Teatime newslinks for Thursday 20th October 2011
DEATH OF COLONEL GADDAFI
- Today we should remember Gaddafi's many victims - Listen to Cameron's reaction
- "The hard fact is that Col Gaddafi would still be alive today if Mr Cameron, alongside Nicolas Sarkozy, had not acted as they did. Political power offers many unique experiences, but few are as stark as the feeling that you have helped bring about the death of another leader." - James Kirkup
- "Always good to know the PM is well informed. David Cameron was informed about Colonel Gaddafi's death by an Evening Standard journalist during a Q and A lunch with regional political hacks in the Commons. Ashen faced, he left almost immediately for No10 without touching his main course... presumably giving a flunkie the mother of all bollockings on the way." - SunPolitics
TORY LOYALISTS FIGHT BACK ON EU REFERENDUM
- Richard Harrington MP: An EU debate amounts to a "kneejerk indulgence" for Eurosceptics - ConHome
- Nadhim Zahawi says EU vote is distraction from economic crisis - ConHome Audio
- The three reasons why I won't be supporting Monday's referendum motion - Damian Collins MP
- We should be focusing parliamentary time on fixing our economy, sorting our health service, our schools - Brandon Lewis MP
- "Over the last few days some politicos have been getting very excited about Monday’s EU referendum vote. There has been talk in the press of Conservative splits, rebellions and bad blood. Imagine if there was a referendum. There would be a year of this." - Nick Denys at Platform10
- "If we left the European Union it would still exist, still make rules that affect us but we would have given up our seat at the table. It is the European Union that needs to change and we can influence that more effectively if we are involved." - Harriett Baldwin MP
BUT THE REBELLION IS STILL GROWING
- Stewart Jackson MP will vote for motion and resign as PPS if necessary - BBC
- Guido Fawkes speculates that a number of PPSs might resign
- Nadine Dorries: I know of five Tory MPs who haven't signed up yet but intend to support the motion
- "Mark Pritchard, a senior Conservative MP, was among those declaring their intention to rebel if the party imposes a three-line whip, saying he would put "country first, party second and career last"." - Guardian
- Cameron needs to offer substantial compromise amendment if he is to limit rebellion - James Forsyth
- "In this Parliament MPs have been much more rebellious and much more inclined to vote according to conscience, and plenty are more inclined to tell their whips how they are voting, rather than be told how they should vote." - Mark D'Arcy
- "Even before Monday’s vote the issue has already triggered several rebellions of 20+ and 30+ Conservative MPs, including one of 37. Between them, these 22 revolts have involved 64 Conservative MPs, exactly half from the 2010 intake." - Philip Cowley
- Mr Cameron may have made one of the worst decisions of his premiership in opposing this motion with a three line whip - James Chapman at RightMinds
- Cameron will not survive if he continues to be such a remote and unpopular figure - Andrew Pierce in the Mail
ED MILIBAND ORDERS LABOUR MPs TO OPPOSE MOTION - BBC
- Miliband making 'fundamental error' on EU vote, says senior Labour MP, Graham Stringer - PoliticsHome
THERESA MAY AND KEN CLARKE CLASH AGAIN...
- ...This time over knife crime sentences - Nic Cecil at the LES
- Crime figures show 16-year fall in offences has halted - Guardian
- Number 10 has played down rising crime figures, dismissing them as "not statistically significant" - PoliticsHome
IN BRIEF
- Ed Vaizey admits that digital radio coverage sometimes poorer than analogue - Daily Mail
- Richard North on how the Government's green policies are unravelling.
- Clegg visits Egypt.
- Alex Salmond has opened his party's conference, urging Scots to be part of the "independence generation" - BBC
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