Tuesday 17th April 2007

Lunchtime PlayPolitical update: David Cameron launches his first local election broadcast

Lunchtime BritainAndAmerica update: The Labour Party Is In Full Retreat in the War on Terror

BLOGS

ToryDiary: Baron Trimble of Lisnagarvey joins the Conservative benches and Tories make Brown an issue in the local elections

GOLDIE ATTACKS EARLY RELEASE SCHEME

"Annabel Goldie, the Scottish Conservatives' leader, blamed the Executive's "soft on crime" approach yesterday for killings, rapes and attacks on more than a dozen people. Miss Goldie published a list of serious crimes committed by offenders released early from prison over the past few years. While she stopped short of accusing Executive ministers directly for the misery suffered by the victims and their families, she claimed the Executive's approach to automatic early release was to blame." - Scotsman

NATIONAL NETWORK OF SCHOOL BUSES

"The Conservative party this afternoon unveiled proposals to create a national schools bus service as part of its commitment to green transport. The details emerged as it appeared that the government may miss its target to create "greener schools" because headteachers felt burdened by "initiative overload" and bureaucracy." - Guardian

YORKSHIRE TORIES DON'T MENTION DAVID CAMERON

"None of the council campaign literature given to The Times features his name. Eight candidates in wards within the Shadow Home Secretary’s constituency borders are standing pointedly as “Local Conservatives”. The East Riding of Yorkshire, the nation’s largest unitary authority, covers almost 1,000 square miles (2,600sq km). Nearly 23 per cent of the population are pensioners and the largest age group is 55 to 59. Here the “southern softie” Cameron has been forced into the back seat. Polling by local Tories has shown that the most important national issues here are crime and immigration. Not many will “vote blue to go green” — only 8 per cent of local voters rated the environment as the issue that most concerned them." - Times

ONE SIZE DOESN'T FIT ALL

"Hospitals should be allowed to choose the systems they want, provided that those systems meet national standards. The role of the centre should be confined to setting those standards and allocating budgets. Hospital chief executives should have the freedom to buy what they want for their hospital, in consultation with their own clinicians and also be given contractual responsibility for delivering it. This approach would not only deliver more products more quickly - it would also save a fortune, which the next prime minister will wish to note well." - Richard Bacon MP in the Telegraph

HAGUE AND JOHNSON KEEPING BUSY

"His earnings from directorships, TV, writing and on the after-dinner circuit have brought in £790,000, according to the new register of MPs' interests. Some £385,000 was earned before he was selected as part of Tory leader David Cameron's top team in January last year. But extra-curricular activities have still swollen his bank balance by a whopping £405,000 since." - Daily Mail

"To some he may seem an eccentric, self-deprecating, straw-haired fop. But Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, better known as plain Boris, the Tory MP for Henley, has emerged as one of the shrewdest financial minds in Westminster. According to new figures, he earned more than £405,000 from his extra-parliamentary activities in the 22 months after the last general election. That is more than six and a half times the annual parliamentary salary of £60,277, and stands a chance of challenging the top spot among parliamentary earners long occupied by his friend and colleague William Hague." - Guardian

DO THE CONSERVATIVES STILL HAVE A GUT FEELING FOR DEFENCE?

"If David Cameron intends our Armed Forces to remain high-quality, as his occasional statements on defence suggest, there are hard, budgetary facts to face. First, the Navy must have the ships both to operate in blue water, as our Nato and worldwide interests require, and for "littoral warfare", for those waters in which the terrorist and his sponsors swim. The RAF, though the service most able to integrate with American forces, must nevertheless fly more troop-lift helicopters and ground-support aircraft. There have been discredited doctrines of airpower in the past and, if the RAF is to remain a separate service, it must not be allowed to pursue any new ones. And the Army? The Army desperately needs more men." - Allan Mallinson in the Telegraph

LEARNING FROM CELTIC COUSINS

"The Welsh Conservatives have come to terms with devolution - not because they have grudgingly stood for the assembly - but because they have embraced it, recognising that it is not only here to stay but can be used as a force for good. Welsh Conservative Assembly Members (AMs) are expected to learn Welsh, wrap themselves in the Welsh flag and try to reflect modern Wales. Significantly, they have also said that they will work with other parties in an effort to get Labour out of power - a sharp contrast to Annabel Goldie, who can't stop telling everyone that she doesn't want to be in power with anyone, implicitly arguing that a Tory vote is a wasted vote.  Nick Bourne AM, the leader of the Welsh Tories, has signalled to the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and independents that he will consider what is being called a grand coalition. Clearly aiming to tap into general electoral disenchantment with Labour, the Welsh Tories have thus become serious players." - Brian Monteith in the Scotsman

DWP RECOGNISES POLYGAMY

"Monmouth Tory MP David Davies was astounded to discover recently that the Department for Work and Pensions recognises polygamous marriages that were conducted overseas. In a guide to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, the department states that claimants in polygamous unions are entitled to "additional allowances for each additional partner". "Polygamy is both demeaning to women and alien to this country's culture," Davies tells me." - Telegraph Spy

