ConservativeHome: Wednesday 5th December 2007

"In an attempt to afford the goals their parents achieved, many young people just resign to choosing a job based on financial reward rather than job satisfaction, as shown by a recent survey showing over half of employees thinking their job was “a means to an end”. If what you spend nearly a third of your week doing is done just to put cash in the account, rather than increase your happiness, no wonder well-being is in decline."

MIC questions - Birmingham Post

"The Tory leader had insisted that all of the names behind the Midlands Industrial Council had been declared. But it emerged yesterday that the group had a new member, entrepreneur David Grove, whose identity had not previously been made public. He had been a member of the council for three months when it donated £195,000 to the Tories." - Mirror

Defending Christmas

"Christian traditions are in danger of being marginalised as a result of a "politically correct brigade" who have created "Christianophobia", a Tory MP has warned. Mark Pritchard, MP for the Wrekin in Shropshire, is leading a parliamentary debate today and warns there is a danger of Christianity being hijacked by extremists. He cited research which found that around 80 per cent of schools will not be holding a Nativity play this Christmas, because of fears that they could offend non-Christians." - Telegraph

"[Christianophobes] are the poor souls who break out in hives at the sight of a dog collar and develop a nervous twitch when they hear Tony Blair talking about God (although that is admittedly a normal response to hearing Mr Blair speak in the first place). And they are on the march: according to MP Mark Pritchard, Christianophobia is pushing religion to the margins of public life." - Telegraph leader

Rebuttal from the Guardian's Andrew Brown

Brown's no Major

"Gordon Brown is down but not out. Comparisons with the long death of the Major Government are largely wrong. Mr Brown’s political position is more secure: an effective Commons majority of least 70, against 21 and falling, for John Major. And, despite lots of grumbling, Labour divisions now are nothing like as deep as those of the mid1990s Tories. Moreover, Major showed that even weakened PMs can survive a long time." - Peter Riddell in the Times

Iran threat still real

"The Conservative party has warned the international community against complacency after a US intelligence report claimed that Iran ended its nuclear weapons programme four years ago." - Guardian

"The National Intelligence Estimate, a consensus view of 16 American agencies, that Iran appears to have halted its drive to acquire nuclear weapons has wrongfooted politicians in both the West and the Middle East. Many of those trying to halt Iran's efforts to build a bomb have been dismayed by what they see as a judgment that may lessen the pressure on Tehran." - Times leader

Cameron comes out in support of Terminator 2

"The Tory leader fondly recalled his encounter with the California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger when Spy bumped into him at Monday night's Christmas party hosted by the think-tank, Policy Exchange. "I'm actually taller than him," beamed Cameron. "And he gave me a present - 10 of his favourite films, including Fantasia, Lawrence of Arabia and The Godfather." And was the Gubernator vain enough to include any of his own work? "Only two of them - Twins and Terminator 2. Now that really is a genuinely classic film. T2 is much better than the original."" - Telegraph Spy