Conservative Home

24 May 2013 08:46:30

Newslinks for Friday 24th May 2013

8pm WATCH

Boris Johnson and Will Smith discuss Aristotle. Smith: "Aristole is one of my heroes." Boris "Is he one of yours?" Smith: "Aristotle wrote a book called the Poetics that's very big in film-making." Boris: "Aristotle's Big!"
Sally Bercow is found guilty of libel over her McAlpine tweet

3pm Local Government: Vote purple, go red: UKIP put in a Labour council leader in Norfolk

2.15pm ToryDiary: Isolationists must bear some blame for Syria's bloody collapse - and the risk it poses to Britain

2pm Patrick Cusworth on Comment: "Refusing to bow to intimidation, Chen exposed systematic forced abortions and sterilisations carried out under the China’s infamous one-child policy. For this, he was sentenced to four years imprisonment." Chen Guangcheng – a hero for our times.

1.15pm Local Government: How can councils defeat the merchants of hate?

Noon Local Government: Complaint against Stephen Greenhalgh rejected

Two posts on the Woolwich murder lead ConservativeHome:

ToryDiary: Cameron's response to Woolwich was right

Tameena Hussain on Comment: The Woolwich murder was not, repeat not, caused by Islam

Iain Dale's Weekly Friday Diary: What on earth is happening to the Bow Group?

Local Government: Sorting out the Troubled Families

The Deep End: Heresy of the week - The real reason why we didn’t win in 2010

WATCH: Obama heckled over drones

Woolwich 1) The police and security services had the murderers on their radar. Cameron pledges two separate investigations.

"David Cameron said there would be a full investigation by the Security and Intelligence Committee after it emerged that both of the attackers were known to the police and MI5, but neither was assessed as a major security risk. The Telegraph has learnt that six years ago Adebolajo was arrested after being involved in violent protests by extremists outside the Old Bailey." - Daily Telegraph

Woolwich attack: police arrest two more people – Financial Times
Praise for three women who stood strong in face of terror – The Times (£)
Woolwich residents struggle to absorb implications – Financial Times

Woolwich 2) Adebolajo was prevented from travelling to Somalia to fight alongside Islamist terrorists

“One of the pair – Michael Adebolajo – was so high profile he was photographed outside Paddington Green police station six years ago behind notorious hate preacher Anjem Choudary. He was even intercepted by officials as he attempted to travel to Somalia to fight alongside Islamist terrorists last year. It also emerged that Adebolajo was a violent ex-prisoner who was a member of a banned terrorist group” – Daily Mail

Footie-mad class joker who turned into killer extremist – The Sun
Put foreign-born extremists on first plane back to wherever they’ve come from, demands Bob Stewart MP - Daily Mail

Woolwich 3) The murder victim was Lee Rigby

"Drummer Rigby's family, friends and colleagues today spoke about their shock and sadness at the loss of a young man who “would help anyone if he could.” Born in Crumpsall in Manchester, Drummer Rigby had joined 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in 2006 and was an enthusiastic and accomplished member of the Corps of Drums and, alongside his infantry duties, remained passionately interested in music with an equal passion for Manchester United." - The Independent

Lee Rigby: a family man who would do anything for anyone – The Times (£)

Woolwich 4) “Copycat” terror alert as MoD increases security at bases

"The terrorist murder of a soldier outside his barracks could be followed by copycat attacks, the Prime Minister was warned yesterday. MI5 and Scotland Yard chiefs told a meeting of the Government’s Cobra emergency committee that other Islamist extremists would seek to replicate the killing...Security at bases and military installations around the country has been stepped up. ‘The big concern we have is that this could very easily be copied,’ a security source said. ‘This is the sort of thing that can go from flash to bang in a very short time’”– The Times (£)

Barracks lost its MoD police five years ago – The Times (£)

Woolwich 5) Attacks on Muslims spike after murder

"The Tell Mama co-ordinator Fiyaz Mughal, from Faith Matters, said the service usually recorded three or four incidents on an average day, but the spike after Wednesday's killing reflected simmering resentment against Muslims and was unlikely to fizzle out...A 43-year-old man was being questioned on Thursday on suspicion of attempted arson and possession of an offensive weapon at a mosque in Braintree, Essex." - The Guardian

Far-right group, English Defence League, vows: “It’s war” – Daily Express

Woolwich 6): Warsi urges media not to build up Choudary

"TV stations should not give airtime to preachers of hate who are ‘idiots and nutters’, a leading minister said last night. Baroness Warsi spoke out amid a growing furore at Westminster about the amount of coverage given to Anjem Choudary and other militant Islamists on the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 News." - Daily Mail

> Today:

ToryDiary: Cameron's response to Woolwich was right
Tameena Hussain on Comment: The Woolwich murder was not, repeat not, caused by Islam

> Yesterday:

Mark Wallace on ToryDiary: In the aftermath of Woolwich, what should we be watching out for?
Graeme Archer on Comment: The Woolwich terrorist shouldn't have been given so much publicity
ToryDiary: One of the terrorists said: "We want to start a war". They mustn't succeed. Attacks on mosques play their game.
Haras Rafiq: Is the Government doing enough to combat Islamist extremism?

