Mark Pritchard MP on Platform: The increased use of Sharia Councils in Britain is bad news for women and undermines social cohesion Seats and Candidates: Euro election candidate Rupert Matthews reports that the EU is not the most burning issue on the doorstep in the East Midlands Brian Jenner on CentreRight: Tory speechwriters need a story and that story should be a story of national recovery WATCH: Damian Green tells Newsnight that the police threatened him with "life imprisonment" Also on PlayPolitical: President Obama releases Bush-era memos on the treatment of terror suspects by the CIA "Pressure was mounting on Home Secretary Jacqui Smith last night after Tory frontbencher Damian Green was told he would not be prosecuted for receiving leaked documents. The Crown Prosecution Service ruled that Mr Green’s arrest and the £5million police investigation had been utterly unjustified." - Daily Express "The collapse of the inquiry represented a humiliation for Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, and raised concerns that police are using the charge of misconduct in public office to silence whistleblowers. The government faces further embarrassment today with the publication of a police report into the methods used to raid Green's home and office which is expected to criticise of aspects of the arrests and searches." - The Guardian "The increasingly habitual use of the full power of the state to attack opponents of the government, be they whistleblowers or political rivals, is inimical to our entire liberal democratic tradition... If we took the law literally, namely "misconduct in public office", this week we might end up arresting the Home Secretary." - Former shadow home secretary David Davis writing in The Independent Police told Green he faced life in prison over leaks - Daily Telegraph > Yesterday's ToryDiary posts: Gordon Brown finally apologises for the Damian McBride affair "Gordon Brown finally said sorry yesterday for the plan to smear senior figures in the Conservative Party that forced the resignation of his close aide Damian McBride. But as the Cabinet met in Glasgow, some ministers expressed concern that Mr Brown had prolonged the controversy by refusing to issue a personal apology for six days. "He should have killed this off at the start by saying sorry. It has not been handled well," one said." - The Independent "The Tories should be on guard against voters thinking they are stretching out this scandal beyond its natural limits. But the fact that even the Prime Minister's apology is not taken at face value tells you much about the extent of the damage done. That damage is severe and will endure." - Iain Martin writing in the Daily Telegraph > Yesterday on ConservativeHome: "The government has allowed Ripa [the Regulation of Invetigatory Powers Act] to become a snoopers' charter. It was supposed to be there to tackle terrorism and serious crime. Instead it's being used by both the government and hundreds of local authorities to pry into all kinds of different parts of people's lives. It has to stop." - Shadow home secretary Chris Grayling quoted on the BBC website Conservative London Assemblyman blames G20 protestor for "police assault" "A Conservative London assembly member today claimed a woman allegedly assaulted by a police officer at a vigil in honour of the man who died after being attacked by police at the G20 protests in London had been to blame for the incident. Brian Coleman, the Tory assembly member for Barnet and Camden, made his comments after video footage emerged of the woman, who has been named as Nicky Fisher, being struck by a police officer outside the Bank of England." - The Guardian > Yesterday's ToryDiary The Queen is more trusted than any politician "The Queen is Britain’s most trusted public figure, leaving Gordon Brown and other politicians trailing in her wake, a study showed yesterday... Politicians emerged as the least trusted public figures in the poll of 2,000 Britons, which found that one in three do not trust any of them. Of the remaining two-thirds, more said they trusted Tory leader David Cameron to keep his word (21 per cent) than Mr Brown (12 per cent). London Mayor Boris Johnson was in second place in the political selections with 20 per cent." - Daily Express Jeff Randall has a few Budget suggestions for Alistair Darling "Stop paying child benefit to top-rate taxpayers... Scale back Labour's target of 50 per cent university attendance... Cull government consultants, especially in the National Health Service... Dismantle the impossibly complex system of tax credits... Stop incapacity benefits for healthy people... Freeze public-sector pay... Cancel Labour's propaganda unit, which masquerades as a Government information bureau... sack the army of spin doctors amassed by Labour to keep a once-impartial civil service on message." - Jeff Randall writing in the Daily Telegraph Guido Fawkes rails at lobby journalists... "From the start of this era of spin the lobby pack have been willing accomplices... Cowardice and cronyism run right through the lobby, who are fearful of being taken off the teat of prepackaged stories served to them. That is not journalism; that is copytaking. The many stories filed this week that reveal just how horrible Mr Brown's cabal have been are of mere historical interest. They would have been brave if they had been written before McPoison was toppled." - Guido Fawkes writing in The Times ...as his influence is hailed by Steve Richards "The creator of the Guido Fawkes website, Paul Staines, is in my view one of the most influential figures in the British media. One day this week I heard five items on the Today programme that followed up his stories or his observations. Politicians have not learnt how to cope with an individual who has as much impact as entire newspapers." - Steve Richards writing in The Independent "Lord Mandelson sparked fury last night by telling people to cheer up and stop being "so darned pessimistic". The Business Secretary was branded "dishonest and insensitive" after complaining that Brits were too negative and should look at the "up side". - The Sun > Jonathan Isaby on CentreRight: Mandelson's gaffe has something of the Tom Harris about it William Hague and Michael Ancram plan European election campaign visits to Gibraltar - Gibraltar Chronicle Prince's Trust Thatcher fundraising lunch with women2win broke charity law - The Scotsman Former Tory councillor Daniel Smy jailed over £35,000 expenses scam - Bournemouth Daily Echo Taxpayers must bail out MEPs' pension fund to the tune of £105 million - The Times Partners of lesbian mothers to get "paternity leave" - Daily Telegraph Obama exempts CIA "torture" staff - BBC
Friday 17th April 2009Britain's leading conservative blogJacqui Smith under mounting pressure over Damian Green affair
Chris Grayling welcomes review of snooping powers
Mandelson tells public: Cheer up
Friday, 17 April 2009
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