PENSIONS BETRAYAL

"The Conservatives are calling for the establishment of a new "lifeboat" fund to help people who lost money when their pension schemes went bust. It's aimed at helping those people whose pension schemes collapsed over eight years between 1997 and 2005." - BBC

"At last Her Majesty's Opposition is starting to get it's act together over one of the biggest rip-offs against honest, hard working British people any government has ever perpetrated. Gordon Brown's tax raid on our occupational pensions, and the hole it has helped cause in the nation's savings, is shocking enough. But when you consider the damage Brown has done not to the well off, whose pension pots are overflowing, but to the savings of ordinary working people in Britain, then his perfidy is all the worse. Voters should be in no doubt. This Labour Government has utterly abandoned the vast majority of people who elected it 10 years ago." - Damian Rice in the Telegraph

LATEST LABOUR ELECTION BROADCAST, "IF I MET TONY AND GORDON" - PlayPolitical.com

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary...

Comments

[TaxCutter]

If you want a laughable Guardian rant try Will Hutton on Pensions

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2058890,00.html

Worst line is a "a better use of taxpayer's money than making fat pension funds even fatter". Typical Guardianista, who else could have found it dreadful that in 1997 that ordinary taxpayers had gone to the effort of making decent savings for their old age

[sam]

"If I met Tony and Gordon"

Tony wants to know what we want Labour to do next. All together now ....... !!

[James]

Surprised that you're not linking to the poll in The Times, Editor - Labour down to 29%.

[Jonathan]

With the attack on Brown building, you are missing the story on two very important pieces of news. The pound is about to hit $2 to the despair of our exporters and the delight of the Chinese and this is shown up in the worst trade figures for ages with exports only 70% of our imports. All this is occassioned by Brown's indifference to the manufactured sector and the independent Bank of England's determination to attack the domestic housing market, although this is ultra vires given that the measure of inflation they are meant to be shadowing explicitly excludes house prices from its concerns.
Quite quickly this is going to affect jobs and homes and the Conservatives need to look like prophets not acolytes of the Chancellor.

[steppenwolff]

CPI up to 3.1% - highest since it began im January 1997. RPI increased 0.2% to 4.8% - highest since 1992.

Motion of no confidence in Gordon Brown to be tabled by the Tories today as they debate the pensions debacle.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6561989.stm

[Mark Wadsworth]

David Davies doesn't speak up often, but when he does, he tends to hit home.

[Jonathan]

With the attack on Brown building, you are missing the story on two very important pieces of news. The pound is about to hit $2 to the despair of our exporters and the delight of the Chinese and this is shown up in the worst trade figures for ages with exports only 70% of our imports. All this is occassioned by Brown's indifference to the manufactured sector and the independent Bank of England's determination to attack the domestic housing market, although this is ultra vires given that the measure of inflation they are meant to be shadowing explicitly excludes house prices from its concerns.
Quite quickly this is going to affect jobs and homes and the Conservatives need to look like prophets not acolytes of the Chancellor.

[TomTom]

to attack the domestic housing market, although this is ultra vires

Don't be ridiculous.

The housing market is puffed up on too much credit. The B of E should get the money supply under control and stabilise the economy instead of relying on a speculative bubble to deficit-finance retail sales.

[Michael McGowan]

TomTom, I agree although the Bank will be under enormous covert pressure from both major parties not to slow the housing market much. After all, the Brown economic "miracle" is built on cheap credit and the fool's gold of soaring house prices and the Tories will not want to end up taking the rap for his folly, if house prices were to drop.

[Scotty]

New Populus poll out, and Dizzy has highlighted that a Preview of Conservative PPB released on Webcameron.
http://dizzythinks.net/2007/04/preview-of-conservative-ppb-released.html

[Dave Bartlett]

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has issued a damning report into the NHS's overdue and over budget National Programme for IT (NPfIT).

The Register has the story.

[Graham Checker]

Can I encourage everyone who despises the BBC's bias and bullying Europhilic agenda to post a comment on Evan Davies blog lauding the benefits of metrification?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/evandavis/

The BBC just can't stand the imperial system (it's British) and in the absence of the British public being willing to abandon miles, feet and inches is forcing it on us by quoting "kilometres" and "hectares" in its news bulletins.

The only arguments he advances is that it's "too difficult" to understand - clearly he's mathematically challenged - and no-one else uses it.

However, don't be surprised if he filters your comments out, as he doesn't seem able to take criticism.

[601]

Very high figures for the "others" in the POPULAS poll today.

[Richard]

I was interviewed for a MORI poll a couple of days ago. How long does it usually take for them to appear?

