I have just read Hannan's article. It is possible that it's a deadpan spoof, although I don't think he's ever been that witty. I don't know what to make of it.
Viewcode: I think the article is just plain common sense. It's not a spoof.
"A man suspected of murdering Ann Widdecombe is believed to have driven nearly 300 miles to her Dartmoor home with a “wooden pole” on the morning of her death, The Telegraph can disclose."
It is so hard not to speculate when things like this are published.
I hope this gets to court very rapidly so that the timeline of events gets placed on to the record and an account of why he acted in this way (assuming he did) is put out so we can all understand what happened.
At this stage, it is hard to see what the motive would be. No one drives 300 miles to kill a politician without having a reason.
My guess is (now we are free to speculate) that he drove 300 miles to kill a television personality. Since the article also reports he had learning difficulties and had gone "a bit loopy" since his father died, it is possible the reason might not have been entirely reasonable.
Darren Grimes @darrengrimes · 5h If you can’t understand how much anguish and upset there is in the Reform family right now at this cruel act of barbarism then that’s your problem, not ours.
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Nah, man, we get it.
What we don't get is why, if you are deeply grieving and presumably want the murderer brought to book, you've all spent all day on social media throwing out endless wild theories, rumours and speculations instead of a dignified silence.
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges · 18m And here we have it. The final line crossed. Allison [Pearson] literally telling Ann Widdecombe’s family what they should want in the wake of her death.
I'm starting to seriously worry that by this time next week we will have run out of this summer's tv sport.
What am I supposed to do then?
There's still plenty of cricket to come this year, and it's obviously the most interesting sport of all, especially test cricket.
Most of the interest being wild speculation about management sackings and inventing more and variations until England vs India can fit inside football's half-time breaks.
Reform UK has warned Labour MPs that restricting party finances could put the lives of its politicians in danger after the death of Ann Widdecombe.
Senior Labour backbenchers will this week seek to cap political donations at either £1m or £100,000 when the Government’s flagship elections bill returns to the Commons.
Nigel Farage’s party claimed that such a move would leave it without the funds necessary to provide security for its eight MPs ....
Police have said they remain “open-minded” about the reason for the alleged murder but said there was no evidence to suggest a political or terror motive at this stage.
I have just read Hannan's article. It is possible that it's a deadpan spoof, although I don't think he's ever been that witty. I don't know what to make of it.
Viewcode: I think the article is just plain common sense. It's not a spoof.
Having found a copy of Hannan's article I find it odd (but not odd given it's Hannan) that he focuses on Count Binface's economic illiteracy. Binface is literally a joke. Why not talk about Reform's much greater economic illiteracy? This is the party leading the polls.
I have just read Hannan's article. It is possible that it's a deadpan spoof, although I don't think he's ever been that witty. I don't know what to make of it.
Viewcode: I think the article is just plain common sense. It's not a spoof.
I sort of agree with the general complaint that Binface isn't actually that amusing.
But reactions like Hannan's and Andy's make the scenario that Binface is contributing to downright hilarious.
The Clacton bin war is rapidly becoming the perfect political parody.
Reform UK has warned Labour MPs that restricting party finances could put the lives of its politicians in danger after the death of Ann Widdecombe.
Senior Labour backbenchers will this week seek to cap political donations at either £1m or £100,000 when the Government’s flagship elections bill returns to the Commons.
Nigel Farage’s party claimed that such a move would leave it without the funds necessary to provide security for its eight MPs ....
Police have said they remain “open-minded” about the reason for the alleged murder but said there was no evidence to suggest a political or terror motive at this stage.
A masterclass in not speaking ill of the dead, from Joe Biden.
Jill and I are shocked by the sudden passing of Lindsey Graham.
Lindsey and I served together in Congress for over a decade, and worked closely on many issues throughout the years. We traveled the world together as members of the Senate Foreign Relations committee. We disagreed often, and sometimes loudly.
Lindsey and I did agree on the profound importance of public service. Like me, he loved the Senate as an institution, even with all its flaws and complexities.
To his family, his staff, his constituents in South Carolina, and everyone who loved him: Jill and I are keeping you in our prayers
I'm baffled by this story. A man was convicted of raping four children - making a long custodial sentence inevitable - but he was on bail until sentencing. So, unsurprisingly, he fled, and British and Irish police had to expend serious effort in tracking him down. Why was he on bail?
