And I mean this most sincerely folks... #welovethenhs

Dear XXXXX,
I've been enjoying the sun and touring my beautiful constituency of Witney today. But it goes without saying that just because I and most other politicians are not in Westminster at the moment, politics isn't somehow put on hold.

People still care about the issues they care about, and thanks to the internet they can voice their concerns whenever they want. Just look at all the support which the NHS has received on Twitter over the last couple of days. It is a reminder - if one were needed - of how proud we in Britain are of the NHS.

Millions of people are grateful for the care they have received from the NHS - including my own family. One of the wonderful things about living in this country is that the moment you're injured or fall ill - no matter who you are, where you are from, or how much money you've got - you know that the NHS will look after you.

That's why we as a Party are so committed not just to the principles behind the NHS, but to doing all we can to improve the way it works in practice. So yes, we will spend more on the NHS, but we will also improve it so that it is more efficient and responsive to patients. People working on the frontline will actually be able get on with the job they signed up for, without getting tied up in a web of targets. And we will put more power in the hands of patients by giving them better information about the care they can expect to receive.

Underlying these reforms, and our whole approach to the NHS, will be one big ambition - that future generations will be even prouder of the NHS than we are today.
Comment on David's message on The Blue Blog

OK, I'm a bit slow with this - DC's email from last week. Not so much jumping on the #welovethenhs bandwagon as running frantically after it down the road shouting 'hey, wait for me!' as it accelerates off into the distance.

I know this much is True

Bizarre interview with Michael Gove in the Telegraph, in which he says that Cameron is someone "you could imagine snogging like we did to True by Spandau Ballet." Expect a press statement from Mr Gove's office soon to clarify that he didn't actually mean that he himself indulges in fantasies of 'snogging' Cameron to a backdrop of mellow bellowing from Tony 'Tory' Hadley. He also says in the interview that "some people see Cameron as some sort of milquetoast, pantywaist..."

I'm not sure what's more off-putting. The fact that a senior member of the Shadow Cabinet still uses the word 'snogging'. The fact that he either (a) imagines indulging in such an act with his party leader, or (b) thinks it's a good thing that his party leader is someone who can readily be imagined indulging in such an act. Or the fact that he uses words like "milquetoast" and "pantywaist" (which sounds like something Spandau Ballet might well have worn) in everyday conversation.

For the record, the slowdances I remember at school discos were 'Always and Forever' by Heatwave or 'If You Leave me Now' by Chicago - but that's because I stopped indulging in such activities at the age of about 12. I could divert into reveries of how the current Cabinet are punk/ New Wave/ post-punk industrialists, with perhaps a touch of Two Tone/ mod, whereas the Cameroonites are frilly-shirted New Romantic fops - no substance and a fairly dubious sense of style - but I'm meant to be working. And because it doesn't stack up at all on the Labour side once you start to think about it.

Incidentally, I hear word on the grapevine of a colleague who went up to the press gallery on a Friday afternoon to remonstrate with the Telegraph about their 'holiday' questionnaire, to find the desks deserted; they'd cleared off early. Remember journos, it's a recess, not a holiday!

PS The rumour doing the rounds on Twitter that Michael Gove has also suggested that George Osborne is 'the kind of guy you could imagine working out to Musclebound by Spandau Ballet in the gym' is entirely without substance. I know because I started it. Ditto the one about Eric Pickles appearing in the video for Paint Me Down.

Top Gear Tories - but what if he'd said yes?

In my fit of outrage at the Tories' hypocrisy vis-a-vis Lord Sugar, I completely overlooked the most ridiculous and hypocritical element of their bid to recruit Jeremy Clarkson as a transport adviser. What does Jeremy Clarkson do? Answer - drive very expensive cars, very fast. And hates anyone who tries to stop him. What kind of message does that send out about future Tory transport policy? Let's have some fun - what would the Tory transport manifesto look like if Clarkson had actually said yes?

Revealed - Tories quite nice after all

Also on the subject of the Tories, the Guardian has an online piece about Marjorie Ellis Thompson, a former CND Chair and a former head of Comms at the Commission for Racial Equality joining the Tory party. Leaving aside the question as to how anyone committed to unilateral disarmament could square that with joining the Tories (and yes, I know Labour ditched unilateralism too, more than two decades ago actually, but that doesn't make the Tories the answer for a unilateralist, does it?

Also leaving aside the question of how anyone with a commitment to equalities could be comfortable in a Tory party which has consistently opposed equalities legislation, including Labour's new Equalities Bill, and a leader with a very poor voting record on these issues (look at the votes, not the spin)... Not to mention her desire to see General Pinochet arrested; let's hope she doesn't bump into Pinochet-medal wearing Norman Lamont, currently advising the Tories on economic policy, anytime soon. Or Thatcher for that matter.

