MP's Expenses 2006/7 [A Very Long & Boring Post]

The full list, from highest figure to lowest, of expenses and allowances claimed by MPs in the year 2006/7.

Malik, Shahid £185,421

Byrne, Liam £178,116

Ryan, Joan £173,691

Norris, Dan £172,733

Farron, Tim £172,327

Doran, Frank £171,836

MacNeil, Angus £169,971

Levitt, Tom £168,660

Salmond, Alex £166,814

Mundell, David £166,598

Joyce, Eric £164,180

Gwynne, Andrew £164,110

Devine, Jim £163,402

McDonagh, Siobhain £163,226

Hesford, Stephen £162,850

Johnson, Diana R £162,584

Milburn, Alan £160,888

Taylor, Matthew £160,831

Gardiner, Barry £160,464

Rogerson, Dan £160,440

George, Andrew £160,379

Flello, Robert £159,548

Sarwar, Mohammad £159,341

Taylor, Dari £159,178

Willis, Phil £159,147

Reed, Jamie £159,088

Bruce, Malcolm £158,580

Robertson, Angus £158,151

Grogan, John £158,013

Connarty, Michael £157,769

Donohoe, Brian H. £157,663

Butler, Dawn £157,311

Carmichael, Alistair £157,184

Alexander, Danny £157,153

Balls, Ed £157,076

Woolas, Phil £157,062

Wright, Iain £156,975

Atkins, Charlotte £156,908

Gilroy, Linda £156,846

Clark, Katy £156,767

Moran, Margaret £156,652

Munn, Meg £156,462

Anderson, Janet £155,610

Kumar, Ashok £155,572

McCarthy, Kerry £155,487

Holmes, Paul £155,429

Hamilton, Fabian £155,346

Hodgson, Sharon £155,222

Irranca-Davies, Huw £155,115

Begg, Anne £154,230

Griffiths, Nigel £154,182

Bayley, Hugh £154,061

Rosindell, Andrew £153,901

Younger-Ross, Richard £153,888

Harris, Tom £153,862

Ellman, Louise £153,637

Campbell, Alan £153,621

McKenna, Rosemary £153,608

Brown, Russell £153,561

Rowen, Paul £153,338

Cummings, John £153,319

Blears, Hazel £153,225

Mountford, Kali £153,034

Roy, Frank £152,997

Spink, Bob £152,938

Smith, Jacqui £152,683

Wallace, Ben £152,251

Wood, Mike £151,941

McFall, John £151,852

Pritchard, Mark £151,724

Mulholland, Greg £151,647

Dodds, Nigel £151,412

Watson, Tom £151,388

Anderson, David £151,353

Moore, Michael 51,295

Sheridan, Jim £151,272

Banks, Gordon £151,260

Hughes, Beverley £151,130

Lamb, Norman £150,908

Borrow, David S £150,856

Austin, Ian £150,722

Cooper, Yvette £150,658

Healey, John £150,551

Smith, Angela C. £150,549

Meale, Alan £150,338

Donaldson, Jeffrey M. £150,215

Hall, Mike £150,170

Godsiff, Roger £150,059

Jones, Kevan £149,713

Turner, Neil £149,337

Heppell, John £149,302

Williams, Hywel £149,278

Cryer, Ann £149,195

Robertson, Laurence £149,188

Farrelly, Paul £149,167

Wilshire, David £149,153

McGovern, Jim £149,098

Bacon, Richard £148,985

Goldsworthy, Julia £148,978

Steen, Anthony 148,885

Simpson, Alan £148,850

Smith, Geraldine £148,849

Goodman, Helen £148,847

O'Brien, Stephen £148,831

Pope, Greg £148,800

Allen, Graham £148,741

Davidson, Ian £148,678

Mahmood, Khalid £148,666

McLoughlin, Patrick £148,662

Betts, Clive £148,545

Yeo, Tim £148,496

Sanders, Adrian £148,476

Burden, Richard £148,447

Ruane, Chris £148,336

Vaz, Keith £148,235

Jones, Helen £148,151

Sutcliffe, Gerry £148,111

Purnell, James £148,064

Davies, Philip £148,060

Harris, Evan £147,916

Brown, Nicholas £147,797

Rennie, Willie £147,685

Hunter, Mark £147,653

Riordan, Mrs Linda £147,613

Robertson, John £147,599

MacShane, Denis £147,572

Herbert, Mr Nick £147,449

Maclean, David £147,417

Smith, Sir Robert £147,388

Leech, John £147,342

Griffith, Nia £147,298

Barlow, Celia £147,187

Cousins, Jim £147,154

Wishart, Pete £147,142

Murphy, Jim £147,121

Letwin, Oliver £147,084

Etherington, Bill £146,915

Ward, Claire £146,809

Jones, Lynne £146,793

Baird, Vera £146,772

Laws, David £146,770

McGuire, Anne £146,705

Miller, Andrew £146,621

Wareing, Robert N. £146,319

Hodge, Margaret £146,301

Clelland, David £146,282

Henderson, Doug £146,269

Chapman, Ben £146,202

Osborne, George £146,158

Smith, Andrew £146,125

Paterson, Owen £146,105

Clegg, Nick £146,022

Murphy, Denis £146,020

Vis, Rudi £145,986

Kirkbride, Julie £145,957

Price, Adam £145,929

Moffatt, Laura £145,846

Burgon, Colin £145,819

McAvoy, Thomas £145,770

Harvey, Nick £145,767

McDonnell, Alasdair £145,728

Soulsby, Sir Peter £145,687

Plaskitt, James £145,657

Taylor, David £145,598

Ussher, Kitty £145,562

Hoyle, Lindsay £145,515

Simon, Sion £145,444

Seabeck, Alison £145,390

McCafferty, Chris £145,345

Mann, John £145,273

Hope, Phil £145,239

Lazarowicz, Mark £145,184

Dismore, Andrew £145,146

Crausby, David £145,034

Blackman, Liz £145,000

Merron, Gillian £144,914

Cawsey, Ian £144,913

Palmer, Nick £144,790

Mercer, Patrick £144,667

Francis, Hywel £144,597

Barrett, John £144,427

Cooper, Rosie £144,358

Keetch, Paul £144,341

Snelgrove, Anne £144,330

Goodwill, Robert £144,282

Streeter, Gary £144,275

Clarke, Tom £144,246

O'Hara, Edward £144,241

Waltho, Lynda £144,230

Stewart, Ian £144,222

Sheerman, Barry £144,181

