Wednesday 24th August 2005

8pm update: Tories raised most pre-election cash but still ended up with biggest deficit - Guardian/PA

2.30pm update: David Cameron rejects surrender in Iraq - Leadership Blog

2.30pm update: David Davis blasts all-day drinking - Manchester Evening News

Blogs

Commentators Blog - Stephen Pollard on why the Tories should use state schools and hospitals

Leadership Blog: David Davis - The turnaround expert?

Leadership Blog: Did anyone watch yesterday's Newsnight?

Conservative News & Commentary

David Cameron: Re-asserting faith in our shared British values - Speech on conservatives.com

"The year after the euro was launched, Clarke was triumphant: "The euro has already created wider and deeper capital markets. It has done what I thought it would do: speed up the essential restructuring of western European economies. It has also stimulated trade and investment across borders. It is leading to liberalisation in every area. Euroland economies are achieving rapidly accelerating rates of growth. I never thought that the disadvantages of our having to wait would become apparent so soon."  Now he says that virtually none of this has turned out to be true..."

...Ferdinand Mount: Ken Clarke's euro views and his famous intellectual laziness - D Tel

The Sun issues Ken Clarke a fixed penalty for unpersuasive euro u-turn

"Clarke, leopard, spots." and other Letters to The Daily Telegraph

Are Clarke & Cameron a 'dream ticket'? - Take part in 'The Times Debate'

Who should be the next Tory leader? - BBCi 'Talking Point'

George Trefgarne: What David Davis learnt from his time at Tate & Lyle - D Tel

"I think we have lost sight of something of importance, something which has always been at the heart of Conservatism which is the family - functioning as a family unit with legal rights and responsibilities and being able to make its choices and let its children grow strong..."

...Ann Widdecombe calls for Tory focus on family values - Interview with ePolitix.com

Other Commentary

Jonathan Freedland: Tony Blair has got 24's Jack Bauer syndrome in his plans for fighting terror - Guardian

Polly Toynbee: Only rising prices will end our love affair with booze - Guardian

Daniel McCarthy: Pope Benedict's vision for the world does not include wars of the sort waged against Iraq - American Conservative

Other News

Britain shooting up European alcohol consumption league - D Tel

Inequality widens under New Labour - D Tel

Animal rights activists condemned as guinea pig farm gives up fight - Independent

Nine American states take joint action against global warming - New York Times

Russia may punish Western-leaning CIS countries by ending discounted energy supplies - Moscow Times

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