Saturday 2nd June 2007

1pm ToryDiary: The Conservative Party must unite behind the best leader it has had in years says The Daily Mail

ToryDiary: How will Andy Coulson do?

Platform: Liam Fox: lessons from the Singaporean Prime Minister and the US Defence Secretary

Interviews: Samuel Coates answers your questions

GRAMMAR SCHOOLS ROW AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR CAMERON

"David Cameron last night rejected Tory calls to issue an urgent clarification of his education policy as more senior Conservatives joined the revolt over grammar schools. Mr Cameron, ending a family holiday in Crete, dismissed the worst row to hit the party since he became leader as mere "froth and nonsense" whipped up by the media." - Telegraph

"But senior Conservatives warned that the row was making the party look chaotic and potentially elitist and was damaging relations with activists. Even Mr Cameron's staunchest supporters are baffled by the way an apparently uncontroversial speech on a long-standing Tory policy could spark a 17-day row, infighting and a frontbench resignation." - Guardian

"The rebirth of the Conservative Party under Mr Cameron will not be like the birth of new Labour under Tony Blair." - Matthew Parris in the Times

Also in The Times is this Peter Brookes cartoon>>>

TORY LEAD DOWN TO 2% ACCORDING TO IPSOS-MORI

"David Cameron’s lead over Labour appeared to be slipping away last night after a fortnight of Conservative feuding over grammar schools. An Ipsos MORI opinion poll released yesterday found the Conservatives just two per cent ahead of Labour, the narrowest gap this year." - Daily Express

ROBIN HARRIS TEARS INTO CAMERON IN THE DAILY MAIL

"Mr Cameron has, so far, ridiculed the case for lower income tax, proposed higher taxes on air travel, denounced the Government's modest health reforms as 'frenetic', suggested that hoodies need to be 'loved' (though not, now it seems, hugged), campaigned against public expenditure control, down-played the Atlantic Alliance and refused to back the overwhelming case for nuclear power. The party's self-hatred is truly amazing. It has gone to such extraordinary lengths to express regret that it has even re-written history in the process." - Robin Harris, former Downing Street advisor to Margaret Thatcher, in the Daily Mail

"Cameron's 'heir to Blair' strategy is in disarray - and his enemies are prowling" - Peter Oborne also in The Daily Mail

ANDY COULSON'S APPOINTMENT

He's not always been a friend to the Conservative Party - Guardian

"David Cameron faced new controversy last night as senior Tories questioned why he had made a former News of the World editor his top spin doctor on a reported salary of £475,000 a year." - Telegraph

BLAIR WON'T TACKLE ZIMBABWE

"Tony Blair endorsed South Africa's controversial approach towards Zimbabwe yesterday when he threw Britain's weight behind President Thabo Mbeki's latest attempt to resolve the crisis in his northern neighbour." - Telegraph

LABOUR DEPUTY LEADERSHIP RACE

Interview with Hilary Benn - Times

"The battle for the deputy leadership of the Labour Party has not so far been notable for moments of high excitement. But that all changed yesterday as a classic political spat unfolded which was instantaneously dubbed "handbags at dawn". - Independent

IMMIGRANTS LIVING IN GARDEN SHEDS

"Council inspectors found that an "alarming number" of sheds began to be erected in the back gardens of landlords who were already renting the properties to immigrants." - Telegraph

TORY MP PARKS IN A DISABLED SPACE

"Illegally using a disabled parking bay at Newton Abbot railway station has cost a Devon MP a fixed penalty.Anthony Steen, Tory MP for Totnes, has apologised for the offence!" - Express & Echo

CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATES LEAFLET SAYS "VOTE FOR SEX"

"A pensioner's election campaign got off to a spicy start when he printed a pile of leaflets containing the phrase Vote For Sex." - Sky News Online

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

Comments

[Rebecca]

Where is Day 18?

[Henry Mayhew]

It would be delusional to think today is Day 18. The debate on education policy has been froth and nonsense.

[Rebecca]

Yesterday was Day 17. So today must be Day 18. What is ConservativeHome doing about it?

[Jack Stone]

The two idiots posting above seem to be relishing the damage this row about very little is doing to the party. If David Cameron doesn`t go on and win the next election the right-wing of the party will have a lot to answer for.

[Denis Cooper]

Actually, Jack, David Cameron will have a lot to answer for.

He had a good start; he was a fresh face, young and personable; and he had the benefit of immense goodwill from the Conservative party members. There was a real chance to work with them, thinking through the reasons for the existence of the party and developing a portfolio of sound policies by consensus.

Instead he's conducted himself with arrogance, and displayed contempt towards those members. What a fool, and what a shame not only for the party but more importantly for the country.

[Alison Anne Smith]

Anthony Steen, Tory MP for Totnes should be deselected if he hasn't already said he's retiring. His comments about "the hanicapped" on the BBC news brought the party into disrepute.
He's a silly man !

[wherearethetoriespart1million?]

obviously the incompetent conservative party has done nothing about the latest academic boycott of israel.

physics nobel winner steve weinberg refuses to come to britain because of anti-semitism out of control.

no doubt david "lazy" davis is having dinner with chakribati of Liberty.

it still does not seem to be realised by the people of this site that the bbc destroyed blair from the left and wd certainly do the same to cameron.

http://www.engageonline.org.uk/blog/article.php?id=1036

[Henry Mayhew]

Jack, You're right my words are idiotic. They are straight quotes from the Dear Leader. No spin.

[Rebecca]

End of discussion? Move on? Pretend it never happened? It that what the highly paid ex-News of the World editor has advised?

[ToMTom]

If David Cameron doesn`t go on and win the next election the right-wing of the party will have a lot to answer for.