Webb, Steve £144,175

Campbell, Ronnie £144,156

Heald, Oliver £144,115

Engel, Natascha £144,099

Mitchell, Andrew £143,965

Blizzard, Bob £143,888

Robinson, Peter £143,856

Duddridge, James £143,809

Lewis, Ivan £143,719

Clifton-Brown, Geoffrey £143,498

Coffey, Ann £143,439

Naysmith, Doug £143,415

Cameron, David £143,385

David, Wayne £143,326

Singh, Marsha £143,295

Cox, Geoffrey £143,262

Browne, Jeremy £143,176

Clarke, Charles £143,137

Blunkett, David £143,111

Stuart, Graham £143,071

Primarolo, Dawn £143,034

Curtis-Thomas, Claire £143,016

Mole, Chris £143,003

Llwyd, Elfyn £142,999

Kemp, Fraser £142,899

Wright, Anthony £142,847

Campbell, Sir Menzies £142,810

Russell, Christine £142,785

Lilley, Peter £142,754

Barron, Kevin £142,703

Gidley, Sandra £142,643

Hosie, Stewart £142,628

Reed, Andy £142,544

Baker, Norman £142,504

Willetts, David £142,491

Todd, Mark £142,405

Kilfoyle, Peter £142,401

Touhig, Don £142,385

Heyes, David £142,365

Garnier, Edward £142,346

Fox, Liam £142,339

Baron, John £142,300

Battle, John £142,298

Mitchell, Austin £142,287

Penning, Mike £142,237

Hayes, John £142,163

Dhanda, Parmjit £142,118

Willott, Jenny £142,080

Hain, Peter £142,012

Grayling, Chris £141,997

Foster, Michael £141,990

McCartney, Ian £141,883

McGuinness, Martin £141,790

Duncan, Alan £141,771

Truswell, Paul £141,740

Newmark, Brooks £141,673

Lloyd, Tony £141,651

Trickett, Jon £141,647

Starkey, Phyllis £141,541

Moon, Madeleine £141,517

Foster, Don £141,447

Oaten, Mark £141,435

Swinson, Jo £141,392

Browning, Angela £141,381

Thornberry, Emily £141,358

Gillan, Cheryl £141,349

Ancram, Michael £141,297

Simpson, Keith £141,234

Atkinson, Peter £140,949

Mudie, George £140,930

Conway, Derek £140,916

Burt, Lorely £140,904

Bryant, Chris £140,863

Durkan, Mark £140,859

Swire, Hugo £140,786

Burt, Alistair £140,778

Davies, Quentin £140,733

Bone, Peter £140,705

Weir, Mike £140,681

Rammell, Bill £140,556

Chaytor, David £140,548

Jenkin, Bernard £140,494

Crabb, Stephen £140,462

Dorries, Nadine £140,383

Denham, John £140,375

Loughton, Tim £140,352

McCabe, Stephen £140,352

Gray, James £140,290

Cormack, Sir Patrick £140,245

Love, Andy £140,213

Hanson, David £140,206

Walley, Joan £140,133

Flynn, Paul £140,014

Wills, Michael £139,986

Lancaster, Mark £139,928

Wyatt, Derek £139,838

Keeble, Sally £139,735

Kawczynski, Daniel £139,693

Simmonds, Mark £139,664

Gibb, Nick £139,611

Hepburn, Stephen £139,587

McGrady, Eddie £139,459

Berry, Roger £139,412

Wilson, Sammy £139,371

Creagh, Mary £139,275

Tyrie, Andrew £139,270

Paice, James £139,191

McIsaac, Shona £139,169

McCarthy-Fry, Sarah £139,158

Eagle, Maria £139,067

Hoban, Mark £138,906

Huhne, Chris £138,831

Carswell, Douglas £138,805

Tapsell, Sir Peter £138,752

Humble, Joan £138,728

Arbuthnot, James £138,677

Hendry, Charles £138,655

Holloway, Adam £138,649

Challen, Colin £138,579

Shaw, Jonathan £138,441

Chope, Christopher £138,436

Kidney, David £138,399

Taylor, Ian £138,270

Foster, Michael Jabez £138,223

Harper, Mark £138,214

Williams, Mark £138,114

Caborn, Richard £138,014

Moss, Malcolm £137,983

Knight, Jim £137,970

Horwood, Martin £137,882

Illsley, Eric £137,791

Amess, David £137,781

Strang, Gavin £137,769

Michael, Alun £137,764

Gove, Michael £137,733

Bailey, Adrian £137,658

Selous, Andrew £137,655

Hewitt, Patricia £137,537

Wiggin, Bill £137,472

Kennedy, Jane £137,438

Hutton, John £137,381

Browne, Des £137,346

Miller, Maria £137,318

Gapes, Mike £137,220

Penrose, John £137,195

Williams, Stephen £137,109

Blunt, Crispin £137,071

Ruffley, David £136,963

Havard, Dai £136,866

Darling, Alistair £136,854

McFadden, Pat £136,834

Winterton, Rosie £136,803

Cohen, Harry £136,679

Hermon, Lady Sylvia £136,651

Jack, Michael £136,591

James, Sian C. £136,547

Vaizey, Edward £136,501

Paisley, Ian £136,498

Moffat, Anne £136,483

Morley, Elliot £136,478

Viggers, Peter £136,414

Clwyd, Ann £136,395

Wright, Jeremy £136,344

Hague, William £136,335

Russell, Bob £136,185

Beith, Alan £136,172

Keeley, Barbara £136,118

Field, Frank £136,092

Evans, Nigel £136,090

Flint, Caroline £136,005

Green, Damian £135,933

Meacher, Michael £135,806

Kennedy, Charles £135,769

O'Brien, Mike £135,754

Lansley, Andrew £135,706

Barker, Gregory £135,669

Brazier, Julian £135,629

Brady, Graham £135,612

Keen, Ann £135,599

Waterson, Nigel £135,541

Brown, Gordon £135,525

Fraser, Christopher £135,481

Djanogly, Jonathan £135,480

Tami, Mark £135,414

Benton, Joe £135,394

Smith, Angela E. £135,038

Keen, Alan £135,009

Murrison, Andrew £134,980

Blackman-Woods, Roberta £134,948

Gibson, Ian £134,876

Stuart, Gisela £134,870

Gildernew, Michelle £134,779

Robinson, Iris £134,592

Thurso, John £134,592

Walker, Charles £134,427

Liddell-Grainger, Ian £134,421