What's interesting to me, more interesting than the fact that a former CND Chair has done a Melanie,* is the fact that this piece has appeared in the press, and in the Guardian of all places. Was Ms Ellis Thompson suddenly filled with evangelical zeal and a desire to convert those lefty Guardian readers to the cause of righteousness, all of her own accord and without any prompting? I very much doubt it...

It seems painfully transparent to me that this effort has been cobbled together by Coulson or one of his team, in a bid to convince wavering lefties that the Conservatives are quite cuddly really, once you get to know them. "Unlike the New Labour high command, my background in the CND is something my local party welcomes"... "The party is small, only 47 members, but it is extremely diverse in gender, ethnicity and sexuality".... "I was also extremely impressed when, addressing a group of British American Project alumni, Cameron made a veiled critique of the so-called special relationship and said: "You can be a friend, but a critical friend."

And then this, the coup de grace: "At one local meeting in autumn 2007, the arts administrator said she didn't think the post office should be privatised, she supported the NHS and she felt that the privatisation of the rail services (admittedly not New Labour's fault) had been a disaster. I agreed with all these points and told her she had spelled out exactly why I felt at home in the local party."

The message is clear - if you think New Labour is too right wing, there's a place for you in Camberwell and Peckham Tories, who will be fighting the next election on a platform of unilateralism, renationalising the railways, a publicly-owned Royal Mail, increased investment in the NHS and support for minorities whatever their creed, colour or sexual orientation.

*'Doing a Melanie', named in honour of Melanie Phillips, i.e. becoming progressively more right-wing and more mad as you get older, although progressive is almost certainly the wrong word. The opposite of 'doing a Tony'.

Cameron on Sky

Just seen clips from Cameron being interviewed by a panel of experts on Sky TV. His mantra re Osborne's 'it's a function of financial markets to make money out of other people's misery' is to repeat 'we take no pleasure from it' ad infinitum, but he couldn't quite bring himself to say it was unacceptable. The whole thing is being shown at 8pm tonight. From what I saw, Kate Burley was doing a fine job.

Ed Vaizey was on the Wright Stuff this morning wearing a hoodie.

Hold on to your friends

OK, I'm going to stop criticising Dave. And hand over to Boris.

The more you ignore me, the closer I get (5)

Oops, should also have included a link to this article: "Tory leader David Cameron's publicity stunt flight to the Georgian capital of Tbilisi to assure the local regime of his support against the Russians is outrageous cheek. The expression 'punching above his weight' doesn't cover it." And yup, that's the Daily Mail.

To save you the bother of checking out the rest of the Mail site, I can report that Fern Britton is showing off her new figure in a bikini, a python has crawled up a weatherman's shorts on live TV and Sacha Baron Cohen's partner did a cartwheel on the beach.

But for those looking for something more substantial, less 'silly season': here's Dave again, revealing how a dreadfully common white van man tried to push him off his bike once, and criticising:

"the target culture that has been imposed on police by Labour, which means that they tend to go after easy cases rather than difficult cases, and that means obviously demonising the middle classes to a certain extent and targeting people who are fundamentally law-abiding".

So... someone interpret that for me please. Is he saying that the "real" crimes are committed by working-class oiks?

The more you ignore me, the closer I get (4)

Revered international statesman and bringer of peace to troubled parts of the world, David Cameron, has hit on a solution to the Georgia crisis. Stop those Russians shopping in Selfridges (sandwiched, naturally, between suspending Russia's membership of the G8 and inviting Georgia to join NATO.)

'Russian armies can’t march into other countries while Russian shoppers carry on marching into Selfridges' says Diplomat Dave. (Erm.... Hasn't he got that the wrong way round?)

Regular readers of this blog will note that I have resisted the temptation to use 'Georgia on my Mind' or 'Midnight Train to Georgia' or 'The Devil went down to Georgia' as a title. So far...

Crazy horses

Got myself a new motor today. Feeling rather virtuous, although haven't quite reached this level of eco-smugness. (Have I just made that up? Quick Google - no, I haven't).

In fact, before anyone quotes it back at me, here's their definition:

"...the conspicuous aura of self-congratulation that accompanies any act of eco-altruism, no matter how trivial or self-serving, eco-smugness can be seen in everything from Greenfleet bumper stickers (just so everyone knows you're offsetting your automotive emissions) to growing your own vegies - then quietly letting everyone know about it."

Or blogging about getting an greener model of car? Yup, guilty as charged. (Glad to see Cameron getting an honourable mention though).

