The Conservatives are poised to unveil a manifesto which will give power to people
- 'Fire up the Quattro' is your favourite poster
Nigel Jones on Platform: How the Tory leadership could emulate Stanley Baldwin in sugaring the austerity pill
LeftWatch: Labour MP splutters and stumbles as he struggles to justify Gordon Brown's gold sell-off
Graeme Archer on CentreRight: Someone else's sigh
WATCH: Conservative candidate Gavin Barwell makes his pitch to the people of Croydon Central
Tea with Pickles: Someone’s sunrise is someone else’s sunset
Nick Wood's High Noon: Gordon Brown's new-found aversion to spending commitments is as believable as the cartoon drunk vowing never to touch another drop of alcohol
Local government: Conservatives fight every ward in London
CentreRight posts:
- Daniel Hamilton analyses the result of the Hungarian general election: Fidesz's unhappy challenge
- Lee Rotherham has some advice for the next Prime Minister and his Europe Minister: tell it straight, and drop the customary flannel
MyLabourPoster: Spoofs of Labour's manifesto cover
LeftWatch: Lib Dem attempt to infiltrate Zac Goldsmith's campaign is exposed
WATCH:
David Cameron: Individuals and families will turn the country round - not politicians or bureaucrats
"I don’t want to win the election for my sake, so that I can sit in the driving seat of power in Downing Street. I want to win the election for your sake — to put you in the driving seat, so you have the power to take the decisions that affect the life of your family and your community. This is the philosophy that underpins everything we have done for the past five years since I became leader of my party, and it underscores everything I want us to achieve over the next five years. " - David Cameron writing in The Times
Labour's manifesto reveals the scale of its failure
"This is a threadbare manifesto. Governments of such long duration never find it easy to reinvent themselves so as to appear fresh and energised to a jaded electorate... The trustworthiness of the document, particularly on tax, must also be in doubt. In the 2001 general election, Labour promised no increase in income tax rates – so pushed through a big increase in National Insurance instead. In 2005, that same pledge was repeated and this time Labour did not even go through the pretence of sticking to it... Mr Brown insisted yesterday that his party is "in the future business". The reality is that Labour's future is behind it." - Daily Telegraph editorial
"Mr Brown desperately tried to justify Labour's decision to hold the manifesto launch in a hospital. Cabinet Office rules make clear that "election meetings should not be permitted on NHS premises". But the PM said the new building will not be handed to the NHS for several weeks. Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley accused him of "exploiting a loophole". - Trevor Kavanagh in The Sun
Tories spell out Labour's broken pledges - Daily Express
> Yesterday's LeftWatch posts:
- The Conservative rebuttal of Labour's manifesto
- Labour accused of breaking rules by using NHS hospital for manifesto launch
Rachel Sylvester: A clear divide is opening up between the parties
"A genuine ideological divide is opening up between Gordon Brown and David Cameron over the role of the State. Yesterday Labour published its manifesto called A Future Fair for All. On the front is a picture that looks like a Maoist propaganda poster. Inside, the clearest message is that government is best placed to create the level playing field that the party desires... By contrast, David Cameron’s defining belief is that individuals are better than the Government at running their own lives. He wants to promote “people power” and his favourite catchphrase is that “there is such a thing a s society, it’s just not the same as the State”. - Rachel Sylvester in The Times
Polls still point to David Cameron becoming Prime Minister
"Voters expect David Cameron to win the election, even though many are unenthusiastic about the prospect, according to today's Guardian/ICM poll. Asked, regardless of personal preference, who they expect to be in No 10 after the election, 58% say Cameron against only 28% who say Gordon Brown will still be in power." - The Guardian
"His [David Cameron's] attempt to outflank Labour came as a ComRes poll for The Independent and ITV News reveals that the Tories are winning the battle for public support over their decision to reverse the rise in National Insurance contributions (NICs) due to take effect in April next year. However, the survey suggests Mr Cameron is not yet heading for outright victory. The Tories are on 37 per cent (down two points since the last ComRes poll for The Independent on Sunday), Labour 30 per cent (down two) and the Liberal Democrats on 20 per cent (up four)." - The Independent
YouGov's daily tracker - The Sun
Latest poll of London voters suggests 12 Tory gains in the capital - Yesterday's Evening Standard
New polling analysis points to Tory overall majority - PoliticsHome
> Last night's ToryDiary thread on the polls
> Stephan Shakespeare: What to make of a 6% poll lead?