Short, Claire £134,408

Howarth, Gerald £134,336

Opik, Lembit £134,316

Gale, Roger £134,308

Laing, Eleanor £134,308

Johnson, Boris £134,306

Hemming, John £134,220

Pearson, Ian £134,202

Luff, Peter £134,071

Lepper, David £134,070

Heath, David £134,056

Soames, Nicholas £133,994

Clark, Paul £133,901

Davis, David £133,899

Tredinnick, David £133,743

Woodward, Shaun £133,729

Greenway, John £133,652

Reid, John £133,613

Morden, Jessica £133,592

Breed, Colin £133,501

Ottaway, Richard £133,430

Laxton, Bob £133,385

Hamilton, David £133,384

Bellingham, Henry £133,353

Byers, Stephen £133,341

Follett, Barbara £133,300

Binley, Brian £133,250

Clark, Greg £133,122

Stoate, Howard £133,062

Reid, Alan £133,049

Spelman, Caroline £132,855

Adams, Gerry £132,829

Prentice, Gordon £132,752

Walter, Robert £132,729

Williams, Roger £132,581

Brennan, Kevin £132,520

Austin, John £132,497

Whitehead, Alan £132,476

Southworth, Helen £132,427

Tipping, Paddy £132,209

Main, Anne £132,145

Morgan, Julie £132,127

Turner, Desmond £132,025

Mates, Michael £132,002

Murphy, Conor £131,921

Campbell, Gregory £131,436

Howells, Kim £131,412

Alexander, Douglas £131,383

McKechin, Ann £131,351

Martlew, Eric £131,242

Mactaggart, Fiona £131,162

Featherstone, Lynne £131,123

Bradshaw, Ben £131,118

Coaker, Vernon £131,091

Khan, Sadiq £131,047

Miliband, Edward £131,024

Hall, Patrick £130,916

Drew, David £130,782

MacKinlay, Andrew £130,645

Bell, Sir Stuart £130,395

Milton, Anne £130,354

Watkinson, Angela £130,266

MacDougall, John £130,150

Fisher, Mark £129,960

Cruddas, Jon £129,956

Goggins, Paul £129,774

Murphy, Paul £129,744

Ainger, Nick £129,677

Marshall, David £129,653

Doherty, Pat £129,556

Olner, Bill £129,504

Jones, Martyn £129,503

Lait, Jacqui £129,442

Lidington, David £129,442

Ladyman, Stephen £129,436

Turner, Andrew £129,404

Cash, William £129,400

Butterfill, Sir John £129,379

Burnham, Andy £129,289

Kaufman, Sir Gerald £129,166

Jackson, Glenda £129,111

Clappison, James £129,038

Syms, Robert £129,034

Slaughter, Andrew £128,907

Stunell, Andrew £128,663

Mackay, Andrew £128,599

Hancock, Mike £128,579

Ainsworth, Bob £128,564

Lewis, Julian £128,545

Corbyn, Jeremy £128,434

Prisk, Mark £128,376

Linton, Martin £128,363

Thomas, Gareth £128,172

Jones, David £127,979

Dobbin, Jim £127,927

Knight, Greg £127,867

Francois, Mark £127,843

Eagle, Angela £127,684

McCrea, William £127,604

Marris, Rob £127,583

Pickles, Eric £127,496

Dean, Janet £127,444

Cunningham, Tony £127,437

Mallaber, Judy £127,410

Marsden, Gordon £127,406

Cook, Frank £127,215

Howarth, George £127,073

Davey, Edward £126,983

Wright, Tony £126,875

Cairns, David £126,852

George, Bruce £126,769

Williams, Betty £126,564

Spring, Richard £126,522

Purchase, Ken £126,502

Leigh, Edward £126,494

Young, Sir George £126,458

Hunt, Jeremy £126,449

Burns, Simon £126,280

Miliband, David £126,115

Rooney, Terry £126,000

Dunwoody, Gwyneth £125,670

Salter, Martin £125,515

Brooke, Annette £125,392

Caton, Martin £125,182

Ellwood, Tobias £124,884

Buck, Karen £124,750

Prescott, John £124,696

Brake, Tom £124,384

Hendrick, Mark £124,285

Brown, Lyn £124,246

Beckett, Margaret £124,171

McDonnell, John £123,921

Hoon, Geoff £123,834

Stringer, Graham £123,829

Osborne, Sandra £123,731

Ainsworth, Peter £123,351

Bercow, John £123,269

Villiers, Theresa £123,222

Hood, Jimmy £123,173

Wilson, Rob £123,129

Hughes, Simon £123,125

Goodman, Paul £123,069

Prosser, Gwyn £122,903

Owen, Albert £122,864

Straw, Jack £122,520

Maude, Francis £122,334

Cable, Vincent £122,242

McNulty, Tony £121,984

Fabricant, Michael £121,973

Heathcoat-Amory, David £121,924

Pugh, John £121,915

Wright, David £121,886

Malins, Humfrey £121,706

McIntosh, Anne £121,686

Jenkins, Brian £121,471

Baldry, Tony £121,398

Twigg, Derek £121,381

Kelly, Ruth £121,206

Lucas, Ian £120,976

Hogg, Douglas £120,909

Lord, Sir Michael £120,814

Armstrong, Hilary £120,740

Gauke, David £120,700

Jackson, Stewart £120,589

Simpson, David £120,557

Howard, Michael £120,204

Scott, Lee £119,889

Marshall-Andrews, Robert £119,830

Grieve, Dominic £119,809

Beresford, Sir Paul £119,690

Burrowes, David £119,640

Heal, Sylvia £119,274

Efford, Clive £119,063

Pound, Stephen £118,952

Dowd, Jim £118,829

Wicks, Malcolm £118,700

Hammond, Stephen £118,501

Smith, John £118,496

Ruddock, Joan £118,425

Burstow, Paul £118,118

Hammond, Philip £118,089

Kramer, Susan £117,837

Field, Mark £117,780

Curry, David £117,752

Whittingdale, John £117,741

Harman, Harriet £117,452

Shapps, Grant £116,968

Winterton, Ann £116,786

Fallon, Michael £116,635

Dunne, Philip £116,480

Teather, Sarah £116,312

Jowell, Tessa £116,149

Vara, Shailesh £115,905

Lammy, David £115,836

Maples, John £115,520

Mullin, Chris £115,356

