Friday 26th October 2007

5.30pm ToryDiary: Three reasons to be cheerful...

5pm Seats and Candidates: Derek Thomas selected for St Ives

4.30pm ToryDiary: Cameron distances himself from liberal interventionism

Noon ToryDiary: George Eustice likely to manage party's relations with conservative coalition

Platform: Paul Greenall presents a three-point plan to fight Labour over its EU lies

PlayPolitical: Cheney nods off as Bush addresses Cabinet and Bill and Chelsea join star-studded birthday party for Hillary

ToryDiary: There are eleven times more 'liberals' at the BBC than 'conservatives'

Columnist Theresa May: Taking Parliament to the people

Seats and candidates: 30% of all selected candidates are women

Parliament:

• Douglas Carswell MP's review of the week covers Europe, Scotland, PMQs and defence
• Brian Binley opposes use of handheld email devices by MPs in Commons chamber (but MPs vote for them).
• Bernard Jenkin initiates EDM on Brown's plan to confiscate surpluses of well-run schools
• Michael Gove and Paul Goodman call for film-maker Ayaan Hirsi Ali to enjoy continuing protection

Tories 3% ahead in YouGov poll for Telegraph

"The Conservative Party is enjoying a remarkable turnaround in its electoral fortunes by maintaining its lead over Labour as Gordon Brown suffers from his decision to postpone the election.  An exclusive poll for The Daily Telegraph puts the Tories on 41 per cent and Labour on 38. Less than a month ago, the Conservatives trailed by 11 points and were facing the prospect of a landslide defeat in an early election." - Telegraph

"Tellingly, as the figures in the chart indicate, Labour still enjoys a narrow three-point lead over the Tories in response to YouGov's "forced choice" question which asks people to choose between a Cameron-led government and a Brown-led government.  Labour also leads the Tories narrowly on the crucial issue of economic competence." - Anthony King in The Telegraph

Last evening's ToryDiary on the poll.

Cameron to question Blair's Iraq war rationale in speech to CDU/CSU in Berlin - Telegraph

Could Britain have to send more troops to Afghanistan?  The Independent worries.

"From the morass of Iraq to the killing fields of Afghanistan... is there no end to the demands being made of Britain's underpaid, indifferently-equipped, badly overstretched troops?" - Daily Mail

Cameron should ignore the LibDems - Iain Dale in The Telegraph

Brown's constitutional reform speech

The Telegraph offers a summary.  Full text of speech via the BBC.

Nick Herbert MP's response: "This Government blindly refuses to address the problems of its Human Rights Act which has failed to protect key liberties-such as jury trial and the privacy-of our homes while hampering our ability to deal with terrorists.  We have argued that the Act should be replaced with a British Bill of Rights and Responsibilities to achieve the proper balance."  Quoted here.

Is Darling about to flip-flop on capital gains tax?

"Alistair Darling on Thursday signalled his willingness to offer business some concessions in the spring Budget, in the wake of the furore over his reform of capital gains tax." - FT

"The Conservatives have attacked the Chancellor for a capital gains tax "flip-flop" after he refused to rule out a rethink of his controversial Pre-Budget Report tax increase.  Alistair Darling appeared to leave the door open to changing his original proposal to remove so-called taper relief from capital gains tax, by which businesses can reduce the rate they pay on their assets to just 10pc, the Tories claimed." - The Business

The Business also publishes a leader on how Britain should cope with becoming a nation of immigrants for the first time.

Labour MPs in marginal seats claim most expenses - Times

Can Brown move beyond Blair?  Fraser Nelson wants to know in The Spectator

Tony Blair signs £5m memoirs deal - Guardian

On this day in 1951 Churchill returned to Downing Street - BBC

CONSERVATIVEHOME'S OCTOBER SURVEY: Have you had your say?

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