Simon Jenkins: This echo chamber of mass hysteria only aids terrorists

“We will not buckle to terrorism said David Cameron after the Woolwich murder on Wednesday. He then buckled. Everyone buckled. The home secretary buckled, the defence secretary buckled, the communities secretary buckled, the mayor of London buckled, the chief of police buckled, the press buckled, the BBC summoned its senior editors and they buckled. Everyone buckled. The first question in any war – terrorism is allegedly a war – is to ask what the enemy most wants you to do. The Woolwich killers wanted publicity for their crime available nowadays at the click of a mobile phone. They got it in buckets”- Simon Jenkins, The Guardian

Stop them now - Sun Editorial
A grotesque attack on our values – Daily Mail Editorial
UK must avoid over-reacting to a gruesome attack – Financial Times Editorial
Inside the twisted mind of a Jihadist – Michael Burleigh, Daily Mail
We need to talk about Islamism - Alan Johnson, Daily Telegraph
Islam does not turn men to terror - Mehdi Hasan, Daily Telegraph
Muslims, we must take out this cancer in our midst - Ali Miraj, The Independent
Woolwich was a case study in the banality and the idiocy of evil - Fraser Nelson, Daily Telegraph
Enemy within that hates our tolerance – Max Hastings, Daily Mail
It is the Muslims who have to fight extremists – Pauline Neville-Jones, The Times (£)

Obama details drone policy in speech outlining counter-terrorism policy

“Special courts would be asked to decide on targeted assassinations of terrorism suspects under a clutch of new legal checks proposed by Barack Obama to bring an end to the notion of a ‘boundless war on terror’.  The president, who currently has to personally sign off on targeted drone strikes outside the US, hopes the increased oversight will help bring his controversial programme of killings out of the legal shadows. He also proposed that a smaller number of drone attacks in the future would be carried out primarily by the US military rather than the CIA, having first passed a new test to ensure that alternative options have been exhausted” - Guardian

Immigration falls to lowest level in a decade

“Net immigration fell to 153,000 in the 12 months to September last year. That compares to a net influx of 242,000 in the previous 12 months. In total, 500,000 arrived in the UK compared with the previous figure of 581,000 while numbers leaving rose from 339,000 to 347,000 – a net fall of 89,000 people. Yesterday, campaigners for tighter border controls welcomed the drop. Sir Andrew Green, chairman of the pressure group MigrationWatch UK, said: ‘The latest immigration figures are very good news.” – Daily Express

Question marks over loyalty of ministers to Cameron

“In particular, Mr Cameron’s allies detect a ‘pattern of behaviour’ from Philip Hammond, the defence secretary, after he strongly criticised the EU, gay marriage and proposed defence cuts. Some Tories speculate that the 57-year-old Mr Hammond, who was previously considered somewhat grey and ultraloyal, might even quit rather than implement further cuts to the armed forces, setting himself up as a leader of the Tory right." – Financial Times

Philip Collins: Tories should not be prisoners of tradition

“Unless we are able stand apart from the institutions to which we belong and demand that we can leave (or in the case of gay marriage, enter), then we are not formed by an institution, we are trapped in it. Traditions are not always right and the reason that the rights of man is a necessary idea is exactly so that individuals can make their claims against vested power” – Philip Collins, The Times (£)

Fear of racial backlash allowed child sex abuse to continue

“An abject failure of local authority leadership that exposed girls to years of exploitation by an organised street-grooming network is disclosed in a review of the Rochdale child sex scandal published today.The independent report reveals that senior officers on Rochdale council knew of concerns that local children were being used and sold for sex but did not take adequate measures to protect them.' – The Times (£)

Let hospitals go bust, says watchdog

“The NHS must learn from the airlines, telecoms and energy markets in using competition to improve services, the head of the Office of Fair Trading said yesterday. Hospitals should be allowed to go bust and ministers must stop bailing them out or risk discouraging innovative organisations from offering alternatives, Clive Maxwell said. Mr Maxwell used a speech in London to say that market forces could encourage NHS bodies to ‘raise their game’ and produce better services.” – The Times (£)

News in brief

Benefit cap forces families out of London, charity says – The Times (£)
Benefits cheat named who got £350,000 for “disabled” kids - Sun
GP who filmed abuse on “spy watch” gets 12 years – The Times (£)
Online porn drives children to take risks with sex, report says – The Times (£)
Charles and Camilla’s helicopter makes emergency landing – Daily Mail
The Wit and Wisdom of Boris Johnson, reviewed by Suzanne Moore - Guardian

> Please use the thread below to provide links to news topics likely to be of interest to ConservativeHome readers and to comment on political topics that haven't been given their own blog. Read our comments policy here.

24 May 2013 | Permalink | Comments

23 May 2013 08:38:10

Newslinks for Thursday 23rd May 2013

5pm Mark Wallace on ToryDiary: In the aftermath of Woolwich, what should we be watching out for?

