Hodge’s red flag flies high
Those dismissing Jeremy Corbyn as unelectable should remember he’s won his seat in eight elections. But then it is in the People’s Republic of Islington. In 1983, the council twinned the London borough with St George’s, capital of Grenada in the Caribbean, in solidarity with the Marxist revolutionaries who took power four years earlier. A freedom of information request reveals that, at the twinning ceremony, the leader of the council decried “the hostility of the US to Grenada’s socialism”, explaining, with a straight face, that it reflected “Islington’s struggle against the damage of central government’s policy”. And who was Islington’s Fidel Castro? It was Margaret Hodge whose path from socialist to Blairite is one Labour is now retreading in rapid reverse.
The Rev Richard Coles, the pop star turned Radio 4 host, got tied up in knots at an “LGBTQIA christening” yesterday (the QIA standing for queer, intersex and asexual). “Inclusivity in mind, I found myself saying, ‘We’re very grateful for those ladies who’ve donated to the Bras For Africa appeal . . . and for anyone else who’s donated a bra . . . of whatever gender . . .’ Anyway, the bra bin was full to bursting.”
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MP looks to home
Just by his name, Richard Arkless sounds like he needs shelter in a storm, but the new SNP MP found succour close to home when fighting for his seat. The 39-year-old declared five contributions worth £5,000 at the election, listing each as a “£1,000 contribution from my parents towards living costs”. Will the bank of mum and dad be the next Scottish institution to need a bailout?
Lest ye be judged
Sir Melford Stevenson, the late high court judge, could fill our legal series by himself. His novel approach to sentencing was evident when he told one defendant: “I see you come from Slough. It is a terrible place. You can go back there.” He also told a man in a divorce case that living in Manchester was “a wholly incomprehensible choice for any free man to make”. Anne Boyd, a TMS reader, recalls a difficult case when he turned wearily to the defendant and said: “I must confess, I cannot tell whether you are innocent or guilty. I am giving you three years. If you are guilty, you have got off lightly. If innocent, let this be a lesson to you.”
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Despite Labour’s prankster purge, 50,000 voters won’t be vetted because of a lack of time. Still, revenge is a dish best served promptly. The Tories have opened their primary for the London mayoral elections, offering votes for just £1. In this race, backing the outsider, Andrew Boff, doesn’t have quite the same shock value, but about 16,000 Labour moles writing in “Jeremy Corbyn” could also swing this one Jez’s way.
Milibeard takes a plunge
Ed Miliband can’t escape scrutiny even when under the sea. Ed’s been sitting out Corbynmania in Australia, with only his family and a stubbly beard for company. The Milibeard was seen snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef by an Aussie newsreader, Brett McLeod, who told me that a wetsuited Ed seemed relaxed and like a man “happy not to be somewhere he was recognised”. His luck hasn’t changed, even when scuba diving, as McLeod told him: “How lucky are you? It’s your first trip to Australia and you meet two sharks and a journalist.”