6pm Lord Flight on Comment: Commonwealth
Exchange (CX) a newly established foundation, which will be
launched this Wednesday, to promote the potential of the Commonwealth
and its citizens. The Commonwealth What does it
mean to a Conservative? The Queen, the Commonwealth Games, or simply
cricketing nations?
3pm WATCH:
2.15pm Local Government:"Little by little we are defeating the tyranny of sameness" All schools to be allowed to set school term dates
1pm ToryDiary: Cameron doesn't want to take Tory MPs on over pay, as he did over expenses
10.45am Mark Field MP on Comment: Don't expect miracles from the new man at the Bank. What's most likely is more of the same.
10.15am Local Government: Council by-election results from Thursday
10am ToryDiary: If you support IPSA, don't complain if it awards MPs a pay rise
ToryDiary: Understanding – and winning – seaside seats
Columnist Marina Kim: I feel violated at the prospect of my e-mails being snooped on
Kenneth Clarke MP & Oliver Letwin MP on Comment: Ronald Reagan would have given our deregulation bill the thumbs-up
Local Government: Despite Labour's claims, Council Tax collection rates have improved
Tim Montgomerie on LeftWatch: Five reasons why Ed Miliband might be easier to beat than Gordon Brown
The Deep End: Afghanistan and Syria: actually, it’s not all about us
Wharton Bill 1) As officials warn that the EU Referendum Bill will
not be legally binding…
“An official House of Commons analysis says a series of further
Parliamentary votes will be required in 2016 to enshrine a future referendum in
law. It warns that the legislation being debated in Parliament this week – if
passed – could have little legal relevance as it could be ignored by a future
government. The analysis concludes that it ‘would not appear possible to hold
the referendum’ without the further agreement of both Houses of Parliament
after the next election to set the date and terms of a future vote. The
analysis undermines the legal relevance of an unusual Parliamentary Bill to be
debated by MPs this week which, it was claimed, would ensure there is a
referendum on Britain’s EU membership before the end of 2017” – Daily
Telegraph
Wharton Bill 2) …David
Cameron taunts the Lib Dems for refusing to back the referendum…
“The Coalition
was at war over Europe last night as David Cameron taunted Nick Clegg to ‘get
off the fence’ and back an in-out referendum.The Prime Minister rounded on his
deputy ahead of a landmark vote this week in which Tory MPs will back
legislation for a nationwide poll by the end of 2017. As the Lib Dems dismissed
the move as a ‘parliamentary stunt’ and vowed to boycott it, Mr Cameron warned
that the public will not be satisfied with a stay-away policy on an issue of
such potent concern to voters” – Daily
Mail
Wharton Bill 3) …And Labour plan to stay away
"Mr Alexander described the Bill as a “stunt” during an appearance on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, insisting the push for a referendum was for “domestic political reasons”. On the other side, John Mills, a major donor to the Labour Party who has been campaigning for a referendum, claimed that “half” the Shadow Cabinet and “a majority” of Labour supporters were in favour of a referendum." – The Independent
Meanwhile France's triumphant 'Joan of Arc'
vows to bring back the franc and destroy the euro…
“Marine Le Pen is spoiling for a
fight. The leader of France's Front National vows to smash the existing order
of Europe and force the break-up of monetary union, if she wins the next
election. It is no longer an implausible prospect. ‘We cannot be
seduced,’ she said, brimming with confidence after her party secured 46pc of
the vote in a by-election earthquake a week ago… "The euro ceases to
exist the moment that France leaves, and that is our incredible strength. What
are they going to do, send in tanks?" she told the Daily Telegraph at the Front National’s headquarters” – Daily
Telegraph
…and the EU abandons efforts to create a banking
union
“The
EU has effectively buried the idea of a banking union. It is a decision that
will have profound economic consequences for the eurozone. It kills the last
chance of a resolution that could have ended the depression in the eurozone
periphery. In the brave new world of the EU’s resolution regime, all risks will
be shared between various categories of bank creditors, which are mostly
domestic institutions, and the banks’ home states” – Wolfgang Münchau, Financial
Times
Two days before Tory MPs rebel, David
Cameron promises a tax break for married couples…
“Legislation to
enshrine a tax break for married couples in law will be published this year
after David Cameron bowed to pressure from Tory MPs. The Prime Minister
revealed yesterday that he will bring forward plans to recognise marriage in
the tax system ‘very soon’. Senior No 10 sources said details of the
legislation will be spelt out in the autumn, 18 months earlier than
expected. The move was announced 48 hours before rebel MPs were preparing
to back an amendment to the Finance Bill, calling for immediate marriage tax
breaks” – Daily
Mail
…and says MPs
must not get a £10,000 pay rise
“It would be
‘unthinkable’ to reward MPs with a £10,000 pay rise, David Cameron said last
night. There should be ‘restraint’ rather than increasing their £66,000-a-year
salary to about £75,000, said the Prime Minister. The rise is set
to be confirmed by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA)” – Daily
Mail
