Newslinks for Wednesday 2nd November 2011
8pm Ed Hall on Comment: What happens after the generals take charge of Greece?
7.15pm WATCH: Full video of today's Prime Minister's Questions
4.30pm LeftWatch: Labour sides with the energy industry and Conservatives side with the energy consumer in hopeful shift of policy
3.15pm PMQs videos:
-
David Cameron: "There is a global storm in the world economy today"
- David Cameron warns a Robin Hood Tax would allow European countries to escape their aid pledges
2.45pm Local government: New Council leader for Northampton
2.30pm James Morris MP on Comment: The EU referendum vote was damaging for Tory modernisation - it made the Party look out of touch
1.45pm WATCH: Dominic Raab MP, Chris Skidmore MP, Liz Truss MP, Iain Martin and Mark Littlewood debate the future of the Conservative Party
12.45pm ToryDiary: David Cameron equal to Ed Miliband's economic attacks at PMQs
11am ConHomeUSA: Today's top Republican and American political news
10am MPsETC: Tory MP and EU rebel Tracey Crouch tells Mark Pritchard she won't be part of any "bash the PM" group
10am Ruth Porter on Comment: Ideas for growth are staring Cameron in the face. Time for him to get serious about them
ToryDiary: The era of the supercharged Tory backbencher has arrived... and ten reasons why it's likely to stay
Lord Ashcroft on Comment: Should nations that can afford presidential jets receive aid from British taxpayers?
Kit Malthouse on Comment: Today, MPs have a chance to help clean up town and city centres, by voting for "Compulsory Sobriety"
On Local government:
- Call for rethink on £3.6 billion Thames Water Super Sewer
- Edward Cooke: Change rules on Business Rates to get development going now
- Videos from Taxpayers Alliance local government fringe from Party Conference
WATCH: William Hague talks to the BBC about protecting cyberspace from criminality
Greek cabinet backs George Papandreou's referendum plan - BBC
- Eurocrats are terrified of democracy; Greece’s prime minister George Papandreou is in the doghouse only because he dared to offer voters a choice - Dan Hannan in The Telegraph
- "Papandreou's referendum call is an act of supreme political selfishness which puts the financial fate of millions in peril across Europe." - Sun Says
- "Mr Papandreou's move will make waves across the eurozone and beyond. Coming as it does, undiscussed and unheralded, within days of a supposed agreement, it smacks of shameful bad faith." - Independent leader
> Andrew Lilico on Comment: The state of play on Greece and the wider Eurozone crisis
Ministers are set to make an "enhanced offer" to unions on public sector pensions
"The BBC has been told the offer will focus on more generous pension accrual rates and higher "cost ceilings" that limit taxpayer liabilities. Many unions are balloting over planned industrial action on 30 November. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander and Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude are due to set out their plans to trade unions." | The Sun
Tory rebels form new Eurosceptic group; "The 81 Group"
"Mr Pritchard, secretary of the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs and MP for The Wrekin, said: "It is not a formal grouping, a faction or a party within a party but an informal caucus of like-minded MPs from both the left and right of the party who want to put the country first." - The Independent
- Nick Clegg is holding Cameron to ransom on the EU - Ann Widdecombe in The Express
- "I was hugely amused at the brilliantly short speech of the MP Charles Walker last week, calling for a referendum: “If not now, when?” He had managed to find in four short words and a comma almost the only question on Europe that actually has a clear answer. “Not now” is the answer. Not now because we don’t know what sort of Europe we would be voting for or against. Not now, but it’s coming." - Daniel Finkelstein in The Times (£)
Chancellor 'positive' as economy grew just 0.5% in last quarter - Independent
Times (£) graphic illustrates historical weakness of recovery >
"‘This is a positive step forward,’ said Mr Osborne. ‘It’s a better figure than some were expecting this week, given what’s happening in the world, and of course the British economy has got a difficult journey to take, from its debt-fuelled past." - Quoted in the Daily Mail
"The most interesting thing that might surprise all those commentators and media specialists who have been talking about the public spending cuts is the continued buoyancy of public spending. Government services boosted growth in the third quarter. They are up by 1.4% for the last year in real terms." - John Redwood
> Yesterday's video of Osborne's reaction
Ministers urged to accelerate infrastructure projects to boost growth - Guardian
- For Cameron big bridges are sexier than real jobs - Simon Jenkins in The Guardian slams the Coalition's investment in grand projects.
The sudden cut in subsidies for the solar energy industry has been clumsily handled but is a victory for Chancellor George Osborne in his battle against green taxes - Telegraph leader
> Yesterday from Matthew Barrett: In praise of the Global Warming Policy Foundation
Rising fears of cyber attacks must not lead to crackdown on internet freedom, says Cameron - Daily Mail
More than 80 MPs - mainly Tory - back Robert Halfon's ePetition on fuel tax - Telegraph
> Yesterday's MPsETC: Robert Halfon MP's petrol prices e-petition cleared for debate by the Backbench Business Committee
Theresa May announces a series of measures designed to combat gang culture in the UK's cities
"A 100-stong task force of experts will also be brought in to provide practical advice and support to areas with a serious youth violence problem." - Telegraph report and video
We must aim to beat a six-month adoption deadline - Children's minister Tim Loughton MP in The Times (£)
MPs criticise Andrew Lansley's voluntary deal with health companies
"The cross-party group of MPs have serious doubts about the effectiveness of health secretary Andrew Lansley's Public Health Responsibility Deal, whereby fast food firms, drinks makers and supermarket chains help shape the coalition's approach to public health, and thus avoid being subjected to further legislation, in return for what critics say are inadequate changes, such as cutting salt in food." - Guardian
BBC broadcast apology to Andrew Tyrie MP after giving 'misleading impression' he was silenced by Downing Street - Daily Mail
David Cameron describes PMQs as the most "unpleasant-looking thing that I have to do every week" - Telegraph
'Sam doesn't think I'm sexist' - David Cameron cites wife in bid to solve women problem - Daily Mail
David Skelton: A Conservative agenda for the North
"The Government could invest in transport infrastructure to improve road and rail links between Northern towns, planning laws could be loosened to help Northern cities expand and the effect of national pay bargaining could be reviewed. Measures to reform childcare support, enhance state education, cut energy bills and rebalance the economy will also play well with Northern voters." - David Skelton in the Yorkshire Post | David's recent ConHome piece on winning in the north
Cameron should remember that the Tories won in 1970 despite Wilson being much more popular than Heath - PoliticalBetting
Lord Butler has told MPs that a report on Liam Fox "should have been confidential" - BBC
"The Prime Minister’s plan to split the top Civil Service post in three was yesterday slammed by two former Cabinet Secretaries who argued that David Cameron had made a “mistake” and would lose a lever of power." - Times (£)
The Archbishop of Canterbury calls for Tobin Tax
"Rowan Williams has supported calls for a multibillion-pound “Robin Hood tax” on financial transactions as part of measures to reflect “the moral agenda” of the anti-capitalist protesters camped outside St Paul’s Cathedral." - FT (£)
"There is no longer room in [Williams'] church for conservatives, free marketeers or capitalists – or even for mainstream folk who work hard and honestly to better the living standards of their families and don’t want to feel bad about it. This is not a dispute about ethics – it is about a weirdly ignorant rejection of the foundations of our modern, prosperous societies." - Allister Heath at City AM
Tory anti-capitalism exists, one with deep, historical roots in this land - Jonathan Freedland in The Guardian
Immigration ePetition hits 27,477 signatures - Have you signed? | Yesterday's ToryDiary
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