The media’s attention tonight is turning to the question of why David Cameron ignored the warnings about the... Today’s most intriguing political story is that David Rowland will not become Tory Treasurer after all. The press release from the Tories says that this is because of the ‘expansion of his global business interests.’ Others, though, are begging to differ. ConservativeHome’s piece on the matter is headlined ‘The Daily Mail sinks the Tory Treasurer’, the paper has run a succession of interesting pieces on various aspects of Mr Rowlan’s life. Which is why Ed Miliband's comments in the New Statesman today are so eyecatching. He tells Jason Cowley and Mehdi... The Tories used to love getting stuck into this debate, accusing the New Labour government of eroding exam standards. But it's noteworthy that, now they're... I’m a neo-conservative, a hawk in the war against Islamist extremism, which is why I’m so worried by the opposition to the building of a mosque near Ground Zero. A new poll shows that 61 percent of Americans oppose its construction and Howard Dean, the tribune of the Democratic wing of the Democratic party, and Harry Reid, the Democratic Senate Majority Leader, have joined many leading Republicans in arguing that the mosque should not be built there, several blocks from Ground Zero. In truth, the birthing process began before the election, with this Ed Miliband interview in the Guardian. In it, he made a distinction between a "residual welfare state that is just for the poor, which is the Tory position," and a "more inclusive welfare state"...Thursday, 19th August 2010
Lord Ashcroft's warnings about David Rowland
JAMES FORSYTH 7:28pm
Here in Westminster, the David Rowland story is the talk of the hour. It seems that Lord Ashcroft and Michael Spencer had both warned Cameron that Rowland would come in for unfavourable coverage from the media if appointed and that they worried that other donors would not want to deal with him. I’m informed that they feared that his appointment could undo much of the work they had done to strengthen the party’s finances.Did business interests – or media interest – sink David Rowland?
JAMES FORSYTH 6:13pm
For all we know, Mr Rowland’s expanding global business interests may well be why he is stepping down. But the feeling among political journalists...Give women a sporting chance
DOYELLE MITCHELL 5:49pm
Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Women’s Rugby World Cup. Twelve teams will be competing for the title of World Champion right in our own back yard, at Twickenham Stoop. That's right: Britain, hosting a World Cup. So why haven’t we heard more about it in the press?
It seems to me to be symptomatic of a wider problem – the media’s general lack of interest in women’s sport. It’s not as if sports fans themselves aren’t interested – women’s tennis has become increasingly fashionable, and their games are often more entertaining...The return of traditional subjects
JAMES GROVES 5:16pm
Today’s A-level results once again see the pass rate continuing to rise, in this instance for the 28th year in a row, with 97.6% of entries gaining an E or above, up from 97.5% in 2009. While not wishing to detract from the efforts of students and teachers, unfortunately such a rise has become all too expected, to the point where there would almost have to be a public inquiry if it were not to happen. Nor should the introduction of the A* at A-Level warrant particular attention, except perhaps to say that it...Party time
PETER HOSKIN 4:01pm
Utterly incredible. Over at ConHome, Alex Deane has highlighted something that is just utterly incredible – Team David Miliband's guide to hosting a "house meeting" in his honour. You really have to read the 6-page pdf to take in the full, fastidious horror of it all. But this tip for, erm, "building accountability" into the guest-list deserves pulling out:"Remind your guests the day before – try and build accountability into the relationship. If someone confirms then they should be there and you need to let people know you
...Ed Miliband's backhanded offer to the Lib Dems
PETER HOSKIN 2:45pm
As Channel 4 reminds us, there have been two major trends in recent opinion polls. First, the precipitous decline in the Lib Dem vote share. And, second, a solidification of the Labour position, such that some polls even have them as the biggest party in a hung parliament. Predictably, this has stirred the omnipresent Simon Hughes, and some other folk around Westminster, into talking about a LibLab coalition.The Tories tone down their rhetoric on A-levels
PETER HOSKIN 12:54pm
The latest A-level results have been released and – surprise, surprise – success rates have risen. The proportion of papers marked at grade E or aboveincreased to 97.6 percent from 97.5 percent last year. And 27 percent achieved an A or the new A* grade, with 8 percent at A* overall. So, naturally, and rightly, the usual arguments about "dumbing down" are out in force.The worrying opposition to the 'Ground Zero Mosque'
JAMES FORSYTH 11:11am
If the war on terror becomes a war on Islam, it is...This Parliament's key dividing line?
PETER HOSKIN 9:03am
They may have faded from the front pages, but middle class benefits are still one of the most important stories in town. What we are witnessing here could be the birth of this Parliament's defining dividing line – a cuts vs investment for the new decade.
Friday, 20 August 2010
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