The F-Word Blog (Free subscription) | 6 hours ago
So, a shadow cabinet member went on the Today programme this morning, to explain its policy on apprenticeships for young 'people' "Not in Education Employment or Training". Or, in the words of the Today programme presenter, "part of a far...
Sky News (Free subscription) | 4 hours ago
David Cameron and the Conservatives are to join forces with the Ulster Unionist Party in a bid to boost the number of Tory MPs outside England after the next election.
The Australian (Free subscription) | yesterday
BRENDAN Nelson is trying to negotiate a tougher position on emissions trading with key members of his shadow cabinet, as he straddles deep divisions in the party between climate change sceptics and those who support a trading scheme.
ArmsControlWonk (Free subscription) | yesterday
I just got back from the IISS where William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, gave a speech on Preventing a New Age of Nuclear Insecurity . It is, apparently, exactly two years to the day since he last spoke on this subject to the IISS . Since then, however, the electoral prospects of the Conservative Party have brightened considerably so it had more of a buzz than last time. I confess that I didn’t...
Chris Paul: Labour of Love (Free subscription) | yesterday
The maverick David Davis' snatching of defeat from the jaws of victory must have been traumatic for his chief cheerleaders Conway and Dale. In a piece doubting the value of large scale party conferences here Iain opines thusly: OK, momentous events sometimes happen at party conferences, (witness the ascent of David Cameron at the expense of David Cameron) but it is rarely to the advantage of the party...
UK Libertarian Party (Free subscription) | yesterday
Last Tuesday was a busy day for the Tories, with both Cameron and Osborne setting out their stall for dealing with the recession. Speaking at the CBI, David Cameron reaffirmed his party's comittment to maintain Labour public spending levels. However depressing that was in itself, the main focus of his speech (and also that which Osborne gave to the CPS that evening) was worse. Although dressed up in...
Toby Harnden - Telegraph Blogs (Free subscription) | yesterday
Full coverage of the US elections 2008 Great piece of dogged shoe-leather reporting - he cornered David Cameron in a lift and George Osborne in the Central Lobby at Westminster - by my Belfast friend Ben Lowry in the Tele...
ConservativeHome's ToryDiary (Free subscription) | yesterday
David Cameron on Monday night reflected on this time last year: "William Hague warned me that if he was smart, Gordon would go for a snap election in early October, just after the conferences - and that he would win....
Re-cycle of Life (Free subscription) | 22/07/2008
David Cameron was on ebullient form as he hosted an end of term drinks party for the Lobby last night. David Cameron claims to relish taking risks Indulging in a little light nostalgia, he compared the Tories' fortunes now (riding high in the polls, Government in melt-down) with the same period a year ago (full-on Brown honey moon, flood waters about to desce...
Labourhome (Free subscription) | 22/07/2008
Amongst the reaction to yesterday's welfare reform paper, there was little discussion about quite how badly Conservative Shadow Work & Pensions Minister Chris Grayling did. His Commons performance was dire - implying that people on welfare in Glasgow can't be bothered to work by stating that he wouldn't have wanted to release this report while fighting a by-election in an area of high welfare dependency....
The Herald (Free subscription) | 22/07/2008
Shadow Chancellor George Osborne arrived in Glasgow East yesterday to welcome the government’s planned benefit reforms with the incendiary observation that they marked a “victory for the centre-right in British politics”.
xbox360 (Free subscription) | 22/07/2008
David Cameron is clearly in touch with youth culture. He is 'down'. Not content to merely hug hoodies, he is more than capable of holding his own in a conversation with them about video games. In an interview with The Guardian, the Conservative Party Leader was able to dig deep into his pop-cultural quiver and select an analogy to sum up political life. Politics, says Cameron, is a bit like Tomb Raider....
Lightwater (Free subscription) | 21/07/2008
Our MP - Michael Gove - is building a mighty head of steam. It’s been building for a while now, and I’ve been remiss in not alerting you to it. I’m rectifying the error now. Part of the success in the polls the Conservatives are presently enjoying is surely down to Michael’s assured handling of the education and [...]
a from l (Free subscription) | 21/07/2008
In his column in today’s Times Michael Gove confidently asserts that no-one reads Bulwer-Lytton these days. As it happens, Pelham is one of my favourite novels. The writing is (even after all this time) fresh and contemporary in feel. It is also very funny. In this book (if not his others) Bulwer-Lytton is as good as Anthony Trollope. Pelham is “a man of fashion” in Regency London. Bulwer-Lytton contructs...
Enough is Enough (Free subscription) | 21/07/2008
Please, David Cameron, seize the opportunity of standing for freedom. David Davis has shown that the freedom agenda is both thoroughly conservative and popular. When people truly realise how much their freedom is being curtailed they will be moved to object. Until then, the government will continue restricting our rights by stealth - one small step at a time - until, before we know it, we are less...