I don't know anything about this history of the case, but it appears that "you will get a prison sentence" isn't sufficient to deny bail pending sentencing - there has to be another reason to deny bail such as having previously failed to surrender or having committed the offence while already on bail.
Maybe it avoids public outrage when the case is finally heard and the convicted man walks free because he's already done his time whilst remanded. Of course, just his bad luck if he's found innocent.
But in this case it's a matter of the man being on bail after conviction.
He was eventually given a sentence of 24 years, so it would have been obvious he was facing a very long sentence. Even if he hadn't done a runner it feels like a denial of justice for him to enjoy some final weeks of liberty before sentencing.
He drove to Scotland first. There is passport control on Holyhead - Dublin but none on Cairnryan - Belfast ferries. And also no border between Northern Ireland and the South. Perhaps there should be passport control via Belfast to block this hole in the checks but there would be a few people 'disappointed' if it happened.
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges · 19m I did warn this would happen yesterday. Everything Reform is currently doing and saying is about deflecting from legitimate scrutiny of Nigel Farage.
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges · 19m I did warn this would happen yesterday. Everything Reform is currently doing and saying is about deflecting from legitimate scrutiny of Nigel Farage.
Is Farage suggesting MPs now need 24 hour protection ?
It comes as no surprise that he would use Widdecombes murder to try and deflect from his grifting .
If he loses, will he change his tune to ex-MPs need 24 hour protection?
There clearly is some risk to ex-MPs, but what about prominent political spokespeople who are not MP's like Polanski or Goodwin? Or even celebrities who have made controversial statements like Lineker?
Maybe we need to tone down the vitriol on Social Media, and for the police to take threats on it seriously.
Is Farage suggesting MPs now need 24 hour protection ?
It comes as no surprise that he would use Widdecombes murder to try and deflect from his grifting .
If he loses, will he change his tune to ex-MPs need 24 hour protection?
There clearly is some risk to ex-MPs, but what about prominent political spokespeople who are not MP's like Polanski or Goodwin? Or even celebrities who have made controversial statements like Lineker?
Maybe we need to tone down the vitriol on Social Media, and for the police to take threats on it seriously.
I certainly agree that as a country we need to greatly tone down the way we speak to each other online. Even PB is not completely immune. The usual social norms are much reduced online with anonymity and remoteness and it coarsens the conversation. It is one of the reasons that I personally chose a fairly readily identifiable name on here. It makes me pause when I am tempted to publish something offensive (most of the time).
Whether the police should be taking this vitriol more seriously I am less sure about. It seems to me that we already have quite a lot of prosecutions for racist, sexist and abusive comments online and we sometimes seem to take this more seriously than actual violence. We need to be careful about protecting freedom of speech which includes the right (but not the obligation) to be obnoxious.
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges · 19m I did warn this would happen yesterday. Everything Reform is currently doing and saying is about deflecting from legitimate scrutiny of Nigel Farage.
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges · 19m I did warn this would happen yesterday. Everything Reform is currently doing and saying is about deflecting from legitimate scrutiny of Nigel Farage.
I have just read Hannan's article. It is possible that it's a deadpan spoof, although I don't think he's ever been that witty. I don't know what to make of it.
He’s seems to have misunderstood that the Count has himself identified the fiscal absurdities of the main parties - e.g. the “cut your taxes but raise everyone else’s” policy - that’s a pisstake, not a real policy proposal. He has a bin for a face.
I’ve never witnessed such a widespread sense of humour fail in British culture. It’s so weird. Some - not all - on the Right are really very angry about this. It’s like the drunk man on the High Street screaming “respect me” at his laughing girlfriend.
Dan Hannan is a funny old stick. He seems to me to build semi-logical constructions in his own head, without too much reference to anything outside.
Here I don't see that he is engaging with the actuality of things that Burnham might actually do.
As an alternative presentation, I saw it framed as "Burnham will abolish Council Tax, Stamp Duty and Business Rates." And I don't wholly believe that one either.
Is Farage suggesting MPs now need 24 hour protection ?
It comes as no surprise that he would use Widdecombes murder to try and deflect from his grifting .
Widdecombe hadn't been an MP since 2010, nor an MEP since 2020.
