in Gaza and hope that it will lead to a peaceful resolution. However the UK Government has not been able to clarify if the export licence criteria are being met. In light of that uncertainty we have taken the decision to suspend these existing export licences in the event of a resumption of significant hostilities. ‘No new licences of military equipment have been issued for use by the Israeli Defence Force during the review period and as a precautionary measure this approach will continue until hostilities cease.

Steerpike

What’s your favourite Robin Williams one-liner?

Mr S was saddened to hear of the death of Robin Williams — a man who contributed to the gaiety of nations. People wax lyrical about Williams’s ability to inhabit character; but Mr S is more impressed by his turn of phrase. Here are some Mr S's favourite one liners:  ‘Cricket is basically baseball on valium.’ ‘Ah, yes, divorce – from the Latin word meaning to rip out a man’s genitals through his wallet.’ ‘One question for the Royal Family: all that money and no dental hygiene?’ 'No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.' 'What's right is what's left if you do everything else wrong.' 'People say satire is dead. It's not dead; it's alive and living in the White House.

Monday

Steerpike

Louise Mensch fat shames ISIS’s leader

After Obama sanctioned attacks on ISIS over the weekend, a new hashtag began to trend on Twitter  - #AmessagefromISIStoUS. Via social media, militants from the Islamic State began to threaten anyone who dared to get involved in the Middle East. Before long, the backlash began, with Americans sending messages back to jihadis under the hashtag #AmessagefromUStoISIS. The ex-Tory MP Louise Mensch couldn't resist, and duly joined in this hawkish exchange: It's true Obama got #ISIS all wrong and Iraq policy all wrong but I don't care, not today. He is sending airstrikes. Thank you Mr. President — Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) August 8, 2014 Some left wingers pretty upset ISIS are being bombed. I'm throwing a party.

Steerpike

Up yours George

The most uplifting news of the weekend? Israeli tourists defied George Galloway’s decree that Bradford become an ‘Israeli-free zone’. Better even that: plenty of locals came out in sympathy with the touring Israelis. Guido has the details and pictures. #realhopenothate.

Friday

Steerpike

Did STV just come out in favour of the Union?

STV were left red faced after the live streaming of the independence debate between Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling broke down, which meant viewers outside Scotland were unable to watch it on TV. The broadcaster has just issued an apology to anyone who signed up – the majority of whom were presumably English. Mr S was most heartened to receive this mea culpa. More heartening though was the seemingly coded pro-union message embedded in the email. Beneath the images, a rather desperate message appeared: ‘Don’t leave us!’ Now Mr S knows how important impartiality is to the broadcaster, given that earlier this year STV left the CBI after the body formally backed the campaign against independence.

Steerpike

Jobs for the boys and girls

Mr S can’t help but notice that there is no Ukip peer among the list of the newly ennobled. This is surprising. Nigel Farage has survived attacks, smears and a helicopter crash. Surely ermine is the only way to stop him? Back in the heady days of 2010, the coalition pledged to introduce a principle whereby peers were appointed according to vote share. One can only assume that they reached this agreement in expectation of receiving more votes. Needless to say, there are plenty of jobs for the boys and girls. Party stooges Andrew Cooper, Arminka Helic and Chris Lennie will sit in the Upper House, together with a gaggle of Liberal Democrat councillors. And, of course, there are several donors among the list. The mother of parliaments, eh? It's absurd.

Steerpike

Tories select raft of women – in no-hope seats

It has been bought to my attention that amongst the Conservative Party candidates selected this week, women outnumbered men two to one. Tory HQ are clearly very proud that Mims Davies will fight Eastleigh; that Michelle Willis will take on Ynys Mon; and that Charlotte Haitham-Taylor and Laetitia Glossop battling on in North West and North Durham respectively. Mr S is no party-pooper; but he can't help but point out that none of these seats are what might be described as 'winnable' for the Tories next spring.

Thursday

Steerpike

Kriss Akabusi and friends save the union

Forget Alistair Darling’s debate victory. Forget the lack of Salmond’s currency ‘Plan B’. Forget the tonne of Scottish ink that savaged Salmond in print this morning (see Alex Massie in today’s Spectator for the best example). No, historians will pin-point today as the moment that Kriss Akabusi saved the union. Awooga, awooga. It has become custom in any public debate these days to draw up a tiresome list of public figures who back one’s cause. ‘Stay Together’, which launched today, and includes celebrities who do not even have a vote in Scotland’s future, is classic of the genre. Akabusi is joined by the likes of Helena Bonham Carter, Bryan Ferry, Parky, a brace of Snows, Mitchell&Webb, Andy McNab and Tani Grey Thompson.

Wednesday

Steerpike

Team Boris vs Team Osborne — the first skirmish

Today was set to be a boring day in Westminster. Sajid Javid, a courtier to George Osborne, was billed to give (yet another) speech about how the economy is going ‘gangbusters’ and why evil Labour would trash the recovery. Dutiful hacks were pottering off to the Centre for Policy Studies, the venue for Javid’s speech, when news broke of Boris Johnson’s ‘off the cuff’ announcement that he might stand in 2015 after all. This political hand grenade blew the government’s media plan completely apart. Javid was spotted calling CCHQ for a line to take on the Boris comeback. He duly took to the podium and prepared for questions that would have nothing to with George Osborne’s ‘long-term economic plan’.