Charlotte Church Sang At Rupert Murdoch's Wedding For Favourable Coverage By His Newspapers

According to Charlotte Church "When I was 13 I was asked to perform at Rupert Murdoch's wedding in New York. When it came to the payment for my work, my management at the time informed me that either there would be a £100,000 fee (which was the biggest fee I'd ever been offered) or if the fee for my performance was waived, I would be looked upon favourably by Mr. Murdoch's papers. Despite my teenage business head screaming "think how many tamogotchies you could buy!!", I was pressured into taking the latter option. This strategy failed... for me. In fact Mr Murdoch's newspapers have since been some of the worst offenders, so much so that I have sometimes felt that there has actually been a deliberate agenda."

Newt Gingrich Wins Coveted New Hampshire Union Leader Newspaper Endorsement

Newt Gingrich the former Speaker of the House Of Representives has won the backing of New Hampshire's leading newspaper."We don't back candidates based on popularity polls or big-shot backers. We look for conservatives of courage and conviction who are independent-minded, grounded in their core beliefs about this nation and its people, and best equipped for the job,' the newspaper editorial said.

Bad News For Mitt Romney

A new poll by Pew shows that many Americans have a very poor opinion of Mitt Romney's religon. A third of Republicans polled said that Mormonism is not a Christian religion.
Two-thirds of Americans say they believe the faith is “very different” from their own beliefs.
Those who expressed a negative view of Mormonism used words like “cult” and “strange” to describe it.

EuroMillions Winners Donate 1 Million Pounds To Scottish Independence Campaign

Colin and Chris Weir are the Scottish couple who won 161 million pounds in the EuroMillions lottery. The Weirs confirmed this morning they are donating £1 million from their winnings to the SNP's independence campaign. The money will sit alongside the £900,000 the party has also received from the estate of the poet Edwin Morgan, Scotland's late Makar (poet laureate), which was announced last month. Good news for the Scottish Independence campaign.

63% Of People In England Would Describe Themselves As English Rather Than British

A recent study has found that the number of people in England who would now describe themselves as English rather than British rose to 63%, as opposed to 41% in 2008.
The YouGov poll also discovered that just 20% of the UK population preferred a British identity to any other, down from 42% three years ago.
The poll, taken last month, appears to show that English nationalism is on the rise at the same time as Scottish nationalism is the predominant force in politics north of the border. Which is not good news for those who believe in a Union of Scotland and England.

Hate Crime In Scotland Increases By 10%

The data shows 58% of these crimes were against Catholics with 37% of recorded crimes against Protestants. The anti-sectarianism charity Nil By Mouth said there was a need for a nationwide debate on how to tackle the problem.
Campaign director Dave Scott said: "It's particularly worrying that 60% of those convicted are under 30. We cannot lose another generation to the battles of the past.
"With convictions secured in 27 out of 32 local authority areas its clear we need a real nationwide debate on how we tackle sectarianism and it's root causes.
"It goes beyond our football terraces and into our workplaces, communities, institutions and home and we call on our government, parliament and civic society to help us create a nationwide action plan to rid our country of this shame forever."

Peter Robinson Rejects Prison Reforms

Peter Robinson has threatened to resign as First Minister if reforms of the prison service go ahead. What has upset Peter most is the proposals of removing the title Her Majesty's Prison from prisons in the North and the Royal Crown from the uniform of prison officers here. He says he will call an election if the Justice Minister David Ford pushs forward with these modest reforms. Mr Robinson is afraid of Jim Allister the TUV leader who brought the subject up in the Assembly. The question is though if these reforms are rejected alongside 50/50 recruitment what reforms will be acceptable to both sides of the community here?

Sinn Fein Agriculture Minister To Sever Links With UK Body

Michelle O'Neill the Sinn Fein minister for Agriculture has sent a letter to Seafish saying she wants to sever Northern Ireland’s links with the UK-wide food body . “My department is considering options for the promotion of all locally-produced food and drink, including seafood, and part of that consideration is to have an all-island dimension in any future strategy.
“I do no see any circumstances where Seafish would be part of those alternative local arrangements and as a consequence I don’t think that a meeting with the chairman and chief executive would be helpful to our considerations at this time.”

