ConservativeHome: Saturday 6th October 2007

The Platform hosts an anonymous article from the City that picks apart Labour's record for competence in handling banking, Northern Rock and deposit insurance:

"Labour’s reforms have already damaged our position as a global financial centre, potentially undermining one of the UK’s most important growth industries. And Labour’s response to its regulatory errors is to introduce more regulation, which will have the consequence of necessitating even more regulation after that. If this counts as economic competence, it’s hard to know what would count as incompetence."

WrongMan: Gordon goes off the rails

Seats and Candidates: Nick Boles selected for Grantham & Stamford

ToryDiary: Thanks Gordon - You brought the Conservatives together

Columnist Cameron Watt welcomes David Davis' announcement that the Conservatives will massively expand abstinence-based drug treatment

Mercer leaves big tent over troop withdrawal spin

"A member of Mr Brown's "Government of all the talents" announced yesterday that he was quitting the "big tent". Tory MP Patrick Mercer, appointed by the Premier as an adviser on security in one of the shock "defections" of the summer, said he had finished work for Home Office Minister Lord West a month ahead of schedule. But it will be seen as a snub to the Premier - after Mr Mercer was critical of his decision to "spin" the withdrawal of 1,000 troops from Iraq. He accused Mr Brown of "double counting" in his announcement that 1,000 troops would be coming home from Iraq before Christmas." - Daily Mail

George Osborne's 'million pound moment'

"The Conservatives’ conference began according to the “disaster movie” script. “We have had a fantastic year,” Simon Mort, the conference chairman, said on Sunday, before being barracked by delegates unable to hear because of a failure in the sound system. On the football pitch things weren’t going any better. “We don’t seem to be doing very well,” Samantha Cameron observed as she watched Tory MPs lose 10-0 to a team of lobby journalists. Then came George Osborne’s “million-pound moment”. If Mr Brown calls an election and fails to win it convincingly, then Monday’s speech by the Shadow Chancellor will be seen as the moment that the political narrative took an unexpected turn." - The Times

A closer look at non-dom proposals

Tories' non-dom tax idea may be illegal - Guardian

"I have lost count of the number of times I have written articles with headlines saying: "Brown to crack down on non-domiciles by closing tax loophole." They date back to 1994 when he was shadow Chancellor. Yet he never did it. Why? Maybe he didn't think of the Tories' trick of an annual levy. But I doubt it. I suspect he looked at the issue from every angle in his 10 years at the Treasury, and decided it wasn't worth the candle." - Andrew Grice in The Independent

The popularity of scrapping stamp duty

"While the decision to abolish stamp duty for first-timers didn't grab the headlines in the same way as IHT, it is a move a whole host of organisations have campaigned for in recent years, as house prices have rocketed, pricing out those on low incomes – and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser." - Independent

"Almost nine in ten Britons are behind David Cameron's plans to scrap stamp duty on homes worth up to £250,000, new research from findaproperty.com has revealed." - FirstRungNow

Amanda Platell praises the Tories

"After this week, I'm happy to agree that David Cameron sparkled at the Tory conference, and proved he has real courage.More importantly, the Tories showed they had depth, too. Quiet man Iain Duncan Smith roared with compassion, William Hague annihilated Brown's record in government and George Osborne offered wonderful tax proposals. Set against Brown's feeble brat pack - the infantile Milibands and aptly-named Balls - the Tories have got real gravitas on the front bench. Indeed, the whole party has surged ahead, thanks to a focus on the things that really matter to voters: tax cuts; the family; immigration; crime; and Europe. Just makes you wonder where they'd have got to today if they hadn't spent so long stuck on Dave's icebergs." - Daily Mail

Election timing

"This dip in the polls gives Mr Brown a tremendous opportunity to show he’s not just a calculating street-fighter, but a man prepared to risk his premiership in order to gain the trust of the nation he wants to lead. Such a chance may not come again." - Matthew Parris in The Times

"As the Prime Minister agonises over whether to call a snap general election he is receiving conflicting advice. One faction believes the Tory leader can be “blown up” in a three-week campaign; another is urging a slow, relentless unpicking of the Cameron project." - Francis Elliott in The Times

"The Prime Minister now risks looking like a fool if he calls an election, and a coward if he doesn't." - Charles Moore in The Telegraph

"After this week's Tory fight-back one thing is for sure: Mr Brown would be quite foolish to underestimate Mr Cameron" - Independent leader

Labour MPs in marginal seats urge Brown to wait - Telegraph

Gordon Brown promises policy announcements and 'search-and-destroy' attacks on Tory tax pledges as part of strategy to win a November poll - Express

Statements on public spending and Iraq stir election fever - Sky News

The business community's reaction to conference

"Reaction from the City was mixed. Some thought Tory policy was irrelevant as the party was unlikely to win an election, while many said privately that they still considered Mr Osborne a "bit of a lightweight" despite his crowd-pleasing speech on Monday." - Sophie Brodie in the Telegraph

Brown breaks promise on proceeds of fuel tax

Although he promised to use higher fuel tax revenues for transport improvements, the latest 2p increase in fuel duty will go into general funds. Theresa Villiers, Shadow Transport Secretary, told The Times: “This is a blatant broken promise which Mr Brown is trying to explain with a tortuous reinterpretation of what constitutes an increase in duty." - Times

HIPS blames for 37% fall in number of houses being put on the market - Daily Mail

We'll all miss the wonderful Ann Widdecombe - Andrew Pierce celebrates Miss W's 60th birthday party in the Telegraph

Interview with Lord Strathclyde - Telegraph

All party group of MPs call for Tsar to tackle identity fraud - BBC

Anarchists to protest outside Cameron's house - Ian Jack in the Guardian

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