The Wardman Wire

It is almost five months since I retired George Gallohasbeen from the role on this blog equivalent to the Fool in a Morris Dancing Troup (OK: “side”), who adds to general mirth by simply making an appearance.

I have been looking for a replacement, and I think I have found one in the person of Paul Flynn, MP for Newport West.

Paul has come out with the following:

J.K Rowling has sprinkled some stardust over the Labour’s campaign and a very useful £1million. For once we have got the presentation right. Here is the authentic voice of a struggling single mother who benefited from Labour’s policies. Her gift also highlights the vindictive spiteful moralising of the Tories.

Taking a look:

J.K Rowling has sprinkled some stardust over the Labour’s campaign and a very useful £1million.

I’ll leave that to the historical accounts of the next election.

For once we have got the presentation right.

“For once” is quite an admission for a movement that once defined its identity by its ability to manage presentation - to the extent that it became a key determinant in policy decisions. But I’m not sure if Ruth Kelly would agree.

Here is the authentic voice of a struggling single mother who benefited from Labour’s policies.

Er. Bollocks.

The Blair-Brown administration won an election on 1 May 1997. The first book in the Harry Potter series was published on 26 June 1997.

Perhaps you’d care to explain how JK Rowling’s life was transformed by Labour policies in the 56 days or so between the Election on May 1st 1997 and the publication of the first HP book?

Perhaps you could especially bear in mind that she was paid £10k from Bloomsbury Children’s Books for the 1st HP Book, and $105,000 from Scholastic for the American Rights - both during 1997. Once again a New Labour figure demonstrates their willingness to be (take your pick):

a) Economical with the historical facts (i.e., lie).
b) Incredibly forgetful.
c) Stupid.

It looks more like good old fashioned get-up-and-go self-reliant entrepreneurialism to me.

Her gift also highlights the vindictive spiteful moralising of the Tories.

Vindictive, spiteful moralising like this, you mean - to choose just one example?

“Nobody in Britain should get to take more out of the system than they are willing to put in.”

Since when was the State support/benefit system a profit centre? I thought the whole idea was that some people could take more out than they put in because that was their need.

I’m staying off the rest of the Gordon Brown speech for the sake of my blood vessels - and to avoid the moralising about banks from Mr Off-Balance-Sheet himself, but New Labour demanding transparency (dodgy donations), sound banking (PFI, Lord Cashpoint), responsibility (Blair: “I may have been wrong. That’s your call.”) and integrity (good day to bury bad news, the whole damned enchilada) is a breathtaking attempt at the reinvention of history.

The Millenium Elephant has a pungent analysis.

Wrapping Up

On balance I think it is good that JK Rowling and her like make political donations, just as long as they don’t receive political favours for their money and we don’t have deliberate avoidance of the law.

And I’m officially appointing Paul Flynn MP as “Arthur“. Buy him a harmonica, somebody.

(The photo is Pete the Royal Liberty Morris fool from Wikipedia).

On a final note, I applaud this aspect of Paul’s website:

“Free Website - This website is NOT funded by the House of Commons Communication Allowance and is free to express uninhibited views that are not censored by Commons officials.”

Quite right. The more uninhibited the better, and I’d hate to think that the blogosphere’s general mirth was paid for out of taxes.