Parliament_spy come back please
In this morning’s Telegraph, I wrote a story about parliament_spy, an amusing Twitter feed that has set tongues wagging at Westminster.
Before writing the story, I sent the anonymous spy a Twitter message asking for comment, and wondering whether the author would like to be named.
In return, I got only this brilliant, gnomic message:
“Forget Red or Blue, violet will be the in colour this spring…pedal pushers to make a big comeback in PCH, hopefully not on Charles Clarke“.
Then, sometime during the night, the parliament_spy account was suspended. I assume the author has come over all shy, though the conspiracy theorists will have darker explanations.
Whatever the cause, I think it’s a shame. I miss the spy and her/his tart little observations of Westminster life, observations that I wanted to share with my readers. As far as I’m concerned, anything that punctures the pomposity of politicians is a good thing and should be encouraged.
So, if my story caused the author to suspend operations then I regret it — my intention was not to shut the thing down but to give it the wider audience I thought it deserved.
parliament_spy, if you’re reading this, please come back.
Update:
I see Paul Staines/Guido is offering a characteristically po-faced and overblown take on all this. Remarkable how someone who runs what claims to be a satirical blog can be so humourless. No wonder so many people are reading Tory Bear instead.
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Parliament_spy come back please
January 15th, 2010 9:42
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Another £35 million sliced out of the defence budget
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COMMENTS
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“anything that punctures the pomposity of politicians is a good thing and should be encouraged.”
As is anything that punctures the pomposity of journalists, and in particular those crusading journalist bloggers who seriously believe they are making a difference. These virtual Sacheverells are simply preaching to the converted. Why, even as I post I sense the Telegraph’s High Priest of Climate Change Denial climbing into the pulpit to deliver the latest Epistle according to Saint Jim.
Oh come let us adore him…
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Junius, I have a picture in my mind of you being told by Dr. Pachauri that your kids can fly, and you throwing them over a cliff.
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‘….’the routine reporting of mundane events has alarmed some MPs, who worry that they cannot go about their daily business at Westminster without being spied on’
SEE! THEY DON’T LIKE IT OR PUT UP WITH IT SO WHY SHOULD WE?
BECAUSE OUR ‘elite betters’ SEE THE UK POPULACE AS CRIMINALSWhen they say ‘..their daily business..’ Would that be to do with ‘Flipping’ and ‘Claiming’?
It’s tantalising stuff! but FFS!‘..Michael Gove, the Tory shadow schools secretary, “short of cash when buying a tuna baguette” for lunch. ‘
Doesn’t that stingy B’leep either A) Know what the general price of food is in the Country he oversees the Laws in or B) Realise that One must eat Every Day and so should be prepared for such eventualities?
O Joy! “Agent B” There is more than one!
‘Several conversations between MPs and James Landale, a BBC political correspondent, are recounted. Also reported was a lunch between Chloe Smith, a Tory MP, and Michael Crick of Newsnight. ‘
Would that possibly include phrases like… ‘Right James, Spin it like this blablabla my Job depends on it blablabla’
I feel we should follow Chuck Berry’s advice where UK MPs are concerned and put CCTV Videos in all the Toilets in Westminster as well…. 100% Public Funding = 100% Clear and Transparent Monitoring!
Here is another radical idea!
When Citizens become MPs they should be ‘Tagged’ with Taser Bracelets so their every move can be tracked online via Google Earth or Maps by US!, The People, The Voters!
AND
If they get out of line we can hit a TAZE button!, when it reaches a predetermined preset value i.e. if enough people are p*ssed off, the MP GET’S TAZED! therefore truly putting the power in the hands of The People!
It’s time they ‘Respect my Authoritah’!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xdvXbHQR2I
I think it could work you know!
ps Did I mention Expenses?
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Jonathan on Jan 15th, 2010 at 10:49 am
You mean like this don’t you?
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Junius
One of James’ epistles was published here a couple of days ago – you must have seen it. You remember, the graphs showing a gradual linear growth of temperature, but which, regrettably for your crusading faith, went back to the 16th century.
Furthermore, the greatest per annum increases were found to be almost exclusively during that early period. I appreciate that these are facts Junius and that the religiously deluded such as yourself are not about to be diverted by mere factual data. However, during your quiet moments, it wouldn’t hurt to start composing your lifeboat speech, wherein you gradually ease yourself back into the real world and away from Al Gore’s fantasy.
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Good on you James for fessing up.
Unlike the toad Patrick Foster who deliberately outed NightJack in the Times.
I notice that all the comments have since been deleted from the story.
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“…..observations that I wanted to share with my readers.”
I’m all ears, James. -
James Kockup strikes again. Expose a source, clever.
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Poor Guido. It was inevitable that sooner or later he would have to deal with the challenge of someone younger, fatter and nastier.
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Maybe I’m being thick here, but I can’t quite understand what it is you’re supposed to have done wrong. You didn’t out the fellow: merely sent him a message. Secondly, if you’re going to start a twitter account, you can’t really complain if people talk about it.
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James, that was a pretty ineffective and self-serving reply even before you got to the final dig at Guido. If people want to know why newspapers are dying on their feet and blogs are now essential (and entertaining) reading, they will find this exchange an object lesson. Are you sure you are in the right profession?
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