4pm Graeme Archer on Comment: "Please do not wave any arbitrary, absolutist principle in my face: there are some images which would never be broadcast. Not showing every available image on the News At Ten is not the same as supporting China's censorship of google." The Woolwich terrorist shouldn't have been given so much publicity

1.45pm WATCH: Cameron - We will never give in to terrorism

1.30pm Andrew Lilico on Comment: By the time we have an EU referendum it'll hardly be worth doing - since we'll all agree to Out

10am Cllr Daniel Seal on Comment: Hague's visit to Israel - good for Britain, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and prosperity

ConservativeHome leads today with two pieces on the terrorist murder in Woolwich:

Paul Goodman on ToryDiary: One of the terrorists said: "We want to start a war". They mustn't succeed. Attacks on mosques play their game.
On Comment, Haras Rafiq: Is the Government doing enough to combat Islamist extremism?

The fourth piece in our 'Getting to know U-KIP' series asks: How has Nigel Farage changed?

This week's Culture Column is from Nick Pickles: From Bonnie Tyler to Brexit

LocalGovt: To avert the UKIP threat, Conservative councils should stop following socialist policies

The Deep End: The rightwing consensus on shale gas is about to be torn apart

Woolwich Attack: Cameron: "We will never buckle"

'In a joint address with French President Francois Hollande, Mr Cameron said: "People across Britain, people in every community, I believe, will condemn this attack. We will not be cowed, we will never buckle. Terrorists will never defeat our values. We will always win." - Daily Express

Woolwich Attack: May: "Despicable acts will not go unpunished"

'The Prime Minister is returning to London and will chair another COBR meeting in the morning. In the meantime, security has been increased at Army barracks across London. The Home Secretary added: 'This attack was an attack on everyone in the United Kingdom, and it will be condemned by people from every community. Our thoughts and prayers tonight are with the victim and his family. We have seen terrorism on the streets of Britain before, and have always stood firm against it. Despicable acts like these will not go unpunished.' - Daily Mail

Elusive threat of self-starter terrorists - The Times (£)
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" - Transcript of terrorist's speech - The Times (£)
Muslim Council of Britain condemns "barbaric act" - The Sun
Douglas Murray: Islamists repeatedly said they would do this - The Spectator
English Defence League attempt to fan the flames - The Times (£)
Stand firm and donate to Help for Heroes - The Sun Says
They will never destroy pride in and support for our Armed Forces - Daily Telegraph Leader

>Today: ToryDiary - One of the terrorists said: "We want to start a war". They mustn't succeed. Attacks on mosques play their game.

PM tells backbench rebels: There'll be no more changes to my EU policy

'He warned Eurosceptics who may seek further concessions: ‘It’s a very clear, very decisive policy. [It] doesn’t matter the pressure I come under from outside the Conservative Party or in Europe or inside the Conservative Party – this policy is not going to change.' - Daily Mail

Cameron reaches out to gay marriage rebels - Daily Express
Time to focus on cost of living - Daily Express Leader
Take the test: are you a "swivel-eyed loon"? - The Times (£)
Hunting for loons - The Spectator
In praise of loons (not that kind) - The Guardian
New push to bring EU referendum forward - The Independent
Iceland cancels EU membership talks - Daily Mail
Will marriage equality really strengthen families? - Daily Mail
Matthew Parris: Lord Howe warns us of an enemy within the Conservative Party - The Times (£)

IMF: UK must get spending on infrastructure

'The International Monetary Fund has called on George Osborne to boost infrastructure spending urgently to help fuel Britain’s economic recovery, but to the relief of the Treasury toned down its previous critique of the chancellor’s fiscal strategy. In its annual report on the UK, the IMF said signs of better growth were “encouraging” but urged the government to do more to help the economy recover and rebalance.' - FT (£)

Chancellor should be relaxed about the critique - FT Leader (£)
Carry on with austerity, but slower, says IMF - Daily Mail
The economy is still what matters most - Daily Mail Leader
There are no magic solutions, says Chris Giles in the FT (£)
We're not calling for Plan Balls, says IMF - The Times (£)
Next up: the spending review - James Forsyth, The Spectator
Osborne to return banks to the private sector - Daily Express
The Chancellor's dangerous bubble - The Spectator
More criticism for Help To Buy - FT (£)
Turn Britain into a tax haven, says Mark Littlewood in The Times (£)
Firms still struggling to get credit - Daily Mail
EU tax evasion deal creeps closer - Daily Mail

Hunt goes to war with GPs - and vice versa

'The Health Secretary will say: “As a member of the public, I want to know my GP. And I want my GP to be someone that knows me and my family. Yet we’ve turned GP practices into places where it’s a daily challenge for receptionists to cope with huge call volumes and GPs to get through to all the people they need to see.” But Dr Gerada accused Mr Hunt of using GPs as scapegoats for deep-rooted problems in the health service.' - The Times (£)

Gove backs military-style free schools

'Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, is proposing the establishment of a chain of state-funded “free schools” which boast an Armed Forces ethos in line with similar plans in the United States. The disclosure came as the Department for Education granted approval for one military-style school in Oldham – the first of its kind in the UK. Under plans, The Phoenix Free School will open from September 2014 staffed by former members of the Armed Forces and led by a serving Army captain.' - Daily Telegraph

