Paddy Tipping has heart attack

Paddy Tipping, the Labour MP for Sherwood, has had a heart attack. Thankfully he is doing OK. "I am receiving excellent care from all the staff at QMC hospital and I cannot praise them too highly." He is on the mend!He is not the first MP to suffer a heart attack and he will not be the last. I have long thought that we ask ridiculous workloads of our MPs. They sit on committees, they do constituency work, they are encouraged to hobnob with all and sundry to enhance their careers, and they spend time travelling around. Now the pat answer is "We didn't make them do it" but that's not the point. The trust has broken down, not just over allowances,...

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Glenys Kinnock is a makeshift minister

Another bumbling aspect of the reshuffle was the appointment of Glenys Kinnock as Europe Minister. A keen gravy train rider, some wheeltapper has momentarily knocked the stuffing out of her appointment. It has emerged that she could not do the job because she is still an MEP. Under EU Parliament rules, Mrs Kinnock is not allowed to serve as a minister in a national Government until she steps down as an MEP on July 14. Did she forget about this when she chatted to Gordon about replacing the expletive-deleted Ms Flint?Mrs Kinnock, or more properly Lady Kinnock as her husband is a peer of the realm, is keen as mustard when it comes to receiving...

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Jane Kennedy given heave-ho

Jane Kennedy is one of the more stable Labour Party MPs. By that I mean she does not court controversy or the plotter's crown. She was a campaigner against Militant Tendency. She has been a minister without undue problems occurring. However, she has been unable to give 'Assurance of support' to Gordon Brown. He has let her go. She said today, "I wasn't able to give the prime minister the assurance of support that he wanted. No one I have spoken to over the last week has told me to support him." The grim reality becomes ever more stark.Labour MP Sally Keeble also says she is withdrawing her support for Mr Brown. In a letter to her constituents...

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James Purnell jumps ship!

James Purnell has stepped down from the cabinet and told Prime Minister Gordon Brown to "stand aside". Bold talk. It is get less than the 50/50 that Michael Crick talked about in Newnight last night.In a letter to the Sun and the Times, James purnell, who is the work and pensions secretary, said he was not seeking the leadership but wanted to trigger a debate. He is not "leadership material" (a term I've been told not to use, but it suits the purpose here). Purnell is the third cabinet member to announce they are standing down in the past few days.It's becoming very much more like Ten Green Bottles than it is Don't Rock The Bo...

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Jacqui Smith to spend more time with her DVDs!

Having claimed expenses on bizarre items, fallen foul of the housing rules by living in her sister's house, the hapless Home Secretary has decided to go before the Presbyterian Conscience is tweaked again.She has been a disaster as a minister. Mishap following mishap. Harriet Harman, now residing in Fantasyland's finest gated community, says, "I think she is an outstanding home secretary." Umm! Gordon Brown is reshuffling the Cabinet a bit like the deckchairs on the Titanic. Apparently, we've got more of the same for another whole year. Ben Wallace, a Conservative MP, says, "What I think is amazing is the total collapse of management of government,...

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Browned off with Brown!

Gordon Brown has a new mantra. He keeps going on about it, as he did today. He claims that the House of Commons was carrying on like "a gentlemen's club". This is a gross slur and no gentlemen's club would ever devise a scheme for legalised fraud and morally reprehensible expense claims. He should apologise for his slanders immediately.Far from being that, this whole lot ressemble Billy Bunter at Greyfriars School. Fat, greedy buggers desperate to get to the tuck shop for the new goodies on offer. Billy Bunter was funny. Gordon Brown is n...

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Darling to repay service charges

Alistair Darling is to repay about £700 of expenses following fresh allegations about his allowances. The Daily Telegraph says he claimed for costs on a flat in south London while claiming allowances on his grace-and-favour home in Downing Street.If he hasn't done anything wrong, why is he paying back the money? Fine way to carry on as Chancell...

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