So runs the quote from George Orwell’s Animal Farm, which seems very apt on this day of lurid allegations about our Prime Minister’s bizarre sexual proclivities. What is probably even more bizarre is the person who dished the dirt, Lord Ashcroft, former Tory party deputy chairman. Hell hath no fury like a peer scorned. But, as we have learned already, today would be a great day to bury bad news. So let’s cast our eyes around to see what else was happening while we were laughing our socks off at David Cameron’s alleged porcine necrophiliac bestiality.

A bit of how’s your father?

Well there was the news that George Osborne was visiting China where he announced that the UK taxpayer would underwrite £2bn of risk, called a loan guarantee, for the proposed new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point. This is expected to rise substantially over the life of the project. But we can’t call it a subsidy, because that has a negative connotation. But that’s what it is. The UK government has already agreed to buy electricity from the new power station at a minimum price of £92.50 per MWh. For comparison, a power station burning natural gas can produce electricity at a price as low as £55 per MWh. Although if you read the DECC’s “Levelised Costs” i.e. fudged, nuclear appears to be competitive.

So in these austere times, why are we over paying for some new nuclear power stations? Saving the environment? You can Fukushima that. So it must be something else. What is a byproduct of nuclear power plants? Plutonium. The raw material for nuclear bombs, the prestige weapon of choice for the modern career politician. My guess is that these power stations are designed to keep the UK as permanent member of the UN security council. No nukes, no prestige.

Another item which reared it’s head over the weekend was the news that an anonymous “serving general” had said that there could be a mutiny if Jeremy Corbyn were elected as prime minister. This is a truly shocking story. You see, every member of the armed forces swears allegiance to the Queen, who is the head of the armed forces. But she no longer directs the armed forces because of the Royal Prerogative, which means that the power to direct the armed forces rests with government ministers. They can wield this power by decree if they wish, with no need to consult parliament to ask for permission. Which means that this anonymous general, if he exists at all, would be contravening his oath. Which would be treason, for which the death penalty is still on the statute books.

So why no investigation to find the source of this story? Well it could be something to do with publisher, The Sunday Times, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch and run by Rebecca Brooks, friends with David Cameron and his wife.

David Cameron and Rupert Murdoch

David Cameron and Rebecca Brooks

So it would seem that this is a non story, cooked up by persons unknown, in an attempt to smear the leader of the opposition and discredit him. Or it could be that the Prime Minister has already exercised the Royal Prerogative and ordered the anonymous general to talk to the press. Either way, this is a serious issue and it needs to be investigated. But will it?