Someone tell Lembit they've been doing it for years

I couldn't help my wry smile when I read this post by Iain Dale about poor old Lembit's unfair treatment at the hands of the Lib Dems during his campaign for the Presidency.

Shailesh Vara (MP for North West Cambridgeshire) recently reminded the Lib Dems that they support this behaviour in an excellent speech in Parliament in which he quoted some salient extracts from the Association of Lib Dem Councillors document "effective Opposition". These extracts include this advice:

“Be wicked, act shamelessly, stir endlessly.”

“Don’t be afraid to exaggerate. For example, responses to surveys and petitions are always ‘massive’. If a council is doing something badly public expressions are always of ‘outrage’”,

“Oppose all service cuts...No cut is going to be popular and why court the unpopularity that goes with the responsibility of power”.

The point is that Lembit Opik has been an active supporter of a political party that has been behaving this way for years. If they act like this during by-elections and as part of day-to-day campaigning, why is he surprised that it happened during an internal election?

Lib Dem MPs paying for Google Ads

I am a Stumble user. This morning I have stumbled upon a website called Laugh at Liberals. Not much special there. I just thought it was odd that on that page was a Google Ad link to Paul Burstow's website (Lib Dem Member of Parliament for Sutton and Cheam). Now why anyone would want to link from this site is beyond me, and it shows the failings of Google Ads. One interpretation is let's laugh at the Liberals - and hey, here's a link to an English Liberal Democrat we can laugh at!!

But there is another point here. Whatever is the benefit of an MP paying for Google ads. I can't see how it does anything but send a message of desparation, it certainly is not a positive comment on his performance as an MP that he has to promote himself in such a way.

Perhaps more importantly, how is it being paid for? Parliamentary allowance?

I feel an Email coming on. Will update if necessary.

UPDATE:

I received this from his researcher:

"I can confirm that Mr Burstow pays for the Google Ads service
personally, not from parliamentary allowances.

The costs can be
strictly limited – the charge only comes when people click through to his
website, and you can specify how much you want to pay each
month.

As to the benefits, it increases the number of visits to Mr
Burstow’s website and helps to raise awareness about his work as an
MP."

I still don't get it. It's a sign of desparation IMHO. Let's not forget that his salary is also paid for by us - so it's still our money.

Breaking News: Lib Dem MEP defects to Conservatives

Liberal MEP for the North West Sajjad Kaarim has announced he is defecting to the Conservatives.

This will be a blow for the Lib Dems. Their leadership election has been a disaster, so this will hurt them at a time when they are vulnerable. I wonder if it is the first of many?

It is a brave step for Sajjad Karim, who is articulating himself extremely well on Sky News at the moment. I wonder how he is going to deal with the huge gap there is between Conservative policy on Europe and the one he has supported as a Lib Dem?

Lib Dems go for political advantage over principle

After years and years of spouting pro-European clap-trap, at the very point where sticking to their principles would put them in to a spot of bother, the Lib Dems have reverted to type and adopted the position of most political advantage.

I am glad they have done it, it is right that we have a referendum on the EU Treaty, but that doesn't ignore the fact that, for the Lib Dems to take this line is just sheer hypocrisy.

More Reasons Not to vote Lib Dem

As usual Iain Dale gets it right, this time on the duplicity of the Lib Dems.

Reasons Not to Vote Lib Dem No 6,945,999

A Lib Dem leaflet being destributed in Chatteris (a Fenland market Town) quotes me as Chairman of Planning (in parenthesis and therefore as a direct quote), rebuking the people of Chatteris by saying:

"Be thankful for the South Fens Business Centre"

I have never used those words. In fact what I did do was highlight some investment in Chatteris in a letter to the press. The text of that letter is at the foot of this post (with a name omitted to protect an individual who I do not want to get caught up in this argument).

You can see from the text that this is a deliberate distortion of the facts. We hear time and again of this sort of behaviour from Lib Dems. Remember that when you put a cross in a box at the local elections.

Text of Letter:

Dear Editor,

Once again I find myself writing to the media in defence of Cllr Geoffrey Harper, Leader of Fenland following unjustified comments from Mr XXXXXXXXXX(Letters, 3rd January 2007).

Firstly, he accuses Councillors of being “Free Spending” when in fact our reputation over the last 4 years has been built on improving the delivery of services whilst ensuring responsible financial management. This is not just a flippant political comment from me, but the refection of a view that has been backed up on a number of occasions by the independent Audit Commission, who recently commented about Fenland: “There have been massive improvements – for which the Council should all take great pride “.

The Council Leader has not, as far as I am aware, reneged on any deal to fund running costs for a Leisure Centre, but is quite rightly taking a responsible financial view on what that means.

Mr XXXXXX also makes the claim that Chatteris is the poor relation of Fenland. I would remind him once again of the success of the South Fens Business Centre which was built with Fenland support and also of the Council Leader’s ongoing support for the King Edward Centre.

Proof That Lib Dem Hypocrisy Runs from Top to Bottom

I have posted a number of times about Lib Dems stretching the truth in the way they deal with local politics, and I am sure we will see loads of that in the coming weeks. Today we can see that this is a tactic that is endorsed and practiced at the very top of the party.

The website "Corruption is a Crime" has been launched by the Lib Dems. This from the party that still holds on to millions of pounds of money from Michael Brown, who is currently in jail for perjury and whose money was donated from a company that was fraudulent and never traded.

Undoubtedly the cleaner than clean Lib Dems will only hand back their ill-gotten gains if they are absolutely forced to. Hypocrites.