Policy Exchange, formerly known as “David Cameron’s Favourite Think Tank” you would think would be looking to turn to their serious side after the furore over their “The North Is Crap” report.

Instead, they have poached Katy Taylor-Richards, a diary columnist at the Daily Express as their new head of media.

To be fair, after the speed with which Opus Dave excommunicated Policy Exchange, they really do need to take advantage of Katy’s excellent contacts on the Tory benches.

I’m sure they will in no time have her working under a series of Tory front benchers, influencing the shape of the next manifesto. She may yet be the saviour of Policy Exchange.

Another great example of joined-up Tory “thinking” in this afternoon’s “news”.

Tory MP John Whittingdale, who serves as Chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, has attacked the Government for the level of funding the national tourism agency, “VisitBritain”, will receive in the run up to the Olympic Games in 2012.

Part of his spluttering rant went as follows:

“The government has made a lot about the benefits which will flow from the Olympics, not just to east London but right across the country, and one of the principal benefits should be to benefit tourism, with people seeing around the world what Britain has to offer.”

It’s a little hard for us at Recess Monkey to keep up with these guys. We thought Tories were the ones who went around criticising Government expenditure for being too much, while at the same time pledging to spend the same amount.

Now, in these uncertain economic times, Mr. Whittingdale seems to be criticising the scaling back of public spending on publicising Britain in the run up to the most high profile event in the World (i.e. when that 20% of spending will be least needed and least effective).

Also, who’s making VisitBritain’s job more difficult to do?

When it comes to promoting Britain – how many people will turn to the Tories who are (even today!!) out there selling the idea that this is a “Broken Society” and that contrary to falling crime stats, the public “is not safe”?

Recess Monkey hopes that the Conservatives (famed the World over for their open-minded, positive views on foreigners) should come up with a better way to promote the country.

If there’s one thing we know about Dave is that if there’s any way of getting a quick and easy media hit, he’ll grab it with both of his sweaty little hands.

So a quick flight to Tblisi to position yourself as a respected international statesman and have a pop at the Government was too tempting to resist.

It looks like some papers have fallen for it hook line and sinker, noticeably the Mail and the Sun, where the real reason he’s doing this becomes as subtle as a brick.

“He is the first senior UK politician to visit since violence erupted nearly two weeks ago – and is due to meet Georgia’s PM Lado Gurgenidze.

“It will raise questions as to why Gordon Brown or Foreign Secretary David Miliband have not visited. No10 said the PM – on holiday in Scotland – spoke to President Mikhail Saakashvili last night.” - The Sun

However, a glance through yesterday’s Richard Kay social page in the Mail gives away why he was really prepared to fly with ConAir to Georgia.

” There is added lustre to David and Samantha Cameron’s summer break to Turkey at the weekend. The couple are flying to Istanbul and will join other members of the family on a sailing holiday to celebrate the 60th birthday of Sam’s mother, Viscountess Astor.

“The former Annabel Jones, who married Viscount Astor in 1976 a year after her divorce from Lincolnshire landowner Sir Reginald Sheffield, tells me the celebrations are in the hands of her husband. The Tory peer has, I gather, chartered three traditional gulet yachts to take 30 friends and relatives, including Annabel’s ex-husband, around the Aegean.”

Georgia and Turkey are neighbouring countries with Tblisi and Istanbul only 822 miles apart.

He was going on holiday anyway!

The Georgain President has already said he won’t meet him. But no worries - appear to be tough on the ruskies, arrange a meeting with anyone whose available and then jump back on the private jet and you’re only half an hour from a G&T on your yacht.

Result!

“It’s shameful that he should fly to Iraq and use our troops who are risking their lives every day to score political points and get a newspaper headline.”

Shadow Culture Minister and Cameroonie Ed Vaizey, Daily Telgraph October 3rd 2007 after Brown’s visit to troops.

‘Tory leader David Cameron is to fly to Georgia on Saturday for talks with political leaders in the beleaguered Caucasus republic.’
Press Association August 15th 2008

Looks like it’s time to fuel up ConAir One!

Following the example set by Boris Johnson, fellow Tory monogamist, Edwina Currie has slagged her home town in defence of the Policy Exchange paper which encouraged brain drain from the North, reminding everyone North of Watford of the wonderful infrastructural investment they received during the last Conservative government.

