The political week on Twitter
By Phil ScullionFollow @PhilScullion
The week's best political tweets in one handy location.
David Starkey's controversial Newsnight comments last Friday continued to draw attention:
@DavidLammy – Yes, I have now seen what he said. His views are irrelevant – he's a tudor historian talking about contemporary urban unrest.
@HurstAKA – David Starkey blamed Rap music. He wants them to get Tough on Rhyme; Tough on the causes of Rhyme.
@TheRealJackDee – Just watched the David Starkey thing on Newsnight. He'd argue black is white that bloke.
Hackgate returned with a letter from former News of the World royal correspondent Clive Goodman giving the impression that knowledge of phone-hacking was widespread, causing doubt to be cast on the evidence given to July's select committee hearing:
@CastleBlandings – Oh good. #hackgate is back. It still doesn't matter to anyone other than the media #theysolovetotalkaboutthemselves
@MichWalkden – Love the turn of phrase: "The committee invites you to reconsider your evidence" #hackgate #letters
@DeborahJaneOrr – The Met could have stopped this #hackgate stuff if only they'd thought to put 16,000 officers on it after the second night.
@EamonnONeill – best Watergate phrase I discovered during PhD some time ago, was 'It's grab a lawyer & blame somebody else time!' Def. applies to #hackgate
@AkeelaAhmed – Funny how #hackgate is not referred to as an example of 'moral decay' or how we live in a 'broken society'
@will_henley – No10 say "inappropriate to comment on #hackgate during police probe" but won't stop commenting on looters and others yet to be convicted.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission cleared top police officers over phone-hacking misconduct:
@ChrisBryantMP – Not sure IPCC is quite as independent as I'd like.
Former director of public prosecutions Ken MacDonald's argument on the Today programme that wildly different sentences are just not justice gained support from MPs:
@julianhuppert – Always good to hear Ken MacDonald talking sense
@DavidJonesMP – I'd be astonished if courts did lose their objectivity. Not appropriate for politicians to second-guess judicial decisions.
Strong riot sentences prompted many to compare looters with MPs involved in the expenses scandal:
@primlystable – A friend just pointed out that looters who stole a few £ worth of stuff got much longer jail sentences than MPs who stole thousands.
@aral – So, given the sentences some of the rioters are getting, I guess we're going to have to hang the bankers, right?
Greater Manchester police caused a mini-storm over a triumphant tweet on riot sentences:
@gmpolice – Mum-of-two, not involved in disorder, jailed for FIVE months for accepting shorts looted from shop. There are no excuses!
@gmpolice – Thanks to all for feedback messages – all your comments have been noted. You are right, it is not our place to comment on sentences.
@gmpolice – just to clarify – we deleted tweet not to hide it, but because it was not appropriate to comment on a sentencing
@DavidPrescott – When exactly did @gmpolice turn into Judge Dread? Not surprised its deleted that tweet about zero tolerance for mums receiving stolen shorts
Wife of the Speaker Sally Bercow's decision to appear on Celebrity Big Brother, following intense speculation after she shut down her Twitter account, elicited a mixed response:
@SallyBercow – Shutting down my Twitter for a bit. Now't to do with David Cameron's *loopy* social media proposals, mind… Take care & have fun tweeple 🙂
@Jo_Caulfield – I have lost ALL my respect for Sally Bercow… which is strange because I NEVER had any respect for her in the first place.
@badassday – If there was a "fit & proper" test for becoming an MP (even a Labour one) Sally Bercow would fail. She makes the Hamiltons look classy.
@DickonFarmar – Well I think Sally Bercow can safely kiss any chance of becoming an MP goodbye after this…hideous woman #BBUK
@VampsHaveLaws – Sally Bercow… no idea who this is. Her husband is an MP… yeah, divorce soon then. Lol
@RoseElizabethE – Sally Bercow isn't an MP. Failed to be elected as even a councillor.
@LouiseMensch – Let it be said that @SallyBercow is her own woman. the whole 'you are who you marry' is bit boring & tiresome in 2011. Speaker isn't on CBB
@TomHarrisMP – Depressed by the ungracious, petty comments of some of my parliamentary colleagues with regard to Sally Bercow.
David Cameron appears in the crowd at the Oval for the England v India cricket match:
@thebedfordfox – good to see PM dave cameron enjoying a day at the cricket. well, it's not as if he has anything else to worry about, is it?
@DHewson – Good to see Cameron at the cricket, ok its the first game he's seen since Eton v Harrow 1980, but good to see that his priorities are right.
@SockedKiwi – David Cameron sits down at the cricket among 'the people' then takes his jacket and tie off. Will he next start waving a '4' sign? #PR
@johnprescott – I got hammered for playing croquet when I WASN'T running the country but Cameron goes to watch cricket when HE IS! #wheresthegovernment #TMS
@Konnolsky – #cricket You must pity David Cameron. He dyslexic. He looking for the Croquet
@jackthorne – Joining Agnew on Test Match Special at tea is David Cameron. He's missed Question Time, Today, Newsnight during last few weeks but cricket…
