Sunday 18th May 2008

10.15pm ToryDiary: Nick Clegg ready to back minority Tory government from day one

8.30pm ToryDiary: Embryology Bill is wrong to devalue fatherhood

1.30pm CentreRight selections:

• Stephan Shakespeare believes that Labour are "weapons testing" in Crewe
• Greg Hands MP highlights Gordon Brown's Berlin Wall 'gaffe'

11am Seats and candidates: A day trip to Crewe (updated throughout the day)

ToryDiary: Triple whammy poll blow for Brown

Seats and candidates: Some Labour literature from Crewe focusing on the 10p tax issue

Matt Sinclair on Platform reflects on One Year at The TaxPayers' Alliance.  He notes how beneficiaries of state handouts are more grateful than the taxpayers who are hurt by incremental increases in spending... unless taxpayers become more organised.

Two videos from PlayPolitical's Goofs and gaffes selection: Ann Widdecombe giggles as Telegraph TV's Guy Ruddle struggles to pronounce Daniel Finkelstein and A younger Bill O'Reilly 'loses it'

Iain Martin previews a Cameron-Osborne speech on delivering better value for money for the taxpayer - Sunday Telegraph

"Mr Cameron has a big speech tomorrow on controlling public spending and cutting waste. He needs to convince voters that he can improve public services through better use of taxpayers’ money while projecting a vision of smaller government and lower taxes. It is the only route to longer-term prosperity for Britain." - Sunday Times leader

Boris in the news

Boris in blitz on City Hall junkets to raise money for fight against crime - Mail on Sunday

Boris writes for the News of the World about fighting knife and other street crimes.

MEPs fly to holiday paradises at our expense - News of the World

Andrew Rawnsley is latest to attack Labour's Crewe campaign

"The Labour campaign is worse. It is, in fact, a disgrace. What was once regarded as the cleverest electioneering operation in the democratic world has descended into a crude parody of the silliest and nastiest aspects of political campaigning. Labour activists dressed in toppers and tails stalk the Tory candidate to attack him as a 'toff' because his family built up a successful chain of shoe repairers. It's not Edward Timpson who is made to look like the nob by these puerile games." - Observer

"The astonishing manner in which Labour is conducting its campaign is entirely consistent with the way in which Mr Brown sees the national struggle with Mr Cameron and what he calls the “public school bullies”. The PM insists that the general election will not be a referendum on the Government but a choice between two competing parties and what they stand for. Well, in Crewe, we are being given a dispiriting taste of how the governing party intends to attack the Tories." - Matthew d'Ancona in The Sunday Telegraph

Could any leader withstand the press in full herd-like pursuit? - John Rentoul in the Independent on Sunday

Labour had planned early Scottish vote on independence

"Wendy Alexander's demand for an early referendum on Scottish independence two weeks ago holed a secret plan being drafted by UK Labour chiefs to trigger a vote on the matter as early as this winter, Scotland on Sunday can reveal."

Animal-human hybrids are morally right says Brown

"Gordon Brown today mounts a passionate and personal defence of scientific research using animal-human hybrid embryos as an 'inherently moral endeavour' that could save millions of lives." - Observer

Anti-abortionists hijacked embryology Bill, says Dawn Primarolo - Sunday Telegraph

"Seven government ministers, including Ruth Kelly, the transport secretary, and Des Browne, the defence secretary — both Roman Catholics — are expected to join about 200 MPs backing a lower time limit on abortions for non-medical reasons." - Sunday Times

Thousands of British women have had four or more abortions, including dozens who have undergone six by the age of 30 - Sunday Telegraph

Dominic Lawson interviews Frank Field - Independent on Sunday

Oona King set for £70,000 job at 10 Downing Street - Mail on Sunday

Nick Clegg arrives in Afghanistan to warn of consequences of failure - Sky

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary and visit PoliticsHome.com for breaking political news and views throughout the day.

Comments

[michael mcgough]

The Times at long last publishes a full apology to UKIP leader Nigel Farage MEP over wrongful claims that he employed his son using his taxpayer's money (a la the Conservative shyster Conway) and for calling him a hypocrite.

What a pity it has taken the BBC ,already disgraced by telephine frauds since February to issue this apology.

[Dontmakemelaugh]

According to today's Times Ian Blair, Met Police Chief Constable, alias PC Commissar, has been told that his services (such as they were) will be dispensed with at the end of his contract which will not be renewed.
That is the good news. The bad news?
Hugh Orde, the chief constable for the Midlands Police is quoted in the report as being a runner for Met Commissar. He is the governor of his assistant chief constable the apparently politically correct Anil Patani. It was allegedly his (Patani), according to today's Telegraph, total lack
of judgement that led to Channel 4 being wrongly investigated for the crime of racial hatred and resulting in the taxpayers having to foot the bill for Patani.
It would appear that Orde has not instituted any enquiry or discipline investigation into the decision of his assistant chief constable.
Replacing Blair with Orde would be like jumpimg out of the fat into the frying pan.
London does not deserve Orde.
The sooner we can vote in chief constables and area commanders the better. I think Dave calls it "Localisation" - so lets have some.

[Fiona]

Regarding the debate in Parliament over a possible 20 week restriction to abortion - all MPs should read this article by Dr Vincent Argent, an abortionist, who advocates reducing abortion to 16 weeks. If a former abortionist advocates 16 weeks, then why is Parliament considering a 20 week limit?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1976846/Why-this-abortion-doctor-wants-to-see-time-limits-reduced-to-16-weeks.html

I don't believe that 16 weeks is good enough either - are we really happy to base our abortion law on what an abortionist is prepared to carry out? There will always be someone prepared to carry out abortion.

In 2004 there were calls to restrict aborttion to 12 weeks by Professor Campbell on the basis of his ultrasound images of babies at 12 weeks, and David Steel. Parliament should act now to reduce abortion to 12 weeks (in line with a majority of other European countries) and reduce the overall number of abortions from the 200,000 each year, giving women plenty of support to continue with pregnancy and improving adoption.

[michael mcgough]

CORRECTION,and apologies
Ignore above reference to BBC and telephone frauds------I had a junior moment.

[michael mcgough]

Peter Hitchens in the Mail on Sunday re-runs the tale of Cameron denying a poor child a place in a good state school by sending his daughter to St Mary Abbot,a long distance from his home.

[Dave B]

Just saw a clip of Ed Milliband on Sky, where he said UK national debt was 38% of GDP.

http://video.news.sky.com/skynews/video/

The CIA factbook says it's 43.3%

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/uk.html#Econ

Is there a source that produces an accepted figure?

[Chris Gillibrand]

MEPs of the right, UKIP and Conservatives should not only publish full details of their trips and expenses, but also their time sheets, so everyone sees what they are up to. Once all MEPs understand what they are in Brussels to do, we might just get some clear thinking on Europe which the general public will respond to.

[Dave B]

Super little video on the DTI from January.

[ORDOVICIUS]

Ive published a transcript of Harriet Harman's interview on the Politics Show today, where she did what I like to call a "Bendy Wendy" on the matter of Labour's anti-Toff campaign in C&N. Enjoy!

[Jack Stone]

Well we all know where Michael Mcgough is coming from. I for one wish he would sod off back there!!

[NigelC]

"In today's Sunday Times, the TPA launched the full list of the UK’s vast quango industry, a detailed run-down of the staff and cost of the 1,162 bodies, boards and agencies that make up Britain’s Unseen Government. It is now five years since the Parliamentary Select Committee on Public Administration recommended that the Government publish such a list, a recommendation that the Government has failed to fulfil."
TPA