Deal for Afghan interpreters is "flawed" - The Times (£)

Coalition 'to last until 2015'

'Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg put on a co-ordinated display of confidence in the longevity of the Government as they tried to quell pressure from both their parties for a divorce. Mr Cameron said it was “absolutely” his intention to continue governing with the Liberal Democrats, despite the disclosure in The Times last week that the Tories were making contingency plans for an early break-up.' - The Times (£)

Ann Treneman: Cap'n Clegg's nautical metaphors run aground - The Times (£)
Clear case for continuing Coalition - The Independent Leader
Lib Dem sabotage should encourage Tories to work hard for a 2015 majority - Daily Telegraph Leader

Police Commissioners building "cosy little empires"

'Once the cost of their offices are totalled up, 14 PCCs – or one in three of the total – are already costing more than the Police Authorities they replaced, the Commons home affairs committee said. One Police and Crime Commissioner, former MP Tony Lloyd who heads the Greater Manchester force, has appointed 45 members of staff, including two communications officers and a head of ‘scrutiny and engagement’.' - Daily Mail

Merger vote brings left-wing "super-union" closer

"A Unite-PCS merger would create an extreme super-union that would hold the country and the Labour party to ransom. This is the latest in a long line of evidence that the unions’ stranglehold over Labour is tightening, further weakening Ed Miliband,” said Henry Smith, a Tory MP.' - FT (£)

Boris: The Coalition won't even introduce even moderate strike laws - Daily Telegraph

News In Brief

Sue Cameron meets the man in charge of Britain's complex laws - Daily Telegraph
Stephen Glover: Boris paternity case is a victory for press freedom - Daily Mail
MPs' average bar bill is £409 - The Sun
Officials grant disability benefit to one identical twin…but not the other - Daily Mail
Alleged Hyde Park IRA bomber in court, 31 years on - Daily Mail
Why does the BBC love lefties so much? - The Spectator
MI5 bugged Edward VIII - Daily Mail
Eric Joyce MP arrested. Again. - Daily Mail
Quentin Letts visits BMQs: Boris Mayoral Questions

23 May 2013 in May 2013 newslinks | Permalink | Comments

22 May 2013 08:30:41

Newslinks for Wednesday 22nd May 2013

8.15pm WATCH: Prime Minister - We will never buckle in the face of terror

6.45pm ToryDiary: Cameron returning to London after terrorist attack in Woolwich

5.15pm ToryDiary: Ten reasons why the Conservatives will win the next General Election

3.30pm Lord Flight on Comment: Why Germany should leave the Euro

1.15pm Nick Pickles on Comment: Local councils should stop putting local papers out of business

12.45pm ToryDiary: 102 more free schools approved

11.30am Nick De Bois MP on Comment: On the big issues Conservatives are right - we need to be united too

10.30am ToryDiary: David Cameron gives relaxed performance on Today programme

9.30am On ToryDiary, the third post on our special series on UKIP: What are UKIP’s policies?

ToryDiary: Three ways for Cameron to get back on the front foot - and stay there

On LeftWatch, it's 2015 - and Andrew Gimson finds Labour's leader trapped in a French tragedy: Ed Miliband becomes Prime Minister and detests being Francois Hollande

Columnists:

Henry Hill: When nationalisms collide
Greg Clark: Insurance - a national success story

Mary Macleod MP on Comment: Injustice in Downton Abbey. Why women should have equal rights to peerages

MPsETC: Our breakdown of how Tory MPs lined up in last night's Same Sex Marriage vote

Local Government: Councils should not subsidise the arts

The Deep End: The Cypriot banking crisis: if you’ve got a pension you ought to know what happened next

Gay marriage vote passed by Commons...

"The House of Commons has voted to allow gay marriage in England and Wales, despite 161 MPs opposing the government's plans. Several Tory MPs spoke against the proposals, which have caused tensions in the party, but the Labour and Lib Dem leaderships backed them. The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill now goes before the House of Lords." - BBC

"Two Cabinet ministers, David Jones, the Welsh Secretary, and Owen Paterson, the Environment Secretary, were among the 133 Conservative MPs who voted against the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill. They were joined by ten other ministers, including John Hayes, who is Mr Cameron's senior parliamentary adviser and a key figure linking the Prime Minister with backbench Tories." - Daily Telegraph

>Yesterday: ToryDiary: The same-sex marriage bill. Bad when it started. Just as bad now. It should be opposed today.

...but Tory opponents urge peers to take up the fight

"David Burrowes, the Conservative MP for Enfield Southgate, said that peers had every right to oppose the bill because it was not included in the coalition agreement and was not promoted clearly in any of the party election manifestos. His comments came after Peter Bone, the Conservative MP for Wellingborough, said: "The unusual position we have is none of the political parties put this in their manifesto. Would [you] agree that [the House of Lords] has the complete legitimacy to reject this bill because there is no Salisbury Convention?" - The Guardian

"If it wishes to mend fences the Government must get back to the key priorities it was formed to pursue: getting down the deficit, reigniting economic growth, helping families with the cost of living, reforming welfare and cutting taxes on hard-working people. It is by these benchmarks and not trendy social reforms that David Cameron’s administration will be judged come the next election. Banging on about gay weddings will hardly impress voters who cannot afford their heating bills." - Leader Daily Express
Farage: I won't expel those who say gay sex is "disgusting" - Daily Telegraph

Clegg won't pull plug on coalition..