The more you ignore me, the closer I get (3)

I think the Indy's leader column gets it spot on:

"Although Gordon Brown has been conspicuous by his low profile, at least he has avoided making a dash to Tblisi, as David Cameron has done, to show disingenuous solidarity with the Georgian people and to repeat – apparently on behalf of the British Government – the promise of Nato membership. Instead of looking statesmanlike, which may have been the intention, he looks concerned but unworldly and immature."

Except I don't think he comes across as 'concerned' about anything except getting his picture in the paper.

The more you ignore me, the closer I get (2)

Another knock-back, but nothing deters Dave... Next stop, Sunderland.

The more you ignore me, the closer I get

Cameron declared on Tuesday 'no smugness, no triumphalism, no complacency'... (No smugness? Has anyone spoken to Michael Gove?)

Cameron also let it be known he'd tried to get hold of Barack Obama to tell the presidential candidate what words of wisdom he would be imparting on the situation in Georgia at his monthly press conference. Obama was apparently not available for a chat, which I find hard to believe. Surely he couldn't have had more important things to do than talk to Dave?

Hypocrisy is the greatest luxury

'Careerism, opportunism, can turn the politics into cartoonism'.

I'm not usually that keen on Catherine Bennett's comment pieces, but I liked this one. At last - someone who's not prepared to give Cameron an easy ride.

Especially refreshing after reading the Mail gushing about the 'surfer dude' with his 'slicked back hair, toned pecs and trendy wetsuit'. (Part chipolata, part black pudding I thought, 'though you have to admit, his wife looks pretty good in a bikini).

Still, it gives me the excuse I've been waiting for to post a pic of a real surfer dude.

And here are some great quotes from Point Break too. 'You know nothing. In fact, you know less than nothing. If you knew that you knew nothing, then that would be something, but you don't.' Right.

The revolution will not be televised

But you can bet David Cameron's holiday will.

Imagine if Gordon had done this. Or if the Browns had gone in for soft focus shots of them gazing lovingly into each other's eyes like newly-weds on a sandy Suffolk beach? OK, the Camerons are better able to pull off that 'Boden catalogue couple' modelling shot, but does that mean people think he's fit to run the country? No, but with a little bit of help from these guys....

And what's that hidden in the small print? Having made great play on holidaying in Britain this year - and making sure it's being recorded for posterity - he'll be off to Turkey on a second holiday later on, with no cameras allowed. Once again, one Cameron for public consumption (like his 'look at me I'm cycling' routine), with the other one not far out of sight (like his chauffeur-driven car).

Incidentally, wasn't it convenient that Cameron's bike was stolen while he was 'popping into Tesco's to buy salad for supper'? Would he have confessed if he'd actually been buying doughnuts? Not that he seemed to have anything in his hands when he was pictured outside the shop wondering where his bike had got to... Maybe he'd eaten them before he got to the till?

Conversation intercom

I've always enjoyed reading stuff by Sarfraz Manzoor, the some time Guardian/ Observer columnist - it's quite bizarre reading the memoirs of someone who went to the same Sixth Form College as you, got the same bus to town (the number 6), hung out in the same coffee shop (Greenfields, although in my case 'hanging out' meant working there, with my nan. And it was called the Golden Egg in my day).

He's got an interesting piece on the Guardian's Comment is Free site at the moment. I kind of know what he's saying, but I think Bochi and theloonyfromCatford hit the nail on the head.

Speaking of lovable Tories, here's an interesting extract from a recent Westminster Hall debate on Reconstructing Afghanistan. Interesting in that many people believe Hansard is a verbatim report of what is said in a debate. It's not: our incoherent outpourings are cleaned up, clarified, and generally reconstructed until they are fit for human consumption.

Robert Smith (Lib Dem): I also want to reinforce the issue of the status of women. Failing to engage the women of Afghanistan means denying half the resource of the country to its development and its future. We saw many positive things in that context. We visited the microfinance initiative in Kabul and saw women entrepreneurs. Women got the microfinance loans, because they could be trusted to repay them. The men were far too unreliable a business investment.
Nicholas Soames Nonsense
Robert Smith: Mr. Soames says from a sedentary position, "Oh, balls," but that was the practical reality on the ground that was discovered.
Tobias Ellwood I am not sure he said that.
Robert Smith Perhaps he did not; it was something to that effect.
Martyn Jones (the Chairman) Order. The hon. Gentleman must have misheard.
Robert Smith I must have misheard him, yes.

I was there for this debate. Robert Smith didn't mishear (and he knows he didn't). And what he was saying has been the case in every developing country I've visited. Take the leading microfinance institution Grameen Bank, for example; 97% of its customers are women and they're very reluctant to lend to men.