The Letter From The Tory Party Chairman To Tom Elliott Leader Of The UUP

Dear Tom,

I was delighted to see you and a number of your members at our recent conference in Manchester. It was a welcome reminder of the numerous policies and beliefs which our two parties hold in common, and indeed prompted me to reflect on the UCUNF project which brought us together at the last general election. This project was an important stepping stone towards our ambition of delivering mainstream Westminster politics to the people of Northern Ireland.
My own view is that we now need to move this forward to the next stage. However, I do not think that the UCUNF model is the right one for the future, given the complexity of a ‘two-headed’ approach to party management and campaigning.
My aim is straightforward — to provide the people of Northern Ireland with the opportunity to vote for a centre-right, free-market, pro-Union party which will make their vote meaningful within the context of national UK politics. We want to reach out to everybody in Northern Ireland regardless of background and tradition. We also want such a party to be unencumbered by the conflict and divisions in Northern Ireland’s past.
So my suggestion is this: that we take urgent steps to execute what would be in effect a full merger of our two parties under the banner of Conservatism and Unionism.
In broad terms this would mean:
1. The creation of a new party called the Northern Ireland Conservative and Unionist Party (NICUP). The constitution would have to be drafted to make it consistent with the constitution of the United Kingdom Conservative Party (“the Conservative Party”).
2. NICUP would have a relationship with the Conservative Party along the lines of that of the Welsh and Scottish Conservatives with the following key elements:
a) NICUP members would elect the leader in Northern Ireland and would make rules regarding the election or appointment of the chairman or other officers.
b) NICUP members would be entitled to vote for the leader of the Conservative Party.
c) NICUP would be entitled to a representative on the board of the Conservative Party.
d) NICUP would enjoy full access to all of the campaigning resources and techniques of the Conservative Party including the allocation of budget for the establishment of a professional campaign team in Northern Ireland working alongside the national campaigning team based in London.
3. The existing Northern Ireland Conservative Party would be dissolved and its members would automatically become members of the NICUP.
4. The UUP would be dissolved and its members would automatically become members of the NICUP.
This would create an entity which any elector in Northern Ireland will be free to join. It would seek to contest and win elections at every level. All those elected (or appointed) will be subject to the whip of either NICUP or the Conservative Party depending on the forum.
This is a bold proposal and there will be detail to be worked out. Nevertheless, I think it is important that we move quickly to a position where we are at least agreed in principle that this is the correct way to proceed. I am sure that you will wish to consult widely within your own party to see if this is a step that you can take.
From my side, this offer is made with the express approval of the prime minister, the board of the Conservative Party, as well as the chairman of the Northern Ireland Conservative Party, Irwin Armstrong.
I would ask that you revert to me with an agreement in principle to proceed by Christmas. We then need to set a timetable to complete the merger by the early part of next year. This will give us sufficient time to prepare the ground for our campaigns in the European elections in 2014, the general election, assembly elections and local elections in 2015.
I sincerely hope that you and your party are able to embrace this opportunity to bring national politics to the people of Northern Ireland.
With best wishes.
Yours sincerely,
Lord Feldman of Elstree

Tory Chairman Calls For The Disbandment Of The UUP

The letter was sent by Conservative Party chairman Lord Feldman to UUP Leader Tom Elliott.
Lord Feldman states that the UUP would be dissolved early next year and would be replaced by a Conservative-led party which would operate along the lines of the parties in Scotland and Wales.
It is understood the idea has the backing of the Prime Minister David Cameron, the board of the Conservative Party, as well as the chairman of the Northern Ireland Conservative Party. Tom Elliott the UUP leader does not however support the idea.

President Sarkozy Of France Calls The Prime Minister Of Israel A Liar

Mr Sarkozy was speaking to President Obama at the G20 Summit.
As the conversation drifted to Israel, Mr Sarkozy is reported to have said: “I cannot bear Netanyahu, he’s a liar.”
Mr Obama did not challenge the assertion, instead replying: “You may be sick of him, but me, I have to deal with him every day.”

More On The Resignation Of Paul McBride QC From The Scottish Tories

Paul McBride also said this about his former political party "Alex Salmond must be thrilled. The Scottish Conservative party stands for nothing and opposes everything, they are in terminal decline. At least the SNP are trying to do something about sectarianism and the alcohol culture in Scotland. They may not succeed but they are making an effort to do the right thing.”

Top QC Quits Scottish Tories Over Their Performance On Criminal Justice

Top QC Paul McBride said: “It had nothing to do with Ruth winning. I resigned over their performance on criminal justice, in particular their approach to the Offensive Behaviour Bill.
“They are the most moronic, dysfunctional, introspective bunch of MSPs I’ve ever seen.
“They have no interest in the people of Scotland. Their only interest is their careers.
“I’m joining the 87 per cent of the population who don’t agree with a word they say.”

Doctor Alasdair McDonnell Is The New Leader Of The SDLP

The MP for South Belfast Doctor Alasdair McDonnell has become the new leader of the SDLP.

Alex Salmond Says The Scottish People Are Now In The Driving Seat

Mr Salmond was speaking at the SNP Annual conference at Inverness.
Alex Salmond said: "The days of Westminster politicians telling Scotland what to do or think are over. The Scottish people will set the agenda for the future. No politician, and certainly no London politician, will determine the future of the Scottish nation. The people of Scotland – the sovereign people of Scotland – are now in the driving seat."

Bill Gates Backs Tobin Tax

The Billionaire founder of Microsoft Bill Gates has backed a Tobin Tax. He will tell a meeting at the G20 summit that he supports a Tax on financial transaction's. There is a lot of political support for some sort of tax in continental Europe. There is, however, a lot of resistance in Britain and the United States.
But the German finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble has suggested it could go ahead in just the eurozone.

SDLP Leadership Contest The Latest Odds From Paddy Power

Alex Attwood 11/8
Patsy McGlone 7/4
Conal McDevitt 3/1
Alastair McDonnell 6/1