The announcement of the Tories’ formal establishment of the new anti-federalist grouping in the European Parliament – the European Conservatives and Reformists group – was (deliberately) buried by the party yesterday on a day when they realised political attention would be focused on the election to be Commons Speaker.
Ever since David Cameron’s panicked and rash promise in 2005 – at a time when his leadership bid was seriously flagging – that the Tories would desert the mainstream centre-right coalition, the European People’s Party (EPP), the Tory party has been grappling with how to achieve this without finding themselves isolated …
Welcome to this latest instalment of our new LDV feature rounding up some of the best/worst/most curious political videos doing the rounds.
How could I not start with David ‘Veer are yur papeers?’ Cameron’s indulgence in a bit of outdated xeno-stereotyping. I find it hard to get worked-up by it – and it certainly doesn’t qualify as racist. It’s just not very Prime Ministerial, is it?
Speaking of not very Prime Ministerial, let’s remind ourselves of one of the prime reasons the Tories are so relieved to have Mr Cameron as their leader: Iain Duncan Smith, here in full oratorical flow ‘turning up the volume’:
George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, is facing demands to “pay back” £55,000 in capital gains tax, which critics say he is morally obliged to pay after “flipping” his designated second property.
The Liberal Democrats said they had calculated how much capital gains tax Mr Osborne avoided by the way he designated his London family home. They called on David Cameron to force him to pay it back.
The Tory leader has clamped down heavily on backbench Tory MPs who have abused the expenses system, but he has yet to censure a senior member of his inner circle…
Welcome to the Sunday outing for The Voice’s Daily View series. As it’s a Sunday, today it comes with a bonus complaint and the easiest quiz question of the week.
2 Big Stories
Could Alan Johnson scrap ID cards?
Gordon Brown’s weakness means there is a set of senior Cabinet members who are now unsackable. If any of them were to take it upon themselves to indulge in a very un-Brownian desire to do something dramatic and decisive, it would be extremely hard for Gordon Brown to stop them.
Step forward then possibly, perhaps, just maybe Alan Johnson. (He is, after all, one of those who hasn’t acted dramatically or decisively to get Gordon Brown ousted.) The Sunday Times reports:
ALAN JOHNSON, the home secretary, has launched an urgent review of the £6 billion identity card (ID) scheme, paving the way for a possible U-turn on one of Labour’s flagship policies.
Johnson, who was promoted in Gordon Brown’s latest cabinet reshuffle, is understood to be “sympathetic” to critics who claim identity cards will undermine civil liberties.
The home secretary told officials that he wanted a “first principles” rethink of the plan, which was launched by Tony Blair following the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and has since been championed by Brown as a way of fighting terrorism.
“Alan is more sympathetic to the civil liberties arguments than previous home secretaries,” said an insider.
The Iranian elections
Although Lebanon’s recent elections saw a decisive victory for moderates, the official results from Iran show a landslide for the hardliners. These results have been disputed, but as so often the mainstream media coverage amounts to little more than “X says the elections were rigged, Y says they weren’t”, with little evidence presented to let you make a decision about who you think is telling the truth.
Step forward the online world, where there is much detailed argument available, including this blog post which – combined with the comments posted to it – gives a good flavour of the cases for and against the election results having been rigged.
2 Must-Read Blog Posts
If David Cameron believes in first past the post, he should quit his job
From Mark Reckons:
David Cameron has spent a lot of time in the last few weeks talking about how great the First Past the Post electoral system is. He will not countenance any change from this even though MPs can end up elected with often much less than 50% of the vote in their own constituency.
What I find fascinating about this is that if you follow his line of reasoning to its logical conclusion then David Cameron should not be leader of the Conservative party at all. Instead it should be David Davis … if this had been a First Past the Post election then David Davis would have been elected leader.
Twitter and politics
Euro-candidate and journalist Jonathan Fryer muses over the impact of Twitter:
Though a comparatively late convert to the practice (despite the proselytising of my friend, Stephen Fry), I’ve been finding it hugely useful in recent weeks and have noted how one can enter into dialogue with politicians of other parties as well as with journalists and bloggers of all persuasions, who are quite happy to ‘follow’ one on Twitter, but who might not wish to ask or accept to be one’s Facebook ‘friend’, in case that were seen to be some kind of endorsement.
Sunday Bonus
Don’t these US movie moguls have any respect for our heritage?
Cameron and Brown wrangle over the various parliamentary reform proposals. Cameron uses the election of two BNP MEPs to support his contention that a proportional system lets in extremists, and accuses Brown of only becoming interested in reform when he faces losing the next election. Brown looks somewhat less like a punchbag this week – that Monday night meeting of the parliamentary Labour party must have pepped him up a bit. In fact, his righteousness waxes so great that he proclaims Cameron “doesn’t deserve” to be Prime Minister.
