ToryDiary: IDS plans a citizen's pension of £140 for all
Syed Kamall MEP on Platform: How to embrace the Big Society by rediscovering Mises and social co-operation
Parliament: ConservativeHome publishes its new regular league tables of the most and least rebellious Tory MPs
Local government: Labour muddle on shared council services
Melanchthon on CentreRight publishes his EU renegotiation shopping list: exemption from the obligation to seek "ever closer union"... in respect of the UK, conclusions of the European Court of Justice do not have independent legal force... withdrawal from the common criminal space,the common defence force, the common foreign service provisions of Lisbon... the UK shall not be bound by any measures under the passerelle clause of Lisbon... the UK is not part of the single legal entity, for international negotiations, created by Lisbon... Britain must become "outs" of the euro project, not merely "pre-ins"...
Cameron kickstarts two week emphasis on Coalition's growth strategy
"David Cameron is to announce £200m of funding for a network of German-style “technology innovation centres” as he seeks to convince critics that his government has a credible industrial growth plan. He is also promising more details on how to “unlock £200bn of public and private sector investment” in Britain’s infrastructure and will take aim at “uncompetitive industries”, with banks, food retailers and energy companies thought to be in his sights." - FT (£)
"The Government needs to be far smarter at setting out its growth strategy, not least because the impact of the cuts will be painful and people need to know there is light at the end of the tunnel." - Telegraph leader
> Saturday's ToryDiary: Cameron seeks to shift debate from spending to growth
Education secretary admits £2.5bn for poorest children will come from existing budget despite David Cameron claim - Guardian
Housing benefit cuts will force 82,000 families out of London into the suburbs, experts warn - Daily Mail
"Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes has warned the coalition that its planned housing benefit cuts might not be approved by Parliament. The party's deputy leader told Channel 4 News some of the proposals were "harsh and draconian"." - BBC | Watch the Channel 4 report
Charity Commission sounds alarm on 'Big Society funding'
"David Cameron has been accused of “pulling the rug from under” his own Big Society agenda by the chairman of the Charity Commission as the voluntary sector braces itself for billions of pounds of cuts to funding. Charities estimate that they could lose out on between £3bn and £5bn of yearly grants as budgets are slashed across Whitehall and local government, raising the prospect of many going out of business." - FT (£)
Daily Mail campaigns for extra aid funding to be spent on saving Navy's Harrier jets
"While most Government departments suffered savage cuts in last week’s Spending Review, foreign aid will rise by £3.1 billion by 2014. The amount is enough to keep the 80-strong Harrier jump jet fleet – which will be axed under the cuts – in the air for 20 years." - Daily Mail
A BPIX poll in the Mail on Sunday found little support for the Coalition's priorities.
NHS white paper proposals backed by only one in four doctors - Guardian
"Mr Lansley said: "Reform isn't an option, it's a necessity in order to sustain and improve our NHS. The reforms are far reaching but they also build upon existing designs. But we recognise with any significant changes, there may be concerns - that is why we have been consulting on the details."" - The Health Secretary quoted in The Express
Tuition fee increases will be capped, says Nick Clegg - BBC
"Successful graduates who wish to avoid being burdened with decades of debt could be hit with mortgage style redemption penalties if they pay off their student loan early." - Telegraph
The Deputy PM also used his Andrew Marr interview to call for an investigation into Wikileaks -Guardian
Annabel Goldie faces leadership speculation
"Ms Goldie's position has been repeatedly questioned since the party failed to improve on its solitary Scottish seat in the General Election. She has had to deny she intends to stand down after next year's Scottish elections and yesterday sought to brush off mounting speculation she will face a leadership contest. In a move that was seen as a challenge to Ms Goldie's leadership, Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw called at the weekend for reform of the way Holyrood operates. Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser is also thought to be leadership contenders." - Scotsman | Daily Express
Ex-Tory treasurer and billionaire Michael Spencer leads the rush of donors to Lords - Daily Mail
UK needs green economics minister says Zac Goldsmith/ John Gummer-supported think tank - BBC
Boris Johnson: We give aid to India which can afford defences that we cannot
"It is a melancholy reflection of our changed status in the world that by aiding the Indians, as we must, we are effectively supporting them to achieve a nuclear independence that we cannot ourselves afford. If you don't invest in your own satellites, you end up as a satellite power – which is effectively what we are; and the best that can be said for the position is that it may be undignified, but it saves us a fortune." - Boris Johnson in Th e Telegraph
Yesterday's Christopher Booker column: Britain's £800m a year to India helps to pay for its space programme
The Tower Hamlets fiasco is localism at its very worst - Julian Glover in The Guardian
> Saturday's LeftWatch: Labour MP refers Ken Livingstone to Labour's NEC over his behaviour in Tower Hamlets
Sicknote culture in public sector costs £4.5 billion pa - Express
Lady Thatcher was up and about yesterday as she recovered from a severe bout of flu - The Sun
Number of Welsh MPs could fall from 40 to 30 under Coalition reforms - BBC
Former Militant supporter likely to win leadership of Unite - The Sun
And finally...
"The Prime Minister is planning to spend the Christmas period in Thailand with his family. Last night Government sources insisted Mr Cameron was paying for the trip himself and was not planning to conduct any official business while away. It is assumed Mr Cameron will be travelling with his wife, Samantha. It will be their first long-haul trip since the birth of daughter Florence in the summer. It is unclear whether the baby – or the couple’s two other children – will accompany them." - Daily Mail
WATCH:
- Simon Hughes: Parliament won't approve the Government's housing benefit plans - some of which I oppose
- Ann Widdecombe is winched from the roof wearing a pink top as she prepares to dance the tango with Anton DuBeke
- We know what politicians and journalists think about fairness. We know almost nothing of what voters think about it
- Do Cameron and Osborne agree with Francis Maude that the Coalition should continue - even if the next Parliament has a Conservative majority?
- Cameron seeks to shift debate from spending to growth
LeftWatch: Labour MP refers Ken Livingstone to Labour's National Executive Committee over his behaviour in Tower Hamlets