Next week’s guest editor: Tom Watson MP

13/08/2010, 07:00:06 PM

Uncut’s guest editor next week will be former Labour minister and sitting MP for West Bromwich East, Tom Watson.

The second British MP to start blogging (in 2003), he has emerged in the three months since the election as the most vigorous backbench scourge of the Tory-Lib Dem government.

Uncut will not be safe in his hands. But the management team has made a judgment that he is unlikely to break it in a week.

To the limited extent that it is possible to do them simultaneously: pay attention, and run for cover.

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Carthorse Cable off for glue? Crowdsourcing the resignation

13/08/2010, 02:19:15 PM

He’s the most left-wing member of the government. He used to work for John Smith. And this week he learned that he’s got just half as many staff as Caroline Spelman at DEFRA. It has become about as remarkable as pointing out that Gerrard and Lampard don’t really work together in midfield, but it’s worth saying one more time: Vince Cable is a walking resignation.

Add today’s news that, presumably just to annoy Cable, the government has signed up Sir Philip ‘sophisticated tax status’ Green as an efficiency adviser, and the truth is more obvious than the hangover Dave’s never had from the ‘tins’ of Stella he pretends to buy from a supermarket he’s never been to: Cable will walk.

Vince has already manoeuvred his ally Simon Hughes into the party’s deputy leadership; and the grassroots, who still worship Vince, are preparing to brand Gove’s free schools programme even worse than first past the post. But a conference bust up over a ridiculous right wing policy almost certainly won’t be enough to precipitate Vince’s resignation in 2010. So just when will it come, and how?

Here at Uncut we’re crowdsourcing the resignation. We’ll start the ball rolling.

It’s late autumn 2011 and the drastic cuts Vince never believed in have led to the fabled double dip he always feared. It is becoming increasingly apparent that Lansley’s NHS reforms should have been concluded with a rather more substantive paragraph than “we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it”. And the increasingly ubiquitous media presence of Toby Young is – amazingly – one of the least upsetting consequences of Michael Gove’s DfE.

Directly elected police commissioners have been the disaster everyone predicted, and Cable’s own department has been reduced to hot-desking whilst trying to save British business because Danny Alexander ‘needs’ a spare set of computers in case he breaks his by spilling Tizer all over them again.

As he arrives at his office, a downtrodden Vince is forced to cross a picket line of public service workers. He can’t help but feel that they have a point as they protest at Con/Lib plans to axe 98% of social service funding based on the flimsy big society thesis that “maybe a charity will do it instead…hopefully.”

As he walks towards his office Vince wipes the rotten tomatoes from his beige suit and the eggshell from his off-white shirt to discover the final insult. Nick and Gideon are there, in his office, high on a cocktail of port, pimms and power, smoking cigars and doing impressions of the once national treasure using Vincey’s own signed copy of Joseph Stiglitz’ “Stability with Growth” as a makeshift bald cap. As he slams the door he shouts “what the hell do you think you are doing?”, but it barely registers. The braying continues, a defeated Vince turns and leaves, never to darken the great offices of state again.

A broken man, Vince spends the rest of his days pondering one question: how did I let it happen. How did I join a government that contained Chris Grayling, Michael Gove and Iain Duncan Smith. It wasn’t even nice while it lasted.

Your turn.

How do you think the end will come? Bust up with Osborne, schism with Nick. Or an offer he just can’t turn down to fill the vacant presenters chair on Nevermind the Buzzcocks?

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Seizing opportunities in opposition: Danczuck’s first move

12/08/2010, 02:23:10 PM

Opposition is about seizing opportunities.

Remembering that the public can be irrepressible to dire effect, Rochdale’s new MP Simon Danczuk has brought the one who shouted loudest straight to the front line.

The ‘bigoted-woman’, Gillian Duffy, who has reportedly made a full recovery after being mortally offended by Gordon Brown, enjoyed a finger buffet as Danczuk’s guest of honour at the official opening of his Rochdale constituency office.

Over a prawn sandwich (possibly ham) Duffy admitted: “I never wanted to hurt the Labour Party at all. I wanted them to get in at the last election. I felt very sorry for Gordon Brown, because he had everything to lose. He’s been in politics a very, very long time, it’s his life.”

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Crowdsourcing the leadership

11/08/2010, 01:06:46 PM

Last week’s now legendary Andy Burnham interview completed our set of leadership interviews. Each of the brave candidates has now faced your questions in the Labour Uncut Crowdsourcing Hotseat (LUCH).

First up was Ed Balls. Amongst his challenges were physically fighting David Miliband and going to war with Russia. We got by far the most questions of all the interviewees for Ed B, many of which were not from Labour supporters. We got almost as many complaints from Labour supporters for not having a stricter comments policy. But we are looking for a prime minister, not just a Labour leader, and so the questions got asked.

The Labour Uncut Crowdsourcing Hotseat (LUCH)

The next to take on your questions was Diane Abbott. We interviewed Diane the night before nominations closed – and she was in defiant mood. She was completely unphased by the questions, which included her son’s private education, the demographic of her leadership opponents and how much she is paid by the BBC. She did, however, get a little bit diva when we tried to take her picture.

Next up was the first of the Milibrothers. David, as big bro, stepped up as the third leadership contender in the LUCH. He was bouncy and inquisitive, with a firm handshake and a busy office.  He even let us take his picture. In fact, he let us take quite a few. He answered your questions on votes at 16, the cuts to BSF, and set out his position on zombies.