"Nick Clegg is to insist the Liberal Democrats will not "pull the plug" on the coalition government ahead of the next general election. In a speech at Westminster, the deputy prime minister will say he and David Cameron remain "absolutely committed" to maintaining their partnership. But Mr Clegg will accuse some Tory MPs of "game playing" over issues such as Europe and same-sex marriage." - BBC

"His reading of the riot act to the Tory right is likely to be seen as the kind of slap-down to Cameron's rebels that the prime minister himself feels too weak to administer because of the advance of Ukip. The deputy prime minister will accuse Tory MPs of "disappearing into a parliamentary rabbit warren, obsessing over this new tactic or that new trick: paving legislation, enabling referendums, wrecking amendments". - The Guardian

...while Cameron says "clear the battlefield"

"David Cameron has told ministers to “clear the battlefield” and concentrate on core issues such as welfare and the economy as Tory divisions over gay marriage were again laid bare...The Prime Minister had used a political Cabinet of Tory colleagues yesterday morning to try to draw a line under two weeks in which Tory splits over Europe and divisions between the leadership and grassroots have been on display. Mr Cameron told ministers to concentrate on bread-and-butter issues such as education." - The Times (£)

Afghan interpreters win right to stay in Britain

"Six hundred Afghan interpreters are to be given the right to a new life in Britain after a climbdown by the Government. Those who have worked alongside British troops on the front line for more than 12 months will be allowed to bring close family members to the UK on a five-year visa. The Prime Minister’s decision to throw open the door comes after a backlash against his original proposal to discourage interpreters and their families from coming to Britain." - The Times (£)

Hunt blames Labour for A&E pressures...

"The Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt blamed the previous Labour Government for allowing GPs to opt out of after hours care which has resulted in an increase in patients attending A&E units. He admitted that “short-term pressures” could result in NHS not coping “as well as it needs to and affecting the “quality of care”. But he added that responsibility lay with “target-at-any-cost culture under Labour” which “led to the disaster of Mid-Staffordshire”. “We will take responsibility for sorting out those problems, but the Labour party must take responsibility for creating a number of them,” he said." - The Independent

...NHS chief to quit next year...

"Sir David Nicholson will retire as head of the NHS with a £1.9 million pension pot — a sum that drew outrage from campaigners even as they celebrated the news of his departure. After announcing yesterday that he would go by March next year, he was lauded by the Prime Minister, Health Secretary and senior health service leaders, but condemned by others as a bully who had ignored patient safety." - The Times (£)

"Has bungling NHS chief Sir David Nicholson no shame? He was at the helm when 1,200 patients died needlessly at Mid Staffs, yet plans to retire with a golden goodbye. Sir Dave said he had “no idea” about the failings — yet he was part of the problem, not the cure." - The Sun Says

...£70 million NHS bill for health tourism

"Freeloading foreign patients owe taxpayers almost £70million in unpaid NHS bills, it emerged yesterday. Campaigners reacted with fury at the huge sum hospitals have been forced to write off over the past decade. Health service finance chiefs have little chance of tracing foreign patients who fly home without paying. And there is evidence the problem is growing. Almost a third of the total, £25million, has been lost in the past two years alone." - Daily Express

Shale gas potential huge

"Our current consumption of gas was 3,055bn cubic feet (bcf) in 2011. According to a report out today from the Institute of Directors, UK shale gas output could peak at 853bn cubic feet (bcf) per year under a low scenario and reach 1,389 bcf under the best case scenario, which actually feels entirely plausible. Other benefits include £3.7bn a year in investment spending, supporting 74,000 jobs." - Allister Heath City AM

Binley says "growing gap" between Cameron and Party

"A Tory backbencher who pushed unsuccessfully for a party investigation into “Loongate” complained today of a “growing gap” between David Cameron and his party. Brian Binley, the 71-year-old MP for Northampton South, said that his local party activists were outraged by reported comments from a close Cameron aide dismissing them as “mad, swivel-eyed loons”." - The Times (£)

Chris Grayling to cut Legal Aid...

"The justice secretary has defended the government's proposed changes to legal aid in England and Wales. Chris Grayling told MPs he wanted a legal aid system "that provides justice but that is also affordable"...The proposals being considered by the government for reforms to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act include stopping defendants with a disposable income of more than £37,500 from automatically receiving legal aid and curbing the right of prisoners to legal aid." - BBC

...so why aren't the Tory Right cheering him on? Asks Quentin Letts

"Claims that the Coalition is unremittingly soppy are not necessarily factual. But was Mr Grayling encouraged by those grouches who so often claim to speak for the Tory Right? Nope. In the Chamber yesterday morning we had no Peter Bone (Con, Wellingborough), no Edward Leigh (Con, Gainsborough), no Tim Loughton (Con, E Worthing) and at first no Sir Gerald Howarth (Con, Aldershot), all of whom had been so unhelpful to Mr Cameron on Monday. Messrs Bone and Leigh are less trainable than Burmese cats but Mr Loughton used to be a Cameroon. Then he lost his job as a minister. Stamp, stamp, stamp went little bootied feet." - Quentin Letts Daily Mail