Abbott, Diane £115,032

Prentice, Bridget£114,997

Timms, Stephen £114,928

Clarke, Kenneth £114,806

Horam, John £114,285

Boswell, Tim£113,917

Watts, Dave £113,887

Key, Robert £113,643

Robertson, Hugh £113,597

Davies, David T. C. £113,376

Hillier, Meg £113,170

May, Theresa £113,048

Raynsford, Nick £113,020

Gummer, John £112,870

Cunningham, Jim £112,615

Haselhurst, Sir Alan £112,401

Pelling, Andrew £112,215

Rifkind, Sir Malcolm £112,122

Widdecombe, Ann £111,242

Johnson, Alan £111,021

Spicer, Sir Michael £110,930

Dobson, Frank £110,439

Fitzpatrick, Jim £110,307

Hopkins, Kelvin £110,264

Hill, Keith £109,817

Spellar, John £109,013

Hoey, Kate £108,805

Galloway, George £107,610

Gerrard, Neil £106,986

Iddon, Brian £106,819

Robathan, Andrew £106,613

Benn, Hilary £105,987

Redwood, John £105,928

Shepherd, Richard £105,293

Hurd, Nick 105,176

Bottomley, Peter £104,785

Ingram, Adam £104,667

Duncan Smith, Iain £104,339

Ennis, Jeff £104,243

Winnick, David £103,639

Clapham, Michael £102,510

Robinson, Geoffrey £102,457

Benyon, Richard £102,445

Taylor, Richard £102,225

Neill, Bob £102,155

Hands, Greg £101,383

Greening, Justine £101,345

Dorrell, Stephen £100,543

Brokenshire, James £100,210

Evennett, David £99,337

Howarth, David £98,709

Blair, Tony £97,084

Winterton, Sir Nicholas £95,949

Davies, Dai £94,940

Afriyie, Adam £94,884

Stanley, Sir John £94,856

Randall, John £93,238

Williams, Alan £92,986

Swayne, Desmond £91,737

Martin, Michael J. £82,286

Skinner, Dennis £67,891

Hollobone, Philip £44,551

How on earth were those IRA terrorist cunts Adams and McGuinness able to claim almost £275,000 between themselves when they refuse to pledge alliegence to the Queen and thus barred from sitting in the House of Commons chamber and rarely travel outside of Ulster on Parliamentary business? Those two make Tony Blair and George Galloway look like paragons of thrift and vitue in comparisson!

I Am Saddam Hussein

Not exactly something to be proud of, but maybe you will do better than Right For Scotland and myself have at the What Famous Leader Are You? test?!?

Antonia Bance - Fascist Hypocrite

"Do as I say, not as I do!"

Terry Kelly - Sports Philistine

Jackart is right; this man really is beyond parody!

Will America Declare War On Terry Kelly?

AMERICANS ON ALERT OVER KELLY RANT

Oct 22 2007

A CONTROVERSIAL councillor has sparked a Transatlantic tiff after branding American President George W Bush a “draft-dodging coward.”

Terry Kelly, who is also a leading aid to Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander, has sparked outrage by posting a blistering rant against President Bush on his own website.

The Paisley North West councillor has dubbed the American a “dishonourable, pathetic excuse of a President” and claims he used “his family’s wealth and connections” to avoid serving in the US Armed Forces during the Vietnam War.

It is understood staff at the American Consulate General in Edinburgh have been alerted to the comments and are now considering their response.

Paisley man Dave McCartney is among those who have condemned Mr Kelly’s remarks.

He said: “At a time when relations with President Bush have cooled with Prime Minister Brown, is it too much to ask for Mr Kelly to keep his opinions to himself? After all, he is a senior Labour councillor now.

“I think that comments like ‘draft- dodging coward’ will not assist in helping to thaw Labour and Republican relations.

“I feel personally that our relations with America are of the highest priority.”

Writing in his controversial web-log, Mr Kelly highlights Mr Bush’s recent comments on the Vietnam and Iraq wars.

The Labour man comments: “His insult to Americans this time was not Iraq or illegal torture or even the highest number in the world of people in jail, no this was an insult to savour as he spoke about America’s failures in Vietnam.

“Some 50,000 American lives lost and he chose to use the Vietnam war to bolster his stance on Iraq.

“So, why is this so bad? Well, many of you will be well ahead of me now. Yes, that’s right, the President of the USA, George W Bush, is a draft-dodging coward.”

Mr Kelly goes on to say: “The Republican right attacked Clinton for missing Vietnam and elected Bush, conveniently avoiding a slight difference between them which is that Clinton opposed the war. The coward Bush was happy to support it with the proviso that someone else would do the fighting.

“He was all for fighting those pesky commies, as long as he didn’t get shot at. I truly despair at what this great nation has become.

“This dreadful President Bush makes Nixon look cuddly. He’s a coward, a liar and a crook.”

This is not the first time Mr Kelly’s web-log has courted controversy.

On a previous occasion, he described the Mormon Church as “the Moron Church.”

