When the International Fur Trade Federation places half page ads in The Times calling for the Government to support the proposed European Union International Agreement on the fur trade as a "breakthrough for animal welfare", surely its time to smell a (badly decomposing, inhumanely trapped) rat?
There will still be jobs for the boys under New Labour. Leader of the House, Ann Taylor, has ruled out a ban on second jobs for MPs. They say it would create a political elite out of touch with the real world! Bet millionaire Labour Minister Geoffrey Robinson is well in touch with the workers in his constituency. Most MPs with outside earnings get them because they are MPs!
There have been a lot of - so far unfounded - attacks on Sinn Fein for benefiting from surprising increases in electoral registration in its key seats. This matches the silence surrounding the conviction of SDLP's Joe Hendron's agent, following his defeat of Gerry Adams, for electoral fraud. In fact, SF's successes could have more to do with the fact that they were mounting a "Register now" campaign as far back as September 1993. A briefing in Republican News explained register deadlines, supplementary registration, etc in a way akin to that now adopted by Labour's organisation department. Who learnt from whom, we wonder.
Some Blair babes are at a loss what to do now Labour has been elected. Not so Peter Metcalfe, former researcher to John Battle MP and, at 24, a driving force behind the now silent Young Labour. He is now Public Affairs Manager at British Nuclear Fuels!