Oh dear. It looks as though Alistair Darling’s 10p tax con is going to come back to haunt him – and in a major way. As the IFS points out this morning, the fact that he’s only increased personal tax allowances for a year – a short-term fix to compensate for the abolition of the
We all know that there are plenty of knives out for Gordon Brown in the Labour Party. But a detail in this post by Benedict Brogan is still pretty astonishing. He writes of a Labour minister who said he’d like the party to be defeated in Crewe and Nantwich by a Tory landslide, so they can “force the bastard out”. Unfortunately,
Adam Boulton & Co. bring us news that Ladbrokes have closed their books on the Crewe and Nantwich by-election, because the Tories are “dead cert winners”. Of course, this chimes with all the polls we’ve been reading recently, as well as with the Tory euphoria around Westminster. But are things really that certain? Tories on the ground
As James says, if Labour rack up a double-digit defeat in Crewe and Nantwich, then things might start to look even nastier for Gordon Brown – to the point that he may face a leadership challenge or two. I’m sure Labour will be aware of that, but they’re certainly not saying it. Sam Coates points out over
When the High Court turned down the Michael Martin-led attempt to block the disclosure of MPs expenses, the worry was that the Speaker would launch an appeal. Well – by way of an update – Martin & Co. last night decided not to fight the original ruling. The Speaker’s comported himself so badly throughout all of this, that this latest
According to Mike Smithson at Political Betting, Alan Milburn may be planning to challenge Brown for the Labour leadership, in the aftermath of the Crewe and Nantwich by-election. Says Smithson: “I cannot vouch for the accuracy of this but it comes from somebody I trust who has very close links within the party. Clearly something
Nick Clegg’s giving a speech at Policy Exchange this morning, in which he’ll announce his intention to cut taxes for low and middle income earners. In many respects, it’s a landmark moment for the Lib Dems (although Clegg’s political invisibility will probably negate any positive effects), and it’s certainly good for the Tories. When the
Here’s footage of Gordon Brown’s “confident, relaxed and witty” speech at Google Zeitgeist earlier today. What do CoffeeHousers make of it?
Do take the time to read Cameron’s speech today – it may be his most convincing yet. In it, he lays into government waste more forcefully than ever before, and outlines a Tory attack on the “three causes of a bigger state and rising public spending” – the cost of social failure; the cost of
After a few subtle flirtations, Nick Clegg has finally decided that his Lib Dems will support the Tories in the event of a hung parliament. Apparently, he’d back Tory Budgets, and side with Cameron & Co. in any votes of confidence. It’s a set-up which would leave the Tory leader free to accept the post
Simon Heffer’s at his angry best in today’s Telegraph, attacking Brown over the recent 10p tax con. Here are the last two paragraphs, but do read the whole thing: “The £2.7 billion loan, at a time when we are grotesquely over-borrowed, is the final sign not merely that this man has no idea about sound economics, but
Things are hotting up over the Government’s plan to extend pre-charge detention for terror suspects to 42 days. A group of Labour rebels, headed by Andrew Dismore MP, have tabled an amendment which calls for detention to be kept at 28 days, but a range of new bail measures introduced. The Lib Dems have immediately
One of the last things Brown will want is a summer of public sector unrest. Problem is, that’s exactly what he might be facing. Check out Michael Millar’s post over at Trading Floor for the lowdown.
Over at the Adam Smith Institute blog, Dr Eamon Butler highlights a very important truth – that severe poverty has worsened under this government. How so, when the Government claims to have lifted ‘a million’ people out of poverty? Well – as you’d expect – it’s all to do with a Bronwie-style, statistical fiddle. The Treasury defines a
The Michael Martin-led effort to block the disclosure of MPs’ expenses has been turned down in the High Court. The right result. Hopefully, Martin will accept it with grace and dignity – although he has until 20th May to appeal against the decision (at a further cost to the public).
Some good reading material in today’s Economist. Bagehot charts the recent attacks and apologies that have coursed through Labour, concentrating on the case of Frank Field. Here’s the concluding paragraph: “But for Labour to revive, and maybe for Mr Brown to survive, it will take more than a semblance of unity and the odd crowd-pleaser.
A number of CoffeeHousers asked that we put up video of Cameron’s superlative response to Brown’s Not The Queen’s Speech yesterday. It’s been put up on YouTube now, so here goes (Cameron starts at the 2:26 mark):
Just to flag up another article from the latest issue for CoffeeHousers. This one’s by Rod Liddle, and he takes issue with the recent deluge of memoirs from Blairite figures. As he puts it: “There is something simultaneously vile and pitiable in the procession of these famous names into their agents’ offices, determined to tell everybody that
Just a follow-up to Fraser’s post of yesterday. His article on why James Purnell could be the man to rescue Labour from their current scrape is now on the website. You can access it here. And remember to have your say in the comments section – are there any CoffeeHousers who rate the artfully-sideburned one?!
As I wrote the other day, the British public is increasingly blaming the Prime Minister for the country’s economic problems. He’s no longer regarded as a steady hand on the tiller, but – instead – as a fiscal menace. A key aspect of Brown’s latest relaunch, then, is to reverse this opinion; to convince people