Pecksniff has no intention of dwelling on Donald Trump, but his typically crass and blundering attempts to bully the BBC bring other threats he wouldn’t have bothered to consider. It certainly embarrasses the government, with Keir Starmer still desperately pretending that there is no question of choosing between Europe and the US – even when both tell him there really is.
So how does the PM react when Mr President attacks Britain’s second most revered institution? It isn’t necessary to defend the BBC for the government to incur the Trump rage: it’s quite enough not fully to support it. The nation fears Sir Keir will go into full obsequious mode. That would be a humiliation for the country and for the PM, a perception he could never escape.
But the PM is not the only one in extreme difficulties. The Trump suckers-up in the British political firmament face the same problem. How do they salivate over Mr Trump’s attack on the BBC, when he is reviled by the British public? The perspective may differ from the PM’s, but the problem is the same. In his adulation of Donald Trump, a gloating Nigel Farage is in danger or incurring the contempt of those potential supporters who would also be appalled at Britain’s grovelling to a fascist bully.
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Just when we might think this nonsense involving the BBC has gone about as far as it could, we find that the Trump claims of calumnies worth $10 billion are, according to the claim, based on the wisdom, judgement and reputation of “no less an authority than” – and here your diarist recommends you put down that cup of coffee before reading on – “the UK’s former prime minister Liz Truss”.
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Nothing in politics seems real these days, dear reader, have you noticed? Never mind what political colossi like Lord Salisbury might have made of today’s doings, even the David Camerons of this particular tragic farce must be hiding in their shepherd’s huts, at realising their part in our vertiginous plummet from the reluctant acceptance of international realpolitik to the indignity of a squalid fairground sideshow.
On Monday, to compound the sense of unreality, the new head of MI6 warned us we may be on the verge of war with Russia, and at the same time the armed force chief tells us everyone in Britain must “step up” to combat the threat. What, everyone?
Is this an appeal to set up ad hoc Dad’s Armies across the land? It has a certain nostalgic appeal, of course, and the idea occupied the wise men for a while, musing on the best way of disabling a Russian paratrooper who burst in the saloon bar door. Suggestions of offering a pint from the last of the barrel met with acclaim, except from behind the bar.
A Dad’s Army might even attract Nigel Farage, marching off towards the distant drum beat of past illusionary glories. But it is not clear whether the Corporal Jones observation that “they don’t like it up ‘em” also applies to drones.
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But at last, the government is taking steps: announcing a review into foreign financial interference in British politics. It follows the jailing of Nathan Gill, former Reform leader in Wales, for taking bribes to promote Russian interests while an MEP. Reform has so far declined to comment on the inquiry.
The review is welcome, though there are fears that it comes several years too late. There are signs that much of our public life and many of our institutions have already been undermined. But the worst of Russia’s interference is not limited to financial dealings, of course. There are reasonable grounds for believing that their intrusion – with the help of fellow travellers – is the cause of the poisoning of our public discourse, and perhaps of being responsible for the outcome of the Brexit referendum vote.
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There are also good grounds for believing the government would not be too keen to cast a spotlight on that last particular event. So in the new year, East Anglia Bylines will be conducting our own in-depth investigation into Russian influence. We will be talking to politicians, diplomats, academics, journalists and others, and Pecksniff’s secret army of spies will be employed in listening at keyholes, earwigging confidential pub conversations and learning how to ring pigeons.
But spying can take many forms, of course, and several positions remain vacant, for what we might delicately call the Mata Hari role. These positions include a lavish clothing allowance for suitably alluring couture may, from time to time, permit a drink on the house at the Muckrakers.
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Whatever the sluggish tides of what these days poses as British patriotism and identity, what are we to make of the response by ‘Tommy Robinson’ to the MI6 observations that Britain is on the verge of war with Russia? Isn’t his shtick always patriotism? But instead, he takes to social media to declare: “We won’t fight for you”.
Since he is addressing the heads of Britain’s secret service and Britain’s armed forces, we can only assume he means he won’t fight for Britain. So has Mr Robinson turned over a new leaf and become a pacifist? (His criminal convictions for assault and leading a brawl suggest otherwise.) Or is he suggesting he would bat for the other side?
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Tommy Robinson is also in the news for issuing threats to sue Nigel Farage, over comments Mr Farage made (possibly in a fit of pique) after last January he was replaced as Elon Musk’s favourite political puppet by Mr Robinson.
But also, Mr Robinson is in turn facing a High Court writ for costs in a previous legal action he lost. The total is £103,000. Perhaps this kind of sum does not represent a problem. Perhaps he has discovered a magic money tree of his own…
Anyway, Tommy Robinson threatens legal action against Nigel Farage. Nigel Farage of course threatened legal action against Rupert Lowe. Now surely it is not asking too much, for the sake on neatness, for Mr Lowe to do the same against Mr Robinson. Though admittedly this seems hardly likely.
