Monday 29th October 2007

8pm ToryDiary: ComRes poll would give the Conservatives a parliamentary majority

7.30pm PlayPolitical: Sarkozy walks out of CBS interview

5pm ToryDiary: More members were dissatisfied than satisfied with David Cameron before the Blackpool Conference

4.45pm Events: Tomorrow's events include what promises to be a very interesting late morning lecture by Michael Gove on what he thinks about Brown, an IPN lecture on post-Mugabe Zimbabwe, and a worthy discussion hosted by the New Culture Forum on the future of classical music

2.30pm CF Diary: Matthew Richardson launches Chairman campaign (and its slate) and Scottish CF conference

12.45pm ToryDiary: Highlights from David Cameron's immigration and population speech

Mark Field MP, 11am on Platform: It's time to create a federal parliament for the United Kingdom

10am BritainAndAmerica: In past years the British state rolled out the red carpet for Ceausescu and Mobutu; it's King Abdullah's turn today

ToryDiary: Cameron promises coherent strategy to manage net immigration and its consequences

Columnist Stephan Shakespeare: Time for Cameron's team to step forward

Brandon Lewis on the Platform:

"Some politicians will think that their role is to improve their community, their country or their local resident’s lives and ultimately that is true. However, unless we communicate how we will do that, why we will do it a particular way; even why and if something needs doing at all, then we will get nowhere."

Cameron sceptical about detaining terror suspects longer

"David Cameron has vowed to oppose Gordon Brown's "muddled" push to double the time terrorist suspects can be detained without charge." - Telegraph

"Amid strong indications that the Government is considering doubling the limit, Mr Cameron, speaking on Sunday Live, a Sky News programme, accused Mr Brown of being incoherent for advocating an extension while promising a new chapter in the history of British liberty." - Times

Cameron's first speech on immigration

"Effectively tackling Mr Brown on his slogan "British jobs for British workers", he will suggest that, if more British citizens work instead of claiming benefits, there will be fewer vacancies to attract immigrants. The population is projected to pass 70 million in the next 25 years. Mr Cameron will tie immigration to social policy, ranking it alongside family break-down as a key driver of rising British households. This in turn has pushed up house prices." - Telegraph

Reviewing how the union works

"The Tories were accused of prompting the break up of the UK last night as it emerged David Cameron is set to commit his party to stripping Scottish MPs of the right to vote on English matters at Westminster. He will back proposals by Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the former Scottish secretary, to create an English Grand Committee of the House of Commons to deal with issues which only affect people living south of the Border." - Scotsman

"Ministers on Sunday accused David Cameron, Conservative party leader, of threatening to “break up” the UK with proposals to stop Scottish MPs voting on English matters." - FT

"The creation of what would effectively be two classes of MPs at Westminster would indeed undermine the commonality of national purpose that is supposed to define the spirit of the Westminster Parliament. Is this really what a party that once styled itself as the defender of the Union wants?" - Independent leader

"There is a way to solve all these problems, and that is, as we have urged before, to devolve to English counties and cities the powers which, under the 1998 Scotland Act, are given to Holyrood. English and Scottish councils should also be given a significant measure of fiscal autonomy. All Westminster MPs would then be on the same footing, and the West Lothian question would at last find its answer." - Telegraph leader

"David Cameron yesterday hinted that the Tories were in favour of reviewing how much money Scotland gets from the Exchequer when he admitted his party was asking itself whether the current share-out of UK spending was fair." - Herald

"The Scottish nationalist leader Alex Salmond reignited the dispute over control of North Sea oil yesterday after the Tory leader, David Cameron, again questioned whether Scotland was too generously funded by the taxpayer." - Guardian

> Yesterday's ToryDiary on the issue

Wars don't come cheap

"There is no such thing as a cheap war. Soldiers must be given support, both in battle and when they return from battle. Their families also need support. On Poppy Day, we all need to reflect that our soldiers are putting their lives at risk for us; we should at least put our taxes on the line for them." - William Rees-Mogg in the Times

In defence of Cameron's realism

"The Tory leader does not accept that democracy is a universal antibiotic, guaranteed to cure any political ailment in any country at any stage of historical development. Mr Cameron argues that it is impossible to create stable and secure democracies without two pre-conditions: the rule of law, and a strong civil society. In this, he is drawing on the British historical experience." - Bruce Anderson in the Independent

In defence of liberal internationalism

"The cure for mass poverty and the political criminality that it breeds is a combination of liberal democratic government and free market economics. To be aware of that truth and yet refuse to disseminate it must be as wicked as withholding Western drugs that can cure Third World diseases. And it will not do to dismiss some peoples, with post-colonial contempt, as "unready". The only way that people learn how to deal with freedom is to exercise it. To say that they must win it for themselves without outside interference is to ignore the terrifying effectiveness of modern tyranny, with its armoury of weapons and electronically comprehensive surveillance." - Janet Daley in the Telegraph

• Graeme Archer pays tribute to the men who have died for us in Iraq
• Shadow Community Cohesion Spokesman Paul Goodman revealed some extraordinary evasiveness from the government over a controversial Muslim group and mosque
• Reporting from Germany, Tim speculates that Germany could be moving politically leftwards under Merkel

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary...