11.30pm International: Australian Liberals in meltdown after Turnbull is ousted by Tony Abbott… Speaking to a friend downunder he gave me this warning: "Climate change fundamentalism has wrecked our conservative coalition. Be careful it doesn't wreck yours."
9.15pm ToryDiary: Should the Conservatives be worried about the opinion polls?
9pm Melanchthon on CentreRight: As I understand matters, Zac Goldsmith is legally entitled to non-dom status…
8.15pm ToryDiary: Conservative lead down to 10% according to ComRes
7pm ToryDiary: Sayeeda Warsi confronts Muslim extremists after they pelt her with eggs
6.45pm Try and WATCH this video of Boris Johnson talking about London's share of public spending without focusing on his hair being blown about by the wind!
Also WATCH: Alex Salmond makes the case for an independent Scotland
5.45pm Parliament: David Cameron apologises to the Commons for error over Islamic school funding
4.45pm: LeftWatch is now up and running:
2.45pm Tim Montgomerie on CentreRight: What's your favourite political slogan?
Noon ToryDiary: Eric Pickles blasts draft plans to give the BNP more broadcast time
10am WATCH: Nick Clegg announces 'mansion tax' on houses worth £2m and cuts in tax for those earning less than £10,000 (and Lord Heseltine responds)
ToryDiary: On St Andrew's Day, Boris wants extra investment in London as the price for the capital's subsidy of Scotland
Lionel Zetter on Platform: Gordon Brown handing the reins of power to David Cameron could be the ultimate "Hospital Pass"
Seats and candidates: Four women, three lawyers, three doctors, two ex-military among those selected to replace thirteen retirees and Trevor Ivory's Diary of a PPC
Welcome to Think tank central: This new ConservativeHome page kicks off with profiles of the Centre for Social Justice, Policy Exchange and the TaxPayers' Alliance
On Local government Harry Phibbs defends £100K+ salaries for council CEOs: "It so happens that I suspect that if a Council is to have a Chief Executive at all then paying someone under £100,000 a year to do the post would not constitute value for money."
He also notes that Surrey Council has banned alcohol from County Hall
Parliament: It's time for an across-the-piece, step change, rollout of new language in public sector documents
We hope you like the new mastheads at the top of ConservativeHome's pages. They are all posted here if you want to see them in one place.
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Greg Clark: Local residents who accept wind farms will get lower energy bills under the Conservatives
"As well as lower gas and electricity bills for up to 25 years, residents would
be invited to share in the proceeds of business rates paid by wind farms for
six years after they were built." – Telegraph
Zac Goldsmith should be fired over non-domicile tax, says Liberal Democrats – Times
Tory Treasurer hopes for speedy abolition of 50p tax band and corporate tax falling to close to 20p – FT
Soaring state deficits could force David Cameron to water down plans for tax breaks for married couples – Daily Mail
"Worrying noises are emanating from Tory HQ. In particular, it is said that allowing couples to combine their taxfree allowances – at a cost of around £5billion a year – may prove unaffordable. Yes, State spending must be slashed – but, with the cost of family breakdown estimated at £20billion a year, what could be more important than standing up for marriage?" – Daily Mail leader
Nuclear family is broken forever says the head of a Government-funded parenting group – Telegraph
Ed Balls is drawing up new plans to tackle family breakdown that
will promote any stable relationship, not just the superiority of
marriage – Guardian
Bruce Anderson: In emphasising society David Cameron is not repudiating Thatcherism but moving beyond it – Independent
Tory AM calls for more co-ops and credit unions to help people of Wales through recession – Western Mail
Madeleine Bunting: There is nothing ordinary about David Cameron
"Every job Cameron has had has entailed the intervention of some connection or another. Conservative central office straight down from Oxford? A mysterious caller from no less than Buckingham Palace. Carlton Communications? A discreet intervention from Samantha's mother." – Madeleine Bunting in The Guardian
Lord Pearson's planned deal with Tories causes outrage among UKIP grassroots – Times
"The new leader of the UK Independence Party, Lord Pearson, claimed more than £100,000 in publicly-funded expenses on the basis that his £3.7 million house in London was his second home while also owning in a 12,000-acre estate with servants in Scotland." – Telegraph
William Rees-Mogg (or, given yesterday's news, should that be Bill Mogg?) writes about the battle for victory in the Somerset seats by being fought by his children: "In the Somerset marginals a vote for UKIP will help to elect Lib Dem candidates to Westminster. Yet voters in the West Country are predominantly Eurosceptic, as are all the Somerset Conservative candidates. This will be a very hard-fought battle and in the marginals a few votes lost to UKIP could decide the outcome."
Labour will set out £9bn of savings across Whitehall tomorrow – FT
Cutting out the champagne could be a start… "Whitehall fat cats have blown almost £30,000 on champagne at official parties
this year.
In total, the bill for "hospitality" – including flowers, "porterage",
laundry, wines, spirits and soft drinks – was £488,044. Tory shadow
housing minister Grant Shapps, who uncovered the scandal, slammed the
extravagance last night." – The Sun
Vince Cable will announce their tax plans today – BBC
Alex Salmond to publish White Paper making case for Scottish independence – BBC report | Nick Robinson interview
But, says The Herald, all other parties are set to deny him a referendum: "Labour leader Iain Gray said Mr Salmond was “out of touch”, Annabel Goldie of the Scottish Conservatives said it was “monumental waste of parliamentary time” and the LibDems’ Tavish Scott said the SNP’s “pet project” was a waste of £12 million of public money. With all three of the main opposition parties firmly set against the wishes of the minority SNP administration, the Bill is sure to fall at the first hurdle."
The BNP's Nick Griffin betrays Gibraltar
"The BNP would hand the key outpost of Gibraltar to Spain in an astonishing
betrayal of its 30,000 British citizens. The move would also deprive the UK of a naval base – defended bitterly for
more than 300 years – of huge strategic importance. Party leader Nick Griffin, elected as an MEP in June, made the offer at a
fascist rally in Madrid last week to suck up to European extremists." – The Sun
More on NothingBritish.com.
Malcolm Turnbull likely to be replaced as Australian Liberal leader tomorrow – ABC | ConservativeInternational
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