Toby Young says David Cameron is getting the serious stuff right

"In a sense, those critics who bemoan the fact that Cameron"s not better at party management, better at dealing with the press, more obsessed with presentational issues, etc, are complaining that he's not superficial enough. But when Cameron became Prime Minister he clearly took a conscious decision to focus on substance rather than style. He calculated that the public were sick to the back teeth with being spun by his two predecessors and were ready for a more serious-minded leader. In spite of all the needless difficulties he's got himself into through his inattention to the quotidian detail of politics, I still think he was right about that." Toby Young Daily Telegraph

Simon Heffer says Tory establishment has sneered at Party faithful for decades...

"The fact is the Tory establishment has long despised the truly Conservative people who are the backbone of the party and whose only crime is to love their country and its traditional values and culture. All that has changed is that their supercilious contempt is out in the open." Simon Heffer Daily Mail

>Yesterday

Emma Pidding on Comment: The Party's Board has full confidence in Lord Feldman
ToryDiary: "I am proud of what you do" – David Cameron's message to party activists
John Bald on Local Government: Our eyes are perfectly stable

...while Hadley Freeman says the Party must embrace the 21st century...

"One could make the point here that it's possibly time for certain members of the Tory party to join the 21st century before they manage to implode their party, but, really, I'd rather dream about a Britain ruled by a badass lesbian queen, with kd lang and Melissa Etheridge singing at her coronation. That calypso song would rock the afterparty." Hadley Freeman The Guardian

...Jacob Rees-Mogg says the membership can revive...

"To rejuvenate the party this needs to reverse and the effort to revitalise policy discussion is a step in the right direction. The localism that is preached for government ought to be practised in organisational structures. Agents who were once the real power of the Tory Party need to be restored to their pre-eminence and Central Office ought to be the servant rather than the master. Campaigning organisations, including socialist front operations such as 38 Degrees, can gain followers and influence so there is no fundamental reason why mass membership organisations cannot flourish. They need energy and panache to succeed." - Jacob Rees-Mogg Daily Telegraph

...and Mary Riddell says Labour have problems with elitist sneering too

"According to one influential player, Labour is run by elitists who think that “the voters are the problem”. Party polling is said to show that the angry and forgotten are the paradox people: “Pro-European but anti-EU, pro-worker but anti-union, pro-compassion but anti-welfare, pro-marriage not anti-gay.” As one analyst puts it: “It would be graceful if the party at least listened kindly to people rather than interrupting or ignoring them.” - Mary Riddell Daily Telegraph

Mark Wallace on the UKIP threat

"Ukip still has its weaknesses, of course. The professional regional structure of the party remains decidedly patchy. It doesn’t have the money for a proper IT infrastructure to log voter and canvassing data. Many of its new councillors find themselves unexpectedly elected –unvetted – with almost no local party organisation. But those gaps may soon close. Ukip’s success has opened doors to new donors, and a few hundred pounds from each of its councillors would give the coffers a boost. Most important of all, and most troublingly for the main parties, the insurgents have a spring in their step – and floating voters are paying attention." Mark Wallace City AM

News in brief

The annual report of the Criminal Records Bureau shows that as many as 500 people could have received incorrect criminal records between April and December last year - Daily Telegraph
IMF say sell RBS and LLoyds shares - The Times (£)
Whittingdale warns imprisoning phone hacking journalists would damage Britain's reputation - Daily Telegraph
Salmond threatens that Scotland would opt out of UK National Debt - The Times (£)
Paul McCartney backs new free school in Liverpool - The Independent

And finally...Sam only went out with me because I had a car says Dave

"David Cameron has confessed that his wife Samantha only fell for him because he owned a car - and that she may not have been 18 when he fell in love with her....Mr Cameron, who is nearly five years older, said he was only able to woo the teenager because he drove her around and took her out for meals." - Daily Mail

22 May 2013 in May 2013 newslinks | Permalink | Comments

21 May 2013 08:30:28

Newslinks for Tuesday 21st May 2013

8.30pm MPsETC: 127 Tory MPs oppose the same sex marriage bill, but it still passes the Commons

7.30pm WATCH: Martin Callanan MEP wants concrete results from tomorrow's EU summit on energy and tax evasion

6.30pm WATCH: Today's scrap over Scottish independence...

3.30pm ToryDiary: The Tory leadership is betting the house on house prices – it might not end well

1.30pm Dr Lee Rotherham on Comment: Why we should pull out of the EU Defence Agency

10.30am Two posts related to the "swivel-eyed" story:

Emma Pidding on Comment: The Party's Board has full confidence in Lord Feldman
ToryDiary: "I am proud of what you do" – David Cameron's message to party activists

ToryDiary: The same-sex marriage bill. Bad when it started. Just as bad now. It should be opposed today.

Also on ToryDiary, the second post in our special series on UKIP: How do UKIP campaign?

