Britannia Radio

Friday 19th June 2009Britain's leading conservative blog Today's top ConservativeHome features ToryDiary: It's time to ditch the inheritance tax cut pledge, argues Neil O'Brien Publish in full or be damned, says The Times after Parliament's blackest day On CentreRight, Stephan Shakespeare argues that "The Conservative Party didn’t choose David Cameron because they loved his policies, nor because he’d be a good mate. They chose him because they saw him as a winner." He goes on to say that Cameron mustn't let MPs off the hook on expenses. Local government: New Conservative administration in Devon begins with cutting allowances bill Jonathan Delaney on Platform: How British rejection of the European Security and Defence Policy could lead to fundamental reform of the European Union WATCH: Hazel Blears talks to the BBC after surviving an attempt to deselect her Today's newslinks MPs face universal condemnation over “disgraceful” censorship of their expenses claims - Telegraph "Yesterday's exercise in obfuscation suggested that for all the breast-beating and the agonised mea culpas, the House of Commons has learnt nothing. After the recent disclosures, how could anyone have imagined that putting censored information into the public domain in such a way would do anything other than make voters think that, once again, their MPs have something to hide, or are totally out of touch?" - Telegraph leader "Is this what Gordon Brown meant when he promised us transparency and open government? Is this what David Cameron and Nick Clegg regard as acceptable behaviour? The blanking out of information on MPs' expense forms was Labour's decision. But MPs of other parties all went along with it. Shame on them." - The Sun Says Cameron to repay £947 in mortgages expenses - Times Commons spent fortune blacking out expenses - Times Brian Binley attacks The Telegraph for abandoning fair and honest reporting "Sadly, such is now the Telegraph's thirst and hunger for making mischief since obtaining the records of MPs' expenses, that it has long since abandoned the idea of fair and honest reporting. Of course, some MPs have deservedly been exposed for the misuse of public funds, be it claiming for non-existent mortgages, "flipping" between homes, or claiming a fiver for a wreath they bought for Remembrance Sunday. But now the newspaper has turned it into a McCarthyite witch-hunt for the sake of a circulation increase. It is doing the reputation of British journalism a lot of damage." - Brian Binley MP in The Independent The New Labour orthodoxy on public spending is over - The Economist's Bagehot Annabel Goldie's enthusiasm for further Scottish devolution is not shared by some Tory MSPs - Telegraph Outgoing European Parliament president Hans-Gert Poettering attacks Cameron for leaving EPP and for Lisbon tactics - EU Business 'I disagree with her on nearly everything' but Johann Hari says he'd support Ann Widdecombe as a "no-bullshit Speaker" - Independent Margaret Thatcher to undergo surgery on broken arm - Guardian Brown u-turns and concedes that Iraq Inquiry may be partly public - BBC Clare Short wants to become Mayor of Birmingham - Telegraph Today's clutching at straws award... goes to the New Statesman for this: "The Tories are ahead in the polls but remain unpopular."