After reading this post on Iain Dale's blog this morning, I decided to check out some of the old episodes of Webcameron, and came across this one - it was one of the first videos he did, released in October 2006. I think it's interesting that two years ago Cameron was already speaking out about some of the issues which have reared their head in recent weeks, particularly concerning the reputation of politicians and MPs' salaries. I hope this goes some way to demonstrating that Cameron is not as vacuous as so many Labour politicians make him out to be.

I'm not sure that this picture even requires a comment. 

Harriet Harman's *brilliant* performance at Prime Minister's Questions yesterday again underlined to me the fact that she is coming to sound more and more like Pamela from Gavin and Stacey. It is well worth a watch.

Sir Fred

The row over Sir Fred Goodwin's pension continues to rage.

On Monday Lord Myners, the City Minister, was forced to respond to questions during a Lords debate on the economy over whether he had endorsed the specific sum of money to be paid. He denies knowing the exact figure at the time of Sir Fred's departure, but admitted he had learned of it shortly after. There are many who are questioning whether he should have been more proactive in questioning the nature of the pay-out.

Yesterday Glen Moreno, the acting chairman of UK Financial Investments - the body set up to manage government-owned stakes in part-nationalised banks - criticised RBS during questioning in the Commons Treasury Select Committee for enabling Sir Fred to receive a sum of £703, 000 a year by asking him to take early retirement when he would have only been entitled to £416, 000 a year if he had been sacked. John Kingman, the Chief Executive of UK Financial Investments, was also on the receiving end of some harsh words from John McFall, the Committee Chairman, for coming to the session unprepared to answer questions on the bonuses paid out to staff from other banks, despite the fact that he had been briefed that he would be asked such a question the previous Friday.

Today Harriet Harman made a gaffe during Prime Minister's Questions concerning the basis on which Sir Fred had received his Knighthood. This somes amid claims that it should be removed.

The Times has also reported today that Sir Fred is considering leaving the country for a few months until the situation cools down. There is much talk about legal action but it is quite obvious that nothing will come of it.

This latest saga demonstrates the attitude towards bankers that has been commented on in an earlier blog post, and which was summarised so brilliantly by Boris:

'Sir Fred has become the epitome of the bankers who collectively occupy a place in public opinion significantly lower than cannibalistic paedophile global-warming deniers' (Yesterday).

A football-related post in keeping with the spirit of a Saturday afternoon

Roy Keane has revealed in a recent interview with the Irish Times the reasons that led him to resign as manager of Sunderland AFC. He cites as one a change in the attitude of club Chairman Niall Quin, who he claimed began asking him at to try and put a smile on the face of the players. Keane's response was this:

"The day I walked into Sunderland, putting a smile on the faces of well-paid players was the last thing anybody wanted me to do. Players had been taking the piss out of the club for years. If they wanted them smiling all the time they should have employed Roy Chubby Brown."

Brilliant.

All Roads Lead to London

Today the vast majority of the North-East of England and Scotland has been covered by a thick canvas of snow. This is essentially the first time over the past few weeks that these areas have received 'proper' snow. Before now, we have been subjected to news story after news story telling us that it has been snowing - but I presume this meant 'snowing in London'. HALF of one episode of the BBC Six O'clock news recently was dedicated to announcing that it was snowing; presumably people didn't know, and living in it wasn't quite enough to reenforce the fact that it was snowing (so typically British). But today's weather conditions have prompted not a single story on the BBC news website. This is just one manifestation of the way in which most people in London don't care about anything that happens in Britain beyond Watford.

If you appreciate intelligent comedy then watch the following