Shazia Ovaisi writes this week's Foreign Policy column: Pakistan's election – Freedom or Fragmentation?

Andrew Haldenby on Comment: Michael Gove and the teaching unions – allies in preserving ring-fencing, which should go

John Bald on Local Government: Our eyes are perfectly stable

The Deep End: The rise and fall and rise again of North Sea oil (to be followed by another fall)

David Cameron writes to reassure party activists after the "swivel-eyed" furore...

"The Prime Minister did not refer explicitly to the remark, but insisted that he admired and respected his party’s activists. ... 'I am proud to lead this party. I am proud of what you do,' he said. 'I would never have around me those who sneered or thought otherwise. We are a team, from the parish council to the local association to Parliament, and I never forget it.'" - Daily Telegraph

"Whether those on the Right will be mollified remains to be seen, but at least the Prime Minister has started to focus on uniting his party, rather than dividing it." - Daily Telegraph editorial
"Mr Cameron must demonstrate personally that he feels a bond with the party he leads." - Times editorial (£)
"If the Tories do not pull themselves together very soon the party will have forfeited its case for re-election" - Guardian editorial

> Yesterday:

ToryDiary: A precondition for victory is unity – but unity requires boldness and generosity from Cameron
Lord Ashcroft on Comment: Enough! Time to behave like the governing Party we all want to be

...as he comes under further pressure in the polls and from his party, with talk of a no confidence vote resurfacing...

"David Cameron issued a love letter to Tory activists last night as UKIP closed to within two points in the opinion polls. ... The dire poll ratings will fuel the discontent of Tory MPs who warned yesterday the number prepared to force a leadership election has risen in recent days.’" - Daily Mail

"But senior figures indicated that the chairman of the Conservative backbench 1922 committee, Graham Brady, was expected to receive further letters calling for a confidence vote. ... One senior figure said: "This is worse than John Major. There was quite a lot of sympathy for him because of the Maastricht rebels. He also listened, though he probably listened too much. With Cameron it feels like this could be terminal – and will be so before the election." - The Guardian

"More than twice as many people believe UKIP leader Nigel Farage is closer to Conservative activists than David Cameron, a poll reveals today." - The Sun

"...who can doubt the main thrust of Mr Farage’s attack – that Mr Cameron’s circle looks down on the party’s natural supporters?" - Daily Mail editorial
"...there is now a serious chance that Mr Farage will smash the existing party system and usher in a very different structure at Westminster." - Iain Martin, Daily Telegraph
"Politics needs mavericks, not just the same old chumocracy and groupthink" - Jenni Russell, The Guardian

> Yesterday on ToryDiary: Who are UKIP?

...and gets a kicking from The Sun...

"...the root of his undoing has been his own dithering, U-turns and endless broken pledges. Since long before the 2010 election, Cameron has over-promised and under-achieved. ... Only a man of Cameron’s Etonian arrogance would imagine he could reinvent Britain’s oldest political party without haemorrhaging support. But just to send defectors even faster into Nigel Farage’s warm embrace, he hurled a few playground insults UKIP’s way too. ... What is lost in this orgy of self-destruction is that Cameron’s position is so often RIGHT." - Sun editorial

...and from a sweary Norman Tebbit...

"The former Conservative chairman said that the alienation of some traditional Tory voters showed how ministers had 'f***ed things up'. ... The peer made the observation during an interview with The Big Issue, in which he said UKIP would be the main beneficiaries of bad Tory proposals." - The Times (£)

...and from Rachel Sylvester's Tory sources...

"Despair and frustration are growing on the government benches. 'It's a vacuum filled by anarchy,' says one Tory minister. 'There is no leadership, direction or character at the top. You can't govern with gimmicks – you need gumption and guts. All the rows are a proxy for 'What the hell is going on?' and 'Where are you going?'" - Rachel Sylvester, The Times (£)

"Mr Cameron has never openly addressed the question of why he fell short in 2010. Yet the battle to interpret that result is shaping his present and will influence the party’s choice of an eventual successor." - Janan Ganesh, Financial Times

...but he avoids a Commons defeat over gay marriage by joining up with Labour

"David Cameron enraged Tory rebels last night by striking a late deal with Labour to prevent his own MPs wrecking gay marriage legislation. ... The Prime Minister backed Labour’s calls for an immediate consultation on the future of civil partnerships once gay marriages are legalised. ... This could either lead to them being extended to heterosexual couples or scrapped totally." - Daily Mail

"A surprising aspect of last night’s vote is that Cameron took his (in many ways commendable) stand after a week of concessions to his dissenters on the arguably more crucial issue of Europe." - Donald Macintyre, Independent
"We need to rescue marriage, not replace it" - Christian Guy, The Times (£)

> Yesterday:

Don't mention the tax avoidance! Mr Cameron meets with Google boss

"David Cameron held talks with the billionaire head of Google yesterday but failed to tackle him over allegations the giant corporation has dodged hundreds of millions of pounds in tax. ... Eric Schmidt attended the meeting in Downing Street as a member of the Prime Minister’s elite Business Advisory Group." - Daily Mail

