"You find a lot of vulnerable people and you preach to them that the world is unjust and they have no chance and then they end up with low aspirations."
10.30pm Melanchthon on CentreRight: I blame the Left for low aspirations
8.30pm David T Breaker has joined CentreRight: The Government has failed us in the fight against swine flu
7.30pm WATCH: Gordon Brown's opening statement at his monthly press conference
6.15pm ToryDiary: Tories will NOT introduce co-payments for NHS
6pm Jim McConalogue on CentreRight: A new Conservative policy on the Lisbon Treaty?
3.15pm Tim Montgomerie on CentreRight: Berlusconi's private life says something about his character
2.30pm ToryDiary: The Tories should make their NHS spending U-turn quickly and move to a position of protecting frontline services only
12.45pm Seats and candidates: Leicester Tories choose candidates to take on Patricia Hewitt's successor, Peter Soulsby and Keith Vaz
11.15am Nick Hurd MP reports back from Rwanda for CentreRight: "Are we doing it for our benefit or theirs?"
ToryDiary: Channel 4 plans autumn docu-drama on David Cameron's Bullingdon Club days
Seats and candidates: Local government leaders in the likely next intake of Conservative MPs
Chris Slocock on Platform: Politicians struggling to find
solutions in the current financial crisis must realise that we in
business face such challenges on a routine basis
Local government: The number of empty shops trebles in a year
Tim Montgomerie on CentreRight: What is your nomination for lowest Labour moment?
William Hague sets out Tory vision for foreign policy
Bronwen Maddox, Chief Foreign Commentator of The Times, describes Mr Hague's speech as the "best speech to date on the Conservatives’ foreign policy".
Hague promises to restore Foreign Office to heart of Government decision-making – Telegraph
"Britain
must accept a less interventionist role in the world and review defence
spending to address extreme pressure on budgets, Conservative foreign
affairs spokesman William Hague said on Tuesday." – Reuters
"William
Hague's speech will be carefully scrutinised, but without their hatred
of Europe, it is not clear what the Tories believe in." – Martin Kettle
in The Guardian
"After
the speech, a senior diplomat from a European Union nation said he was
dismayed by the tone Mr Hague had adopted towards the EU. “I wouldn’t
say there were any surprises in this speech,” said the official. “But
if this is really how they view things, then there is going to be a
very difficult relationship between Britain and the EU if the
Conservatives win.”" – FT
> Yesterday's ToryDiary: Hague MkII writes a more cautious Conservative foreign policy
Andy Coulson successfully answers MPs' questions about his time as Editor of News of the World
"Mr
Coulson said claims that the practice of phone hacking had been
widespread in his newsroom were untrue. "During that time I neither
condoned the use of phone hacking and nor do I have any recollection of
instances when phone hacking took place," he said." – Independent
"The
Conservative Party’s director of communications has been told by police
that his voicemail messages were intercepted while he was editor of the
News of the World." – Times | FT
"[MPs]
tried without success to discombobulate Mr Coulson. It was like
watching a prep school bowler try to remove the off-stump of Sir Vivian
Richards." – Quentin Letts in the Daily Mail
The Guardian's Steve Bell is much less impressed by Andy Coulson; see his cartoon.
> ITN and Sky video reports on Andy Coulson's testimony
Speak up, Cameron, and tell us what the Tories truly stand for – Bernard Ingham in the Yorkshire Post
The Parliamentary Standards Bill was passed yesterday – The BBC's guide to its content
Darling, Harman, Mandelson and Straw will each stand in for PM during his summer break – Times
Mandelson is a member of
35 key Cabinet committees – Telegraph
"Mandelson,
the first secretary of state, attends 35 of the 43 committees and
subcommittees, in contrast to the 23 attended by foreign secretary
David Miliband." – Guardian
Next year, the Government will spend more than £4 for every £3 the Exchequer receives – Max Hastings in the Daily Mail
Lord Malloch-Brown admits to Afghanistan helicopter shortage – Telegraph
The Labour Party receives £4.6m VAT windfall – FT
Nick
Clegg jettisons "flagship pledges to scrap university tuition fees,
provide free personal care for the elderly, and bring in a higher basic
state pension."
Full story in The Independent
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