Thursday 6th December 2007

4pm Seats and Candidates: MEP selection process - no automatic top slots for women?

2.45pm LondonMayor: Smears against Boris Johnson were financed by Livingstone's taxpayer-funded organisations

2pm ToryDiary: Brown and Bean

1.30pm ToryDiary: You were right... The TaxPayers' Alliance were the 'one to watch'

Noon PlayPolitical: McCain says he's older and more scarred than Frankenstein and The Huck(abee)Chuck(Norris) doubleteam

ToryDiary: Why aren't the Conservatives doing better?

"Attempting to improve security in Afghanistan has exposed fundamental weaknesses in NATO’s first venture into operations outside Europe. ISAF forces have divided into those whose governments are willing to fight and those that are not. For example, 3,100 German forces are not allowed to patrol at night and 1200 Turkish forces are not even allowed leave their barracks. This has placed an unfair burden on countries such as the US, Britain, the Netherlands and Canada who have consequently borne the brunt of the casualties..."

Tobias Ellwood MP on Platform: Is Afghanistan on course to implode?

Columnist Louise Bagshawe: Exhuming bad news

LondonMayor: Boris Johnson writes to Livingstone about waste and alleged "trousering" of £2.5 million by organisations connected with ideological ally

Local government: Conservative-controlled Hammersmith and Fulham promise 3% council tax cut for second year

Parliament: Nick Herbert responds to Jack Straw's statement on prisons

Tories seek micro energy generation revolution

"At least 1m households and businesses in Britain could be generating large amounts of electricity for the grid within a decade, but it will need an overhaul of the electricity supply industry, the Conservative party said yesterday.  The party would create a mass market for decentralised "micro-energy" by encouraging everyone to invest in their own solar power and other renewable electricity generating schemes. A guaranteed price for the electricity generated in homes would be paid, with a further guarantee to run the scheme for at least 20 years." - Guardian

"Among the measures they would take would be to allow domestic wind turbines and other renewable technology to be installed without the need to seek planning permission, with the exception of listed buildings." - Times | BBC

"The reforms could help a future Conservative administration avoid building more nuclear power stations if it was successful in reducing carbon emissions." - Independent

PDF of David Cameron's speech on Energy Revolution

Tories want Whitehall £150,000pa advisor sacked for "superior young toff" attack on David Cameron

"The Conservatives have called for Paul Myners, the prominent businessman who is head of the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority (PADA), to be sacked after he attacked the party during an edition of BBC1's Question Time last week." - Telegraph

"On BBC television’s Question Time last week, Mr Myners contrasted the competence of Gordon Brown, the prime minister – to whose leadership campaign he donated more than £12,000 – to the “arrogant, superior, young toffs in the Tory party who have not done a day’s real work”." - FT | Independent

Cameron must take the chance to develop a story

"If Mr Cameron wants to be a convincing premier-in-waiting, he must seize the moment presented by Labour's evident exhaustion and the Liberal Democrats' search for a new leader. It is time for him to set out his stall. Right now this does not involve detailed policy announcements. That would offer a distraction from the government's discomfort and hand Labour ideas or ammunition. Instead it means communicating a clearer sense of what an incoming Conservative administration would stand for, as Margaret Thatcher did so successfully when leader of the opposition in the 1970s." - FT leader

Home Secretary will announce new terror detainment plans today - BBC

Unskilled workers from outside EU will be banned from taking British jobs - The Sun

"Dave's Dissidents"

Revolts.co.uk reveal the extent of Tory rebelling during David Cameron's first two years of leading the Conservative Party: "The first two years of this Parliament have already seen 84 Conservative MPs vote against their party line at least once (77 of them under David Cameron’s leadership), some 43% of the parliamentary party. The comparable figure for Labour is 39%. David Cameron is therefore facing dissent from a broader group in his parliamentary party than do the Labour whips, and the almost certain prospect of facing dissent from a broader group of MPs than did either Michael Howard or Iain Duncan Smith. The figure for the 1997 Parliament, however, was 78 percent; Cameron can be fairly confident he will not hit that level." (PDF here).

The claim that Browne isn't a full-time Defence Secretary is specious

"He should not be both Defence Secretary and Scotland Secretary, but not for the reasons argued yesterday by David Cameron, fellow Tory MPs and the gallant galaxy of former chiefs of defence staff in a recent Lords debate." - Peter Riddell in the Times

Faith schools dominate schools performance league

"The academic superiority of faith schools was underlined today as they dominated top positions in new league tables for 11-year-olds.  Two thirds of the 250 primaries in England achieving "perfect" test results were Church of England, Roman Catholic or Jewish schools." - Telegraph

Professor David Jesson provides an explanation of faith schools' success for The Telegraph.