Following close behind was Miliband Jnr. Ed faced questions on baseball, Babe Ruth, marriage equality, the nuclear industry, Clem Attlee and more. His office was buzzing, his team were youthful, and it was the most relaxed and giggle-filled interview of the lot.

Finally, Andy Burnham invited us round for a cuppa and an interview so honest and open it almost made us feel uncomfortable. He bounced ideas and questions off his team, got excited about music, got uncontrollable about football and gave pretty frank responses to everything else.

Just in case you missed them, here are the interviews in full:

The Ed Balls interview

The Diane Abbott interview

The David Miliband interview

The Ed Miliband interview

The Andy Burnham interview

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The week Uncut

08/08/2010, 12:24:29 PM

There’s been some mixed messages from the leadership race this week. Andy Burnham chose the FA Cup final boyhood dream over being next Labour prime minister in our crowdsourcing interview (before some cajoling from his press secretary changed his mind) and Ed Miliband got into a spot of bother, denying that he’d opt for a north-south divide on tax credits.

Demos polling ended poorly for Labour, with projections of weakness and division. And even in the heat of the summer recess, there’s the distant rumble of the AV storm on the horizon.

Here’s a brunch digest of some of our best-read pieces from the Uncut week past.

The American way – no we cant says Dan Hodges

Ed Miliband clears up confusion over tax credits

The Andy Burnham Interview

Why Cameron knows nothing and cares less about council house tenants

It’s time the leadership also-rans came clean about their second preferences, says Sion Simon

James Ruddick bids farewell to Nick Clegg

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Ed Miliband clears up confusion over tax credits

05/08/2010, 12:08:56 PM

On Tuesday we reported on the fallout coming from an Ed Miliband interview with the Northern Echo that took place last week. The article stated that:

During the interview, Mr Miliband controversially suggested that people in the South should receive higher tax credits than people in the North, to reflect the higher cost of living.

It also quoted Miliband as saying:

We can look at the level of tax credits, so they benefit people in the South who haven’t benefited from the minimum wage.

However Ed’s campaign has been quick to refute this. A campaign spokesman for Miliband Jnr told Uncut that:

This [story] is based on a misunderstanding by the Northern Echo. He did not say he was in favour of regional rates and indeed he isn’t.

(more…)

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Why Cameron knows nothing and cares less about council house tenants

04/08/2010, 06:50:35 PM

Never has David Cameron displayed his lack of understanding of council and social housing tenants more than in the appalling idea of time-limiting social housing tenancies. My parents moved into a new council house in 1965 and I was brought up there. It was our home. Our family wanted a secure place from which to plan our future. That is not unusual for anyone – whether they live in rented or bought accommodation.

If my parents had been told they could be evicted after five years of the tenancy, it would have immediately cast a shadow on the family’s security. No longer would they have been able to plan work and education for their children. Their focus would have been: “where will we be living next?”

Would David Cameron countenance this arrangement for his own family?

It tells us a great deal that the prime minister’s response to shortage of social housing is to limit the rights of those in occupation of social housing. A more explicable option would be to stop the sale of council housing. This directly removes homes from public sector stock and makes fewer homes available for those in need. But I suspect that this would not be acceptable to David Cameron’s political antennae – alienating his restless back-benchers.

Instead, our prime minister chooses an easier target: those in desperate need of homes who will accept a roof over their heads at any cost. Time-limited tenancies will create uncertainty and store up problems for families in years ahead. It tells us much about the political instincts of this Tory/Lib-Dem government.

Ian Lucas is the MP for Wrexham

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The week Uncut

01/08/2010, 06:54:57 PM

As Parliament broke up for recess, and the backbenchers packed their suitcases, the candidates readied themselves for the final push. The phone banks have been staffed, the envelopes have been stuffed, the doors have been knocked, and the summer holidays have been cancelled.

It was the week David warned us of years in the wilderness, Andy hit out at the chattering classes, Ed B told us he was fighting to win, Ed M admired the brass neck of the coalition, and Diane reminded us again, just in case we hadn’t clock it, that she’s the only girl.  

Another busy week on Uncut. In case you missed them, here are half a dozen of Uncut’s best read pieces of the last seven days:

Lets get organised, lets get ready to win, argues David Miliband

Trident must be part of the strategic defence review says Des Browne

Kevin Meagher thinks David Cameron is going berserk

We need character – we need Ed Miliband, says Hillary Benn

Jonathan Todd plots a path between swivel-eyed, small-state evangelism and defending the status quo

Full equality will only be achieved when civil partnerships are recognised as marriage agrues Waheed Alli

Don’t forget it is our final crowdsourced leadership interview this week. We will be taking your questions to Andy Burnham. You have until midnight tonight to get your questions in.

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Manchester Labour leadership hustings: Laughometer

31/07/2010, 04:13:53 PM

This is the laughometer from today’s Labour Party hustings in Manchester.

As usual, tiny chuckles weren’t recorded. 

We maintained our rule that to score, you had to get a proper laugh from a significant portion of the room. 

The laughometer was close to breaking point under the strain of the hilarity today. On todays appearance Diane may be making her way to Edinburgh next week.

Diane Abbott – 6

David Miliband – 2

Ed Miliband – 4

Ed Balls – 3

Andy Burnham – 2

The results were taken by an experienced laughometer operator, who knows the difference between a titter and a roar.

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Caption contest: Michael Gove wacky races special

31/07/2010, 02:36:17 PM

 

Another bad week for the Education Secretary. Captions please.

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