Bernard Jenkin MP on Platform: Why Britain should vote 'no' to AV Local government: Two hundred achievements of Boris Johnson Also on Local government the quote of the day from Eric Pickles: "By ending the weekly collection, Labour has doubled the country’s rat population. We are only 20ft away from a rat any time." Tory Conference slogan: "The Conservatives will promote their coalition with the Liberal Democrats at their annual conference starting tomorrow by making its slogan: "Together in the national interest." The move to highlight the partnership between David Cameron and Nick Clegg will be coupled with a message that the Coalition Government is doing its patriotic duty by tackling the £155bn deficit." -Independent "Tens of thousands of people accused of crimes from minor assault to criminal damage would no longer be locked up awaiting trial under plans to ease prison overcrowding. The move would affect up to 40,000 defendants a year who come before magistrates and are remanded in custody before facing trial on lower- level offences, The Times has learnt. Under plans being examined by officials the accused defendants would be released on bail, a cheaper option that would ease the unprecedented pressure on jails." - Times (£) "Police could lose their generous overtime payments and ‘jobs-for-life’ protection under an explosive review. Home Secretary Theresa May said nothing will be ‘off limits’ as she seeks to slash billions from her department’s budget. It risks placing the Government on a collision course with police who claim that – when widespread cuts are made in public spending – they will be needed to tackle protests." - Daily Mail The Telegraph wants an agenda for growth from this week's Tory Conference - Telegraph leader "Two weeks ago in Liverpool, the Lib Dems managed to flex their own ideological muscles occasionally while at the same time showing themselves overwhelmingly committed to the pragmatic give and take of coalition. One of the important wider tests of the coming week is whether the Tory party, historic coalition sceptics, can do the same thing. If the answer is yes, the coalition's prospects are good. If the Tories spend the week complaining about the Lib Dems, never mind Mr Cameron, they will do themselves no favours at all." - Guardian leader "The conference will treat him like a returning hero and those who seek to raise the small matter of an un-won election will be regarded as intolerable curmudgeons." - Patrick O'Flynn in The Express Christopher Chope accused David Cameron of ‘appeasement’ yesterday, saying that the Conservatives in the Coalition have been ‘held to ransom’ by Liberal Democrats - Daily Mail Sayeeda Warsi commits the Tories to stay in Birmingham for future Conferences - Birmingham Post > ConservativeHome's Birmingham programme begins Sunday at 6pm with a Rally for Boris Vince Cable backs Liam Fox on aircraft carriers - Guardian George Osborne attacks "chaotic and disorganised" MoD - Telegraph "There is little doubt that the scale of the proposed reductions will change Britain’s status as a military power – probably permanently. The country’s defence spending will almost certainly fall below 2 per cent of GDP. This would put the UK at a similar level of commitment to defence as Italy and Spain." - FT leader (£) The public should be able to challenge council decisions to ban events on grounds of health and safety - BBC Francis Maude interview: 'The modernisers' moderniser' "Francis Maude is the moderniser’s moderniser. He was wearing open-necked shirts when many Tories were still clinging on to their braces. He championed gay rights, promoted women in the party and encouraged the Conservatives to be “nice�, rather than ruthless, long before most of his colleagues." - Times (£) Eric Pickles is interviewed in the Daily Mail: Every Englishman has a right to put the bin out without waiting for it to be collected Conservatives 39%, Labour 36%, Liberal Democrats 15% - ComRes for The Independent Annabel Goldie blames tactical voting for poor Tory performance in Scotland- Scotsman "Labour MPs and activists hate Mr Clegg for joining forces with the Tory enemy. Mr Miliband must somehow persuade them to love the Liberal Democrats, and even be prepared to do a deal with Mr Clegg after the next election." - Andrew Grice in The Independent Gordon Brown 'absolutely furious' about Ed Miliband's attack on his economic record - Daily Mail BBC staff call off strike targeted on Tory Conference - Express Scrap Harriet Harman's Equality Act - Daily Mail leader And finally... Champagne ban causes Lord Strathclyde to cancel his soirée "Some might think that the Conservatives have reason to celebrate, after Ed Miliband's victory in the Labour leadership contest, but at the Tory party conference in Birmingham there will be a distinct lack of fizz. Mandrake hears that Lord Strathclyde, the leader in the House of Lords, whose party is usually a highlight of the annual get-together, has called off his shindig as part of an austerity drive." - TelegraphToryDiary:
"TOGETHER IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST"Andrew Lansley announces immediate £50m cancer drugs fund - FT (£)
"Police would be given the right to strike for the first time in 90 years in return for sacrificing their lucrative overtime payments and bonuses, under a Home Office proposal." -Telegraph
>Yesterday's ToryDiary: Liberal Democrats holding Conservative Ministers "to ransom"
"Dr Fox reminded Mr Cameron that "we have repeatedly and robustly argued" that national security is "the first duty of government". How is the new Government discharging that duty? Dr Fox is right about one thing. The process is poor. This is supposed to be a Strategic Defence and Security Review. As he says, it is more like the production of "a cuts package"." - Charles Moore in The Telegraph
"Though Conservatives believe fiercely in inequality of outcome, most of us feel uncomfortable about gross inequalities in the situations from which young people start... Why not tax employers who let wage differentials sprawl? Why not skew pupil premiums dramatically towards the poor? Why not make fee-paying schools’ VAT-exemption depend on what proportion of scholarship students they take from non-fee-paying families? Would one in four be so shocking?" - Matthew Parris inThe Times ( £)
The Sun gives Ed Miliband the credit: "Ed Miliband was right to tell striking BBC staff not to black out David Cameron's speech to next week's Tory conference. Our supposedly impartial state-funded broadcaster could not air the views of the Labour and Lib Dem leaders and then silence the Prime Minister. It was quite a U-turn for Ed. Only days ago he refused to condemn the walkout and backed the right to strike. We told him to prove he is not a union puppet if he wants to win over Sun readers. Looks like he took it to heart. Well read, Ed."
Saturday, 2 October 2010
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