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Monday 6th April 2009Britain's leading conservative blog Today's top ConservativeHome features ToryDiary: Conservatives demand that innocent people's DNA must not be stored by the state The candidates for the chairmanship of the National Conservative Convention set out their stall Andrew Murrison MP on Platform: As NATO celebrates its 60th birthday, we must put the brakes on the creeping EU military identity Seats and Candidates Diary of a PPC: A busy week for Richard Cook, the man seeking to oust Scotland Secretary Jim Murphy in East Renfrewshire Mark Wallace in Local Government: More than 1,000 Town Hall employees are now earning in excess of £100,000 - and some councils still don't want you to know about it Also in Local Goverment: Cambridgeshire County Council to auction Lowry painting Councils contract out lifeguard duty to RNLI Peter Whittle on CentreRight: "It might take a long time, but it's just possible that certain truths are dawning on the liberal elites who have been in charge of setting the cultural tone of the country for decades now" WATCH: Gordon Brown claims that the decisions made at the G20 will help ordinary Britons struggling in the recession Small G20 "Brown Bounce" reduces Tory lead to 7% in latest YouGov poll  Should MPs be housed in London's Olympic Village? Tory members reject the idea of a temporary cut in MPs' pay Jonathan Isaby: A £50,000 cap on donations would kill the Conservative Party Lorraine Mullally: Caroline Flint's admission of ignorance about the Lisbon Treaty makes the need for a referendum all the more urgent Tim Montgomerie: I don't want to ban the bomb Today's other newslinks George Osborne rubbishes Labour's economic forecasts as IFS warns of multi-billion pound black hole... "Today, the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS), a respected economic forecaster, will produce detailed estimates on the damage done to the public finances by the recession. It is expected to warn that Britain has had to borrow almost £20 billion more than expected over the past year... George Osborne, the shadow Chancellor, said: “Why would anyone believe Gordon Brown’s claims about his economic policies ever again? When the Prime Minister and the Chancellor made their recession forecast last autumn, we along with almost every independent forecaster said it was likely to be wrong - but they wouldn’t listen". - Daily Telegraph ...and Darling prepares to reveal disastrous growth forecast "Alistair Darling yesterday prepared to acknowledge the biggest forecasting error made by a British chancellor, warning there was unlikely to be a resurgence in the economy this year. Mr Darling is expected to use his April 22 Budget to admit the recession is much worse than he forecast, predicting the economy will shrink by at least 3 per cent in 2009 and that the deficit will top 10 per cent of national income." - FT David Cameron turns fire on Labour over expenses "David Cameron has sought to embarrass Gordon Brown over his expenses bill by pledging he will not claim the "second homes" allowance for MPs if he moves into Downing Street. Mr Brown has claimed £115,000 on his constituency home in Fife since 2002 even though he has enjoyed a rent-free Downing Street flat as Chancellor and Prime Minister and has use of the country retreat, Chequers. Mr Brown's claims are within the rules, but the Tories believe he should not claim the housing allowance as he has a "grace and favour" home at the taxpayers' expense." - The Independent Darling now in the frame over expenses claim on second home - Daily Mail > Yesterday's ToryDiary: David Cameron pledges that no Conservative minister with a grace-and-favour residence would claim expenses for a second home William Hague joins condemnation of North Korea after rocket launch "North Korea became an international outcast yesterday as its rocket launch was condemned across the world... Shadow foreign secretary William Hague said the launch was "a missile test in all but name" and added: "It proves that despite years of negotiations, North Korea's nuclear programme is still extremely dangerous and could become yet more so." - Daily Record Michael Gove wants to restore respect to teaching "Teachers need to be honest about faults in the exam system if they are to gain more respect and esteem for the profession, the shadow Education Secretary says today. Michael Gove, in an interview with The Independent to coincide with the start of the teacher union conference season, makes it clear that the priorities of a new Conservative government would be to restore respect for teaching." - The Independent Boris to promote the Thames as key transport link "The River Thames could be returned to its glory days under a plan by the Mayor of London to promote it as an integral transport link, The Times has learnt. Boris Johnson will announce today the integration of river services into the wider transport network, enabling Oyster cards, a form of electronic ticketing, to be used for the first time." - The Times Brown plays down talk of an early election "Gordon Brown yesterday played down any suggestion that he will call an early general election, despite a boost in the polls for Labour, after the G20 summit was hailed a success. The Prime Minister insisted that his first priority was securing jobs and homes, rather than being distracted by an election campaign." - The Scotsman Bruce Anderson: Brown and Cameron have a tricky task after the G20 "The Tories must find a way of discussing the present difficulties without appearing to revel in them: of being sombre without being thrown by unexpected signs of recovery. They ought to be bold enough to encourage a degree of medium-term optimism, without sounding glib. Above all, they must capture the voters' confidence." - Bruce Anderson writing in The Independent At the beginning of a new fiscal year, Philip Johnston makes the case for cutting taxes "There is a fundamental case to be made for low taxation that feeds both a desire for smaller government and for greater personal freedom, both of which are central Conservative tenets and should be at the heart of the party's appeal. There is a moral imperative that goes far beyond merely trimming away wasteful fat but which should be an end in itself. Tax cuts create incentives to wealth creation and stimulate hard work, thereby generating income and extra revenues. Low taxes allow people to make their own decisions, to save when they wish, to give if they choose, and to spend on what matters to them." - Philip Johnston writing in the Daily Telegraph Jackie Ashley: The anti-politician mood could harm the Tories as well as Labour "The dilemmas facing the Tories are almost as hard as those facing Labour, but all parties face a new threat - general anger at self-serving elites whose claims to wisdom are bust and whose behaviour is under new scrutiny." - Jackie Ashley writing in The Guardian Melanie Phillips: When will we wake up to the real folly of human rights? "It is, indeed, grotesque that unelected European judges - some of whom do not even come from countries adhering to the rule of law - should lay down what we can or cannot do." - Melanie Phillips writing in the Daily Mail > Last night's ToryDiary: Can we end the human rights nonsenses while Britain is still a member of the ECHR? Lord Dean of Harptree, 1924-2009 "The Lord Dean of Harptree, who died on April 1 aged 84, was an accomplished junior pensions minister under Edward Heath who, after being shunned by Margaret Thatcher, spent his final decade in the Commons as a deputy Speaker. Humane and liberal, Paul Dean lacked the killer instinct required to reach the very top. Imposing but unassuming, his consensual demeanour matched his politics. In the Chair he turned a blind eye to all but the most outrageous behaviour; more than once at the start of business, Speaker Bernard Weatherill had to reprimand backbenchers Dean had struggled to control the night before. " - Daily Telegraph obituary Paul Boateng to leave post as High Commissioner in Cape Town after bullying claims - Daily Telegraph NUT leaders want faith schools phased out - Daily Mail Proposed EU law would force us to collect food waste in separate bins - Daily Telegraph MPs make us pay £5million for their cheap food and drink - Daily Mirror