ToryDiary: A ten point plan to put the Tory campaign back on track
Also on ToryDiary: Paul Goodman reviews David Willetts' 'The Pinch'
Shane Frith on Platform: It's time to expose the anti-capitalist green groups
Local government:
- Mixed results from council by-elections
- Councils fail to act against incompetent teachers
- Councillors who fail to turn up for meetings but STILL claim allowances
- LibDem councillor defects to Eastleigh Tories
David Cooper on Seats and candidates: Reflections of an executive member in South Staffordshire on selecting a Tory candidate
Tory lead down to 5% in Telegraph/MORI poll - Yesterday evening's ToryDiary
27% of voters tell YouGov/ Sun that they might still change their minds - Yesterday evening's ToryDiary
The FT continues its series, profiling David Cameron "Although friends say his instincts remain rightwing, the prevailing view is that [David Cameron] is an old-style Tory pragmatist, the type of politician that traditionally led the party before the more vigorous, ideologically driven Thatcher generation. As such, Mr Cameron is seen as interested primarily in securing power for his party, with his approach described variously as “compassionate”, “modern”, “liberal”, “centre-right” and – above all – “practical”." - FT
Both Labour and Tories hire debate advisers from USA - FT | Yesterday's ToryDiary
67% of business leaders prefer Osborne to Darling - Independent
"George Osborne's impressive Mais lecture suggests, thankfully, that we may be back to the Tory message of "austerity"" - Michael Brown in The Independent
Labour opts for bargain £4m campaign with no high street posters - Times
Gordon Brown not being honest about cuts, says Labour committee chairman - Guardian
Immigration is "out of control" - Daily Star | Yesterday's LeftWatch
Damian Green criticises "one-sided" BBC programme on immigration - Express
Almost 50,000 Health Service patients a year are dying while suffering from malnutrition in hospitals in England - Daily Mail
Professor David Kerr, one of the architects of Labour's NHS reforms, to become Conservative adviser - Times
The Charity Commission is investigating Christine Pratt's National Bullying Helpline - BBC
'No independence referendum in Alex Salmond's first term' "The minority Scottish National Party government published only a draft bill as it calculated a full bill would have been quickly killed by the pro-Union parties at Holyrood." - FT
"Alex Salmond has published yet another version of his independence referendum plan in an attempt to kept it alive during the general election campaign... Professor John Curtice, of Strathclyde University, said there was not enough time to organise a referendum before May 2011, the date of the next Holyrood elections... Annabel Goldie, Scottish Tory leader, said: “It is time for Alex Salmond to put up or shut up. If this is such a flagship policy for the SNP then why on earth doesn't Alex Salmond just introduce it to Parliament? Instead we get this persistent publicity campaign which just goes over and over the same old ground.”" - Telegraph
MPs in North West claim website has sent out Twitter messages in their names - Guardian
> WATCH: Harriet Harman tells Commons that her Twitter account was hacked
Building expensive wind turbines and other green energy investments will cost Britain €161bn by 2020 - Allister Heath in City AM
And finally... Times likens Nigel Farage to Alan Partridge
"In his rant at Mr Van Rompuy, Mr Farage boasted that “I can speak on behalf of the majority of British people in saying that we don’t know you, we don’t want you . . .” This newspaper did not want a leader of the European Council either. But no, Mr Farage, you do not speak for the majority of the British people. They would not dream of being so pathetically rude and neither do they relish being represented by the political equivalent of Alan Partridge." - Times leader
ToryDiary: Could Britain have an anti-tax revolution? Dan Hannan wants to get one going...
Seats and candidates: Another survey confirms that Tory candidates are Thatcher's children (but against capital punishment and in favour of gay rights)
LeftWatch: Immigration is "out of control" under Labour, says Damian Green
Louise Bagshawe on CentreRight: "It's time for every Conservative candidate and activist to ignore polls that are all over the place and get ready - finally - to take this fight to Labour."
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