Government defeated on Religious Hatred Bill

The BBC reports:

The government has suffered two shock defeats over attempts to overturn Lords changes to the controversial Racial and Religious Hatred Bill.

In a blow to Tony Blair's authority MPs voted by 288 votes to 278 to back a key Lords amendment to the bill.

Analysis of the division list showed the prime minister voted in the first division but not in the second, which was lost by one vote.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke told MPs that the bill would now become law.

Later. The ePolitix site explains exactly what the votes were about:

MPs had been expected to back the government, having already passed the proposals once.

But in a sign of the government's waning authority, and the controversial nature of the proposals, MPs voted by 288 to 278, a majority of 10, in favour of keeping a Lords amendment to restrict the offence of inciting religious hatred to threatening words and behaviour rather than a wider definition also covering insults and abuse.

In a second division MPs then voted by 283 votes to 282, a majority of one, to ensure that discussion, criticism, insult, abuse and ridicule of religion, belief or religious practice would not be an offence.

Even later. Sandra Gidley tells us whose the one extra vote for the Opposition was in the second division. Respect to Mark Oaten for turning up.

Even later still. According to Nick Robinson on the BBC News, George Galloway turned up too.

And voted with the Government.

Radio Huhne

Chris Huhne's website now features audio recordings of a number of interviews with him. One is by Ollie King from the Guardian and the rest are by Claire Rayner.

I am sure those go nothing like this...

Rayner: Do you touch, lovey. Do you touch? Will you do that for me?

Huhne: Can we talk about my policies on environmental taxation please?

You're gonna find Ming way out in the country

The other day I wrote about Menzies Campbell's lack of enthusiasm for environmental taxation:

Having first sounded warm about it, Ming went on to say that we should be careful because in a rural constituency like his a car was a necessity not a luxury. There is something in that, but all the same my heart sank. It is precisely the argument you used to hear Liberal MPs using 30 years ago when we were a tiny party representing a few Celtic fringe constituencies. Have we really not moved on since then?

Judging by David Walter's Pravda-like account of the South-West hustings on the Campbell people's blog, Ming the Merciless is now making this opposition central to his campaign:

In the question and answer session, Ming had the advantage of being the only leadership candidate with a rural seat. Devon and Cornwall contain some of the most sparsely populated constituencies in the country. The lack of affordable housing for local people is a huge issue. When Ming spoke about house prices in St Andrews in his own constituency driving local people away, he struck a real chord.

Over one of the few issues which divides the leadership candidates, he was also more in tune with local opinion. He pointed out that raising the duty on petrol would be unfair to people in rural areas who have no alternative but to drive cars.

There's nothing wrong with winning rural seats. But can anyone map a successful future for the Liberal Democrats that does not involve our continuing to become more of an urban party?

A skirmish in the War Against Terrorism

From today's Shropshire Star:

Bungling US customs officials were left with the hump after impounding a crate containing an hydraulic lift believing it was a camel.

The 7/7 Challenge

At last. I have been tagged in one of these blogger list things.

The person tagging me was none other than Iain Dale, the owner of Politico's Bookstore. But as his blog is full of scurrilous anti Lib Dem propaganda I certainly shan't be suggesting that you visit it.

Anyway, here goes...

7 THINGS TO DO BEFORE I DIE

1. Grow old
2. Move to Shropshire
3. Write a novel
4. Meet the first Lady Bonkers
5. Understand why people rate Mozart so highly
6. Read Jane Austen
7. See a Liberal MP elected for Harborough

7 THINGS I CANNOT DO

1. Click my fingers
2. Get a different job
3. Early mornings
4. Tolerate Dimblebys
5. Take life seriously enough
6. Listen to "Home Truths"
7. Stand up for falling down

7 THINGS THAT ATTRACT ME TO LONDON

1. St Pancras Station
2. National Liberal Club
3. Commons Press Gallery
4. Kew Gardens
5. London Review Bookshop
6. British Museum
7. Dickens House Museum

THINGS I OFTEN SAY

1. What can I write about this week?
2. Are the proofs in the post yet?
3. They're all mad, you know
4. A return to Shrewsbury, please
5. Sorry
6. Lord Bonkers was Liberal MP for Rutland South-West 1906-10
7. Am in Market Harborough, where should I be?