Clegg asks about repossession rates, which he says the government is failing …
A chastened Gordon Brown yesterday promised his backbench critics that he would learn from his mistakes, as he survived Labour’s worst national election results since 1918 and some of the most personal attacks ever mounted on his governing style.
At a private inquest staged only hours after the party came third in the European parliamentary elections, with less than 16% of the vote, a rebel attempt to call for a secret ballot on his leadership was seen off by party loyalists.
Speaking to a packed meeting of Labour MPs and peers,
As a Liberal Democrat supporter currently residing in Warsaw, Poland it is with great interest that I have read David Cameron will be in my adopted home town tomorrow to launch with Czech and Polish partners, a new right-wing group in the EU parliament. It is well documented that Cameron pledged to withdraw the Tories from the centre-right EPP grouping but as can be seen from this weekend’s Guardian this is not altogether a popular decision amongst senior Tories.
The Tory party has long made itself irrelevant on European issues – but what bothers me so much is that the …
Until the last couple of days, received wisdom – both among the mainstream media and the blogosphere – is that David Cameron has had a ‘good crisis’, dealing firmly with those Tory MPs who’ve committed egregious expenses abuses (from moats to trees to duck islands) and being ahead of the curve on democratic reforms.
So I was intrigued to read this analysis by the London Evening Standard’s Paul Waugh today, which notes how this received wisdom is now beginning to be questioned, not least by Tory MPs themselves:
… as the days have gone on, it seems that Cameron has also
In his speech at the Open University this week, salesman Cameron called for “Progressive goals through Conservative means” as he merely rearranged the contents of his political shop window.
Analysis by PoliticsHome shows that voters aren’t buying David Cameron’s rhetoric about “massive, sweeping, radical distribution of power.”
“Do you think that if David Cameron became Prime Minister, he would carry through such a radical redistribution of power, or would he be more cautious than this?”
This was the question put to non-aligned voters as well as supporters of the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Labour.
“Overall, a strong seventy per cent majority felt that
So how many properties do you own? “I own a house in North Kensington which you’ve been to and my house in the constituency in Oxfordshire and that is, as far as I know, all I have.”
A house in Cornwall? “No, that is, Samantha used to have a timeshare in South Devon but she doesn’t any more.” And there isn’t a fourth? “I don’t think so – not that I can think of.” Please don’t say, “Not that I can think of.” “You might
No, you weren’t dreaming – you really did wake up to news headlines dominated by the leader of the Lib Dems promenading the party’s proposals to reform the UK’s democratic processes. Full marks to the party’s media operation today – it’s a long time since an article by a Lib Dem has made such a splash.
There will be some – I see them already appearing in the LDV comments threads – who argue that what Nick Clegg is calling for is hopelessly Utopian. I disagree. What Nick is doing (successfully, in my view) is:
(1) setting the bar high for what is needed for genuine reform to improve democracy in the UK – unlike David Cameron he isn’t merely “seriously considering” fixed-term Parliaments, Nick is putting forward a legislative programme which will achieve them; (2) putting clear gold water between the Lib Dems and the Tories – there is little wrong with what David Cameron has proposed (bar his knee-jerk opposition to electoral reform and an elected house of lords), it’s just that it’s wholly inadequate; (3) demonstrating that if the political will is there, change can be achieved – if politicians are serious and united about the need for real reform, there is no reason why legislation cannot be expedited swiftly. As Anthony Barnett noted on open Democracy yesterday, “You could not have found an expert in the land who would have said that Labour could have passed the amount of very far-reaching constitutional reforms it pushed through in its first term. What matters is the will to change. That’s why Cameron’s careful let-out clauses speak louder to me than the fine words.”
For those who wish to devour the Lib Dems’ constitutional reforms in full, glorious, technicolor detail, they’re re-printed IN FULL below:
LDV’s daily glimpse into the world of media and views. Our biggest story today has already made the news here at LDV, but it’s too good for us not to trail again: Nick Clegg has launched a campaign for 100 days of proper discussion about real reform.
Much of today’s coverage is summed up perfectly by the Independent’s headline Brown v Cameron v Clegg, under which all three leaders set out their visions for the rebuilding of Britain’s broken politics. They are due to take party in cross-party talks according to the Guardian, talks to be led by that famed bastion of reform, Jack Straw. Perhaps that’s who Nick Clegg was thinking of when he said (to the Times): “There are prominent people in government who recognise that the game’s up.” Our friends in the Lords are
It’s quiet in LDV Towers this afternoon as all the responsible editors have day job responsibilties.
We can always tell when we’re not talking about something our readers want to have their say on, because you kindly have your say on it anyway on whatever was the top post.