The more pertinent question is how do you provide "protection" ? Directly I have seen the protection issue with former and then current MPs visiting small market towns and either speaking in public or in private. The most ridiculous was Sir Leon Brittan speaking in the B*** at S****** in the John Major era. He had full time protection sat outside all the evening whilst Sir Leon spoke with his back to a massive roadside window and his silhouette clearly visible. The police protection was in the one place, the bar outside where he would have been the last to know if anything had happened.
I know for MPs there is the pro forma of informing the local police etc etc and it is NEVER treated as a joke but it is seen as futile, going through the motions. In more recent times, the last election I have seen the former MP and the current MP standing on the roadside, both looking lost and forlorn, waiting for their helpers.
With the erstwhile Prince Andrew at Gourdonston it was a joke with his protection officers buying the night off with one handed magazines. (No doubt in part contributing to his unusual entitled attitude to sex).
Farage is asking for the impossible. His real gripe is with the process and in that he is absolutely correct. It is a process which cost us Boris Johnson and ultimately landed us with Keir Starmer. As with all expenses issues it is just one helluva mess. A process which doesn't work because if it did every MP would be facing a by-election. And so there are workarounds where the law is only observed though a blind eye. I am sure I could find a flaw in Burnham's election expenses. some will squeal yeah, but not £5M. And that is the impossiblility of it all, is stealing a seat in parliament, and that is what electoral expenses fraud would be less than £5M, especially if that fast tracks you to a ministerial salary ?
Comments
Lee Mack foreman of the jury sketch:-
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/r85Lz-VGEgc
The Tories don't seem the need to spend millions on security.
The realit is Reform don't either, it just a MONEY LAUNDERING FRONT!
But reactions like Hannan's and Andy's make the scenario that Binface is contributing to downright hilarious.
The Clacton bin war is rapidly becoming the perfect political parody.
Jill and I are shocked by the sudden passing of Lindsey Graham.
Lindsey and I served together in Congress for over a decade, and worked closely on many issues throughout the years. We traveled the world together as members of the Senate Foreign Relations committee. We disagreed often, and sometimes loudly.
Lindsey and I did agree on the profound importance of public service. Like me, he loved the Senate as an institution, even with all its flaws and complexities.
To his family, his staff, his constituents in South Carolina, and everyone who loved him: Jill and I are keeping you in our prayers
It comes as no surprise that he would use Widdecombes murder to try and deflect from his grifting .
I thought she'd spent her entire political career as a Tory politician but I guess she was a Brexit politician too for a little while then.
Reform only post retirement.
New Zealand actor Sam Neill died suddenly aged 78 after recovering from cancer, his family said in a statement
Maybe we need to tone down the vitriol on Social Media, and for the police to take threats on it seriously.
NEW THREAD
Reilly Ace of Spies was excellent.
Whether the police should be taking this vitriol more seriously I am less sure about. It seems to me that we already have quite a lot of prosecutions for racist, sexist and abusive comments online and we sometimes seem to take this more seriously than actual violence. We need to be careful about protecting freedom of speech which includes the right (but not the obligation) to be obnoxious.
Here I don't see that he is engaging with the actuality of things that Burnham might actually do.
As an alternative presentation, I saw it framed as "Burnham will abolish Council Tax, Stamp Duty and Business Rates." And I don't wholly believe that one either.
I know for MPs there is the pro forma of informing the local police etc etc and it is NEVER treated as a joke but it is seen as futile, going through the motions. In more recent times, the last election I have seen the former MP and the current MP standing on the roadside, both looking lost and forlorn, waiting for their helpers.
With the erstwhile Prince Andrew at Gourdonston it was a joke with his protection officers buying the night off with one handed magazines. (No doubt in part contributing to his unusual entitled attitude to sex).
Farage is asking for the impossible. His real gripe is with the process and in that he is absolutely correct. It is a process which cost us Boris Johnson and ultimately landed us with Keir Starmer. As with all expenses issues it is just one helluva mess. A process which doesn't work because if it did every MP would be facing a by-election. And so there are workarounds where the law is only observed though a blind eye. I am sure I could find a flaw in Burnham's election expenses. some will squeal yeah, but not £5M. And that is the impossiblility of it all, is stealing a seat in parliament, and that is what electoral expenses fraud would be less than £5M, especially if that fast tracks you to a ministerial salary ?