7 BOOKS THAT I LOVE

1. Vanity Fair - William Thackeray
2. Bevis - Richard Jefferies
3. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
4. The Sword in the Stone - T H White
5. The Towers of Trebizond - Rose Macaulay
6. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
7. Seven White Gates - Malcolm Saville

7 MOVIES I WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN

1. Kind Hearts and Coronets
2. A Canterbury Tale
3. Once Upon a Time in the West
4. Blow-Up
5. Shane
6. Our Mother's House
7. Casablanca

7 PEOPLE I WANT TO JOIN IN TOO

1. Tim Neale at Tea for Two
2. Iain Sharpe at Eaten by Missionaries
3. Duncan Stephen at Doctor Vee
4. Femme de Resistance and Libertycat at Forceful & Moderate
5. "Bishop Hill" at Bishop Hill
6. James Graham at Queaquam Blog!
7. Stephen Tall at A Liberal Goes a Long Way

Harold Elletson looks homeward

Harold Elletson, the former Conservative MP who joined the Liberal Democrats in 2002, got some publicity last week by suggesting that some Lib Dem MPs were considering joining the Tories. He also implied that he might rejoin his old party himself.

He was in the papers before Christmas too, accusing some of Charles Kennedy's advisers as suffering from "infantile liberalism".

Elletson is usually described as chair of the Lib Dem Foreign Affairs Forum, a body that has previously escaped the attention of most party members. But a little research shows just what an unexpected recruit to Liberal Democracy he was.

On 22 June 1994, while still the Tory MP for Blackpool North, Elletson moved a private member's bill calling for the introduction of national identity cards. The peroration of his speech ran:

After all, which of us here would be prepared to stand up and say that he would fight for the crimes of the fraudster to go undetected, or allow the terrorist to continue to go about his murderous business hidden behind a cloak of false identity for fear of abusing his civil liberties ? Our concern should be not with the civil liberties of fraudsters and terrorists, but with their victims ; not with the rights of con men and criminals, but with the security of decent, law- abiding people.

We are now faced with the need to tackle crime, fraud and abuse of trust, not because the Government wish to monitor or limit the movement of our citizens but because criminals have impinged on our natural assumption that all our citizens are decent and honest. Unlike the infamous three-card trick, in which the con man always wins, this one card--a national card-- will ensure that the winner is the decent British citizen.

Perhaps we should me more careful about accepting converts from other parties in future? Brian Sedgemore began his political life as a Liberal in the 1960s, but it is hard to see why Elletson was ever thought a good catch.

Antisocial behaviour: The construction of a crime

Stuart Waiton has an essay on the Spiked website: "Antisocial behaviour: The construction of a crime." It is well worth reading:

By defining antisocial behaviour as a major social problem, the political elite has, over the past decade, helped to generate a spiralling preoccupation with the petty behaviour of young people. At no time in history has the issue of crime as a social problem in and of itself been so central to all of the political parties in the UK - and yet, there has been a significant statistical fall in crime itself.

Gentlemen of the Press

In recent days Liberal England has enjoyed a lot of visits from journalists in search of Lib Dem gossip and scandal. Today they included two of those nice people at News International.

One had searched on Google for "huhne & oxford & radical" and arrived at this posting, which does no more than refer you to a photograph everyone has already seen.

The other charmingly searched for "elephant castle toilets simon hughes" and arrived at my archive for December 2005. That was largely because of this sentence:

The hero is a millionaire who exercises one-elephant rule over a gigantic, moated castle called Homeward.

I hope he or she was satisfied.

Later. This weak story was the best the Sun could come up with.

Passing rapidly over Loulou Harcourt

Today's House Points column from Liberal Democrat News. It was written before Simon Hughes hit the headlines, so it has turned out to be even more topical than I intended.

This reminds me of a Liberator cover we chose late in August 2001. As Charles Kennedy had been largely invisible since the general election in June, we had a picture of him with a speech bubble saying "Did anything happen while I was away?" While that issue was at the printers 9/11 happened, making it a very satirical cover indeed.

Anyway, here is the column.

And also...
A French visitor asked John Wilkes, the 18th century libertarian and libertine, how far the liberty of the press extends in England. He replied: “That’s what I am trying to find out.” Well, we found out this week.

When things look bad, history can be a great comfort. And Matthew Parris’s Great Parliamentary Scandals proves Liberals have come through darker days than these.

Take Sir Charles Dilke, once the great hope of the Radicals and a possible successor to Gladstone. In 1885 Dilke was cited in a divorce case. He protested his innocence, but when he produced his diary in court it had holes cut in many of the pages. He claimed this was his usual practice after completing an engagement. It did not save his career.

Then there is Horatio Bottomley, financier and publisher – the Edwardian Robert Maxwell. This Liberal MP served five years for his swindles. Found working on mailbags by a visitor, he was asked, “Sewing, Bottomley?” “No, reaping,” he famously replied.

