Monday
The Emmanuel Centre in Westminster is doing good business out of Ukip. Over the last few months I have lost count of the number of leadership elections, leadership resignations and general cock-ups I’ve been to there. On the latest visit, Ukip announced Paul Nuttall as its new leader. Nuttall was at pains to state he would be in post for at least a couple of weeks before Nigel took over again, because he had the overwhelming mandate of 63% of the vote. However, it’s worth looking at the numbers of this mandate. In last place in the contest, with 2,775 votes, was Jonathan Rees-Evans, the man who believed a gay donkey had tried to rape his horse. In second place, with 2,973, was Suzanne Evans. Nuttall won with 9,662 votes. Which leads me to think Ukip is ripe for a Corbynista style takeover. If just 10,000 Momentum supporters joined Ukip they would be in a position to seize the party and install John McDonnell as its leader. That would kill two birds with one stone.
Tuesday
After my American mother-in-law died five years ago, my wife discovered that the US government also considered her to be an American citizen, despite the fact she had never lived or worked in the US and didn’t have a US passport. Ever since, the IRS has insisted my wife pay US taxes on her UK earnings and pensions contributions that are exempt from tax under British law. Understandably, my wife has spent much of the last five years trying not to be an American citizen. This is easier said than done, partly because the US finds it impossible to believe anyone wouldn’t want to be an American citizen, and partly because it’s a bureaucratic nightmare, requiring five years of financial information that no one in their right mind keeps. Every time my wife thinks she is nearly there, another year elapses and she has to start all over again. But help may be at hand. President-elect Donald Trump tweeted this week that anyone who burns the American flag should lose their citizenship. I can feel a trip to Grosvenor Square with a flag and lighter coming on. Shades of 1967.
Wednesday
A rare sighting of six cabinet secretaries in the same room, as Sir Jeremy Heywood chaired a discussion panel on behalf of the Institute of Government and the British Academy, threw up some interesting insights into the workings of government. Lord Wilson (1998-2002) said he had always thought he got on well with former Downing Street chief of staff Jonathan Powell, until he read in Alastair Campbell’s diaries that Powell didn’t like him. “That’s odd,” said Lord Butler (1988-98). “The same thing happened to me.” It was also less than reassuring to hear how unprepared Downing Street can be for major incidents. On the day of the 9/11 attacks in the US, Butler thought he should prepare some contingency plans in case there was an attack in the UK. It turned out the civil contingencies unit was away in the countryside at a bonding event, the switchboard that had been installed in Downing Street the previous weekend had collapsed, and the tunnel between Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence was locked and no one had a clue where the key was kept.
Thursday
With rather more free time on his hands than he might have wanted, Michael Gove has started tweeting at every available opportunity, with generous use of emojis suggesting a mid-life crisis. Conservative Tracey Crouch has apparently been taking lessons from Mikey in Twitter etiquette. Today she tweeted: “@michaelgove says to get more followers you’re supposed to tag someone with more followers than you and be rude about them. Tosser.” Mikey has also started complaining about the “MSM” (mainstream media) for suggesting Boris Johnson might have contradicted himself. As if. But it does make you wonder who Mikey thinks the MSM – a term generally used disparagingly by leftwingers for anyone foolish enough to offer even mild criticism of Jeremy Corbyn – really are. Mikey has a second career moonlighting as a columnist and reviewer for the Times. His wife is a columnist for the Daily Mail.
Friday
It can often feel as if MPs are experiencing a different world to the rest of us. At prime minister’s questions, Conservative Fiona Bruce raised the issue of Christians being afraid to talk about Christmas. Here was the time for the prime minister to prove she was in touch by pointing out that Bruce really should try getting out a bit more. Every high street is covered in Christmas lights, every shop has Jingle Bells playing on a loop, there are Christmas trees for sale on every street corner, and just about every TV advert is trying to sell you something you probably don’t want for Christmas. Far from being afraid to talk about Christmas, it seems the country can talk about little else. But what was Theresa May’s reply? “I’m sure that we would all want to ensure that people at work do feel able to speak about their faith, and also be able to speak quite freely about Christmas.” There are many battles worth fighting in parliament: so why bother to pick this one?
Picture of the week
