Today is Groundhog Day, but I’ve resisted the temptation to simply give you yesterday’s Daily View again. It’s also the ancient Celtic festival of Imbolc, which symbolises the turning point of winter towards spring.
Twenty years ago today President FW de Klerk began to dismantle apartheid in South Africa, announcing that he had lifted the 30-year ban on the African National Congress, the Pan African Congress and the South African Communist Party. De Klerk also committed to release jailed ANC leader Nelson Mandela, who was freed nine days later. Commenting on the news, Nobel Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu said: “He has taken my breath away”.
2 Big Stories
Vote of no confidence in Tory economic policies
The Independent reports on a survey showing public confusion and dissatisfaction with Conservative economic policies:
The ComRes survey found that 82 per cent of people want Mr Cameron to be clearer about what he would do on the economy – including 82 per cent of Tory supporters. Only 24 per cent believe the recession would have ended sooner if the Tories had been in power, while 69 per cent do not.
Brown to propose electoral reform
News of Gordon Brown’s conversion to electoral refom via the Alternative Vote system, is carried in most of this morning’s papers.
Labour backbencher, Austin Mitchell, said that he did not believe the move would increase public engagement in politics as it would not result in “real change”. He told BBC 5Live: “It’s a suggestion for change by people who don’t really want change. What the electorate wants is proportional representation … that’s a far more sensible system.”
Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said: “This is a deathbed conversion to electoral reform from a party facing a historic defeat. The alternative vote is a small step in the right direction, but it does not give voters real power over both the party and the person elected as MP.”
2 Interesting Blog Posts
How #HomeEd proves Twitter is good news
Lib Dem PPC for Plymouth Moor View Stuart Bonar sings the praises of Twitter as another useful tool for hearing what local people are talking about:
“That tweet led me to take a real interest in home education. I raised the issue with MPs at Westminster briefings for prospective parliamentary candidates like me, and eventually I was pleased to tweet that Lib Dem MPs were to vote against the Government’s plans… a tweet that led to this blog’s biggest daily audience ever.”
Gina Ford launches “the Contented Politician”
Helen Duffett shows that Gina Ford has neither forgiven nor forgotten Nick Clegg. In response to Ms Ford’s promise to examine the parties leaders and their policies for families, Helen says:
Bring it on: let’s compare the parties’ attitudes to families (in all their forms). And while we’re at it, let’s consider which party will put its trust in people. Now why hasn’t someone thought of that already..?”
That’s all for today – I’m off outside to see if I can see my shadow.
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One Comment
Great to see two such good posts on issues I’m really interested in on here.
One thing I’d like to remind everybody, though, is that it’s also Brent Spiner’s (who played Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation) 61st birthday.