The
Sun acclaims the new, straight-talking David Cameron
“There must be something in the water at No 10. In the past few days David Cameron has brushed aside
the usual diplomatic niceties and given it to us straight…It is very
refreshing. We’ve all had enough of smooth talking and people saying one thing
and meaning another. It’s about time politicians treated us like adults and
told it like it is…Perhaps Mr Cameron
is learning from Boris and Nigel Farage that we’d all rather have plain talking
than smoothie spin” – Sun
As Mark Carney takes over a Governor of the Bank of England, a warning
that he does not have a silver bullet
“Paul Volcker, the distinguished former chairman of the Federal
Reserve, recently said that ‘central banks are no longer acting like central
banks. I think it gets dangerous when they lose sight of the basic function of
the central bank.’ I hope Governor Carney will heed Volcker’s wise words. His
role is not to find a monetary silver bullet, but to deliver some hard messages
that a debt work-out is exactly that – tough, unremitting, but the only way to
get the economy back into better shape” – Norman Lamont, Daily
Telegraph
Davey insists the lights are going to stay on
“Utilities
will be paid to bring mothballed power stations back into commission under
government plans to bridge a looming power supply gap, according to Ed Davey,
energy secretary. Mr Davey dismissed suggestions that Britain could face
1970s-style blackouts…’The good news for consumers, the good news for firms, is
they don’t need to worry,’ Mr Davey said in an interview with the Financial
Times. ‘Prices aren’t going to spike: the lights are going to stay on because
we’ve got a very well thought-through plan” – Financial
Times
Red tape ban to aid growth of business
“A new law to ban officials from bringing in red tape that damages growth
will be unveiled by ministers today. Fines will be slapped on watchdogs or quangos who breach the edict…The
measures are part of the Deregulation Bill, published by Cabinet Office
Ministers Ken Clarke and Oliver Letwin. Mr Clarke said: ‘In recent years a
mountain of unnecessary legislation has been piled on to the statute book,
usually with worthy motives’” – Sun
> Today: Kenneth Clarke MP & Oliver Letwin MP on Comment: Ronald Reagan would have given our deregulation bill the thumbs-up
Vaz's committee says that rogue police officers should lose their pensions
"The House of Commons Home Affairs Committee said a sliding scale of ‘fines’ should be drawn up to deter corruption and improve ethical standards. This would mean set sums subtracted from retirement payouts if an officer had misbehaved or broken workplace ethics guidelines. The report heard evidence than a small minority of officers were ‘thugs, bullies, racists and incompetents’ and there were also ‘a few who fiddle their expenses’." – Daily Mail
Tim Montgomerie: By
the time HS2 arrives, we’ll no longer need it
“One big investment looks increasingly like a dangerous
gamble rather than a good bet. That dangerous bet is HS2, the high-speed rail
project that is now set to cost £40 billion and will link London with
Birmingham by 2026 and with Manchester and Leeds by 2032…Britain’s all-party
consensus in favour of HS2 comes at a time when François Hollande is turning
away from expansion of France’s TGV network…A bit like the Space Shuttle and Concorde,
high-speed rail has the feel of a technology whose time has passed” – Tim
Montgomerie, The
Times (£)
Boris Johnson: Miliband is like from loser Kinnock, not
winner Blair
“Yes, folks, it looks as though the public are finally starting
to rumble the human panda — a man who genuinely seemed to think he could become
prime minister by sitting virtually motionless and chewing bamboo shoots while
espousing the most Left-wing agenda Labour has seen since the death of John
Smith. For the first time since the 2010 election, the Labour lead has
sunk to five points. The Tories are ahead not just among the over-60s but — and
this is surely a new thing — we seem to be more popular among 18- to
24-year-olds as well” – Boris Johnson, Daily
Telegraph
Rein in “crazy” trade unions, ex-minister warns
Miliband
“Ed Miliband must rein in the ‘crazy’ trade
unions or face defeat at the next election, a former Labour minister warned
yesterday. Kim Howells, who served in Tony Blair’s government, urged the party
leader to change the rules after a scandal over the influence of the unions in
candidate selection. The former Foreign Office minister said that if
Mr Miliband failed to curb union power he would jeopardise the reputation of
the entire Labour Party” – The Times
(£)
> Yesterday: LeftWatch: Bad polling news for Labour is as important as the good news for the Conservatives
News
in brief
And
finally, Melanie Phillips tells us why, though she hates sport, she loves
Wimbledon
“The way the
game is played at Wimbledon in particular reaffirms the continuity of certain
priceless values which elsewhere appear to be steadily disappearing. For
Wimbledon conjures up the all-too-often despised but infinitely precious myth
of Englishness. It is where passionate enthusiasm is tempered by orderliness
and a dash of eccentricity…The players are courteous and keep their emotions
in check…But it is the umpires, with their combination of firmness,
understatement and courtesy, who stamp the proceedings with an unmistakable yet
indefinable Britishness” – Daily
Mail
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