Newslinks for Wednesday 21st August 2013

6pm ToryDiary: The David Miranda incident gets murkier and murkier, but some conclusions are already clear

2.30pm ToryDiary: "Will Gilpin, UKIP's Chief Executive, has left his job after only nine months, citing a fundamental disagreement with Farage as his reason for departing. Gilpin was much-touted as the man to professionalise UKIP, taking it from its Godfrey Bloom-esque roots to the next stage as a more serious, consistent outfit. Instead, he says that he ran up against Farage..." UKIP have been on a roll, but their latest infighting shows they aren't invulnerable

10.45am LeftWatch: Haringey's mayor praises the London riots, continuing two shameful Labour traditions

ToryDiary: "For the police to acquiesce to crime is an abdication of their duty. That aquiescence starts at very low levels - when you think about it, posters telling people to hide their valuables due to the risk of pickpockets is a clear message that police are giving up, and resorting to victim-blaming rather than crime-fighting." Police failure in Balcombe has spurred on mob rule across the country - the Sussex PCC should get tough

Henry Hill's Red, White and Blue column: McLeish supports the Union - but not if it includes Conservatives

Lorraine Platt on Comment: "Badgers are a protected species and a valued intrinsic part of our countryside, loved by the British public. An e-petition recently attracted more than 263,000 public signatures against the planned cull. Recently, a letter was sent to David Cameron signed by 100 celebrities, conservation organisations, scientists and vets." The Government must heed the scientific evidence against the badger cull

Also on Comment, Grant Shapps presents an invitation: Join me at this year's Conservative Party Conference in Manchester

Local Government: Public sector reform: How Cameron is succeeding where Blair failed and Brown didn't try

The Deep End: Soak the savers, we’ve got a national debt to pay off

Home Secretary was briefed in advance on David Miranda arrest

"The home secretary has confirmed that she was given advanced notice of the decision by the police to detain David Miranda, the partner of the Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, at Heathrow airport. As part of an offensive by the government to justify the detention, the home secretary praised the police action on the grounds that Miranda possessed sensitive documents which could help terrorists and "lead to a loss of lives"." - The Guardian 

• Cameron authorised destruction of Guardian computers - Daily Mail
• We know where these powers lead - Simon Jenkins, The Guardian
• Does the Guardian love its country? - Stephen Glover, Daily Mail

>Yesterday: WATCH - David Miranda to sue Government over detention

Drilling to restart in Balcombe

"After a day of action where the protesters were cleared away from the main gate, lorries and workers were yesterday escorted safely by police onto the site. Following the arrest of 29 people – including Green MP Caroline Lucas – campaigner numbers have fallen to a third of the 1,200 present during the weekend. The ‘Reclaim the Power’ camp that was set up two miles away in a farmer’s field was also being dismantled yesterday and due to be completely cleared by tonight." - Daily Mail

• Face up to green fanatics - Daily Mail Leader
• These zealots are the enemies of progress - Daily Telegraph Leader
• Are Lucas and Miranda victims or criminals? - Dom Raab, Daily Telegraph
• Fracking will help the poor - The Times (£) 
• Government must iron out energy contradictions - FT Leader

>Today: ToryDiary - Police failure in Balcombe has spurred on mob rule across the country - the Sussex PCC should get tough

>Yesterday: The Deep End - How the police could turn themselves into human CCTV cameras

Hurd: Schools failing to give pupils the grit to get a job

"Young people are failing to find work because they lack ‘grit’, a minister has warned. Nick Hurd insisted that ‘social skills and discipline’ are every bit as essential for success as qualifications – yet they are not being taught in schools. The minister for civil society also said he was struck by the ‘crushingly low’ self-confidence of many youngsters and the effect this has on their employment prospects." - Daily Mail 

• Unite produce propaganda posters for schools - Daily Mail 
• Classroom rebels should pipe down or get out - The Sun Says (£) 
• Prince Charles' 'mole' worked in Hurd's private office - Daily Mail 

Treasury estimates HS2 cost at £73bn

"Treasury officials are privately warning that the cash cost of the controversial High Speed 2 rail line will hit £73bn, in a sign of the entrenched and escalating concern within the department over the project. The official projected cost of the flagship scheme is £42.6bn, but senior Treasury officials are using a much bigger figure to add bite to their criticism of the scheme." - FT 

• It will drive growth, says Osborne - FT 

Miliband is failing the key tests of opposition

"There are three basic rules for a modern opposition party — practised with overmastering aplomb by Tony Blair, who won a landslide, and with less success by David Cameron, who didn’t win at all but nonetheless gained a big swing and ousted a government. The Labour leader has broken every one of them." - Paul Goodman, The Times (£) 

• Blunkett: struggling Miliband needs Labour's oldies - Daily Mail 
• Ed is on the same doomed road as Gordon - Kevin Toolis, The Guardian 
• Miliband has nothing to say - Andrew Alexander, Daily Mail 
• Boris: I could never stab my brother like Ed did - Daily Mail 
• Labour to relaunch…at the TUC conference - The Times (£) 

All hail Maude's Whitehall savings

"Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude is to be congratulated for overseeing a major change in the culture of Whitehall when it comes to more responsible stewardship of taxpayers' money. A saving of £6.5billion by reducing waste, clamping down on tax-dodging and targeting welfare fraud may only amount to about one per cent of overall public spending. But it still equates to £400 per working family." - Daily Express Leader 

£205 billion is not enough - Greece needs another bailout

"Debt-riddled Greece will need a third bailout as the crisis in the eurozone rumbles on, German’s finance minister declared last night. Wolfgang Schaeuble, one of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s most powerful allies, warned that the previous rescue packages totalling £205billion will not be enough to save the stricken country. ‘There will have to be another programme in Greece,’ he said." - Daily Mail

UKIP Chief Exec quits over Farage's unaccountable dominance

"He joined Ukip last year, and said he found a chaotic and disorganised party built around Mr Farage’s personality and whims. "The thing I am most shocked by is that Nigel does his own thing without the party knowing where he is or what he is doing,” he said." - Daily Telegraph

• Godfrey Bloom offends some more people - The Times (£) 

News in brief

• Compulsory voting is a good thing - Van Badham, The Guardian 
• Burglars in prison paid to ask people about household valuables - Daily Mail 
• Abolish GCSEs, says Eton head - Daily Mail 
• More patients tied up and left by "care" staff - Daily Mail 
• Celebrate the emergence of a British Ivy League - The Times Leader (£) 
• 140 BBC bullying cases - The Independent 
• Riots were a good thing, says Labour mayor - The Times (£) 

And finally…

Rats in Parliament

"More than £100,000 has been spent clearing vermin from the Houses of Parliament in 16 months, it emerged yesterday. Most of the cash was spent laying traps and poison for mice in offices, bars and corridors across the eight-acre estate." - The Sun (£) 

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