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Diary: you'd better not go to the ball, says Labour. If you do, we'll get you Diary: you'd better not go to the ball, says Labour. If you do, we'll get you
(5 months later)
• Accusations of control freakery continue to blight Labour's preparations for the Young European Socialist (Yes) summer camp in Turkey during July. Last week we highlighted the party's plans to clamp down on the number and type of delegates after turbulent scenes at last year's conference in Croatia. Homophobic insults from other European delegates prompted the Brits to stage a protest march through the camp, triggering unhelpful bad publicity. Never again, said party bigwigs, ushering in a new restrictive regime. But members can be resourceful, especially those too young and idealistic to readily submit to tiresome regulation. And so it is that Labour has now been forced to warn its members not to circumvent the restrictions by attending the conference as guests of affiliates beyond the writ of the people's party. The clampdown is in place, and any attempt to frustrate it "will be treated as a disciplinary matter", says Labour general secretary Iain McNicol. Affiliates have also been contacted to dissuade them from assisting any youthful dissidents. Someone is seriously worried, it would seem.• Accusations of control freakery continue to blight Labour's preparations for the Young European Socialist (Yes) summer camp in Turkey during July. Last week we highlighted the party's plans to clamp down on the number and type of delegates after turbulent scenes at last year's conference in Croatia. Homophobic insults from other European delegates prompted the Brits to stage a protest march through the camp, triggering unhelpful bad publicity. Never again, said party bigwigs, ushering in a new restrictive regime. But members can be resourceful, especially those too young and idealistic to readily submit to tiresome regulation. And so it is that Labour has now been forced to warn its members not to circumvent the restrictions by attending the conference as guests of affiliates beyond the writ of the people's party. The clampdown is in place, and any attempt to frustrate it "will be treated as a disciplinary matter", says Labour general secretary Iain McNicol. Affiliates have also been contacted to dissuade them from assisting any youthful dissidents. Someone is seriously worried, it would seem.
• Two falls or one submission should decide who will win the wrestling match between David Cameron and the recalcitrant press. Events appear to be conspiring against him. But the PM has one potentially devastating ruse that could turn the whole thing round. Who says so? Old Labour veterans who recall that in a similar spat with Fleet Street in the 70s – when standard practices made phone hacking appear virginal – Harold Wilson asked staff at No 10 to examine removing the exemption from VAT on newspapers. Jack-of-all-trades and general bright spark Bernard Donoughue was tasked with the job. Lord Donoughue, ex-Blair and Callaghan minister, ex-City, ex-racing regulator and orchestra chairman, is still around at 78, still capable of mischief, and says he would be happy to explain it all to Dave 'n' George. To head off charges of "a tax on knowledge" the trick, he says, is to threaten press lords with a VAT formula that exempts books. They played the game for keeps in his day.• Two falls or one submission should decide who will win the wrestling match between David Cameron and the recalcitrant press. Events appear to be conspiring against him. But the PM has one potentially devastating ruse that could turn the whole thing round. Who says so? Old Labour veterans who recall that in a similar spat with Fleet Street in the 70s – when standard practices made phone hacking appear virginal – Harold Wilson asked staff at No 10 to examine removing the exemption from VAT on newspapers. Jack-of-all-trades and general bright spark Bernard Donoughue was tasked with the job. Lord Donoughue, ex-Blair and Callaghan minister, ex-City, ex-racing regulator and orchestra chairman, is still around at 78, still capable of mischief, and says he would be happy to explain it all to Dave 'n' George. To head off charges of "a tax on knowledge" the trick, he says, is to threaten press lords with a VAT formula that exempts books. They played the game for keeps in his day.
• Some wonder whether Dave has that killer instinct. And they certainly seem to be losing faith in him on his home turf of West Oxfordshire. Tories lost overall control last week in the county council elections. Their response? Blame the government. Councillor Rodney Rose, previously the deputy leader, says: "It was a national protest vote against David Cameron, and it had nothing to do with the county council." David Harvey, a member of West Oxfordshire district council's cabinet, also points the finger. "This is national politics being played at a local level. I am extremely disappointed that so many Witney voters have decided to express their displeasure with national policies in local elections". Poor Dave. The cock crows thrice. They do not know him.• Some wonder whether Dave has that killer instinct. And they certainly seem to be losing faith in him on his home turf of West Oxfordshire. Tories lost overall control last week in the county council elections. Their response? Blame the government. Councillor Rodney Rose, previously the deputy leader, says: "It was a national protest vote against David Cameron, and it had nothing to do with the county council." David Harvey, a member of West Oxfordshire district council's cabinet, also points the finger. "This is national politics being played at a local level. I am extremely disappointed that so many Witney voters have decided to express their displeasure with national policies in local elections". Poor Dave. The cock crows thrice. They do not know him.
• Rightwing recriminations after events in Doncaster, where Peter Davies, once lauded as the "Un-PC supermayor", was last week ousted by an ungrateful electorate. Yesterday we shared our sadness at this turn of events. Robin Tillbrook, leader of the English Democrats and the leader Davies spurned just weeks ago alleging the party was getting cosy with the BNP, says Davies has only himself to blame. "The reason Labour won in Doncaster was just that the English Democrats-Peter Davies vote was divided. Together we would easily have won, as we did last year's referendum. The sole bit of Labour cleverness belongs to their understanding of Peter's egotism and their subsequent sustained whispering campaign to make Peter think that he was so popular that his personal vote could win it outright." The English Democrats will rise again, he says. Let's hope so. These squabbles on the right distress us terribly.• Rightwing recriminations after events in Doncaster, where Peter Davies, once lauded as the "Un-PC supermayor", was last week ousted by an ungrateful electorate. Yesterday we shared our sadness at this turn of events. Robin Tillbrook, leader of the English Democrats and the leader Davies spurned just weeks ago alleging the party was getting cosy with the BNP, says Davies has only himself to blame. "The reason Labour won in Doncaster was just that the English Democrats-Peter Davies vote was divided. Together we would easily have won, as we did last year's referendum. The sole bit of Labour cleverness belongs to their understanding of Peter's egotism and their subsequent sustained whispering campaign to make Peter think that he was so popular that his personal vote could win it outright." The English Democrats will rise again, he says. Let's hope so. These squabbles on the right distress us terribly.
• Yes, if you have tears to shed, think of them; think too of Nick Griffin, another man kicked while down by the ungrateful voters. The party fielded 99 candidates but did not win a seat, and lost the one county council seat it held in Lancashire. Just two councillors now. Mayday, mayday! Who's to blame? Why, the BBC. It deliberately promoted Ukip to scupper his plans for world domination, says Nick. Lifeblood draining, enemies encroaching. The bunker feels cold and dark right now.• Yes, if you have tears to shed, think of them; think too of Nick Griffin, another man kicked while down by the ungrateful voters. The party fielded 99 candidates but did not win a seat, and lost the one county council seat it held in Lancashire. Just two councillors now. Mayday, mayday! Who's to blame? Why, the BBC. It deliberately promoted Ukip to scupper his plans for world domination, says Nick. Lifeblood draining, enemies encroaching. The bunker feels cold and dark right now.
Twitter: @hugh_muir Twitter: @hugh_muir
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