[Sir Percy Blakeney]

Dear Con Home

Another link for you, on No Confidence Motion that Gordon Brown has to face today.

http://thelaughingcavaliers.blogspot.com/2007/04/time-waits-for-no-man.html

Many thanks for your previous link in the Best of the Blogosphere

'Sir Percy Blakeney'

[deborah]

School buses? Good idea. But why is it that pensioners will have free bus travel to go wherever they want, on a whim, whereas school children will have to pay "up to £2" a day to go to school and get an education?

[Billy Bunter]

"Very high figures for the "others" in the POPULAS poll today."

Get used to it, the BNP is on 1% - yeah right dream on, who in their right mind would tell a pollster on the phone they're going to vote for them, probably scared they will have there doors crashed into by the Stazi, only yesterday Trevor Phillips refered to bnp members as 'less than human' which is a blatant racist comment.

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/other/display.var.1332541.0.0.php

Just like Le Pen voters they dont bother playing silly games with nosey pollsters, the only poll that matters to them is clearly the ballot box, where time and time again they 'suprise' the pollsters, i reckon another suprise is due this May.

[Jonathan]

@TomTom
You may wish it were ridiculous. You may think it shouldn't be ultra vires but it still is.
The inflation measure which the BoE is required to maintain within bounds, specifically excludes any measure of housing market inflation. If their decisions are influenced by house prices then they are ultra vires and should be judicially reviewed by anyone who loses money thereby.

[Richard]

"The inflation measure which the BoE is required to maintain within bounds, specifically excludes any measure of housing market inflation"

Then maybe they should reconsider their bounds. House price inflation is still inflation and at the moment it is excessive.

[Denis Cooper]

But the measure of inflation considered by the Bank of England is that specified by the Chancellor, and he also sets the permissible range within which that measure must be kept. Unlike the European Central Bank, whose officials have set their own inflation target. There were jeremiahs who complained at the time that it was probably a bad idea to change from RPI-X to the EU's HCPI, but that's what the EU wanted so that's what was done.

[Mike]

Just discovered your site got to say it came as a bit of a surprise to find we had an opposition.Been in the business of opposing long have you ? I am told you have been around for some ten years or so. Good to see you tackling pensions and the like at last, been a problem brewing here for some time if only you had spotted it a little sooner.Replying to a post on a blog earlier today and was reminded of your involvement in the first Iraq war when you charged in with Bush Snr. a pity you pulled out with the job unfinished.Nice to see your front bench earning the big bucks being in opposition not so bad after all then.Most of them are unfamiliar to the lads in the pub, they remembered the big headed bald chappie the one that bragged about his drinking habits or something, and they also new that Camberwell was the the guy in charge and that's about it.I feel that if we are only able to recall Baldy and Cumberwick you may be failing as an opposition.Still now I have found you I will be dropping in more often to offer a few tips.

[Mike]

Well must say the comments here are so much better than the rude posters at Guidos'.I see learned folk of high intellect posting well thought out arguments on the important issues of the day.I feel humble to be in the presence of such as you.However I feel the need to say,ten more years,ten more years,Gordon will revitalise the government with his energy and compassion and the voters will remember again why your lot were kicked out ten years ago,and say never again,never again.

[Mrs Slocombe]

Tonights CONservative party broadcast

1. Woman says she is concerned about building on green belt. (Well the millions of migrants arriving here in the last decade have to live somewhere?!)
CAM TRICK - Tries a guilt trip saying young people have to have somewhere to live dont they? Well they could live in the current housing stock if millions of migrants wernt living in them.

2. Market stall man expresses concern at large supermarket ripping trade from town centre.
CAM TRICK - Says he doesnt want identikit high streets of course the tories are well in the pockets of multi national corporations so Mr Marketstall man dont trust a word he says.
3. Hardworking tradesman tells Cam he is voting BNP.
CAM TRICK - As there is not a slither of difference between the three main parties he quickly suggests to the bloke to vote labour or lib dem - isnt this bloke supposed to be in opposition to Labour?
4. Kind lady expresses concern about young people not being able to afford housing but houses are snapped up by buy to let landlords who then rent them out to the very young people wanting to buy.
CAM TRICK - No way would he do anything to harm all his buy to let chums who have made tidy sums at the cost of young first time buyers offers a pathetic rent then buy idea, did he settle for this stupid solution??NO.

He then talks to some ethnic minority teenagers about getting barred from school and slavery then plants a couple of trees.

Subliminal message of the broadcast - if you are white young british with half a brain do your best to emigrate in the next couple of years.

[Mike]

Posted by: Jonathan | 17 April 2007 at 16:49 You may wish it were ridiculous. You may think it shouldn't be ultra vires but it still is.
The inflation measure which the BoE is required to maintain within bounds, specifically excludes any measure of housing market inflation. If their decisions are influenced by house prices then they are ultra vires and should be judicially reviewed by anyone who loses money thereby.

Jonathan got to say that is one of the most incredibly boring posts in the history of incredibly boring posts,If you don't mind me saying so.

[ballotboy]

http://www.eoc.org.uk/Default.aspx?page=19480

the link above has been sent to all schools - they have to comply! it is part of a much bigger pack of documents.