And today’s topic is clearly Call Me Dave’s speech on parliamentary reform, in which he sets out a series of Lib Dem policy proposals and pretends they’re new. There’s no zealot like a recently converted zealot, but hang on a minute, Dave? Power to the people? Small government? All of that is Liberalism 101, the first chapter from An Intelligent Person’s Guide to Liberalism. We’ve long held it dear, and we simply don’t believe you when we hear it from your lips.
As Lynne Featherstone said earlier today on her blog
There is stuff that Cameron’s said which I agree with – as you would expect given that many of the ‘ideas’ he puts forward in today’s Guardian are long-standing Liberal Democrat policies! Fixed-term parliaments, reducing of the power of the executive, cutting the number of MPs, devolving power to councils and empowering individuals. Transparency and accountability – definitely. Shame Cameron has had to be dragged kicking and screaming on these. But – to be fair – at least he is going out there.
As we all return to work after the Bank Holiday weekend, the big issues I’ve picked for today’s Daily View are about governance: specifically, how the British state should relate to its citizens or how the world should govern the nuclear ambitions of a rogue state.
2 Big Stories
David Cameron is making a bid for reformist credentials with a wide-ranging speech on democratic accountability and the nature of politics and the state. Previewed in The Guardian, his remarks later today thoughtfully ponder ‘the post-bureaucratic age’ and try to appropriate liberal principles:
The Tory leader, who has in the past week ended the
Say what you like about the banks: they give great holiday.
A day for making plans, maybe catching up on a few of those odd jobs – like electoral reform, for example…
2 Big Stories
Alan Johnson writes in the Times, recommending the adoption of the Alternative Vote Plus system: this came out of the Jenkins Report (Independent Commission on the Voting System) over a decade ago.
“The adoption of AV+ would shift the political focus currently concentrated almost exclusively on a few swing voters in a handful of marginal seats. It would end the perversity of the party with the most
Last summer an unholy alliance of Labour and Conservative MPs voted to block a series of major reforms to MP expenses, such as requiring receipts for all claims, having outside checks and major changes to the Additional Costs Allowance (ACA).
I commented on Dawn Butler’s role in this yesterday and on looking through the details of the vote it is good to see that all the Liberal Democrat MP voting went through the lobbies in favour of reform. Of course, the bulk of the blame for blocking the reforms must lie with the Labour Party as 146 of their MPs …
Today’s election broadcast from the Conservatives simply features David Cameron talking to camera about MPs and their expense claims. The message is meant to be about him facing up to the problems and talking frankly about them.
But listen to his language:
I want to start by saying sorry … sorry for the actions of some Conservative MPs…
principle of thrift should apply to Conservative MPs too. So from now on I want them to claim what is reasonable to do their job…
Members of my Shadow Cabinet, including Michael Gove, Oliver Letwin and Andrew Lansley, have agreed to pay back money…
Let’s start by giving praise where it is due – Nick Clegg may not have done the truly brave thing and published everyone’s expenses before the Telegraph could, but he did haveone real, concrete response ready for the expenses scandal and it was this: Liberal Democrat MPs will pass all gains from their second homes back to the taxpayer on sale. Talking of concrete, I was impressed by the “ton of bricks” imagery, which clearly went down well with the Metro.
Our daily review and preview of the day’s big stories…
2 Big Stories
MPs’ expenses dominate the headlines … again
Another day, another bleak day for Parliamentary politics. Former Agriculture minister Elliot Morley was suspended from the Labour party for claiming £16,000 in expenses on a mortgage he had paid off. Meanwhile, Andrew MacKay, a senior aide to Tory leader David Cameron, resigned after claiming tens of thousands of pounds in second-home expenses on a London property that his wife, Tory MP Julie Kirkbride, designated as her main home. And as if that wasn’t enough, the House of Lords took the exceptional step …
Look, mum, we’re in the papers! And not in a good way. So far, the Lib Dems’ expense revelations in the Telegraph are pretty small beer, on the whole – but we’re not content with that, are we?
Meanwhile, in the blue corner, David Cameron is getting tough on the same issue. What I’d have given to be a fly on the wall in the meetings he had yesterday. Ever seen a man with a moat get a bollocking? Me neither, alas.
Today’s historic victory for the Gurkhas and an historic defeat for Gordon Brown has already been chronicled by our own Alix Mortimer. Here is the Channel 4 News report:
Nick Clegg’s superb performance at today’s PMQ already won him rave reviews, as our Alex Foster noted.
