31 Dec 2006 08:32:10

New Year's Eve 2006

ConservativeHome.com wishes all readers a peaceful and prosperous 2007.

BLOGS

ToryDiary: Labour's Dark Side

LondonMayor: Cllr Jean-Paul Floru fisks a letter from Ken Livingstone 

"PRIVATE ACTION FOR PUBLIC GOOD" IS THE WAY FORWARD

"It is understandable that the Tories are trying to combat the accusation that they celebrate "narrow selfish individualism" and do not care about the least advantaged members of society. So they should. But they have gone about it by accepting that the charge was true in the past and setting out to demonstrate that it is no longer true under Mr Cameron." - David Green in the Sunday Telegraph

CONSTITUENCY PATRONS' CLUBS

"David Cameron has raised more than £100,000 from a private club which offers fundraising lunches at the House of Commons. Oxfordshire residents are charged £480 a year for membership of the club, of which the main perk is two private lunches in the parliamentary dining rooms. The membership fees have netted Cameron’s constituency up to £29,954 a year since his election in 2001." - Sunday Times

WILLETTS' ANTI-SCOTTISH HISTORY LIST

"He had a keen eye for modish architecture, and very expensive tastes, but is James IV, a Scottish king whose reign ended almost half a millennium ago, really the only Scot that British schoolchildren need to remember? The Conservative Party apparently thinks so. According to David Willetts, its education spokesman at Westminster, James is one of a dozen historical figures pupils must recognise in order to have pride in their national identity." - Joan McAlpine in the Sunday Times

NEW LABOUR'S NHS FAILURE IS A TORY OPPORTUNITY

"One of Britain's leading business managers, Sir Gerry Robinson, is to deliver a devastating indictment of management in the NHS in a move that will provoke fresh controversy over whether the extra billions of pounds earmarked for healthcare are being squandered." - Observer

"The failure to be angry about the fleecing of taxpayers who earn far less than either management consultants or medical consultants presents the Conservatives with an opening. For successful arguments don't always come from confrontational politicians. Sleek public-school boys with smooth manners and appeasing smiles can also win the battle of ideas. They can now sigh and murmur that they understand perfectly why voters once believed that putting more money into public services was a good idea, but - let's face facts - Labour tried it, it proved a terrible waste and it didn't work." - Nick Cohen in The Observer

WALES IS FED UP OF LABOUR

"Modern compassionate Conservatism recognises that there's more to life than earning and spending money. And we are already putting forward policies to improve the quality of life for everyone through: Developing a dynamic economy, where thriving businesses create jobs, wealth, opportunity and flexibility for their employees; Creating a strong society, where our families, communities and nation create secure foundations on which people can build their lives; Protecting the environment, to enhance the beauty of our surroundings and safeguarding the future of the planet." - Cheryl Gillan (Conservative MP for Chesham and Amersham) writing in the Western Mail

SHADOW MINISTER FOR LEICESTER

"Dominic Grieve is the Shadow Attorney General for the Tories and MP for Beaconsfield. He is to become a "shadow minister" for Leicester." - Leicester Mercury

TALENTED CHILDREN DEPRIVED BY SCHOOLS' PHOBIA OF "ELITISM"

"Tens of thousands of bright children in the poorest parts of England and Wales are being let down by schools that fail to nurture their talent, a leading government adviser has warned Tony Blair. Sir Cyril Taylor, chairman of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, said those who opposed spending more time and money on gifted and talented children held an 'anti-elitist ideology' that would hold back the economy." - Observer

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30 Dec 2006 08:16:31

Saturday 30th December 2006

SADDAM HUSSEIN IS HANGED FOR HIS CRIMES
- The Times

• "Hussein executed with 'fear in his face'" - CNN
• "Today, Saddam Hussein was executed after receiving a fair trial -- the kind of justice he denied the victims of his brutal regime..." - George W Bush's reaction
• Richard Robinson on YourPlatform: Saddam's execution is a blatant case of victors' justice

BLOGS

ToryDiary: Lord Lawson missing from Tory list of green zeroes

MATTHEW PARRIS: THE TORIES SHOULD BECOME SCOTTISH NATIONALISTS

"We Conservatives should consider the possibility that separatist politics in Scotland appeals to something real and deep in the electorate: a need that cannot be answered by scorn, or wished away." - The Times

NEW YEAR HONOURS

"Political leaders steered well clear of the honours list yesterday after a period in which the system has taken a battering from the loans-for-peerages row that has embroiled Tony Blair and many senior aides... Even so, the appointment of John Scarlett, chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, seems likely to anger critics of the Government’s involvement in the Iraq War." - The Times

