ConservativeHome: Tuesday 25th September 2007

Columnist Andrew Lilico: The reform of higher education

Platform: Melissa Crawshay-Williams explains the work of the Conservative Foreign & Commonwealth Council

Fox questions Labour's belated council tax discount for servicemen in Iraq and Afghanistan

"All overseas servicemen and women are to get 25pc cuts in their council tax, The Sun can reveal. Defence Secretary Des Browne will announce the cash giveaway today. Anyone in the forces who is serving in Iraq and Afghanistan will qualify for the bonus when it is introduced next month."

Liam Fox's reaction: "This has all the hallmarks of the MoD being bounced into giving a good headline to Number 10. The nature of this measure will be divisive amongst the Armed Forces because it discriminates between personnel on different operations. It will put further pressure on the frontline budget because no new money is being made available to the MoD. Yet again it's Gordon's spin first, our forces' welfare second."

(Iain Dale had this story last night)

NOT GORDON BROWN'S FINEST HOUR...
...Sun continues its EU Referendum campaign

The Sun's Nikkala was on the beaches of Bournemouth yesterday as part of The Sun's referendum campaign >>>

"Defiant Gordon Brown yesterday devoted just 12 seconds of an hour-long speech to who governs us — Britain or Brussels. The PM refused to bow to the nation’s demands for a referendum on the EU Constitution. He dismissed the campaign led by The Sun — who yesterday mocked him up as wartime leader Winston Churchill — in a mere 34 words, insisting the nation was safe in his hands."

"Again, recently, the Foreign Secretary said the EU Constitution had been "dropped" and we heard this mirrored by other ministers. The rest of Europe knows this is not so, and the British electorate knows this too: it's time for the Government to stick to the promise made at the last election. In the end it will reap political dividends." - Labour MP Gisela Stuart writing in The Daily Telegraph

Miliband to warn Labour rebels that European rebellion threatens party - Telegraph

Leader column reactions to Brown's speech

"His solutions had one thing in common. They are all built on Labour's fixation with top down, government-knows-best policies. Why should we be surprised? At the Treasury, Mr Brown wanted to pull every string in Whitehall. Now that he has the authority to do so, he has no intention of holding back." - Telegraph

"Why is he speaking only now of counting migrants in and out of the country - and what good will that do, anyway, when European and human rights laws seem to deny us all control of our borders? Will an advertising campaign really help cut down on teenage drinking? And haven't we been told a thousand times before that foreign drug-dealers and armed robbers will be deported? As for our schools, it's all very well for Mr Brown to say: "Education is my passion." Didn't Mr Blair tell us more than ten years ago that it was all three of his top priorities - and where did that get us?" - Daily Mail

"Three months into his tenure, the nation has more information about his agenda and life story but not much more about his mission. We appreciate that he is “serious” and that in serious times this is a virtue, but what exactly he is serious about remains ambiguous." - The Times

Peter Oborne diagnoses Brown's raid into Tory territory

"This wholesale raid into Conservative territory did not stop at Cameron. Not content with marshalling Margaret Thatcher to his cause two weeks ago, Brown also stole the rhetoric of Winston Churchill as he spoke of the indomitable spirit of the British nation in adversity. Significantly there was practically no mention of the Labour Party, and none of the trade unions." - Daily Mail

Tory defectors parade on stage for their new party

"The former Conservative MP Quentin Davies was given a warm reception by the Labour Party conference as he made a platform speech longer than those allowed by most Cabinet ministers. His eight-minute address was punctuated by several bursts of applause, and occasional cheers, as he showered praise on Gordon Brown and launched a savage attack on David Cameron." - Times | ePolitix

Cameron neglects his base at his peril

"Frankly, [Conservatives in Henley are] tired of the PR spivvery and the trashing of the Thatcher legacy. They want the Leader of the Opposition to oppose the Government - not agree with Labour all the time, on everything from levels of public spending to slapping two grand on the price of a car in the name of saving the planet." - Richard Littlejohn in The Daily Mail

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