ToryDiary: A defining moment in the history of the modern, compassionate Conservative Party
Also on ToryDiary: Guardian warns that Cameron's "war on the state" could "unseal the deal"
Andrea Leadsom on Platform: We must focus on encouraging NEETs into self-employment
Local government: Race to be Mayor of Bedford reaches final lap and Devon saves money by switching out the lights
Tim Montgomerie on CentreRight: ConservativeHome's Manchester United event
"The Czech President placed a new obstacle in the path of the Lisbon Treaty yesterday raising hopes Britain could yet be given a referendum. Eurosceptic President Vaclav Klaus has threatened not to sign the document unless a two-sentence footnote is added." - Daily Mail
> WATCH: William Hague tells Tory Conference why Lisbon is undemocratic
Bono sings the praises of Tories on foreign aid - Irish Times
Channel 4's word cloud for Cameron's big speech
From Channel 4.
Liam Fox appears certain to be Cameron's Defence Secretary if Tories win
Tim Montgomerie's Tweet of yesterday >>
"Liam Fox was confirmed as the Defence Secretary in a future Conservative government yesterday as David Cameron started naming those who would serve in his first Cabinet. The Tory leader’s strong backing for Dr Fox came as a surprise to many of his colleagues who have long speculated that he might be replaced after an election victory. Mr Cameron praised the man who stood against him in the 2005 leadership election as a “politician of the front rank”." - Times
> WATCH: Liam Fox discusses Tory plans to cut 25% of the MoD bureaucracy
Tory frontbenchers and senior military chiefs said to be unhappy at Dannatt's Tory appointment
"The Tory leadership has received complaints from some of the party's senior frontbenchers about Cameron's decision to elevate Dannatt to the Lords, putting him on course to become a minister. Gerald Howarth, the shadow defence minister, was said to be angry after he learned about the appointment from a journalist. Lord Strathclyde, the Tory leader in the upper house, told Lord Astor of Hever, a former Guards officer and Tory defence spokesman in the Lords, that his position was safe "as far as I know". Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary, who was consulted about the move, has private misgivings." - Guardian
Army chiefs turn guns on "political" Dannatt - Independent
"His acceptance of a role under Mr Cameron, so soon after shedding uniform, directly identifies him with the Government's enemies, under a party banner. As a result, his actions have thoroughly alarmed many senior officers, serving and retired. They are in no doubt that the government has handled the armed forces deplorably. But they shake their heads at the spectacle of a general, however distinguished, charging into the political arena." - Max Hastings in the Daily Mail
General Sir Richard Dannatt vowed last night not to give David Cameron an "easy time" if he becomes Prime Minister - The Sun
Cameron hints at end of Quantitative Easing
"[Cameron's] plan to tackle the “debt crisis” – including his call for an early end to quantitative easing – caused some unease, with Alistair Darling, chancellor, claiming: “If we stopped supporting the economy now, it would crash.” David Blanchflower, who left the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee in May, said Mr Cameron’s speech on Thursday was “bizarre” and if put into practice could tip the UK into a “depression.” Shamik Dhar, a former Bank of England economist, said “at best this is wrong and at worst downright dangerous.”" - FT
Jeff Randall, in The Telegraph, backs Cameron on QE: "Unprecedented budgetary stimuli and quantitative easing may have operated as a life-support machine, but the underlying cause of the patient's sickness will remain until our behaviour changes. Pennies from heaven are an illusion. We cannot print our way to prosperity, only ruin."
Allister Heath reviews the Conservative Party's tax-raising options - City AM
The Conservatives may have found a way of enabling new schools to be run by profit-making private firms - Guardian
Jewish leaders ask Tories to prove they vetted new European allies - Guardian
"Poland's Kaminski is not an antisemite: he's a friend to Jews" - Stephen Pollard in The Guardian
Boris Johnson approves new skyscraper for London "Mr Johnson repeatedly attacked previous mayor Ken Livingstone’s support for tall towers during his election campaign. But he overruled Tower Hamlets Council, claiming the application for the 63-storey Columbus Tower on the Isle of Dogs near Canary Wharf was of strategic importance to the whole of the capital." - FT
Boris angry at Ben Bradshaw's veto of his recommendation of ex-Evening Standard Editor to London arts post - Telegraph
Samantha Cameron wears £65 M&S dress - Daily Mail
And finally... No jokes in Cameron's speech"It also deserves a place in the Guinness Book of Records. Although there was scorn, effectively deployed, there was not a single joke: a rare, if not unique, event in a leader's party conference text. Most leaders feel the need for a bit of knock-about at their opponents' expense, to give the troops a good laugh. In Manchester, there were no laughs. Mr Cameron's primary focus was the country, not his party. He sensed a serious, indeed sombre, national mood." - Bruce Anderson in The Independent
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