Thursday 31st August 2006

6pm ToryDiary update: ConservativeHome joins the green revolution

1pm CF Diary update: How CF is harnessing the internet, by Andrew Young

BLOGS

ToryDiary: 'Blue-green taxation' set to pay for cuts in business taxation

100policies.com: Biology, physics and chemistry - not single science - that's what Tony Emmerson wants taught in schools

PEREGRINE WORSTHORNE WANTS A BIT MORE NASTINESS FROM DAVID CAMERON

"The last thing sensible people should want from a political party is a commitment to 'niceness', since the job of politicians is to do all the dirty work required to protect the nation from its enemies, both at home and abroad. So a willingness to be 'nasty', to resist being soft and sentimental, is an absolute pre-requisite for a party claiming the right to govern a great nation." - The First Post

TORYRADIO INTERVIEWS LORD BELL

Lord Bell talks about his views on the proposed new party logo, how he thinks David Cameron is doing, and what advice he has for the party to continue rising up the polls.

GREG HURST'S BIOGRAPHY OF CHARLES KENNEDY REVEALS MORE LIBDEM DECEPTION

"Co-operation between new Labour and the Liberal Democrats was assumed to have ended with the departure of Paddy Ashdown. A new biography of Charles Kennedy by a Times writer reveals that it actually continued in secret during the 2001 general election.."

HECTOR MONRO DIES

"Senior Tories paid tribute last night to Lord Monro of Langholm, the former MP and minister, who died yesterday at the age of 83.  By the time of his death, Hector Monro had become the elder statesman of the Scottish Conservative Party, having been an MP for 33 years. He served as a Scottish Office minister and sports minister and latterly sat in the House of Lords." - Scotsman

HOW MUCH LONGER CAN TONY BLAIR SURVIVE?

"Tony Blair is finished — no ifs, buts or maybes. The Prime Minister no longer has any chance of recapturing his popularity, regaining his credibility or restoring his authority. The only question is whether Mr Blair will use his speech at the Labour conference as a last chance to announce a dignified departure date, around next May’s local elections, or whether he will have to be dragged kicking and screaming out of Downing Street before Christmas à la Margaret Thatcher, with men in grey suits doing the dirty work, and men in white coats standing a figurative step behind them. As in many other respects, Mr Blair seems eager to follow Mrs Thatcher’s example..." - Anatole Kaletsky in The Times

REDWOOD VISIT

"But Mr Redwood said the Conservatives would publish their plans in the summer of 2007 - leaving plenty of time before a General Election, which he did not expect to take place until 2010. The former Welsh Secretary, who twice stood for the party leadership, is visiting Warwick in his role as chairman of the Economic Competitiveness Policy Group, a body set up by Mr Cameron to help shape Conservative economic policy." - Birmingham Post

PUT SLOTHS AT BOTTOM OF THE SCOTTISH LIST

"The solution to this problem lies in the hands of party members. The party has one member, one vote, and I hope that the honest members use their vote to place the present sloths at the bottom of their choice, and, instead, put forward some new, dynamic members, otherwise the public next May are going to reject the Conservative list and the party will fall further into decline."
- Letter to The Scotsman from the former vice-chairman of the Conservative Transport Group

SPINNING SPIN

"There are large dollops of, er, spin in the Conservative claim, launched in yesterday's Daily Telegraph, that "spending on spin" has trebled under Tony Blair." - Guardian leader

LESSONS FROM JAPAN

"Mr Osborne believes the world's second largest economy still has much to teach Britain. "Japan has maintained its manufacturing strength and has a trade surplus with China when our own trade deficit with China is actually growing," - Financial Times

>>> View PDF of Osborne's speech in Tokyo

KARMARAMA HIRED

"David Cameron's new-look Conservative Party is in talks with Karmarama about its creative account, marking a decisive move away from its famous partnership with Lord Saatchi. Karmarama, an agency more renowned for its "make tea not war" campaign for the Stop the War Coalition than its links with middle England, is thought to be developing work related to social causes for the Tory Party." - Brand Republic

OTHER NEWSLINKS

"Britain's leading Muslim organisation is not doing enough to root out anti-Western extremism, eight out of ten people believe... The survey, carried out for PR Week magazine, found 78 per cent of people overall, rising to nearly 90 per cent of over-55s, strongly agreed the organisation was not doing enough." - Daily Mail

Dr Lee Rotheram promises to cut the Mayor's earnings of £136,677 in half if he wins - Anyone but Ken interview

"Pop star Ronan Keating and Conservative leader David Cameron are among celebrities backing a Pirate FM competition to encourage children to read." - Cornish Guardian

"Former home secretary Charles Clarke has warned Tony Blair and Gordon Brown to resolve their differences or risk losing the next election for Labour." - ePolitix.com

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Wednesday 30th August 2006

BLOGS

100policies.com: David Walsh recommends compulsory British History at GCSE

ToryDiary: Taxpayers pay £300m for Labour's spin machine

JOHN REDWOOD UNDERLINES HIS TAX-CUTTING CREDENTIALS

"Cutting corporate tax rates would make Britain better able to compete with its rivals for a greater share of Indian trade, a Conservative policy group has proposed." - Telegraph

SCOTTISH GRASSROOTS TORIES CRITICISE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR MSPs

Monday's Scotsman: "Grassroots Scottish Conservative activists have called for all of the party's 17 MSPs to be de-selected in a damaging internal rebellion that threatens to derail Tory chances of making gains at next year's Holyrood elections."