Writing for the Daily Mail & London’s Evening Standard, Edwina blustered about what she’d do if she were in charge of Liverpool:

“I’d not be squeamish about asking what they hate, and taking action about it: the crime, the dirt, the ignorance, the shortage of decent places to stay and to eat, the dereliction on every side.”

Because crime, dirt and ignorance are the hallmarks of Liverpool Edwina?

We at Recess Monkey think this an incredibly unfair and elitist generalisation. Bonoboy once had the pleasure of staying in the Hope Street Hotel in Liverpool and thoroughly recommends it. While you’re at it, you may even enjoy a couple of drinks in the Philharmonic (also on Hope St.) which is magnificent.

But, alas, they are not good enough for Edwina.

And the Tories talk about Labour being out of touch…

Times are tight but spare a thought for Lord Harris of Peckham. The Tory donor who made his millions from carpets has seen his company Carpetright getting hammered by the credit crunch. Which is hard when you’ve got a wife and several academies to run.

It’s also bad news for Michael Gove who received thousands from Lord Harris to fund his shadow education office from the Lord’s company Harris Ventures.

Register entry:

“Donations received through Conservative Campaign Headquarters used to support my office in my capacity as Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families from:

Harris Ventures Limited”

Gove has done everything he can to promote Harris Academies, including ‘turning teacher for a day’ at Harris Academy in Bermondsey (see above) in what looks remarkably like an ad (it’s hilarious – “Can anyone tell me what a soundbite is?” – Mr Bean teaches!). Perhaps we could see the versatile Mr Gove now extend his skills into doing adverts for the Carpet King!

Interestingly in Gove’s Nuts speech what didn’t get reported was a commitment to a voucher scheme so parents can ‘buy’ school places at academies. He said: “We will make schools accountable to parents by allowing parents to choose the school they want for their child. We’ll give every parent the right to take the money currently allocated to their child’s education and then deploy it in accordance with their priorities, not the Government’s.”

And this is how it was reported in the noted Public Servant Daily:

“The Tories want to move to a Swedish-style system whereby most schools are independent. Shadow schools secretary Michael Gove says he is concerned that government repositioning towards local authority control of academies could “make sponsors reticent in engaging in the expansion of the programme.”

And Gove should know - he’s getting sponsored by the biggest academy sponsor!

• Interesting fact 1. Harris Ventures has donated £ 1,073,229.62 to the Tories since 2002
• Interesting fact 2. Policy Exchange advocated school vouchers in ‘Hands up for School Choice’ in 2004 (Chair M. Gove)
• Interesting fact 3. School vouchers become Tory Policy
• Interesting fact 4. Gove was less than convincing in his denunciation of Policy Exchange’s Give up on the North report on the Today programme this morning. Listen to that laugh!

“Policies - we’re giving them away - at LOW, LOW PRICES!”

Tim Leunig, at the forefront of Tory thinking, believes the north is crap.

The Deputy Leader of Barking & Dagenham Council, Liam Smith, is in hot water after calling the mother of a political opponent a “Fucking fat dyke”.

The Labour Councillor, who works for Jon Cruddas MP, must now be thrown out of the Labour Party for his abusiveness and evident homophobia - except I fear that Labour’s ruling NEC may not have the stomach to do what needs to be done. The neighbouring borough of Redbridge boasts one Councillor Mohammed Javed, who was found guilty of telling a Conservative councillor that he wanted to rape her yet still managed to stay in the Labour Party despite refusing even to apologise for his actions.

At least there’s the possibility he will lose his platform for attacking Labour MPs.

Not good day. Natives seem restless - not in the mood for a nudge.
Bally wonkers! about an hour ago

Looks like the Electoral Commission doesn’t practice what it preaches when it comes to protecting personal information.

It declined an Freedom of Information request inquiry from a certain journalist asking for the addresses for prominent donors to David Cameron (James Lyle, Lewis Chester, Robin Fleming and Trevor Pears) and Basher Davis (John Aspinal - though the Commission has referred to the other David, Davies not Davis!)

The secretary to the Commission wrote back to the hack saying “the information requested is personal data, the disclosure of which would contravene the data protection principles.”

Sadly the “data protection principle” didn’t extend to the identity of the person making the inquiry.

If you scroll up an down quickly, the black blocks covering the name aren’t THAT quick in coming up!

You’d think the Electoral Commission could scrape enough money to buy a half decent felt-tip pin!