"The backlash against corporate tax avoidance could end up costing the country jobs and investment, [the] Treasury minister [David Gauke] has warned." - Financial Times

> Yesterday, by Charlie Elphicke MP on Comment: Labour is responsible for tax avoidance culture

William Hague's latest warning to Bashar al Assad

"William Hague issued an ultimatum to Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad yesterday, warning Britain will arm the rebels seeking to oust him unless he comes to the negotiating table. ... The Foreign Secretary said there’s a ‘compelling case’ for changing the European Union arms embargo on Syria next week to allow weapons to go to moderate rebel groups." - Daily Mail

Jeremy Hunt attacks out-of-hours GP services

"Millions of patients are being failed by GP clinics that have become 'mini A&E departments', says Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. ... He blasted surgeries where it is 'impossible' to get a next-day appointment — and out-of-hours services are provided by doctors 'who do not know you from Adam.'" - The Sun

"England's 34,000 family doctors will face Ofsted-style inspections overseen by a new chief inspector of general practice to secure 'safe and responsive care', the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, is to announce." - The Guardian

"The Government's chief medical officer will warn today that resistance to antibiotics is one of the greatest threats to modern health." - Daily Mail

Owen Paterson bans one tree to save another

"Ministers are set to ban imports of sweet chestnut trees to prevent a repeat of the ash dieback crisis threatening to devastate Britain’s countryside. ... The announcement by Environment Secretary Owen Paterson was made following the recommendations of an independent task force set up to look at tree and plant health." - Daily Mail

The 35 Tory MPs who face fracking in their constituencies

"Drilling for gas could take place across the south of England in the constituencies of 35 Tory MPs. ... A new analysis of the areas where shale - a type of rock rich in natural gas - is plentiful and drilling licences have been handed out, covers the constituencies of several cabinet ministers." - Daily Mail

Ed Davey fears that the rise of UKIP will fuel climate change scepticism – but backs George Osborne

"The rise of Ukip risks fuelling climate change scepticism as Conservative politicians embrace the populist 'saloon bar' politics of Nigel Farage’s party, the Energy Secretary, Ed Davey, has warned. ... Asked if he thought Chancellor George Osborne was among the climate sceptics, Mr Davey told The Independent: 'I’ve never seen evidence to that effect.'" - Independent

Labour wants vocational teachers to spend time in industry

"All teachers involved in vocational education would have to spend a period of each year in industry, under Labour plans to integrate further education with emerging skills gaps identified by businesses. ... The strategy is based on recommendations from the Institute of Education, aimed at addressing the low levels of employer involvement in the skills system, the lack of high quality apprenticeships and the poor quality advice available to pupils." - Financial Times

Spending on schools cuts be cut by a fifth without harming results, claims think-tank

"Spending on schools could be cut by almost a fifth without harming results, a think-tank claims. ... Reform, a right-of-centre group, published an analysis suggesting that there were weak links between school budgets and the quality of teaching and pupils' progress." - The Times (£)

"We trust this research will stiffen the resolve of Michael Gove, as he wrestles with the education establishment’s resistance to his reforms." - Daily Telegraph editorial

> Today on Comment, Reform's director Andrew Haldenby writes: Michael Gove and the teaching unions – allies in preserving ring-fencing, which should go

Leveson Inquiry caught up in gagging row

"The Leveson Inquiry was under fire tonight after claims Scotland Yard gagged it over extraordinary allegations against a senior officer. ... Fresh questions emerged about its effectiveness as it emerged a report detailing suspicions that the officer was leaking to the News of the World was withheld." - Daily Mail

"Police officers must declare if they are friends with journalists under draconian new guidelines published yesterday." - Daily Mail

Dominic Sandbrook: It's insulting that MPs want a pay rise

"In its way, this story tells you everything you need to know about British politics in 2013. Never in living memory has our political elite seemed so disconnected from the pressures faced by ordinary people. Never has the gap between the rulers and the ruled yawned quite so wide." - Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Mail

> Yesterday, by Marina Kim on Comment: If MPs are to be paid more, voters need a right of recall

Benedict Brogan on political reporting in the age of social media

"Where Alastair Campbell complained about the drumbeat of the 24-hour news channels, Mr Cameron must contend with the minute-by-minute verdict of social media, where his performances and policies are scrutinised, judged and discarded instantly. Where journalists used to meet in the bar, they now exchange gags and gossip on Twitter. It is a political accelerant." - Benedict Brogan, Daily Telegraph

News in brief

"Private companies who win government contracts to help the jobless find work are 'parking' some of the most disadvantaged people on benefits, MPs warn today" - Independent
Police have searched the Commons office of Nigel Evans - Daily Mail
"The public does have a right to know about Boris Johnson’s philandering past, the Appeal Court confirmed." - Daily Mail
"More than a third of Brits taking out payday loans earn less than £15,000 a year" - The Sun
Three million parents over 50 have their grown-up children living at home with them - Daily Mail
Survey finds two in three people oppose legal aid cuts - Independent
Abu Qatada wants a bigger taxpayer-funded house - Daily Mail
FTSE hits a 13-year high - Daily Mail