He meets a man from the Russian Embassy who he thinks is a spy. They go for a burger - which is absolutely a normal response to meeting someone you think is a Russian spy.
The Russian, Sergey Nalobin, pumps Guido for information. And they become friends.
Exactly what anyone would do confronted by an agent of Putin, isn't it?
The Russian invites him to a drinks party at the Russian embassy and then the Russians start putting money into Paul Staines' business. Totally normal to have Russians putting money your way.
Paul Staines goes along to the Russian embassy and starts giving them advice. It's an event Chaired by Putin's ambassador. And it's Staines' salesman who is keen for him to go - so reasonable to think Guido gets paid for this too.
Guido's Russian friend is indeed a Russian spy, Guido's instincts, when Guido started making friends with him, turn out to be right.
This guy, Paul Staines aka Guido Fawkes, remains to this day the man Boris Johnson's Government works closely with.
And that's the story in *his* words. Staines is notoriously indifferent to the truth. Makes you wonder how much worse the real story is.
It pains me to link to the Spectator but you can read Paul Staines in his own words here (I also like the bit where he doesn't trust himself to go to Russia because there might be photos of what he does.) spectator.co.uk/article/a-very…
Also shouldn't forget that Paul Staines, via his MessageSpace entity, used to help the Russian Embassy explain its "foreign policy positions" for money.
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Labour caving to some of the richest people in the country - whilst raising the tax burden on employing the low paid - has been described as the "lobbying coup of the decade."
But how bad is it? 🧵
Well, we know that Labour promised to raise £565m per annum from taxing private equity properly. But, after lobbying, agreed only to raise 14% of that or £80m.
But in fact, it's worse that that (or better, if you are amongst that mega rich class).
For a particular type of carried interest Labour actually proposes to *cut* tax rates...
Three reasons why inheritance tax on farmland is a good thing (beyond the obvious - that it will raise money). 🧵
First, farmland being subject to inheritance tax will reduce the value it has as a token to pass wealth down tax free between generations, so that farmland is cheaper and farming more profitable.
Second, farmland being subject to inheritance tax will reduce the number of people who hold it as a token to pass wealth down tax free between generations so it is instead held by people who hold it to farm it so it is more efficiently used.
I see my tweets about the effects of Wes Streeting's ban on puberty blockers on younger trans people have been criticised by the DHSC’s adviser on suicides. 🧵
1. What is undoubtedly true is that Victoria Atkins was warned by her own civil servants about the ban on puberty blockers posing “a high risk of self-harm and suicide” and Wes Streeting followed his predecessor in ignoring that advice.
2. Before publishing my thread (below) we went to the Tavistock and Portman with these numbers for a response. Other journalists went to NHS England for a response. Neither denied the numbers and both declined to comment.
Medically, not much will change. The NHS has not prescribed PBs for years. And now families will travel abroad to collect the drugs they know their children need. Streeting can make it less safe for everyone, and impose huge sacrifices on poorer families, but he cannot stop this.
Politically, I can't recall ever feeling this depressed. When the Tories did this cruel ideological act there was hope, for they would soon be out. Now Streeting is doing worse and it feels like there is none. Personally I am finding it *very* hard to assimilate this.
There are widespread rumours (and some evidence) of more to come and inferentially what Streeting is saying is that he will not engage with the trans community or listen to warnings from civil servants or the NHS and he will not engage with suicide data.
Second, given that the structure of the ban recognises the risks to of cutting off puberty blockers for those already prescribed them by the NHS, what steps have you taken to ensure those prescribed puberty blockers privately can continue to access them?