New seat of Sunderland Central is Tory "wild card"
"Sunderland's appearance in the marginal battleground, albeit at the outer edge, is intriguing for a place long pigeonholed as solid Labour and hitherto regarded as interesting only for its obsession with being first to declare its result in each general election. That administrative triumph is reckoned to be safe on 6 May, but things are not so certain in the city's new Central seat, where the Conservative challenge has substance as well as spin. Boundary changes began the makings of a blue centre in a red doughnut. It's a very outside chance – David Cameron calls the seat his "wild card" and there is no sign of Ashcroft mo ney – but one with other sources of momentum. Unusually in the north-east, the city has a residual "Tory workers" tradition which has been revived in Lee Martin, the party's challenger this time." - The Guardian
> Seats and Candidates: Coverage of Lee Martin's campaign in Sunderland Central
Tory plan on foreign workers under fire
"The Conservatives came under fire on Monday night from business for the first time in the election campaign. On the eve of the party manifesto launch, London First, the City lobby group that represents many of London’s biggest companies and banks, warned that Tory plans to curb economic migrants threatened Britain’s position as a global commercial centre." - FT
Expenses scandal MPs get legal aid
"Outrage greeted the news yesterday that taxpayers face a £1million legal bill for three Labour MPs accused of cheating their expenses. The Tories said it was a “slap in the face to every decent Briton”. David Chaytor, Elliot Morley and Jim Devine were granted legal aid to fight their case, having already hired some of the best – and most expensive – lawyers in the country." - Daily Express
> Yesterday's ToryDiary: Tories pledge that they would stop MPs facing charges over expenses from accessing legal aid
Inquiry is launched into Labour's "cancer" postcards...
"Allegations that Labour has 'cynically' targeted cancer sufferers with an election leaflet are being investigated by the Information Commissioner, Christopher Graham. The Commissioner's office said it had called Labour officials to find out the facts after protests were reported by cancer patients who received Labour election postcards warning them that the Tories would cut cancer services if David Cameron won power on 6 May... Shadow Cabinet Minister Liam Fox said Labour should be "ashamed of themselves" for peddling "the politics of fear". - The Independent
... as doctors revolt over Labour's poll stunt to enlist them
"Doctors are outraged after Labour's botched attempt to enlist them in an election stunt. The party was caught out approaching senior clinicians and other health staff - via their personal NHS addresses - asking them to sign a letter in support of Labour's health policy." - Daily Mail
> Yesterday's LeftWatch post on both those stories
My son's death almost made me quit politics, reveals tearful David Cameron
"In an emotional interview for ITV's Tonight show, he said the loss of six-year-old Ivan, who was born with a rare condition which caused epilepsy, was 'very tough' and made him question the future. 'To start with I thought, to hell with everything,' said Mr Cameron. 'You do, it's just such a shock you can't really come to terms with it to start with'." - Daily Mail
> WATCH: David Cameron talks to the Tonight Programme about the loss of his son Ivan
Nick Clegg walks into Jeremy Paxman’s den
"Nick Clegg is a man who will do almost anything. Last night he went where other party leaders have so far feared to tread, by submitting himself to half an hour with Jeremy Paxman. Gordon Brown and David Cameron have failed to respond to invitations from the BBC, issued months ago, to take part in half-hour interviews with Paxman in the run-up to the election." - The Times
> Yesterday's ToryDiary: David Cameron should say no to Jeremy Paxman
EPP leaders in Brussels claim Tories will be seeking a return - The Independent
And finally... Privatisation reaches Cuba's barber shops and hair salons
"Cuba is turning over hundreds of state-run barber shops and beauty salons to employees in what may be the start of a long-expected privatisation drive. All barbers and hairdressers in shops with three seats or fewer will be allowed to rent the space and pay taxes instead of getting a monthly wage. The retail sector has long been derided for poor service and rampant theft. The country's former President, Fidel Castro, nationalised all small businesses in 1968. Now his younger brother and successor Raul Castro is trying to modernise the system without jumping to full-scale capitalism." - BBC
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