Other mentions in dispatches for the role Nick Clegg played in forcing this issue:
“Credit in particular to Nick Clegg” – The Telegraph’sBenedict Brogan
“the Liberal Democrats can feel justifiably pleased that their long game has truly paid off” – BBC’s Gary …
Nick Clegg’s Opposition Day debate motion has passed this afternoon by 267 votes to 246 – a narrow but highly significant victory. The motion demanded that all retired Gurkhas be awarded the right to settle in the UK.
Brown seems to have a political death wish at the moment. He was on the wrong side of today’s argument and he’ll be on the wrong side tomorrow when he tries to push through his hasty YouTube mash-up of MPs expense reforms too.
More analysis when that happens – suffice it to say for the moment that
Now we appear, as the polls currently stand, to be heading for a stratospheric Conservative majority at the next election it really is an excellent moment to look at the Conservative party’s policies. Wouldn’t that be good? Governments don’t actually run countries based on their ability to “expose” conversations about a web site that never existed beyond a URL registration, after all, do they?
Politics is in a mess, we are always told (and indeed it is to a large extent) and we need to reform Westminster.
So let’s see what the almighty David Cameron, statesman extraordinaire, proposes to reform Democracy in …
David Cameron is demanding a personal apology from Prime Minister Gordon Brown over e-mails sent by an adviser discussing smearing the Tories. The Tory leader is “absolutely furious” and is calling on Mr Brown to give a guarantee that such messages will not be sent again, a spokeswoman said.
Many will argue – no matter which party they support – that this is the very least Mr Brown should do. It does not matter that he is not personally …
We tend not to be too poll-obsessed here at LDV – of course we look at them, as do all other politico-geeks, but viewed in isolation no one poll will tell you very much beyond what you want to read into it. Looked at over a reasonable time-span and, if there are enough polls, you can see some trends.
Here, in chronological order, are the results of the eight polls published in March:
Tories 42%, Labour 30%, Lib Dems 19% – Populus/Times (9th March 2009)
Tories 41%, Labour 31%, Lib Dems 17% – YouGov/S. Times (15th March)
Tories 42%, Labour 32%, Lib Dems 14%
I must apologise, must I not. I spent any spare moment yesterday glued to the #g20 Twitter stream, which says much in itself, not only about my indolence but about the relevance of PMQs to the concerns of the outside world.
It’s the nature of the beast with the G20, I think. It’s hard enough for journalists and commentators with thousands of words at their disposal to say anything meaningful about such a complex, open-ended and uncertain set of negotiations. A half-hour clutch of stage-managed questions and answers frequently interrupted by partisan honking stands no chance.
But before the G20 came up, Cameron opened on the question of the MPs expenses review and, unusually, made himself look like a bit of a tit by demanding a meeting between the three main party leaders. Twice. The second time after Brown had already agreed to one. Brown enjoyed a rare moment of fun with that. Cameron doesn’t often walk into traps that facile, and it makes one realise how much he relies on Brown’s dreadful slowness in debate.
British Tory leader David Cameron has been condemned as “ridiculous” for pulling his party out of the EPP-ED group.
The blistering attack, from one of his own MEPs, comes in the wake of Cameron’s decision to cut loose from parliament’s biggest political group after June’s European elections.
Caroline Jackson is so incensed by the move she says she is considering quitting the Tory party of which she has been a member since 1963.
“Pulling out of the EPP was ridiculous, is a serious mistake and I am minded to leave the party,” she said.
Jackson, who is retiring in June’s European elections, has
I leave the country for just three days, and come back to find that, in my absence, the Tories have fallen to bits over tax. I must try this going away lark again, some time. (What do you mean, post hoc ergo propter hoc?)
Of course, it’s possible to claim it’s all a storm in a teacup: that (i) George Osborne’s announcement that the Tories will go into the next election promising to raise the top rate of tax, and (ii) Ken Clarke’s declaration that their inheritance tax cut for the rich was an “aspiration”, are merely a …
Peter Davies @Kira Collins You seem to have missed the bit about raising tax allowances. That primarily helps those on low wages....
David Wright According to this well-argued article (by Lib Dem councillor Mark Ellis), a simple wealth tax wouldn't work, but tax on TRANSFER of wealth could, if current tax...
Kira Collins @Peter Martin
“ We should be encouraging them to use less energy. To do that, you should put standard rate VAT on energy and use the money to raise pensions,...
Simon Banks Why are we on the other side from the Tories? Because they stand for every kind of inequality, the gutting of local government and a narrow nationalism. We stan...
expats Vince Cable....Gordon Brown introduced formal fiscal rules in 1997 alongside the operational independence of the Bank of England: essentially, a commitment to b...
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Chris Isaak: Wicked Game
Brexit and summer holidays
The shame of Liverpool Labour councillors taking their allowances but not turning up to do the work
Peter Davies 
David Wright 
Kira Collins 
Simon Banks 
expats 