Well refreshed ejaculations and members
Paul Waugh writes of last night’s Finance Bill debate – which cannot be guillotined – and Labour’s mischief making in keeping the debate going as long as possible to cause difficulty for Tory and Lib-Dem MPs trying to get home. It appears, however, that some Tory back benchers were ‘well lubricated’ following dinner.
Paul Waugh reports: “But perhaps the sparkiest intervention came just before 2am, when Labour veteran Stephen Pound felt that several Tory backbenchers were clearly the worse for wear after their well-lubricated dinners. Their tipsy heckling was most evident when Shadow Treasury Minister Angela Eagle was speaking, Pound claimed.
Here’s the priceless exchange that followed:
Stephen Pound: “On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker, I would never presume to teach you your job but some of us on this side of the Chamber are having great difficulty in hearing the priceless words that the shadow Minister is enunciating because of the well-refreshed ejaculations that are coming from those on the Benches opposite.”
Mr Deputy Speaker: “I do not think that I need to deal with that point of order.”
Ms Eagle: “Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am trying to put the idea of well-refreshed ejaculations firmly out of my mind…”
Interestingly, of events of the same evening Guido Fawkes reports….
“Next time an MP whines about being poorly paid and hard work because of all those late night sittings, ask him what really happens during those sessions?…… [Do read some of the Eyespy.MP observations]
0200: Ed Balls the last Labour leadership contender left on the Terrace – still drinking pints with the NE mafia!
Guido continues….. “Bear in mind some of these MPs will have been drinking subsidised beer since tea-time. In many cases they will be completely drunk when voting and the whips basically roll them into the lobbies. In how many jobs outside the entertainment industry is it acceptable to be completely intoxicated in the workplace? Makes you proud of our great parliamentary democracy doesn’t it…”The hunt for alleged killer, Raoul Moat, is occupying much of The Sun’s attention span and the Police certainly cannot be faulted for pulling out all the stops. Perhaps the pictured intervention above is a bit OTT, but as the ladies in the car do not appear to be too concerned by a burly police officer pointing a machine gun directly at them, one assumes they were warned that this was going to happen. If they weren’t warned then all I can say is they breed the women tough up North. The internet has, predictably, thrown up some black humour. It appears that Moat doesn’t like police officers which is why he shot a man who he believed was a cop and plans to continue shooting police until he is caught. Bloggers and twitterers were suggesting to Moat a long list of people he might not also like. One enterprising organisation is, extraordinarily, selling “Where’s Moaty?’ badges. Black humour can, of course, heighten the seriousness of events and will certainly widen the publicity which may…you never know… assist the police in terms of information. The Twitter stream will give you some idea of the Moat chatter. As a lot of twitters observed..and I quote: “Starting to get bored of Raoul Moat jokes. They’re not even raoulmoatly funny.
I really can’t be bothered to write about it – but if you want to read about an Octopus which can predict the results of Germany’s World Cup matches then go here.
Anyway… good news for the Coalition government which places so much faith in the private sector and even plans to let the private sector bid for universities or get or widen their degree awarding powers – god help us……
UK’s first private prison condemned in report
The Independent reports: Britain’s first private prison, opened in the year Ken Clarke was Conservative Home Secretary, was roundly condemned by independent inspectors today.
Prisoners at HMP Wolds were found to be high on drugs while prison officers were low in confidence, said Dame Anne Owers, Chief Inspector of Prisons, in a report seized on by penal reform groups who have criticised the over-reliance of private companies to run new prisons…… The Yorkshire training prison, managed by G4S, was also criticised by the inspectors for failures in dealing with violent incidents, suicide prevention schemes as well concerns over the safety of methadone dispensing.
Anne Owers said: “It is always disappointing to chart a decline in the performance of a prison but, sadly, that is the case with this inspection of HMP Wolds. The prison was not designed as a training prison and will always struggle to deliver the quality of purposeful activity that we expect.”
She added: “The deterioration in safety and security arrangements, particularly the significant increase in drug use and the weakness in staff supervision of prisoners, are issues that can and must be addressed.”
If the Met’s gun squad are in the North East helping to catch Raoul Moat, I’d be careful not to walk around with a chair leg within 30 miles of Rothbury. Indeed the people there might be well advised to stay well indoors.
Dave’s grandmother has been iced coffee by the lightning and the monkey and in the tree?
There is of course a lot of that sort of thing about…