Tory MPs attack axeing of councils

"Furious MPs have attacked a  move to axe four  councils. Senior Conservative Michael Ancram said the decision to create a new super-council for Wiltshire was the most perverse he had seen in 30 years. Local Government Minister John Healey said the scheme would save £18 million a year, money that could be used to cut council tax or boost services." - Western Daily Press

Boris Johnson warns that innumeracy isn't just a problem for individuals but for the whole economy - Telegraph 

Donorgate

"Labour officials helped lawyers acting for David Abrahams to draw up complex covenants that allowed the millionaire businessman to pay up to £650,000 indirectly to the party, the Guardian has learned."

"Wendy Alexander will find out within days whether she will face a police investigation into the illegal donation to her campaign fund, it emerged last night." - Scotsman

"Could someone possibly explain to me why her error is deemed so heinous while Lord Ashcroft, the billionaire Tory deputy chairman, is able to give his party some £2.5 million, and play a leading role in its counsels, even though he has declined to say whether he is resident in this country and that he pays tax here?" - Stephen Glover in the Daily Mail 

Simon Hoggart is finding it "painful" to watch Brown being mauled at PMQs - Guardian | Yesterday's PMQs highlights

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

Comments

[James Maskell]

Gordon Brown wants to go to the EU Treaty signing but has a diary clash. Hes supposed to be in front of the Liaison Committee. Im sure Gordon Brown is very upset...not. Brown doesnt want to be in the photo call and is happy to let Miliband take the public shot. The Liaison Committee is perhaps a lesser evil to him. It also supports his claim that he supports Parliament. Of course though, if he actually felt that way, he would work with Lord Steel on the House of Lords Bill instead of ordering his troops to oppose it...

[Deputy Editor]

Anyone agree that the light blue house on the top-right of the homepage is an improvement on the pink one?!

[Malcolm Dunn]

Loathe the idea being put forward by Jacqui Smith that MPs should have any say over how long suspects should be held before being charged or released.MP s will come under huge political pressure in high profile cases.It will therefore be difficult for them to judge a case objectively. If they are to make an informed decision all the details of the case will have to be disclosed,will this then prejudice a fair trial later?
Also why 42 days? Why not 44 days? Or perhaps 42 and a half? I strongly suspect the government are just picking times out of the air in order to look tough.

[Boris]

The Government’s implausible position on the EU Reform Treaty was thrown into stark relief this week as Business and Enterprise Secretary John Hutton sought to use a British veto that the treaty would take away.

Mr Hutton's plan to quash EU proposals to give sweeping new rights to temporary workers, on the grounds that it would damage the flexibility of the labour market, makes a laughing stock of the government’s claim that giving up these vetoes is in the British interest.

[James Burdett]

Malcolm - It is also faintly ironic that a government that shredded our constitution in respect of the Lord Chancellor simply because it didn't fit with separation of powers gleaned from their legal textbooks are now proposing that the executive shall pressure the legislature to interfere with a judicial function.

[Dave Bartlett]

"Opposition burrowing revealed this week that the Department for Work and Pensions has a Director of Communications, a Head of Strategy and Planning, a Head of Strategic Communications, a Head of Communication Operations, a Head of Internal Communications, a Head of Network Services, a Head of Communications (Child Support Agency), a Head of Marketing (JobCentre Plus), a Head of Communications (JobCentre Plus), a Head of Customer Relations, and a Head of Customer Acquisition.

Some news requires no comment." Matthew Parris, The Times

[Teesbridge]

Can anyone explain the difference between the 42-day proposal and a good old-fashioned Act of Attainder?

[Boris]

Could the SNP's wish to break up the Union be our excuse to leave the EU?

There's an interesting article on the BBC's website about a possible future split and the numerous decisions and problems associated with it - many of which I doubt the public even realise. The article ends;

"The EU position - how Scotland and what remains of the UK would replace the current UK presence - is complex and uncertain as there's no clear precedent. Some in the SNP think Scotland could even opt not to join the EU but make its own individual agreements with Brussels like Norway."

If this were to be the case, England could do the same - let's hope so.

Full article
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7129382.stm

[M Collier]

Another funding/expenses scandal?

http://tinyurl.com/397p9w

[David]

I'm glad someone in the party noticed Paul Myners's dreadful Gordon Brown arse-licking on Question Time. I complained to the BBC about it, but I got fobbed off and was told that it was all essentially in my mind. I will be complaining again.

[The Huntsman]

The issue of Scotland's position after independence is a thorny one but customary international law suggests that it will be outside the EU and have to apply to get in, just like Bosnia or Moldavia.

Salmond is being less than frank on this topic: he says that Scotland will automatically be part of the EU which is not so.