TONY BLAIR KEEPS CHEQUERS GUEST LIST SECRET

"Tony Blair has delayed publishing the names of the guests that he has entertained at Chequers this year until the time he is expected to leave office, prompting accusations that he is trying to suppress embarrassing information." - The Times

LABOUR'S HOSPITALS HYPOCRISY

"Labour faced fresh charges of hypocrisy as a health minister admitted he was fighting cuts to a hospital in his constituency.  Ivan Lewis, whose local maternity unit at Fairfield Hospital in Bury is threatened with closure, said he was opposing the plans... Party chair Hazel Blears appeared on a picket line at her hospital in Salford just week after Tony Blair and Patricia Hewitt had stressed how important it was for services to be merged into regional centres to improve care." - Daily Mail

LABOUR'S SCHOOLS HYPOCRISY

"A former Labour minister has withdrawn her 13-year-old son from a city academy in protest at its "appalling" standards of accommodation and teaching facilities.  Karen Buck, who resigned as Aviation minister in February, said she had been "torn apart" by a "personal dilemma" over withdrawing her son, Kosmo, from Paddington City Academy, but denied "hypocrisy"." - Independent

OTHER NEWSLINKS

"A prominent gay Liberal Democrat has defected to the Conservative party, launching a bitter attack on the leadership of Ming Campbell." - PinkNews

Youth debating can prepare for a politician's life - Telegraph

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29 Dec 2006 08:03:44

Friday 29th December 2006

7:30pm update: Three LibDem candidates defect to Conservatives...

"Three Liberal Democrats who stood at last year's general election have joined the Conservative Party. Richard Porter, who fought Camberwell and Peckham, and John Barstow, who stood at Tonbridge and Malling, have switched parties. Tariq Mahmood, a physician who contested Uxbridge, also moved, saying the Tories "could make the NHS better"."

3pm ToryDiary update: Your chance to vote for the repeal of the European Communities Act...

BLOGS

ToryDiary: CommunicateResearch poll puts LibDems on 14% and ConservativeHome survey is now live

YourPlatform: Peter Cuthbertson summarises the Annual Non-Jobs report

DEEPER GLOOM FOR BLAIR OVER CASH-FOR-HONOURS

"John McTernan, the Prime Minister's political secretary, has been interviewed under caution by the Metropolitan Police over a Downing Street e-mail trail in the "cash for peerages" inquiry." - Independent

CAMERON MORE EUROSCEPTIC THAN YOU REALISE

"A former Europe minister has said the Conservatives' foreign policy is a "disastrous blow" to Britain's national interest. In an interview with ePolitix.com Denis MacShane, who still advises the government on European affairs, also said that if Gordon Brown became prime minister he could help transform the EU economy. In relation to the Tories' ambition to split from the European People's Party grouping of centre right parties, MacShane said: "David Cameron once said to me: 'Denis, I am much more Eurosceptic than you realise.' " – ePolitix

SCOTTISH BUSYBODY EXECUTIVE

"The Scottish Executive has been branded a "busybody government" by the Tories after figures revealed more than 3,000 new rules and regulations have been passed since Holyrood was established." - icScotland

VOTE FOR PARLIAMENT

"I'd like to raze them all; to hack away the brushwood and prune the undergrowth, leaving the glassy-smooth lawn of the limited state. But we have to start somewhere. Before baling out the tub, let us at least turn off the tap. And that means voting for the 1972 European Communities Act." - Daniel Hannan MEP commenting in the Telegraph about a Today programme poll of which Act to scrap

RAILWAY STATION ASSAULTS INCREASE

"The number of assaults on passengers at railway stations has soared, figures from the Conservatives have shown. Half of the 10 most dangerous stations are in London, while Leeds had the most assaults in 2005-06, according to the statistics gained from British Transport Police." - Independent

INCREASING PRESSURE ON JAMES GRAY

"Awest Mp fighting to save his career should stand down now - that's the view of a former chairman of his constituency party as battle lines were drawn for the new year showdown. " - Western Daily Press

PRIVATE CONTRACTS PUSHING UP COUNCIL TAX

"Householders face inflation-busting council tax rises of at least 4 per cent in April to help to pay for the costs of private sector contracts, The Times can reveal. The spiralling cost of contracts for rubbish disposal, road repairs and support services, such as care for the elderly and the handicapped, has caused fees to rise from £10 billion to £18 billion in five years." - Times