A more exotic figure is Trebitsch Lincoln. Parris sums him up: “Fraudster, spy, Anglican curate, German revolutionary, journalist, secret agent, international outlaw, Chinese cult leader and – in 1910 – Liberal MP for Darlington.”

Passing rapidly over Loulou Harcourt, who had amassed Europe’s largest collection of child pornography by the time of his suicide in 1922, we come to Mr Gladstone himself. Some thought Gladstone’s habit of seeking out prostitutes, praying with them and then whipping himself sinister. They did not include the women themselves, amongst whom he was known as ‘Daddy-do-nothing’.

I have played safe, mentioning long-dead politicians. But a Captain Peter Wright published a book on Gladstone 29 years after his death and still ended up in court.

Wright said Gladstone: “founded the great tradition … in public to speak the language of the highest and strictest principle, and in private to pursue and possess every sort of woman.” One of Gladstone’s sons replied with a vicious attack on Wright, who sued for libel. The case turned on the Grand Old Man’s reputation and Wright lost.

Since I published my account of Paddy Logan’s fight in the Commons here just before Christmas, I have heard from three of his great grandsons and a great great granddaughter. Fortunately, they all rather liked that column.

Any Questions?

Nick Barlow provides a full summary of last night's Radio 4 programme and a link to a recording of the whole thing. His summary is fair:

Campbell started slowly and sounded at a couple of points as though he had some talking points and soundbites memorised and wanted to make sure he mentioned them all, but improved later on, especially when he was accused of being almost a Tory by someone in the audience. In contrast, Hughes started well, but then seemed to lose focus later on and seemed to not be on the surest footing on some of the economics questions, especially skipping a bit round the 50% tax issue which the other two straight-batted to the Tax Commission. Huhne was consistent throughout, and was good at linking ideas together and emphasising his extra-Parliamentary experience. He wasn't hugely inspiring, but then neither were the other two and sounded perfectly comfortable and at home in the debate.

One thing I am sure I heard did not make it into Nick's summary. The three candidates were debating taxation, and in particular Chris Huhne's idea of using environmental taxes to lift the low paid out of income tax altogether.

Having first sounded warm about it, Ming went on to say that we should be careful because in a rural constituency like his a car was a necessity not a luxury. There is something in that, but all the same my heart sank. It is precisely the argument you used to hear Liberal MPs using 30 years ago when we were a tiny party representing a few Celtic fringe constituencies. Have we really not moved on since then?

Much as I respect him, I fear that choosing as leader Menzies Campbell would not represent a step forward. If the MPs were determined to remove Charles Kennedy, they should have united behind a younger candidate, even if he or she would have proved more controversial with the membership.

Fuckin' 'Ell It's Fred Titmus

For those of you who are not familiar with him, here is a biography:

Fred Titmus, one of cricket's great survivors, was a St Pancras-born Cockney who walked like Charlie Chaplin and wisecracked like Groucho Marx. Despite the rivalry of three other top-class offspinners in Ray Illingworth, John Mortimore and David Allen, he won 53 Test caps over 19 years and played county cricket in five decades, between 1949 and 1982. He even came back after a horrific boating accident in the West indies cost him four toes. 

His artistry as a slow and flighty bowler contrasted with a highly developed practical streak that made him a fine judge of a player. "Too intelligent for his ability," was his appraisal of one; of another, a youngster who scored a dashing hundred against Middlesex at Lord's, he commented: "I like to see someone make a bad 'undred before I make my mind up." 

He made three tours of Australia, and justified his selection each time. But his favourite memory of the country, he claimed, was "The sight of a ground emptying an hour before the close of play." 

John Thicknesse

The Man in the White Suit

I always feared that if Simon Hughes became leader we would wake up one day, turn on the Today programme and find that he had committed the party to something crazy. Not out of ideology, but because there is something a little unworldly about him. Think Alec Guinness in The Man in the White Suit.

He was on the radio this morning for a very different reason. It is hard not to have sympathy for Simon. He was elected to Westminster at a time when it was thought impossible for a gay politician to be open about his politics. He is standing for the leadership in an era when it is possible even in the Tory party.

It would have been better if he had told the world somewhere along the line, before the Sun forced him to. But that is easy to say.

Yes, he has lied to the public, but the public may be forgiving. Many will believe that they have no right to know about the politician's sexuality in the first place. He has not been a hypocrite or damaged his own family, which are what led to Mark Oaten's downfall. It is possible, though, that he will find it is more socially acceptable to be gay than to be bisexual.

The other question this affair has reopened is the Bermondsey by-election. Did Hughes really benefit from what we would now call a homophobic campaign?

