The Liberal Democrats say one thing and do another. To comment on the above video, go to LeftWatch Benedict Surtees on Platform: The challenge of reinventing political activism in a rapidly-changing society Seats and Candidates: Over £12,000 raised by ConHome readers to help oust Lib Dem MPs Iron Man Cam's 36-hour campaign marathon "Mr Cameron said yesterday that the all-night blitz was evidence that there “was not one ounce of complacency” in the Conservative camp and that he was “taking nothing for granted”. - The Times David Cameron has no cause for complacency - Telegraph editorial David Cameron to pledge to turn Northern Ireland into an Enterprise Zone "Conservative leader David Cameron will today make a long-awaited personal intervention in the General Election campaign in Northern Ireland when he delivers a keynote speech pledging to turn the province into an enterprise zone." - Belfast Telegraph > Last night's ToryDiary: George Osborne previews David Cameron's "unprecedented political marathon" The Pink 'Un backs the blues > Last night's ToryDiary: The Financial Times endorses the Conservatives Conservative anger at rules that may let Labour cling to power after election New marginals poll suggests Tories will be 14 seats short of a majority "David Cameron is closing in on an outright victory in Thursday’s election and has to win over voters in just 14 seats to secure a parliamentary majority, according to a poll of marginal constituencies for The Daily Telegraph... The Crosby/Textor poll questioned voters in 140 marginal seats held by Labour and 20 held by the Lib Dems. Overall, it put the Conservatives on 38 per cent, Labour on 31 per cent and the Lib Dems on 26 per cent. In the most marginal Labour seats, there has been a 7.5 percentage point swing from Labour to the Conservatives, it suggested. If this swing occurred uniformly in the Labour-Conservative marginals, Mr Cameron would seize 103 Labour-held seats." - Daily Telegraph > Yesterday's ToryDiary on the Ipsos-Mori marginals poll YouGov's tracker poll - The Sun > Last night's ToryDiary on the polls > Yesterday's ToryDiary: Do bank holiday polls underestimate Conservative support? The Mirror urges reader to vote tactically against the Conservatives as Ed Balls and Peter Hain effectively tells voters in some seats to vote Lib Dem "I support every Labour candidate and the Liberal Democrat leadership supports every Liberal Democrat candidate. But voters are intelligent and they know what the real fight is in their own constituency. They will draw their own conclusions." - Peter Hain interviewed in The Independent The tactical voting guide in the Daily Mirror "The road to power in Britain today does not run towards Westminster. It runs from east to west. It starts near Hull at the seemingly solid Conservative seat of Haltemprice and Howden, seat of the maverick Tory David Davis, and traverses the Pennines, along the M62 motorway, to the newly created constituency of Sefton Central in rock-solid Labour Liverpool. This is the area where Election 2010 will be won or lost." - The Independent Lansley claims NHS dentists play the system to put income before care... ...and accuses Labour of failing to meet targets on mixed sex hospital wards "The Tories have claimed there were almost 20,000 breaches of procedure for segregating patients by sex in English hospitals last year... Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: "Labour promised again and again that they would end the scandal of patients being forced to stay in mixed-sex wards. Just a few weeks ago they boasted that they had 'virtually eliminated' the problem. These figures show that they have failed." - Press Association Ken Clarke warns of threat to jobs in a hung parliament "Millions of homes and jobs will be put at risk by a hung Parliament, veteran Tory Ken Clarke warned last night. The ex-Chancellor said interest rates could soar, sparking rising mortgages and forcing firms to axe jobs." - The Sun Tories raising cash for second general election "David Cameron has started to raise money for a second general election campaign despite polls suggesting a last-minute surge of support could hand him a wafer-thin majority on Thursday. Tory donors have been asked to provide funds for a new battle to be waged within 12 months." - Daily Mail Clegg is "open to talks with Cameron" Lib Dem coalition demands unveiled in secret document - The Sun Security chiefs condemn Lib Dem defence ‘gamble’ "Nick Clegg’s credibility on national security is called into question today by senior defence and intelligence figures. Writing to The Times, they said that Liberal Democrat policies risked leaving Britain exposed to terrorism and diminished on the world stage." - The Times The letter from Peter Clarke, Sir Richard Dearlove and Lord Guthrie in The Times "Cleggmania" set to boost Lib Dem vote in local elections "Cleggmania is expected to have a huge impact on the local council elections being held on the same day as the general election, with the Liberal Democrats