Friday 26 February 2010

Today's newslinks

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

CameronOnTPS "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'

SALMOND ALEX "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

Alan-partridge460_795711c "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

> Watch Nigel Farage compare EU President to "damp rag"

Posted by Britannia Radio at 11:06