I have two posts earlier this year on the subject:

http://tinyurl.com/yp4xr5
http://tinyurl.com/2fummq

[Tony Makara]

A bomb has gone off in Paris and a second bomb detected. One fatality and five serious injuries.

http://www.bfmtv.fr/

[Dave Bartlett]

Very interesting article from Daniel Hannan, "Don't take British Democracy for Granted".

[Comstock]

"2.45pm LondonMayor: Smears against Boris Johnson were financed by Livingstone's taxpayer-funded organisations"

Is it me, or has 'London Mayor disappeared from the menu at the right hand side of the page on Home, Torydiary etc.

I assumed that part of the site wasn't running anymore.

[Dave Bartlett]

Interesting looking programme on Radio 4 this evening:

"Simon Cox asks why the European Commission gives millions of pounds to campaigning organisations involved in lobbying Brussels to promote their own causes." The Investigation, Radio 4 8pm.

[Cinnamon]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/dec/06/tax.economy

Yet another direct, vicious attack on families -- this time small family run companies. People will have to keep diaries and other assorted proof to prove they were really working -- another annoyance that adds more pointless work to an already long enough day.

[Comstock]

I'm afraid I blame those who were trying to dodge tax for this, not the government. Sadly folk'll take advantage of any loophole they can find, and in turn that mean more legislation to close said loopholes and hence more red tape :(

[HF]

http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/archives/1084

Regarding the poll report that Scottish Tories are down to 12% something has to change with the Tory Scottish Leader.

Annabel Goldie comes across like a Ming Campbell type figure. A relic from another era. She has failed to attract voters to us and has to go.

It is time she resigned and let the party see if they can find someone with the ability to attract Scottish voters.

[Cinnamon]

Comstock,

someone who wants to cheat will cheat very easily anyway, if anything even easier because rules can always be bent. All this does is hassle the self-employed who already have more than enough on their plate.

[Comstock]

"the self-employed who already have more than enough on their plate." I'm not going to argue too much with that, because my dad is self employed, but I don't think you can blame the government for at least trying to close the loop holes
...........

Oh, one final rant from me today about "Furious MPs have attacked a move to axe four councils. Senior Conservative Michael Ancram said the decision to create a new super-council for Wiltshire was the most perverse he had seen in 30 years"

I think local government was better before both parties started messing around with it. Here is the crazy situation I currently face. I'm about to move 2 miles up the road, to Mackworth. But I've found out it will fall just outside the city boundary. That puts me under Kirk Langley, which in turn puts me under Ashbourne. (I hope you are getting all this, I'll be asking questions later :D ). This means in turn my local council is now based in Matlock, and this isn't just an academic point ;) because I've just started uni and my LEA was in Derby. Now it is in a town 20 miles away that's a right pain to get to.

And I've a horrible feeling it will screw my library membership and any (very vague) hope I had of ever getting a council flat in Derby too.

Wasn't life easier when Derbyshire was Derbyshire and Derby was the county town :D

[Comstock]

"the self-employed who already have more than enough on their plate." I'm not going to argue too much with that, because my dad is self employed, but I don't think you can blame the government for at least trying to close the loop holes
...........

[Comstock]

You know you've been spending too long on here when typepad thinks you are a spammer, but before I cease Torybothering for the day one final rant from me about "Furious MPs have attacked a move to axe four councils. Senior Conservative Michael Ancram said the decision to create a new super-council for Wiltshire was the most perverse he had seen in 30 years"

I think local government was better before both parties started messing around with it.

Here is the ker-razy situation I currently face. I'm about to move 2 miles up the road, to Mackworth. But I've found out it will fall just outside the city boundary. That puts me under Kirk Langley, which in turn puts me under Ashbourne. (I hope you are getting all this, I'll be asking questions later :D ). This means in turn my local council is now based in Matlock, and this isn't just an academic point ;) because I've just started uni and my LEA was in Derby. Now it is in a town 20 miles away that's a right pain to get to.

And I've a horrible feeling it will screw my library membership and any (very vague) hope I had of ever getting a council flat in Derby too.

Wasn't life easier when Derbyshire was Derbyshire and Derby was the county town :D

[Cinnamon]

Comstock said: "I don't think you can blame the government for at least trying to close the loop holes"

They did not close loopholes, they added a lot of extra work without achieving very much. It's very easy to fake such a paper trail as some things are simply not provable, unless you watch someone 24/7 and even then... well, you'd miss a lot. There is no excuse for shoddy legislation, and fixing something that is broken by design by adding extra features never works.

Another thing to ponder: harass normally decent people enough with this kind of make-work and they'll get motivated to cheat with a passion because they resent the entire process and want to get their own back.