Yesterday, Mr Kelly insisted he stands by his comments about President Bush.

He added: “If the person who reported me to the American Consulate would like to get in touch, I will gladly have a debate with him about the matter.”

A spokesman for Ms Alexander said the Labour leader did not agree with Mr Kelly’s views.

He added: “Terry Kelly is a hard- working local councillor. The homepage of his website makes it abundantly clear that the views expressed in his blogs are his own.”

Source: icRenfrewshire

Dubya VS Terry

Whoever wins, we lose!

Happy Birthday "Bob"

No, "Bob" is not that cretin Peter Mandelson, but an old acquaintance from university who I had a bad falling out with over the company they kept at the time. I won't write anymore about that because it's not fair to talk about "Bob Dole" behind their back without their prior consent. Regardless of the past (and although I was right about the pitfalls I warned "Bob" to avoid), I still regret both the falling out and my own stridency, which though well-meaning was a violation of Bob's right to make their own decisions, whether they be good or bad. All I can do about that is apologise.

If you read this "Bob", happy birthday kid and I hope you enjoy the image below, it should right up your street.

China unveils likely successors to top posts

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's ruling Communist Party unveiled a new leadership line-up on Monday, including two men positioned to eventually succeed President Hu Jintao and government head Premier Wen Jiabao.

Xi Jinping, who has been chief of Shanghai, and Li Keqiang, who has headed the northeast province of Liaoning, were lifted into the new nine-member Politburo Standing Committee -- the innermost ring of power in this top-down state.

While Xi, 54, and Li, 52, have not been openly designated to replace Hu and Wen five years hence, their age and status leave no doubt they are favoured to reach the apex of power with Xi the frontrunner for now to take Hu's top job.

They will inherit a nation of about 1.4 billion people, including restive peasants and a maturing middle class, an increasingly open and market-driven economy likely be the world's third largest and a one-party state that claims loyalty to Marx while it embraces capitalism.

"Comrades Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang are two quite young comrades," was all carefully spoken Hu said of them when presenting them before hundreds of reporters and flashing cameras.

Their rise marked Hu's growing grip on power as he shed the residual influence of his predecessor, Jiang Zemin. But the next five years will test Hu's power to secure an untroubled succession in an era when no leader commands absolute loyalty.

"Hu's power has emerged greatly consolidated," said Li Datong, a former editor at a Party paper. "He has his own line-up now; Jiang's out of the picture."

The nine men in dark suits emerged after a tightly controlled vote by the 204-member Party Central Committee, installed at the end of the Party's five-yearly Congress on Sunday.

Xi filed into the chamber at the Great Hall of the People directly ahead of Li, but there was no definitive sign of which man was favoured for which top job.

"Xi came out ranked first, so that suggests that he has a bigger chance of becoming Party general secretary, but there are a lot of factors that can change in five years," said Zhang Zuhua, a former official.

Hu was widely believed to favour Li, who worked under him in the Communist Youth League, and Xi's rise might reflect officials' reluctance to allow the Party boss to hand-pick his successor.

But both men would be acceptable to Hu, said the ex-editor Li, and state media have stressed that Hu expects the new leadership to work together and avoid damaging rivalry.

"To fulfil the Party's mission in power it must have a staunchly unified collective leadership," says an editorial to appear in the People's Daily that Xinhua news agency released late on Monday. It urges the country to unite around Hu.

Hu stays as Party boss, as well as President and head of the Central Military Commission, for five more years, while Wen will continuing managing the government and its ministries.

The Standing Committee retained parliament chief Wu Bangguo and two leaders installed under the previous Party chief, Jiang Zemin -- Li Changchun, who has been propaganda boss, and Jia Qinglin, head of the advisory council attached to the parliament.

The line-up also includes He Guoqiang, set to take control of Party organisation and fighting corruption, and Zhou Yongkang, whose background in policing puts him in line to replace Luo Gan, the previous domestic security boss.

The three members of the outgoing Standing Committee who stepped down included Vice-President Zeng Qinghong, a powerful figure installed by Jiang. Both He Guoqiang and Zhou have past work ties to Zeng, who appears to have promoted their rise.

The death of Vice-Premier Huang Ju in June left a fourth vacancy.

BALANCING INTERESTS

Analysts said the mixture of recruits -- some personally close to Hu, others not -- reflected his bid to balance regions and interests and also limits his power to dictate outcomes.

Li Keqiang worked under Hu in the 1980s, before postings in Henan, a poor and unruly rural province in central China, and Liaoning, a rustbelt province striving to attract investment and emerge as a modern manufacturing base.

Before taking over as party boss of Shanghai earlier this year, Xi Jinping steered two of the country's fastest-growing provinces, Fujian and Zhejiang -- attractive credentials in a government where economic modernisation dominates priorities.

"We must certainly grasp development as the top task of this Party in governing and reviving the country," Hu said.

But the retention of Jia, a protege of Jiang's, was a reminder that the new leadership was not Hu's to choose at will. Jia has long been dogged by claims he let corruption run rampant in coastal Fujian province in the 1990s.

At 67, Jia was young enough to escape an informal retirement rule forcing out leaders born before 1940 -- a demand that apparently claimed Zeng.

Congratulations To South Africa & Kimi Raikkonen

Both the South African rugby union squad and Raikkonen thoroughly deserve their respective world championships, which were earned through hard work and ability. Well done men!

Quote of the Day 20.10.2007: Why America Won The Cold War

"Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose." - Ronald Reagan

Many of Reagan's critics accused this late great hero of being simple. To be fair to these left-wing scumbags, they were right (for once) - Reagan was a simple man with a very simple plan....

....and it worked!!!

Iran's atomic negotiator resigns

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, Iran's main contact with the West over Tehran's atomic programme, has resigned, the government said on Saturday.

His shock decision exposed a rift over tactics with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who accepted his resignation and has taken a hard-line approach in Iran's long-running stand-off with the West, analysts said.

A government spokesman said there would be no change in nuclear policy. Saeed Jalili, deputy foreign minister for European and American affairs, was expected to replace Larijani, the official IRNA news agency said.

