Medallion Man

President Obama's visit has spurred Daveybloke into doing a little poodle-training of his own. The Conservatives have decided to let their owner, Lord Ashcroft, have a bit of fun playing soldiers, and have appointed him as a senior adviser to the review of Britain's military bases in Cyprus. Doubtless Lord Ashcroft will have much to say about how our brave boys might be better utilised in the financial interests of people like Lord Ashcroft, and I am sure the Conservatives will be happy to take the hint. Additionally, Lord Ashcroft has bought a lot of medals which were earned by other people, and is a big fan of Bomber Command; but, aside from these qualifications, his appointment provides Daveybloke with an important opportunity to rub the Liberal Democrats' noses in something malodorous and sausage-shaped, like Liam Fox. Wee Nicky was granted an audience with the Prime Minister, in which he apparently protested on the grounds that Lord Ashcroft "carried too much political baggage"; in other words, that the appointment would be a public-relations problem for the Conservatives. According to a spokesbeing, "the Liberal Democrats could not support the appointment, but they did not go to the wall on this", presumably because Wee Nicky knew that if he whined too much Daveybloke wouldn't let him hump Obama's other leg.