Saturday 30th January 2010

11.30pm LeftWatch: Brown accused of violence against staff in damaging new revelations

11pm Matt Sinclair on CentreRight: It's hard to imagine the BBC publishing an article as utterly patronising and unthinkingly biased as this one about any country but the United States...

8.45pm Martin Parsons on CentreRight: The British and US governments must stop undermining President Karzai

7.15pm ToryDiary: David Cameron confirms that a "Low Carbon Economy" will be an "urgent" priority for a Tory government

5.45pm WATCH: A three minute video from CNN attempts to answer the question, Who is David Cameron?

5pm ToryDiary: Any questions for the end-January ConHome survey?

3.45pm Tim Montgomerie on CentreRight: Twenty years of the Conservative Christian Fellowship

2.45pm Seats and candidates: Matt Hancock, George Osborne's Chief of Staff, selected for Suffolk West

12.45pm ToryDiary: Tories 9% ahead in second YouGov poll in 24 hours

12.30pm Melanchthon on CentreRight: "Future historians will look back and judge that the Iraq invasion, which was heavily criticised at the time, was in the end vindicated by bringing democracy and stability to Iraq, and that Iraq subsequently provided a model for other Arab states to follow, leading over time to the spread of liberal democracy across much of the Arab world."

12.30pm International: A warm welcome to MenziesHouse.com.au

ToryDiary: The Tories dip in polls as Cameron sounds an uncertain trumpet

Colleen Graffy on Platform: The war against Iraq was the right decision and it was legal

Local government: London quangos spend £5.6bn

Seats and candidates: Overnight we reported the selection of Gavin Williamson as Tory PPC for South Staffordshire

WATCH:

• Margaret Thatcher's 1979 papers are released, revealing her thoughts on her first Cabinet
• Despite mistakes in Iraq, Cameron tells CNN that he is glad Saddam is gone
  

David Cameron in Davos

"Many Americans have been intrigued to encounter a conservative leader who is willing to countenance the idea that tax rises might be necessary to balance the budget – and who has taken socially liberal positions on gay rights and the environment. He has come across as far removed from the “tea-party conservatism” rampant in the US." - FT

'British leaders aren't what they were'

"It is increasingly hard to imagine David Cameron having the same impact. As the self-styled “heir to Blair’, after all, he seems to have learned all the wrong lessons. From his vague plans for deficit reduction to his born-again social liberalism, public opinion leads and he trails tamely behind. What with him, Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg, the focus group organisers must be making a killing." - Dominic Sandbrook in The Telegraph

Darling v Osborne

"Darling has won a certain grudging respect for the way he has dealt with the disastrous economic legacy left to him by the fellow next door. Osborne, on the other hand, has yet to convince Middle Britain he is the man to bring back the good times." - Patrick O'Flynn in The Express

Ken Livingstone predicts that Boris will run again

""Cameron will insist," Livingstone said. "He will never allow Boris Johnson back into parliament while he's leader because he will upstage him every day. Boris can't help himself. Therefore he will have to run again." In a reference to Johnson's reputed ambition to lead the Conservative party one day, Livingstone said: "He has to get re-elected in 2012 to demonstrate it wasn't just one flash in the pan thing or a bad year for Labour. He has to demonstrate he can run something."' - The former Mayor quoted in The Guardian

Bernard Jenkin has repayment halved

"Bernard Jenkin, the MP for North Essex, said he had been “vindicated” after Sir Paul Kennedy cut the amount of expenses he has to repay. The Tory MP had been ordered by House of Commons auditor Sir Thomas Legg to repay £63,250 claimed as rent for a farmhouse in Hatfield Peverel, which is owned by his sister-in-law." - Telegraph

> Jonathan Isaby on CentreRight yesterday: First Tory MP (Roger Gale) to successfully appeal against Sir Thomas Legg's expense demands speaks out

Outgoing Tory MP Anthony Steen claims he has been 'vilified' for having a big house and is the victim of an 'unfair witch-hunt - SouthDevon.co.uk

Simon Jenkins reviews a new book on The Conservative Party from Thatcher to Cameron - Guardian

Sandra Howard explains why she is finding it hard to be the mother of an empty nest - Daily Mail

John McFall, the Labour chairman of the Commons Treasury Committee, is to stand down as an MP - Telegraph

Andrew Grive looks for hope for the Left in that social attitudes survey

"On the face of it, the attitudes survey suggests that Labour needs a miracle to cling on to power at this year's election. Yet a closer look at the small print gives Labour a few crumbs of comfort: 81 per cent of people want more health spending and 72 per cent favour a bigger education budget. Two-thirds of voters still think the Government has a responsibility to reduce the gap between rich and poor." - Independent

The Daily Mail's verdict on Tony Blair

"Few will be surprised by yesterday's self-righteous and unilluminating display - still less by the complete lack of contrition, from a man whose only regret is that the war was 'divisive'. But two mysteries remain: Why are so many prominent businesses prepared to pay huge sums to employ this utterly discredited fantasist? And how, when he's the most distrusted politician in the region he destabilised, can he remain the UN's 'peace envoy' to the Middle East?" - Daily Mail leader

And finally...

She fought hard to get the nation's finances back in trim. But only now can the secret of Margaret Thatcher's own diet be revealed - 28 eggs a week. The eggs, along with cucumber, spinach, tomatoes, steak and the odd swig of whisky, went towards a strict meal regime that promised to help her shed 20lb in two weeks. On the brink of becoming Britain's first woman Prime Minister in 1979, the then Mrs Thatcher was said to be keen to lose weight in time for her historic photocall outside No 10. Her crash diet plan was found typed on a sheet of yellowing paper folded up and tucked inside her 1979 personal diary." - Daily Mail

Papers reveal Margaret Thatcher's first days as PM - BBC

The Margaret Thatcher Foundation website.

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