"Larijani has resigned due to personal reasons, but this does not mean changes in policies and programmes," said government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham.

The West fears Tehran wants to build atomic bombs and has imposed two sets of sanctions through the United Nations. Tehran insists it wants only to produce electricity.

Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and chief nuclear negotiator since 2005, had been set to meet EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana in Rome on Tuesday for more discussions about Iran's nuclear ambitions.

The European Union said the talks would go ahead. "We have just spoken to the Iranians. Solana is keeping to his plan to travel to Rome on Tuesday and will meet whatever senior negotiator the Iranians send," an EU spokeswoman said.

EU diplomats said the Iranian negotiator would be Jalili but it was unclear whether he had yet been formally appointed.

European officials say Larijani has long had difficulty in getting the Iranian establishment to support his negotiating strategy.

Iranian analysts have said Larijani had differences with Ahmadinejad over tactics although both oppose halting the nuclear programme in the face of increasing Western concern and threats of more sanctions.

One analyst said Larijani's departure and the appointment of Jalili, viewed as close to the president, suggested the growing ascendancy of hard-line voices opposed to a more pragmatic line, which he said Larijani backed.

Major powers have agreed to delay new sanctions until November. They want to see if Iran's deal with U.N. inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about Tehran's intentions yields results and to await a report by Solana.

Washington has refused to rule out the use of force if diplomacy fails to resolve the dispute.

Russia supports "direct dialogue" with Tehran and President Vladimir Putin said this week he saw no evidence Iran's programme had military aims.

NO OBSTACLE

Elham, quoted by ISNA, said he did not rule out Larijani attending Tuesday's talks in Rome.

"Despite Larijani's resignation, there will be no change in the council's programme and the new secretary will meet Javier Solana," he said. "There is no obstacle for Mr Larijani's presence in the talks."

The final say in Iran in all matters of state, including nuclear policy, lies with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Analysts say he tends to look for a consensus among several different political camps to reach decisions.

"This (Larijani's resignation) will show that the hard-line position, the defiant position of Iran will continue and there will not be much chance of any change in the Iranian position," said one Iranian analyst who declined to be named.

Larijani may have felt he nothing more to offer in talks with Solana, the analyst said. "The president left no more room for Larijani to manoeuvre and negotiate."

Ahmadinejad, whose rhetoric about the nuclear issue has angered Western governments, has said Iran's nuclear file is closed, though Iran is ready to answer outstanding questions from the IAEA about its programme.

The United Nations has demanded Iran suspend uranium enrichment, a process which can be used to make fuel for power plants or, if Iran wanted, material for warheads.

Iran has repeatedly refused to comply. It has turned a cold shoulder to other mooted proposals such as a "timeout" where Iran would stop expanding its enrichment work in return for the West halting moves to impose more sanctions.

"The IAEA is working with a group of technical counterparts in Iran," a spokesperson for the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday, declining to be named or to comment any further.

Note To George W. Bush: Attack Iran before it gets the bomb and uses it to nuke Israel!

Good Luck

Good luck to both the England rugby squard and Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton in their respective quests to become world champions this weekend.

If South Africa Win The Rugby World Cup Tonight....

Terry Kelly will go supernova, get drunk and violate a haggis he calls "Henry" in public!

BREAKING NEWS: Terry Kelly Suffering From Delusions Of Grandeur

Please will someone now call for the men in white coats?!?

Terry The Traitor?

Yuri Andropov: Terry Kelly's boss during the Cold War?

The fat one Terry Kelly has put his foot in it yet again with this gem of a quote:

"I was pro Europe and anti CND about 30 yrs. Ago.

I used to work for the Communist Party approx. 35 yrs. Ago."

Yet earlier in the year, El Tel made this infamous 'boast' to Clairwil:

"Having been involved in corrupt Labour politics for 40 yrs. I'm already rich, I don't need the money I've stolen enough, so I'm retiring, now crawl back under your stone."

I wonder if the Lionel Jospin of Scotland ever passed on any intelligence information to the KGB during the Cold War?

Quote of the Day 18.10.2007

""I campaigned against the Vietnam War and Pol Pot"

What did you do? Write Lyndon and Pol a letter?"

Dear Pol,

How are you? Hope you are well. I read in the Guardian yesterday that the Khmer Rouge are murdering people. Please tell this is not so. This will make me look bad as I am a socialist. So can you do me a favour and expel all the journalists.

Many thanks

Terry Kelly

A Socialist from Scotland.

PS: Hope you like the haggis I sent."

Reply:

Dear Mr Kelly

Many thanks for your letter. What are we supposed to do with the haggis. It looks like some of the body parts my soldiers play football with.

I have noted your concerns and expelled all the journalists, I think. Please do not worry about looking bad anymore. I'm sure you will sleep much better knowing this.

Your friend

Pol"

How noble you were." - Henry Crun to Cllr Terry Kelly

LOL! Terry got PWN'D

"Nath" The Nitwit

Every once in a while, an idiot makes a comment on this blog that is so obviously barmy, stupid and misleading that the fool in question deservedly gets ridiculed by yours truly for all their ignorance. The latest such moron is someone called "Nath" who has argued that you cannot be a Christian if you reject socialism and that Jesus was a socialist. Not only is this blatantly false (since socialism is a form of Satanism), but Nath also demonstrates the same selective use of the Gospels that Islamofascists have employed with Al-Quran to justify suicide-bombings, terrorist attacks, mass-murder and hatred of the Jews.

I strongly suggest that Nath should read Les' UKIP blog Christianity-is-not-leftwing.

Quotes of the Day 16.10.2007

"[T]he Political Correctness Industry has but one goal in life: to destroy the white Christian heterosexual man and his family, for they are the fount of all evil." - English Yokel

"It's time to end state schooling and replace it with private education. No more indoctrination. No more mind control. No more servitude to the state." - 4micah

Unprecedented Muslim call for peace with Christians

LONDON (Reuters) - More than 130 Muslim scholars from around the globe called on Thursday for peace and understanding between Islam and Christianity, saying "the very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake".

In an unprecedented letter to Pope Benedict and other Christian leaders, 138 Muslim scholars said finding common ground between the world's biggest faiths was not simply a matter for polite dialogue between religious leaders.

"If Muslims and Christians are not at peace, the world cannot be at peace. With the terrible weaponry of the modern world; with Muslims and Christians intertwined everywhere as never before, no side can unilaterally win a conflict between more than half of the world's inhabitants," the scholars wrote.

"Our common future is at stake. The very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake," they wrote, adding that Islam and Christianity already agreed that love of God and neighbour were the two most important commandments of their faiths.

Relations between Muslims and Christians have been strained as al Qaeda has struck around the world and as the United States and other Western countries intervened in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Such a joint letter is unprecedented in Islam, which has no central authority that speaks on behalf of all worshippers.

The list of signatories includes senior figures throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. They represent Sunni, Shi'ite and Sufi schools of Islam.

Among them were the grand muftis of Egypt, Palestine, Oman, Jordan, Syria, Bosnia and Russia and many imams and scholars. War-torn Iraq was represented by both Shi'ites and Sunnis.

Mustafa Cagrici, the mufti who prayed with Benedict in Istanbul's Blue Mosque last year, was also on the list, as was the popular Egyptian television preacher Amr Khaled.

"MAINSTREAM VOICES DROWNED OUT"

The letter was addressed to the Pope, leaders of Orthodox Christian churches, Anglican leader Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the heads of the world alliances of the Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist and Reformed churches.

Williams said he welcomed it as "indicative of the kind of relationship for which we yearn in all parts of the world".

"The call to respect, peace and goodwill should now be taken up by Christians and Muslims at all levels and in all countries," he said.

A Vatican official in Rome said the Roman Catholic Church would not comment until it had time to read the letter.

Aref Ali Nayed, one of the signatories and a senior adviser to the Cambridge Interfaith Programme at Cambridge University in Britain, said the signatories represented the "99.9 percent of Muslims" who follow mainstream schools and oppose extremism.

"In Islam we have had a problem for some time now where the mainstream voices are drowned out by a minority that choose violence," he said.

Nayed said organisers of the letter had set up an ad hoc network among Muslim leaders that could lead to more cooperation in future.

"These people don't take their signatures lightly," he said. "We are trying to institutionalise this so we don't lose it."

The overture to Christians could be followed by similar letters addressed to Jews or secularists, he added.

Pope Benedict sparked Muslim protests last year with a speech hinting Islam was violent and irrational. It prompted 38 Muslim scholars to write a letter challenging his view of Islam and accepting his call for serious Christian-Muslim dialogue.

Benedict repeatedly expressed regret for the reaction to the speech, but stopped short of a clear apology sought by Muslims.

The new letter argues in theological terms, giving quotes from the Koran and the Bible that show both Christianity and Islam considered love of God as their greatest commandment and love of neighbour as the second greatest.

"The basis for this peace and understanding already exists," it said. "It is part of the very foundational principles of both faiths: love of the one God and love of the neighbour."

At last, an outbreak of common sense, decency and sanity in the world. I applaud this message from the Islamic world, but these fine words still needed to be reinforced by fine actions from both Muslims and Christians such as myself in our daily lives.

Bye Bye Ming!

As much as I despise the fascist so-called "Liberal Democrats", I am sad to see Sir Menzies Campbell resign as their party leader. To be fair to Ming, the opinion polls results that he received were no worse than those Paddy "Apocalypse" Pantsdown was getting in the run-up to the 1997 General Election (an election the Fib Dims have fond memories of due to the fact that they increased their House of Commons membership by 25 seats). Ming also did a good job of reuniting the party under his leadership following the fall of the previous leader "Chat Show Charlie" Kennedy. Unfortunately for Ming though, while he did reunited the party, the party was only reunited in opposition to his otherwise backward and feeble leadership.

As a Conservative, it might surprise you to know that I have more reason than most to miss Ming's leadership because he was the Tory party's greatest election-winning asset since Michael Foot-in-mouth during the early-1980s.

Happy 82nd Birthday Baroness Thatcher

Many happy returns.

Rhys Williams Is An Eco-Nazi

Here is my latest letter to the Western Mail newspaper:

SIR – As a climate change sceptic, I strongly object to my 10-year-old brother being brainwashed by either Al Gore’s scientifically flawed vanity project An Inconvenient Truth or President Bush’s friends in the oil industry. How dare Rhys Williams claim to be outraged by the High Court’s decision to prohibit Mr. Gore’s propaganda from schools without guidance notes to refute the flaws and errors in the climate change industry’s arguments? Is it not Mr. Williams himself who is behaving like Big Brother by demonising the High Court for disagreeing with his opinions?

Any school that shows this extremely dubious film should also be required by law to show Channel 4’s documentary The Great Global Warming Swindle so that children are able to make a more informed verdict of their own about this important subject. Mr. Williams and his supporters would be foolish to patronise those children who might disagree with their opinions.

Is This Some Kind Of Sick Socialist Joke?!?

That climate change cunt Al Gore has just been awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his biased eco-fascist propaganda vanity project "An Inconvenient Truth". It is rubbish like this which strips awards such as the Nobel Peace Prize of their prestige and moral authority.

Quote of the Day 12.10.2007

""I have no backbone" ? is that what sustains you when you are shooting unarmed black children Henry [Crun]? good old S.A. Apartheid backbone !" - Cllr Terry Kelly

And to think that this is the very same man who called me a "squlid low life character" and "right wing vermin" for making a quip about him and Madeleine McCann's disappearance. I only made that remark to El Tel because I knew he couldn't resist overreacting and thus forget the near-daily barrage of his own, and quite frankly, far worse remarks about others and myself being paedophiles and state-sponsered child-beaters.

Is This Why Clairwil Is Banned From Terry Kelly's Blog?!?

Apparently, Clairwil has to work alongside an inarticulate, ugly, fat bastard and womaniser who she suspects might be having an incestuous relationship with his own daughter. You don't think this father-and-daughter couple might be anyone we know?!?