Posted by: Jack Stone | 02 June 2007 at 09:51

How funny. Set him up to fail already have you Jack !

[Dave Bartlett]

Charles Moore has a good piece in today's Telegraph, "What if Israelis had abducted BBC man?".

[Simon Chapman]

The Daily Mail does not make comfortable reading today.

[Dave Bartlett]

Anne McElvoy was very good on Talking Politics this morning, and Alan Duncan provided the wonderful line, "I sense there is a genuine resentment of academic achievement in many parts of the Labour Party .. and I despise it."

[simon]

'If David Cameron doesn't go on and win the next election the right-wing of the party will have a lot to answer for.'

Wrong. If DC does not win the next election DC himself and the 'ok yah' brigade will have a lot to answer for. I foresee a 1974 Feb Election result for 2009/10. If the 2% lead over Labour is mirrored in other polls then there will be trouble ahead. I suspect a low turnout will be likely for the next election- leading to a hung Parliament. I wonder if the Ed will start a 'predictions' section? Then after the next election we shall see who has been accurate and who has been the 'mystic meg'!

[Dave Bartlett]

Mr Parris is quite complimentary about Conservative Party activists in his column today:

"Tory “activists” are not (like many Labour Party members) political nerds; indeed they are not for the most part activists at all; many are mercifully uninterested in Westminster politics. They are more useful than that: part of their communities – voluntary workers, supper-party givers, churchgoers, cottage-hospital fundraisers, magistrates, vilage-fête organisers."

[Jack Stone]

TomTom.At least I want to see David Cameron become our Prime Minister unlike you who apparantly would rather Gordon Brown was sitting in Downing Street.
David Cameron will not lose to Labour but if the Conservative Party keeps wanting to be more a debating society than a political party he may lose because of his own party.

[Martin Bristow]

Jack you are just plain wrong on this one.Cameron has only himself to blame.He and Willets have provoked a stupid arguement simply to prove he is a "strong leader".He alone is responsible for this.A party must have principle and excellence within education is very dear to many tories who were not afforded an expensive private education.You need only look at those who are disenting to know it is not just the traditional right who are offended.

[TomTom]

TomTom.At least I want to see David Cameron become our Prime Minister unlike you who apparantly would rather Gordon Brown was sitting in Downing Street.

Do you Jack ? Are you sure ? How will you do that ? Tell us how you can achieve your desire ....in my own case I vote for my local MP who is excellent, but i would vote for him irrespective of his party because he is a really good MP.

You in contrast would vote for a lazy, incompetent, MP so long as it was in furtherance of David Cameron's career. Somehow I think that reflects badly on democracy. My MP has to earn his votes - he does - as I see it Graham Brady does.

[Ash Faulkner]

"Anthony Steen, Tory MP for Totnes should be deselected if he hasn't already said he's retiring. His comments about "the hanicapped" on the BBC news brought the party into disrepute.
He's a silly man !"

His constituency is next door to mine. He's very locally popular - he's been the MP for over twenty years. He should not be deselected because of one foolish action. Talk about knee-jerk...

[Tory T]

You should remove your Mori link, Ed the story refers to the most recent Ipsos-Mori poll and the Express got the numbers wrong (cf pb.com)

[Andrew Lilico]

Editor: Your Daily Mail Party Unity blog is (ironically) getting somewhat out of hand...

[Sean Fear]

"If David Cameron doesn`t go on and win the next election the right-wing of the party will have a lot to answer for."

No. The responsibility will be his. He has based his strategy on distancing himself from the views and values of Conservatives - and if that strategy doesn't work, then he must carry the can.

WRT Anthony Steen, if he were deselected, we'd be likely to lose Totnes.

[Derek]

What about our local candidate, Henry Forse. Surely his slogan has to be the one for our age - VOTE FORSE X - brilliant! I bet even that new spin doctor on £475,000 a year couldn't come up with anything better.

[Alison Anne Smith]

Ash Faulkner 15.45 a "Knee Jerk" would be a luxury for fellow disabled wheelchair users who can't move their knees let alone jerk them... especially when we can't park because inconsiderate people park in the blue badge spaces.

[Yet Another Anon]

Even if correct, the latest opinion poll would merely reflect a continuity for Conservative support if other polls were also true and show that what had changed was a revival of Labour support. Support for the Conservative Party is likely to be slightly lower at the General Election than now and the government is likely to recover further from what are mid-term problems.

The Conservative Party could get quite a sizeable increase in total vote and a better increase in percentage vote than in the last 2 General Elections and Labour could still increase it's majority because of returning ex-voters who had stopped voting or had switched to Respect, Independents and the Liberal Democrats. In that case David Cameron would be able to continue and fight a second General Election.

If the Conservative vote stalls or edges forward then the only thing that will keep David Cameron as leader will be if somehow it translates into a fair number of extra seats.

I don't think David Cameron will ever be Prime Minister, a cabinet minister in a Conservative government in 17 years or so yes, but I still think that despite many serious errors in judgement and serious flaws in thinking out policy by David Cameron that the Conservative Party will be closer to having enough seats to launch a serious attempt to get an overall majority at the General Election after he leaves under a new leader with a coherent unfuzzy policy agenda that clearly attempts to address problems that the country has rather than merely an attempt at a slick PR job.

I still reckon that Gordon Brown will get his 10 years and then be followed by Ed Balls who will have to deal with a revitalised Conservative Party probably under the leadership of Priti Patel, probably with the backing of every Conservative leader still alive and aimed at showing that the Conservative Party is also a party of aspiration for minority ethnic groups on merit and that political correctness is not neccessary for such people to reach the top.

People thought in 1975 that the election of Margaret Thatcher guaranteed a Labour victory under Jim Callaghan and it ended up quite differently.