Michael Jackson Dominates The News

MICHAEL Jackson Watch: a challenge for British newspapers to top the Boston Herald’s front-page headline and cover -“FADE TO BLACKO”.

The death of Michael Jackson is front-page news on every British newspaper.

What with Iran, Andy Murray, Farrah Fawcett, Our Maddie, MPs’ expenses and Big Brother, thanks to the internet, you can follow it all…

Anorak

Posted: 27th, June 2009 | In: Celebrities | Comment (1)

Gordon Brown Slashes Military Spending

GORDON Brown and those rats leaving the sinking ships – and those rats oddly staying on the sinking ship – are behaving like a drunken sailor. Or a pirate.

If only:

Drunken sailors generally spend cash that they’ve already earned themselves, rather than running up debt to be paid by others. If our politicians started spending like drunken sailors, it would in fact represent a dramatic improvement.

Anorak

Posted: 12th, June 2009 | In: Politicians | Comment

Bid For Peter Viggers’ Duck House Second Home

TORY MP for Gosport Sir Peter Viggers, 71, is selling his duck house for charity. Mr Viggers will from now on put his guests up in a caravan or ‘otel.

This is the duck house he paid for, after a request for us to pay for it failed -Vickers claimed £1,645 on expenses for the5 ft Stockholm duck house. Now you can own it.

Anorak

Posted: 10th, June 2009 | In: Politicians | Comments (4)

Andy Murray Knocked Out By Susan Boyle

SUSAN Boyle Watch: Anorak’s at-a-glance look at Susan Boyle in the news – Susan Boyle knocks Andy Murray, MPs expenses and Boris Johnson thinks…

New Boyles Please!

It will not end with a trip to The Priory, but Andy Murray became the latest well-fancied Scottish export to suffer a very public meltdown when the pressure was on.

For Murray, the world No 3, his Susan Boyle moment came at the end of the second set of his French Open quarter-final against Fernando Gonzalez of Chile and continued until the first game of the fourth – Martin Samuel, Daily Mail

Anorak

Posted: 3rd, June 2009 | In: Celebrities | Comment (1)

Fit For Office: MPs Compete In Reality TV Show

NONCHO Vodenicharov, 53, a contestant on the Survivor reality TV shows has died during filming.

To add another layer of intrigue, Mr Vodenicharov was the mayor of Radnevo, a town, in the south of Bulgaria.

Anorak

Posted: 2nd, June 2009 | In: Politicians | Comment

Frank Cook Doesn’t Kill People

LABOUR MP Frank Cook claimed  back a £5 church donation at a Battle of Britain memorial service.

Anorak

Posted: 31st, May 2009 | In: Politicians | Comment (1)

Detroit Democrats Catch Swine Fever

SWINE Fever – MPs expenses – is being exported from the UK to Detroit, buccolic city of green wonders. I Hate The Media has this news on JoAnn Watson’s amazingly low property tax bill:

The Detroit Free Press reports that a member of the city council pays just $68 in annual property taxes on her Tudor style home, although neighbors in comparable homes pay $2000-6000.

Anorak

Posted: 30th, May 2009 | In: Politicians | Comment

At Homes With Julie Kirkbride

A reader writes on Julie Kirkbride:

I note that the seeds of her return elsewhere are being sown. She has not resigned because she has done anything wrong. Her expenses claims have been fully justified. No, she has left because of threats to her and her family which are jusr too too horrid to publish at the moment.

Look out for the Sunday supplements’ – At Homes With Julie Kirkbride…

Anorak

Posted: 30th, May 2009 | In: Politicians | Comments (6)

Tory MP John Greenway Claims For Mulled Wine And Pot Plants

NEWS of Tory MP John Greenway who, the Telegraph reports, claimed £500 for plants and £1,900 for redecorating his second home.

And that’s the second home he sold for a £280,000 profit, alleges the paper.

Anorak

Posted: 27th, May 2009 | In: Politicians | Comment

Alistair Darling On Finding A Good Tax-Avoidance Accountant

GOOD old Chancellor Alistair Darling, Chancellor of the Exchequor, for supporting the accountancy industry by paying an accountant public money to complete his tax return.

MPs then – possibly – asked the same accountants about capital gains tax, if a porn film is tool of the trade and to explain tax loop holes.

Chancellor Alistair Darling is among nine Cabinet Ministers who paid accountants public money to complete their tax returns, it has been reported.

Anorak

Posted: 25th, May 2009 | In: Photojournalism, Politicians | Comments (11)

Exclusive: New Witness To MPs Expenses Claims Tells All

MORE on the MPs’ expenses claim scandal as

Anorak

Posted: 24th, May 2009 | In: Key Posts, Politicians | Comments (2)

Andrew MacKay Stands Down, Julie Kirkbride Next?