taking control of several London councils and winning dozens of seats across England." -The Times Labour warns women voters that Tories will axe child tax credit "Labour is to concentrate the last hours of its campaign on a warning to 850,000 homes in 100 key marginals that the tax credit will be withdrawn by the Tories. The Conservatives describe the message as being desperate and untrue." - The Guardian > Last night's ToryDiary: George Osborne nails Labour's latest lie on child tax credits Michael Grade: Cameron gets my vote Paddy Power already paying out on a Conservative victory - Channel Four News Nick Wood's High Noon: Cameron is right to focus on Day One in Downing Street The Shakespeare Report: It's the geeks who actually fix things Sir Andrew Green on Platform: The cost of an amnesty for illegal immigrants would be astronomical David Alexander on Platform: If Gordon Brown had followed Australia's example, the British economy wouldn't be in such a parlous state Harry Phibbs on CentreRight: Labour getting desperate in Hammersmith Lots of videos to watch:ToryDiary: Postal voting regulations must be tightened as a matter of urgency by the next government
"David Cameron will this morning embark on a marathon final 36-hour campaign tour - fighting through the night to capture every last vote. The Sun can reveal the iron-willed Tory boss will travel almost 1,000 miles by bus in the epic trip covering the length and breadth of the country, without seeing a bed until tomorrow night... A senior Tory campaign source said: "David came up with the idea early in the campaign. He's always believed it would be a very tight battle and that the last 24 hours would be crucial. So he'll spend the entire last day on the road battling for every vote. If he does sleep, he'll sleep on the bus." - The Sun
"They are not a perfect fit, but their instincts are sound. Their fiscal plans, while vague, suggest they would do most to reduce the size of the state – cutting more and taxing less than their opponents. They would create the best environment for enterprise and wealth creation. David Cameron has emphasised educational reform, a welcome aspiration so long as it is acted upon... Britain needs a stable and legitimate government to navigate its fiscal crisis and punch its weight abroad. On balance, the Conservative party best fits the bill." - FT editorial
"Senior Conservatives are prepared to challenge new rules which could allow Gordon Brown to remain as prime minister for up to a week after a defeat on Thursday, to try and form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. Shadow ministers have criticised the guidelines drawn up under the supervision of the cabinet secretary, Sir Gus O'Donnell. The Tories accused O'Donnell of overstepping his constitutional authority by giving his blessing to a delay in the return of parliament to allow talks on a coalition in the event of a close poll result. David Cameron was not consulted on the changes which will mean that the Qu een's Speech will not be held until 25 May – 19 days after the election. In 2005 the Queen's speech was held 12 days after polling day." - The Guardian
"I always want the Labour candidate to win, but I recognise there's an issue in places like North Norfolk, where my family live, where Norman Lamb [the Lib Dem candidate and sitting MP] is fighting the Tories, who are in second place. And I want to keep the Tories out."- Ed Balls interviewed in the New Statesman
"Dentists are still encouraging patients to return for excessive appointments and follow-ups, putting income ahead of care, research suggests... Andrew Lansley, the Tory health spokesman, who acquired the figures from parliamentary questions in February, said that the lack of political drive to rectify problems with dentistry was shown by its absence from the manifestos of Labour and the Lib Dems." - The Times
"Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrat leader, on Monday held open the prospect of talks with David Cameron in a hung parliament after he said that a commitment to electoral reform was not a “precondition” to any deal. Mr Clegg said it was vital that all parties worked together to address Britain’s £163bn deficit and warned Mr Cameron that he would be taking grave risks if he attempted to do it alone." - FT
"During my thirty-odd years of senior editorial responsibility for impartial broadcast journalism I never once revealed my voting habits, not even to my family. I worked with all parties and all leaders, safe in the knowledge that they saw me as non political. All that finished the day I left ITV in the new year. It is now safe to come out. My first liberating move has been to send my subscription to the Conservative Party and become a fully paid up member. I do feel better!" - Michael Grade in The Times
Paul Goodman on CentreRight: Fleet Street endorsements at election time aren't worth yesterday's fish and chip paper
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
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