Britannia Radio

Monday 27 October 2008  Britain's leading conservative blog Ten next steps for the Conservatives Throughout today ConservativeHome will be publishing ten suggested next steps for the Conservatives: The first two steps have already been published: Tories need to explain their macroeconomic strategy for the recession and The Cameron circle needs to be bigger Keeping track of the pundits Peter Cuthbertson introduces his new blog that aims to track the predictions of the punditocracy Today's other links Hugo Robinson on Platform: EU climate targets are bad for the environment and bad for the economy Cllr David Burbage on Local government: Freezing council tax and spending more on the police Three videos: Liam Fox describes 'Yatchgate' as "non story" In  this two minute ad, Barack Obama sets out his plan for America Republicans: Obama is "untested" for turbulent times Brown readies big speech to explain why he plans to borrow even more to address recession - BBC More state spending is NOT the answer - Daily Mail leader > The Mail backs a letter by sixteen economists, coordinated by Andrew Lilico "Gordon Brown has raised the prospect of fresh international action to cut interest rates and stimulate the global economy. Mr Brown used an interview to hint that falling interest rates may lead to rate cuts by the Bank of England and central banks around the world, raising the prospect of another co-ordinated cut like this month's 0.5 point reduction to calm the financial crisis." - Independent George Osborne withdraws from individual discussions about individual donations - FT More experts doubt Tory rail plan will help Heathrow - FT Tebbit: European countries to merge into 'West European Republic' - Telegraph Andy Coulson won PR professional of the year at last year's PR Week awards "but" is he popular with his peers? - Julian Henry in The Guardian Bill Cash MP celebrates free trader John Bright "So if Bright were alive today what would he be fighting for? His absolute priority would be to restore respect and authority to the Commons. The man who coined the phrase “the Mother of Parliaments” believed that the most precious thing that a person possessed was the right to vote for the laws that governed him and his country. He would be our foremost euro-realist railing against the imposition of European laws." - Bill Cash MP writing in The Times Michael Gove: Eric Hobsbawm is our greatest living apologist "Can we please have an end to fawning interviews with the unrepentant Moscow-liner Eric Hobsbawm? He is not, as the BBC argued this week, perhaps our greatest living historian. He's an apologist for totalitarianism and when I think of the millions who were killed and tortured in Marxism's name, from the Polish officers shot in Katyn forest to those brave dissidents who endured the gulag, I am convinced that only when Hobsbawm weeps hot tears for a life spent serving an ideology of wickedness will he ever be worth listening to." - Michael Gove in The Times Sir Norman Fowler proposes a system of taxpayer-funded top-ups for retail donations to political parties - FT John Hutton's support for an EU Army is questioned "Has Mr Hutton asked himself why our EU partners are so wedded to the idea of a pan-European defence force that can, in his grandiloquent words, "project power, strength and conviction around the world" - yet when faced by the challenge of the Taliban and al-Qaeda project only timidity? Has it occurred to him that this is the politics of posturing?" - Telegraph leader > Nile Gardiner on CentreRight: Hutton's support for an EU Army is a massive betrayal Jack Straw: 'Punishing criminals must come before offenders' needs' - Telegraph Labour surrenders to green rebels and includes shipping and aviation in emission targets bill - Guardian Gordon Brown has campaigned in his first by-election visit since becoming Prime Minister - Sky Alistair Campbell says Labour must rediscover "fight" to win General Election - BBC "The first thing to remember when considering Peter Mandelson’s version of events is that he is a proven liar." - Trevor Kavanagh in The Sun And finally... Was George Osborne's Bullingdon photo doctored? "Dripping with privilege and arrogance, it is an image the Tories have been desperate to downplay. Yet their embarrassment over the picture of George Osborne in a notorious Oxford University drinking club intensified yesterday. Two ghostly figures appear to be lurking alongside the future Shadow Chancellor and his fellow members of the hellraising Bullingdon Club..." - Daily Mail Our main sites .

http://www.conservativehome.com