ANDREW  MacKay – Mr Julie Kirkbride MP – will stand down at the next election. Says he:

“Following a conversation with David Cameron this morning I have decided to step down as candidate for Bracknell at the next general election.

“I believe I could be a distraction at a time when he is working to get elected as prime minister with the good working majority necessary to take the tough decisions to turn this country around.

I hope my decision to step down goes some way to showing my constituents how sorry I am about my own situation

“I would never forgive myself if my candidature distracted voters from the key issues and particularly David’s rousing call for change.”

Anorak

Posted: 23rd, May 2009 | In: Politicians | Comments (16)

Swine Fever: Andrew MacKay’s Clapometer

ANDREW MacKay – swine fever victim – hears the clapometer. No vote just a big clap.

Are you for MacKay – a Dale Winton/ Simon Cadell hybrid – or against him?

Problem is that the clap on the back and the clap of thunder sound not enough unlike a clap of the hands, or the hands being rubbed together in the manner of a gloveless Fagin sat atop an Alpine peak.

The technology is not perfect and we advise people to clap Mr MacKay very slowly until such a time Mr MacKay claps a hand to his wallet or his sword…

Other ways of voting:

Anorak

Posted: 23rd, May 2009 | In: Politicians | Comments (3)

Boy’s Face Is Home To 43 Snails

FIN Keleher, an 11-year-old boy form Utah, has broken the record for keeping more than 37 snails stuck to his face for a 10-second period.

To Keleher’s Sandy, Utah, home to witness the scamp break the record.

Anorak

Posted: 20th, May 2009 | In: Strange But True | Comment

Swine Fever: Julian Lewis MP is Anorak’s Man Of The Year

AMID all the MPs expenses claims for foreign applicances and Euro porn, one man stands alone – and ramrod stright – for standards of Britishness and Our Way.

That man is Julian Lewis, the shadow defence minister. In his hands our great nation is ably defended.

Mr Lewis claimed £119 for a wall-mounted trouser press and £5 for a “sweater tidy”.

Anorak

Posted: 17th, May 2009 | In: Photojournalism, Politicians | Comments (3)

MP Claims For Queen-Sized Bed

SWINE Fever grips British politics and who better than Her Mjestry The Queen to make a stand for probity and thrift?

The Queen has told Gordon Brown she is worried that the scandalous revelations about MPs’ expenses could damage Parliament.

Anorak

Posted: 17th, May 2009 | In: Politicians | Comment (1)

Pigman David Chaytor Suspended: Video

MP David Chaytor was suspended by …

a) Downing Street

b) Snout

c) Testicles

d) By the neck

Take your pick… now!

Video:

Anorak

Posted: 16th, May 2009 | In: Politicians | Comment

War On Error: David Chaytor’s Non Existent Mortgage

LET’S play Tabloid Bingo! See if you can join up the following stories abgout David Chaytor, Tam Dalyell and Jason Mackie, 21, from Oxfordshire, who was travelling in the Basharan area of central Helmand…

A Royal Marine who was killed instantly when an explosive struck his vehicle in Afghanistan has been named.

Anorak

Posted: 16th, May 2009 | In: Politicians | Comments (3)

Swine Fever: Conservative MP Andrew MacKay Quits Over Dodgy Expenses

CONSERVATIVE MP Andrew MacKay has resigned as parliamentary aide to David Cameron over what the party says was an “unacceptable” expenses claim.

And in doing so makes the Tories look purged and active – and Labour look worse…

The Swine Fever claims its first victim.

Read the rest of this entry »

Anorak

Posted: 14th, May 2009 | In: Politicians | Comments (6)

Former Labour Minister Claimed For Non Existent Mortgage

ELLIOT MORLEY is today’s Swine Fever-infected MP. The Telegraph claims the former minister Elliot Morley claimed £16,000 for a mortgage that did not exist.

It is reported that Morley, Fisheries Minister from 1997 to 2003 and Minister for Environment and Agri-Environment in DEFRA Former minister, continued to claim mortgage interest for 18 months after the loan had been repaid.

Anorak

Posted: 14th, May 2009 | In: Politicians | Comments (2)

Tourism Minister Follett Says Britain Is Too Dangerous For Visitors

BARABARA Follet is worried. The Minister for Tourism is worried that Britons will not holiday in this fair isle because it is so very dangerous and full of nutters. Says she:

“Thank you to all of you who work in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales’s tourism industry for making our product so good. We’ve become famous for our food, our service and the quality of our heritage, landscapes and our whole cultural offer. Whilst the industry faces some challenges there are lots of opportunities.

“Our currency won’t always be soft, our VAT won’t always be this low, so let’s use it to attract people and keep them coming back. Tourism is a vital industry to our economy.”

Anorak

Posted: 12th, May 2009 | In: Politicians | Comment