Yesterday's Scotsman: "Mars Goodman, who was twice elected unopposed as deputy chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party, spoke out in support of the activists who have started moves to deselect the current MSPs and replace them with a new, more dynamic and enthusiastic group.  Mrs Goodman described the way the party was being run at the moment as "sheer lunacy" and said that as a result there were many good candidates who were not being given a chance to become MSPs."

Today there are two related letters to the Scotsman

THE FIRST DAY OF THE BLAIR SHOOTING SEASON

Simon Heffer, in The Telegraph, wants a competition - not a coronation - to decide who should succeed Tony Blair.

Ed Balls "slams" Stephen Byers over tax cut call - Mirror

CHARLES KENNEDY

The Sun Says: "Campbell’s failure to disclose Kennedy’s problem in 2003 raises serious questions about his ability to lead.  And confirms what we’ve known for years... The Lib Dems couldn’t organise a drink-up in a brewery.  Or words to that effect."

CANDIDATE NEWSLINKS

Henry Smith - who reduced Labour's majority in Crawley from 6,770 to 37 at the last election - has become the 25th person to be identified by ConservativeHome.com as on the A-list top-up.  That is about half of the estimated top-up.  We're still working on other names...

"A key figure behind the failed plot to deselect a gay Tory parliamentary candidate at the last election has been brought back into the party fold and on to the candidates list for the next election." - Times

YOU ARE READING 'THE TORY BIBLE'...

"Last summer, Spy reported that Simon Hart - chief executive of the Countryside Alliance - had joined the Conservative Party and was actively eyeing a parliamentary seat.  But when asked whether he might be keen on becoming the next MP for his home constituency of Carmarthen West and Pembrokeshire South, Hart replied: "The Countryside Alliance is a non-party organisation and I don't think it is appropriate for me to express political views in public."  A year down the line and Hart has done something of a U-turn. He has been outed on conservativehome.com - the online Tory bible - as being one of those fabled "A-list" candidates and has now confirmed his intention to go for selection in the specified seat.  "I don't think the fact that I want to stand for Parliament compromises my position in the Countryside Alliance at all," Hart insists." - Telegraph Spy

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Tuesday 29th August 2006

11.30am ToryDiary update: Tories stuck in the nineties, says Taxpayers' Alliance

BLOGS

It's education week on 100policies.com and we start off with a recommendation from Julia Manning for less testing in schools.

ToryDiary:

• The Times starts to serialise a biography of Charles Kennedy - and his alcoholism
• Margaret Thatcher was 20th century's most effective PM
• Cameron gains coup of McCain agreeing to address Tory conference

Iain Dale writes about the 'blog pyramid effect' after his exclusive on Anschutz appears on page one of the Daily Mail.

DON'T FORGET YOUR CORE VOTE, NORMAN LAMONT WARNS DAVID CAMERON

Interviewed for ePolitix.com, Lord Lamont issues a friendly warning to the Tory leader on the need to lead a balanced ticket:

"He is going to have to come forward with some policies on law and order, to deal with the high level of taxation and I don't believe immigration can be off the agenda... The smaller state is at the heart of Conservatism and I think ideas have to be developed around that concept... Lord Lamont said the party had to balance its appeal to open-minded voters with the needs of core supporters... We must not drift into a situation where there are more and more abstentions and that is the option open to core voters."

THE GENOCIDE CONTINUES IN DARFUR

"Since 2003 as many as 200,000 civilians have been murdered in Darfur, according to the United Nations--and despite a May cease-fire agreement, violence has escalated this summer. The International Rescue Committee reports that in the past five weeks, over 200 women have been sexually assaulted around the Kalma refugee camp alone; countrywide, 50,000 more people have been displaced, nine humanitarian workers killed, and 20 vehicles hijacked..." - Fredericksburg.com

 "The UN's most senior humanitarian official has warned that Sudan's Darfur region faces a new humanitarian disaster owing to lack of security.  Jan Egeland spoke as the Security Council considered a US and UK plan to send about 17,500 UN troops to Darfur." - BBC

"Sudan ignored US pressure to accept UN troops in Darfur, snubbing Washington's top diplomat on Africa and boycotting a critical UN security council debate on quelling violence in Sudan's west." - Sydney Morning Herald

OTHER NEWSLINKS

"Terrified Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie fled her home after a stalking ordeal at the hands of a mental patient.  James McIntosh, who had a history of pestering the MSP, threw a brick through the window of her home.  Paisley Sheriff Court heard that Miss Goldie had spotted him lurking in a doorway when she arrived at night in October 2004..." - Daily Record

