Friday, 25 February 2011

Today's newslinks

Cameron and Obama promise to "coordinate on possible multilateral measures on Libya" - Telegraph

Daily Mail: David Cameron's misguided Middle East trip

"If pro-Western dictatorships are replaced by hostile fundamentalist Muslims, the Coalition’s enthusiastic embrace of change may look deeply naive. And if Mr Cameron was determined to go on this pro-democracy tour, the decision to take with him a group of British arms dealers undermined his message before he’d even taken off." - Daily Mail leader | The Sun Says

"If Britain wants to preach democracy, it would be better if we didn’t provide its enemies with weapons of oppression" - Philip Collins in The Times (£)

City AM: Inflation more worrying than cuts

HEATH ALLISTER "Politicians and the media are obsessed with spending cuts, even though these will be worth only one per cent of total state spending in real terms in 2011-12. Yet the impact of inflation on incomes will be three times larger – and everybody is being hit. The coalition would be well-advised to remember the 2000 fuel protests: they almost destroyed Tony Blair, something that not even Iraq could manage." - Allister Heath in City AM

FT: Put your money where your mouth is, Mr Cameron

"Only weeks ago, Mr Cameron intoned against multiculturalism, calling for a “muscular liberalism” as the base of common values to which immigrants must adjust. As a crucial part of this adjustment, host countries should make “sure immigrants speak the language of their new home”. The prime minister is quite right. What a shame, then, that a survey finds 99,000 new citizens may no longer afford English classes, which they have hitherto been able to take for free." - FT leader (£)

> The FT (£) provides a handy guide to when the cuts start to bite.

The Telegraph has THREE cuts stories:

  • "In a private letter, passed to The Daily Telegraph, the former Navy and Army chiefs warn the Prime Minister that there are serious flaws in last October's defence review. The scrapping of the Royal Navy's Harrier fleet, in particular, has "profound consequences" that "strike at the heart of our Defence structure", they say." - Telegraph
  • Cuts to legal aid will have “serious implications for the quality justice”, the country’s most senior judge warned yesterday in a scathing attack on Kenneth Clarke's plans - Telegraph
  • "Amid the outcry over the Government’s decision to cancel the Building Schools for the Future programme last summer, Mr Gove insisted that the move would free up more cash for repairs because of the reduced costs of bureaucracy. He said that primary schools in particular would receive “more money,” as funds could be spent flexibly in areas where they were most needed. However, research by the House of Commons Library shows that the budget for building work, repairs and computers is due to fall by £26,000 per primary school, and £86,000 for secondaries next year." - Telegraph

Other Coalition in brief:

  • Cameron tries to get Big Society adverts on TV – for nothing - Independent
  • Eat less red meat, says Government - Independent
  • Thousands of soldiers are to be trained to take over jails if prison officers strike over spending cuts and changes to public sector pensions - Times (£)
  • Office for National Statistics decides on Happiness Index Questions: How happy did you feel yesterday? How anxious did you feel yesterday? How satisfied are you with your life nowadays? To what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile? - FT (£)
  • Data show the number of young people not in education, employment or training increased 43,000 to 938,000 in 2010 - FT (£)

Net immigration grew strongly in 2010

Immigration

  • "The level of net migration into the UK rose by 36% last year, Office for National Statistics figures show. An estimated 572,000 people entered the UK on a long-term basis in the year to June 2010 while 346,000 emigrated." - BBC
  • "The Conservatives’ election pledge to slash net migration from “hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands” faces an uphill battle, after official figures yesterday showed a 22% rise in the number of people settling in the UK." - City AM

Guardian investigation reveals more than £1.6m was channelled to MPs and Lords in last year by corporations and interest groups including...

  • £60,000 support for the parliamentary choir from BT
  • £52,000 from drink and pub companies for the beer group
  • £16,000 for the parliamentary boat race from Siemens

Carswell Douglas Central LobbyDouglas Carswell comments; "I don't know whether it's legitimate for companies to hand out, say, sports tickets to MPs. But if my constituents can see clearly and easily what I have received, sunlight is the best disinfectant. The public will quickly rule what they think is acceptable. It's for them to decide, not a group of Westminster grandees."" More in The Guardian.

Taxpayer to be lumbered with RBS for years as it loses £3.1m every day - Scotsman

David Cameron renames the BBC as the British Broadcasting Cuts Corporation

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"Just before going to the Middle East to promote world peace, the UK arms industry and RBS shares, Dave broke off from his busy schedule to give an interview to a young BBC hack about youth unemployment... The interview was cut from 15 minutes to just five. He did find time to include a parting shot, though. This is a good news story, he explained to the hack, and you lot at the “BBCC” should see it that way. “The BBCC?” the hack asked. “Yes, the British Broadcasting Cuts Corporation.” - Telegraph's City Diary

BBC paying senior bosses thousands in bonuses despite promising to stop - Daily Mail

Posted by Britannia Radio at 09:21