That election took place just before I moved down to London, so I cannot speak from personal experience. But if this leaflet is the best the critics can do, I do not think he has much of a case to answer. Did Liberal canvassers really wear "I've been kissed by Peter Tatchell badges"?

The nastiness of the Bermondsey campaign has always been blamed by Liberals on John O'Grady, the "Real Bermondsey Labour" candidate endorsed by Bob Mellish. (Mellish was a former Labour chief whip who despaired of the left-wing takeover of the party and resigned to cause Michael Foot as much trouble as possible.) O'Grady was certainly publicly offensive about Tatchell's sexuality.

Yet I recall being told once that O'Grady received considerable help in his campaign from certain Young Liberals. Does anyone know the truth of this?

So Simon will not become Lib Dem leader, but then I don't think he was ever going to win the election. But in the long run I do not believe his career will suffer too much.

Half Man Half Biscuit

My use of a Half Man Half Biscuit song title as a headline the other day smoked out a number of their fans amongst Liberal Democrats - both in the comments and by e-mail.

For all of you, here is a website dedicated to the band.

The Kentish Town Communique

25 years ago today Roy Jenkins, Shirley Williams, Bill Rodgers and David Owen issued the Limehouse Declaration. This presaged the birth of the Social Democratic Party, which was to merge with the Liberal Party and form the Liberal Democrats.

Julian Glover interviews the three surviving members of the Gang of Four in today's Guardian. He reveals that history might easily have known the declaration by a different name:

A quarter of a century ago, they gathered on a Sunday morning with a draft of a statement but no firm plans. Even the choice of Limehouse was an accident. Rodgers' wife Silvia had refused to let them meet in her house in north London: "Otherwise they might have issued the Kentish Town Communique - which I shall always regret," she says.

Quote of the Day (hem, hem)

Nick Barlow writes:

If Jonathan Calder didn’t exist, we’d probably have to invent him.

Latest odds on Lib Dem leadership

The politicalbetting.com site has a page giving the very latest odds.

At the time of writing Chris Huhne and the Revd Hughes are tied in second place.

Chris Huhne campaign videos

Chris Huhne's website says:

Chris has recorded the following videos to give a better idea, in his own words, of why he is standing as a candidate for the leadership of the Liberal Democrats.

Covering a whole range of topics, from reasons for standing to environmentalism, his wide ranging experience, ability to win and radicalism, the videos give a new insight into Chris as a strong candidate as leader of the Party.

As the most radical candidate in the contest for the leadership of the Lib Dems, Chris and his team like to be to the forefront of new technology too. The following videos have been set up to be accessible for people to view (using Flash technology available in around 98% of modern browsers), and also offer a Blogvidcast option - if you have a blog, you can add the video simply by cutting and pasting the supplied code into the html of your post.

Equally, if you know your technical limitations you can just provide a link to the page on the Huhne site where these videos can be found.

Lembit's grandfather

Poor Lembit Öpik has been having a hard time of it - the last Kennedy loyalist, Mark Oaten's only Commons supporter.

To cheer him up, let's hear it for his grandfather Ernst Öpik, the noted astronomer.

All I want for Christmas is a Dukla Prague away kit

I was disappointed in yesterday's News of the World. I bought if for the scandal, only to find that it did not give the names of the three Premiership clubs that Sven had accused of corrupt transfer dealings.

There was also something about a chap called Oaten, and a detail of that story caught my eye:

"Before one session he rang several times asking if I'd dress up in a football strip for him. He really seemed to enjoy himself that night."

This seemed strangely familiar. And, of course, it was because a similar detail appeared in the papers when David Mellor's affair with Antonia de Sancha was revealed in 1992. Only that time it was the politician who was wearing the football kit, leading to the widespread joke that Mellor was one of the few people to score in a Chelsea strip that year.

As Max Clifford is believed to be not unconnected with either of these stories, it makes you wonder who it is who is really entranced by the idea of sex in soccer kit.

For all I know this may be a widespread fetish. Maybe there are lots of people who are turned on by wearing, say, the 1994-5 Rotherham United away strip.

Those who are really unlucky are the lovers moved by Manchester United strips. Imagine how much it must cost to own them all.

Chris Huhne now shorter odds than Simon Hughes

Chris Huhne has now moved into second place in the betting on the Liberal Democrat leadership contest, reports Steve Guy.

Steve concludes:

Given that so many members strongly identify themselves as 'Mingers' or 'Hughesies', we can guess that they won't be giving many second preference votes to each other. The way I see it, Chris is likely to make it through the first count, and make the headlines with all of the second preference votes propelling him through the finish line.