US trade deficit shrinks to $57.6 billion

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US trade deficit shrunk to 57.6 billion dollars in August, as rising exports offset higher costs for imported oil, government data showed Thursday.

Adjusted for inflation, it was the lowest level since February 2004, and in absolute terms the lowest since January, Commerce Department figures showed.

The trade gap was also better than the average analyst expectation of a deficit of 59.5 billion dollars, and marked a 2.4 percent drop from July's revised figure of 59 billion dollars.

Exports rose 0.4 percent in August to a record 138.3 billion dollars, helped by the weak dollar. Imports meanwhile fell 0.4 percent to 195.9 billion dollars.

Oil prices remained a big factor in the deficit, accounting for 24.3 billion dollars of the deficit, with the average price of an imported barrel hitting a record 69.09 dollars.

The other big factor in the deficit was China, which accounted for 22.5 billion dollars of the deficit even though the figure was down 5.4 percent for the month.

Terry/McCann

By now most of you will know that the Scottish Labour Councillor Terry Kelly has banned me from commenting on his extremely crap blog for a jibe I made about him being responsible for the disappearance of poor Madeleine McCann.

Before I continue, I would like to make it very clear that although I might have gone rather too far with my quip for some people (and I must admit even myself somewhat), I was not targeting little Madeleine or her stressed and deeply traumatised family for ridicule. What has happened to that family is a terrible atrocity and an absolute utter disgrace. Not a day goes by where I don't pray for the McCanns during this dark and distressing time for them; they are constantly in my thoughts and I hope that against all the odds, poor Madeleine will be found alive soon and be reunited with her family and friends.

The sole target of my sarcasm was that stupid, bloated, hypocritical pile of shit Kelly for the way he treats people who comment on his blog to expose the failings of both his cruel and corrupt politics as well as his deeply disgusting personality. His is a character so foul and ignorant, that he has unintentional cast himself as a figure of total ridicule and derision for those with even half-a-brain.

I will not reiterate in this post the number of offensive remarks he has made about others and myself because the examples available are too numerous to mention in just one go. If you readers have the time, you can always read about El Tel's past indiscretions by clicking on the label "Terry Kelly" at the bottom of this post, read the Terry Watch blog or Google the phrase "Councillor Terry Kelly". Trust me on this because it'll be worth it.

As for the fucking fat cunt himself, perhaps he should save his infamous "false anger" and righteous indignation for the Anglophobic and willfully incompetent Portuguese police, who seem hell-bent on framing Madeleine McCann's parents for her disappearance and death in order to not only cover up their own failings and general laziness during their earlier investigation of this case, but also further punish the McCanns for damaging their precious tourist industry by keeping Madeleine in the public eye instead of buggering off home like good little plebs.

Quote of the Day 11.10.2007

"Al Gore is full of large quantities of carbon enriched shit." - FIDO The Dog

Two Today!

Conservative Mind is two-years-old today and if I do say so myself, I believe that I have improved this blog considerable. A lot of work reminds to be done before this blog is held in the same high regard as others such as Cranmer, Dizzy Thinks and the late great Prague Tory. Thank you to everyone who has read and.... gasp.... maybe even, just maybe, enjoyed reading this blog.

Quote of the Day 9.10.2007: The 750th Post

"Terry [Kelly], now you've done it - my dander is all fired up. 'Twisting' Che [Guevara]'s words indeed!

Still, I suppose Guevara is a natural fit to the rest of Kelly's Heroes - Stalin, Fidel [Castro], [Erich] Honecker and any murdering African despot with his hands in the till.

Just a suggestion Terry, but if you added in the Yorkshire Ripper and the Glasgow/Omagh bombers, you'd have a full-house you could be proud of." - Byeck

Kurt Angle Is A Damn Fine C4' Rip-Off Part Two

Truly, great minds really do think alike. He's doing everything that I would do if I were in the professional wrestling business. YEAH!

Don't Just Sing It Gordo, JUST BRING IT!

Bring it on bitch! We've all been waiting for a general election since before you were 'crowned' Prime Minister. The thought of you being in power any longer than necessary makes me want to puke, so call the election and give us the chance to vote you out NOW!!!

Finally - The Big Annoucement

During my last major depression (March 1, 2003 to September 24, 2005), I often joked that I would end up joining the circus. Little did I realise that I actually would during my latest bout of Churchill's Black Dog since August 31, 2006 - well sort of in a manner of speaking.

Over the summer, in a vain effort to keep myself busy and suppress the urge to commit suicide due to unemployment, I have worked as a volunteer at my local community centre's Friday night circus club for 11-to-18-year-olds (yes Cllr Kelly, I have had my police checks, which came back whiter-than-white). Some of the children are really talented at stilt-walking, fire-jugging and the other activities (unlike yours truly who has trouble jugging three balls, let alone fire). Their development in such a short period of time is really quite remarkable and credit must go to both the children themselves and my boss Nicola Helmsley (no relation to prowrestler Triple H) for their dedication and enthusiasm to the club.

The club has recently obtained funding for it's activities and new equipment (much of the existing gear belongs to Nicola), which finally bring me to the point of this post. Tomorrow night at around 6:20 pm, members of the local and national press such as the South Wales Evening Post and that scumbag Polly Toynbee's rag The Guardian will convene on the community centre to cover the activities of the club. They will also be joined by that Stalinist dinosaur Elfyn Llwyd's colleague and self-proclaimed 'libertarian' Adam "Al-Qaeda-Loving Attention-Seeking Media Whore" Price MP. No doubt the Guardian will proclaim the club's activities as a triumph for centrally-controlled state-funding when the reverse is the case. All the hard work has already been done by Nicola and the children themselves, but Price and his fellow lefties now want the bulk of the credit for themselves. Nevertheless, I hope that you all buy the weekend editions of the Guardian in tribute to the work of the circus.

Quote of the Day 3.10.2007

"New Liebour pro moslem, pro terrorist, anti-semitic, pro parasitic illegal migrants." - FIDO The Dog

It's True! It's Damn True!

Quote of the Day 1.10.2007

"There is no freedom unless there's freedom to fail." - Jackart to Cllr Terry Kelly