I've questioned this on my visits, and have been fascinated as to the impact it must have on gender relations - for example, I met a woman in Bangladesh who had started off with a small loan, bought some chickens, ended up buying a taxi, then some land, and proudly showed me the house she had built for her family - and then the one she had built for her son, and then the one she had built for her daughter. I asked what her husband thought about her being the breadwinner. Her response was a mixture of 'who knows' and 'who cares'!

In shreds

Interesting breaking story in tonight's Evening Standard. As it says, Labour MPs support the PLP office - which provides Labour MPs with political briefings, for example before Opposition Day debates, and advice on campaigning - out of their own salaries, to the tune of some £2000 p.a..

According to the Standard, however, 78 Conservative MPs - including Cameron - have been funding their equivalent, the PRU, from their expenses. (Not allowed. Definitely not).

Meanwhile the Times is reporting that Tory MPs are paying PR firms up to £10,000 p.a. from their staffing allowances. (Not money well spent, judging from the fact that I've barely heard of some of those MPs mentioned in the article). And a dozen Tory MPs are paying their wives up to £40,000 to act as 'executive secretaries'.

I must be on a suicide mission tonight. Smoking and MPs expenses.... And I logged on with the intention of talking about kiwi fruit. That one will have to wait.

Kill the poor

I don't think Cameron is quite advocating the Jello Biafra approach, but according to the Mail he's saying "If you're fat or poor, it's probably your own fault". Or the fault of people who decide that Pringles shouldn't have VAT charged on them. (Very disappointed by the response to that post; I thought it would spark quite a debate).

I'm doing a child poverty debate tomorrow, so will be cogitating and deliberating over exactly what Cameron had to say later tonight.

Shot by both sides

Was going to go to St Pauls carnival today, but forgot I'd promised my friend Stan I'd see him on his birthday and go to Pride with him. (And no, I'm not, but I'm not going to do a Jason Donovan about it).

In Trafalgar Square I got into conversation (incognito) with the guys staffing the Liberal Democrat LGBT stall. I asked whether, given the Tories' abysmal record on gay rights, they'd want their party to go into coalition with them. Cue lots of waffling. One said he personally wouldn't want it. I said it looked as if Clegg was preparing the ground, doing a deal with David Davis over his by-election stunt. How could they square DD's posturing as a 'champion of civil liberties' with his opposition to Section 28, civil partnerships and lesbians/ gay men serving in the armed forces? They insisted the by-election was about 42 days, and only about 42 days. (I don't think that's what DD said).

Then they started saying it was a numbers game, and they couldn't predict the terms of any coalition deal until after an election. (This is the standard Lib Dem line when you try to pin them down over whether they'd get into bed with Cameron and chums). But would gay rights, I asked, be a deal breaker? They said the Tories might change their stance if they needed Lib Dem support; they changed their mind over Scottish devolution when they realised it gave them 14% of MSPs, so they might change their mind and decide to support PR. (Why is it totally impossible to discuss any issue with the Lib Dems for more than 5 minutes before they start talking about PR?) But surely, I said, you can't shift position on gay rights as a purely tactical move; the underlying attitudes won't change. They started slagging off the Tories' record on gay rights, saying the party was full of homophobes. But I left with the impression that if the Tories offered a deal on PR, everything else would go out the window. (And no, this is not in any way an indication of how I think the next election would go; it's just fun prodding Lib Dems and watching them wobble as they try not to fall off their fence).

Burma debate tomorrow

The Tories have called an opposition day debate on Burma for tomorrow. They had said they were going to do it on pensioner poverty - and the House of Commons library went to the trouble of preparing a brief and now don't have time to do one on Burma - but that's their usual ploy, so that the Government benches don't have as much time to prepare.

Cameron has of course issued an ultimatum, saying that aid drops should begin if the situation hadn't improved by Tuesday (today). Nothing of course to do with Prime Minister's Questions being on Wednesday, is it David? Their tactic is to try to portray the Government as 'dithering' over the question of aid drops - but the fact is that Save the Children, Oxfam and the World Food Programme have all said that aid drops are the least effective way of delivering aid, and support the UK Government's stance on this. Aid drops work best when there is a delivery network on the ground - which there obviously isn't in Burma - and there's also the question of how the Burmese regime would react if aid drops began - would they stop all other aid getting through? So it's not as simple as it sounds.

Also worth remembering these figures:

• UK Government aid to Burma in 1992 - £50,000;
• UK Government aid to Burma in 1997 - £250,000;
• UK Government aid to Burma now (pre-cyclone) - £18 million.

Tories jump ship

Reliable rumour has it that at tonight's Bristol City Council AGM the Tories will back a Liberal Democrat adminstration. They're apparently doing this because instructions have gone out from Central Office for them to side with the Lib Dems whenever there's a hung council - presumably so as to pave the way for a Lib-Con pact after the next General Election. So much for all Cameron's talk local democracy!