THE COLOURFUL JOHN BUTCHER

"He once suggested paying clowns and jugglers to stand in the central reservation of the M6 to entertain motor-ists stuck in traffic jams. And he proposed children be banned from using computers in school until they reached a reading age of nine. Compulsory bank holidays for TV employees, to give the country peace, quiet and time to think, was another Butcher idea." - Paul Dale in the Birmingham Post

OTHER NEWSLINKS

"Routine hospital check-ups for patients who have undergone even major surgery are set to be scrapped under plans which will save the NHS almost £2bn a year, the Guardian has learned. Consultants will no longer automatically see patients six weeks after surgery. Instead, patients will be referred to their GPs." - Guardian

"The race is now on to find the next upstart website capable of forging a mass audience from this outpouring of so-called user-generated content, and to spot the next broad trend that will shape how millions of people use the online medium. - Richard Waters in the FT

"The real cost to UK employers of honouring all their pension promises in full is at least £440bn more than the value of present pension assets, according to the Pensions Regulator – a black hole far bigger than previously believed." - FT (registration required)

Last WWII loan instalment paid to America today - Guardian

"The "traditional" Christmas sales spit in the face of our once-proud values of hard work and saving. Now everything — from houses and cars to schools and hospitals — are bought on the "never-never". We seem to be valued by government only in so far as we are consumers." - Rosemary Behan in the Times

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28 Dec 2006 06:31:52

Thursday 28th December 2006

4.45pm ToryDiary update: The One Nation Tories who celebrate Project Cameron were largely wrong in the 1980s 

BLOGS

ToryDiary: London vulnerable to Madrid-style commuter attack says Tory MP

Adrian Blair on YourPlatform: A fresh approach to drugs policy

22 TORY MPs FACE CASH-FOR-DINING PROBE

"Conservative MPs are being investigated by the standards watchdog over an alleged misuse of Westminster's lavish dining facilities.  Labour has accused 22 Tories - including David Cameron and key members of the shadow cabinet - of asking their backers to hand over "cash for dinners".  Westminster's private dining rooms can be hired by MPs and peers, but parliamentary rules stipulate they may not be used for "direct financial or material gain" by parties, sponsors or any person or group." - Scotsman

TORIES CONSIDER 300MPH TRAINS

"The Conservatives are to look at the possibility of introducing 300mph magnetic levitation trains to the UK.  The party said it would also study whether high-speed rail links like those in France were feasible." - BBC

POLL: BROWN MORE PRINCIPLED THAN CAMERON... BUT LESS LIKEABLE

"CommunicateResearch found more people regard Mr Cameron as "likeable" and someone who "understands ordinary people" than think the same of Mr Brown. But the Chancellor is seen as "principled" by more voters. On the crucial overall rating of who would make the better Prime Minister, 39 per cent prefer Mr Brown and 36 per cent the Tory leader, with 16 per cent saying neither." - The Independent

TORIES APPOINT NEW CONFERENCE ORGANISERS

conservatives.com: "Fingerprint Events were awarded the prestigious contract after an extensive review by the Conservatives. Discussions were held with a number of events agencies, but the model proposed by Fingerprint Events matched the Conservatives' needs perfectly."

ConservativeHome is currently attempting to establish what CCHQ means by "discussions were held".  Was donors' money to the party protected by some sort of competitive tendering process?  Answers to follow...

TONY BLAIR'S BEE GEE FREEBIE

"Tony Blair's Christmas holiday sparked controversy yesterday after it emerged that the Prime Minister was staying in the Florida mansion of rock star Robin Gibb, who just weeks ago lobbied the government to beef up musicians' rights." - Scotsman

LIFE IS GOOD IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR

"The number of public sector workers earning at least £100,000 a year has more than trebled in five years, according to new figures.  The increasing prevalence of six-figure salaries among the ranks of senior civil servants was criticised by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. In 2001, there were 320 staff across 25 key bodies earning £100,000 or more. By this year the figure had grown to 996." - Telegraph

"Gold-plated public sector pensions cost every family an average of £900 a year, it emerged.  This is far greater than the amount many private sector workers can afford to put aside annually for their own retirement... Authoritative research from The Institute of Economic Affairs shows the cost of inflation-linked schemes for nearly six million state employees such as doctors, nurses, teachers and policemen has reached more than £22.3billion each year." - Daily Mail

OTHER NEWSLINKS

Andrew Tyrie MP issues paper welcoming the flowering of one nation Toryism under Cameron - Telegraph

Antisocial behaviour crackdown a gimmick, say Tories - Guardian

Tories should think of effects of double summer time elsewhere - Letters to The Herald

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