Also in Scotland, multimillionaire Jack Harvie is planning a dinner that may raise £600,000 for the Conservative cause - The Times

Federation of Small Businesses welcomes George Osborn's four-point plan to help the small firms community - Shout99.com

Obituary of Alfred Sherman - Guardian

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Monday 28th August 2006

10.30pm ToryDiary update: John McCain set to give a big credibility boost to David Cameron 

BLOGS

ToryDiary: Welfare is Labour's biggest failure and your captions are requested

SIR ALFRED SHERMAN HAS DIED

"Sir Alfred Sherman, who died on Saturday aged 86, was the former Communist who became one of Margaret Thatcher's earliest intellectual soulmates when she succeeded Edward Heath as Opposition leader.  In 1974 he co-founded, with Sir Keith Joseph and Mrs Thatcher, the conservative think-tank, the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), and became its first director. He was ousted from the CPS in 1984 after he fell out of favour with the Tory leadership..." - Obituary in The Telegraph + Iain Dale

REES-MOGG: CAMERON IS WINNING VOTERS WHERE HE NEEDS THEM

"The YouGov poll gave a regional breakdown, which showed that the Conservatives are gaining support where they need it most. In Scotland, where there are few marginals, the swing to the Conservatives since the 2005 election is only 3 per cent. In London, where there are numerous marginals, it is 9 per cent. London is always volatile, and sometimes ahead of the rest of the country. Labour is in deep trouble in London... [Tony Blair in 1997] won women voters and voters without a party allegiance for new Labour. Mr Cameron is winning the same groups for the Conservatives. He is not doing it by policy, but by personal appeal, image and his non-partisan approach." - William Rees-Mogg in The Times

LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE WELCOMES GEORGE OSBORNE'S STAMP DUTY REMARKS

"The London Stock Exchange has led a campaign against the tax, arguing that it puts the City at a competitive disadvantage to New York and Tokyo, where it is not levied. Mr Osborne will visit the Tokyo stock exchange later this week.  The LSE argues the tax is bad for the economy because it depresses the true value of UK equities and raises the cost of capital for all UK companies. Scrapping the duty would boost investment by £3bn a year and lift share prices by 10 per cent, the LSE says." - FT

The tax statement gets 'two cheers' from The Daily Express (click to enlarge) >>>

"A Treasury source pointed out that the phasing out of tax relief on share dividends was started by then-chancellor Norman Lamont in the 1993 budget, when Mr Cameron was his special adviser. "The people who benefit directly [from axing stamp duty] will be merchant bankers and traders. Think what you could do with the £4bn it will cost." - Guardian

"The shadow chancellor, George Osborne, puts a tremulous toe in the water by announcing that he will "consider" abolishing stamp duty on stock market shares. Well yes, that would benefit virtually everyone who has a pension fund. But what would have a greater impact on most people's view of the party would be to "consider" removing stamp duty on property sales. This invidious tax is a penalty on life change: it hits those who are moving house to seek work, or because their families are growing, or who have reached a new stage in their domestic or professional development. It is a tax on self-improvement and on social mobility." - Janet Daley in The Telegraph

JOHN REDWOOD WELCOMES TAXPAYERS' ALLIANCE POLL

An opinion poll suggesting widespread public support for lower taxation has been rejected by the Tory leadership but welcomed by John Redwood, chairman of the party's economy policy group - Scotsman, Yorkshire Post and Telegraph.

THE END OF NEW LABOUR?

In an article for The Times, Stephen Byers - apparently with the approval of Downing Street - calls for "an honest and open debate" within the Labour Party about its direction.  If Stephen Byers is the man chosen by Downing Street to be its advance guard then Tony Blair really is in deep trouble.  As Kevin Maguire wrote last week: "Stephen Byers is about as popular with Labour MPs as umpire Darrell Hair is with Pakistan's cricketers."

Tony Parsons in The Mirror: "Gordon Brown should take the "New" tag from Labour and burn it. History will show that New Labour was successful at winning elections and lousy at everything else.  At the next election, as the song almost says, New Labour can only get battered."

Labour will lose the next election and it will be a good thing - Peter Wilby in The Guardian

OTHER NEWSLINKS

"David Cameron was right to salute Nelson Mandela for his nobility of character and generosity of spirit. But Norman Tebbit is also right: "The final initiative for the handover came not from foreigners, but from native South Africans - and Afrikaner South Africans at that." The argument will continue for centuries all over the world, including, let us hope, in a prosperous and peaceful South Africa." - Bruce Anderson in The Independent

"Rebels urge party members to oust all Tory MSPs at Holyrood elections" - Scotsman

"Islamic schools that promote "isolationism" and extremism should be closed down, communities secretary Ruth Kelly has said." - ePolitix.com

The Independent profiles The Spectator and its editor, Matthew d'Ancona.

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