Britannia Radio

Thursday 11th June 2009Britain's leading conservative blog

Today's top ConservativeHome features ToryDiary: Fleet Street rejects Gordon Brown's lies about 'Tory cuts' Local government: Councillor allowances rise above inflation Howard Flight on Platform: Reforms in the wake of "Expenses-gate" must not prohibit MPs from earning an outside income Parliament: 'I wouldn't be surprised if Gordon Brown made Peter Mandelson an Archbishop!' says William Hague Seats and candidates: Zehra Zaidi records the exhausting - but successful - final week of the Euro-election campaign in South West England Seats and candidates: BNP plan General Election campaign in Labour heartland seats On CentreRight: Daniel Kawczynski MP: An open letter to Polish President Kaczyński, urging him to withhold his signature from the Lisbon Treaty Simon Chapman: What does the NHS Chief Executive say about future NHS spending? WATCH: Brown and Cameron clash at PMQs with Tory leader accusing the Prime Minister of attempting to fix the electoral system Today's other newslinks Timothy Garton-Ash attacks Tory exit from EPP "The fact that Cameron insists on withdrawing from a grouping that includes the parties of the German chancellor, the French president and the Italian and Polish prime ministers sends to them all, and to Washington, this message: prepare for the British again to be the spoilers, the naysayers, the foot-draggers of Europe." - Guardian Ken Livingstone: 'Boris Johnson has failed to build a relationship with the unions' "Although Boris Johnson gave an election pledge to introduce a no-strike deal we know that not only has he failed to meet the transport union leaders in the 14 months since his election, but he did not even bother to send a letter asking them to consider a no-strike deal." - Ken Livingstone, writing in The Times, puts the blame on Boris for the Tube strike Benedict Brogan: 'John Bercow is the Speaker that Parliament is going to get but not the one it needs' - Telegraph Veteran Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe has announced she is to stand as Speaker of the House of Commons - BBC WATCH: Margaret Beckett explains why she is standing to become Commons Speaker Tories organise 'Gay Pride' celebration for Manchester Party Conference - ToryBear Oxford University Conservatives face expulsion for racist joke competition - Daily Mail George Osborne ‘flipped’ second home to claim for £450,000 loan - Times MPs including David Amess broke rules on declaring interests - Telegraph Shahid Malik admits charging taxpayer for two houses - Telegraph James Forsyth interviews Jon Cruddas "Jon Cruddas, tribune of the left and foe of the BNP, tells James Forsyth his support for the PM is not unconditional, and praises James Purnell for being ‘true to himself’" - Spectator Brown sets out his 'democracy renewal' ideas "The prime minister set out ideas to curb the power of whips and surrender to MPs important controls over the way Westminster business is conducted. In future, MPs would elect all select committees, take control of the Commons' business programme, and be given a greater chance to introduce legislation." - Guardian "Our voting system is the source code of the power wielded by MPs. It bestows the authority of the people on their representatives. Yet few MPs can claim support from more than 50% of their electors. AV enables ­preference (ranked) voting, ensuring an MP can claim authority of a majority of their voters. AV also allows voters to protest – through the support of small and single-issue groups, while also choosing to support a larger party, if they so wish. Unlike some other voting systems, it allows the retention of a geographic link between MP and electors." - Tom Watson in The Guardian The Daily Mail attacks Brown's plan: "In the real world that most of us inhabit, Britain is gripped by two parallel crises of monumental proportions. One is the economic meltdown, threatening homes and jobs and saddling children yet unborn with terrifying debts. The other is the unprecedented crisis of confidence in our politicians. Yet, incredibly, this is the moment Gordon Brown chooses to launch hugely complex and controversial proposals that have nothing whatever to do with the pressing concerns of the people." Labour MP Linda Riordan makes the case for retaining the first-past-the-post electoral system for Westminster - ePolitix New Tory leadership will phase out Lancashire's Labour-style red rose logo... [Outgoing logo above, Traditional logo right.] ...and restore the traditional Tudor-style logo that the outgoing Labour-run council team abolished.  "Conservative chiefs" reports The Lancashire Telegraph, "said the emblem would be phased out so council taxpayers’ money was not wasted."  Conservatives won control of the council last Thursday. COMMENT HERE.