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Speaking of Nigel Farage, as sadly so often we are, attention is drawn this week to his good fortune in winning a place in the draw to ask a parliamentary question.
“Some of us, who would have given our eye teeth for that, were there at 9:30 hoping to catch the Speaker’s eye,” one MP points out. But Mr Farage didn’t show up to ask his question. It seems he wasn’t even in the building – no doubt on urgent business involving one of his many other extra-parliamentary jobs, and the prospect of a free lunch somewhere.
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And still on Reform, [is there really nothing else in the news? – Ed] on Thursday there was a Commons debate on violence against women – a subject on which the party’s MPs claim to have strong views, (at least when there is the prospect of having somebody of a non-Caucasian appearance hounded by the mob).
According to Sarah Owen (Luton N) it seems only 10 Tories bothered to turn up, and not one Reform MP.
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This week, YouGov published a review of how political fortunes have varied between the parties over the past year. As might be expected, Reform and the Greens have seen their support increase, whereas Labour and the Tories have all seen their vote fall.
It is tempting to assume votes move neatly in blocks from oner party to another, but it is much more complex than that. Still, whatever complexities the innocent bar chart hides, as pointed out over a pint at the Muckrakers by the estimable Numbers McNair, overall very little has changed. Looked at from a simplistic left/right perspective there has been no change at all. The total percentages for the left of Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens have nudged from 48 to 49 over the past 12 months. For the right, their share has dropped from 47 to 45. All well within the margins of error.
All that – an entire year’s kerfuffle – for bugger all.
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The government is in trouble again with some of its backbenchers over the decision to limit the type of trials which must be before a jury. Opposition is widespread beyond the Commons too, of course, but all eyes now will be on how far the revolt may spread in the coming months. One to watch then, and in particular three MPs to watch in our own region. Those having signed the early day motion opposing the bill are Chris Hinchliff (NE Herts), Terry Jermy (SW Norfolk) and Clive Lewis (Norwich S).
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Rupert Lowe (Gt Yarmouth) is a man with a taste for malice and for causing other people grief. His latest wheeze is to question the use of a bursary from Great Yarmouth Council which provides money for councillors to support community causes in their own patch.
In his usual jeering tone, he wants the scheme scrapped and the money used instead to “keep council tax down”. The money thus used would mean an annual reduction in council bills for each taxpayer of rather less than £1.
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Pecksniff has written on more than one previous occasion of the arrogant disregard for regulations by Tory-run Suffolk County Council in spending public money on supporting their preferred outcome of the present local government re-organisation: OneSuffolk. Readers will be astounded to read that this is the one which proposes all other councils in the county should be abandoned and all powers given to, er, the county council. A happy coincidence for those involved would be that all the county council officers get to keep their enormous salaries and the councillors keep their expenses and sense of self-importance.
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Incidentally, as we go to press there is a flutter from an arriving pigeon and – what is this? – rumours of even more chaos in the supposed local government reorganisation, caused by ructions within Tory ranks. As East Anglia Bylines reported yesterday, the government is keen on cancelling local elections in Suffolk and Norfolk, and this position is supported by Matthew Hicks, Suffolk County’s leader. But it is opposed by Sandra Billing for Norfolk – as well of course as almost every other council. The Greens are muttering about “giving turkeys a veto on Christmas”.
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In today’s political climate, we should probably not be surprised to find the latest squabble is about how Santa votes. According to a YouGov poll, a majority of people believe he would vote Green. Perhaps predictable: nothing about him screams ‘Tory’. There is something innocent and homespun about Santa, of course, so it would probably have to be the Greens.
The questionnaire also asked against which party Ebenezer Scrooge puts his cross. The most popular response was Reform – and that suggestion perhaps surprisingly carried a quarter of Reform voters too. Food for thought. Does this mean that Reform voters see Scrooge as a political hero? Have we misconstrued the Dickens message about Christmas for the past 150 years? Greed is good? Misers rule OK? Judging from what we see around us, nothing is impossible.
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This will be the last diary of the year, dear reader. Pecksniff will once again be spending Christmas in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, mostly preoccupied with hock and prinzregententorte. A return will be made during the dog days, but during that period it will take a major scandal to drag your diarist away from the saloon bar of the Muckrakers Arms.
Recently it was pointed out to the wise men that the group noun for innkeepers is a ‘laughter’. It is fair to say that, among those who have enjoyed a long association with mine host George, this was greeted with incredulity. But after the delicacies of Bavaria, it will be a return to the Old Unprintable and whatever somewhat wizened sausage rolls George has left from before Christmas.
Enjoy your holiday, my dears, and please be there promptly on 10 January: we have a revolution to foment. But fear not, khaki has never been a la mode: we shall choose something more complementary to the complexion.
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Karl Whiteman, Malcolm Lynn, Celina Błędowska, Liz Crosbie, David Patey, Stace Richards, James Porter, Kate Viscardi and Mark Popay.
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