Teatime newslinks for Monday 19th September 2011

VINCE CABLE: BRITAIN FACES THE "ECONOMIC EQUIVALENT OF WAR" – Daily Telegraph

Cable's full speech – Video | Full text
Deregulation – the missing idea in Vince Cable's speech - ToryDiary
"The Business Secretary made a thinly veiled attack on Communities Secretary Eric Pickles as well as launching a direct dig at David Cameron's policy guru Steve Hilton." – Independent
"Even by his own standards Vince Cable’s speech today was noticeably pessimistic. … There was little in what he said to suggest that he has any optimism about the prospects for growth over the next few years." – James Forsyth

CLEGG'S CONFERENCE SPEECH

His big conference spending announcement: The "Girls Education Fund" – £350m over four years, to educate a million girls in Africa and Asia who currently receive no education. The Lib Dems aren't diverse enough. Clegg said: "There are too many men, too many white men from relatively affluent backgrounds and we need to change that dramatically.” Clegg also defended the Coalition: "beginning last year, we had a simple, early need to show that Coalition can work" – PoliticsHome (£)
Nick Clegg hits out a 'ridiculous' critics who accuse him of betraying party – Daily Telegraph
and defended Cameron from an awkward anti-Cameron question about internships – Joey Jones
He also snapped at another audience member who had asked a question: "Chris, do you want to listen?" – Evening Standard's Craig Woodhouse

OTHER CONFERENCE NEWS

Danny Alexander: Lib Dem plans do not aim to punish the wealthy – PoliticsHome (£)
Any mansion tax/land tax to replace the 50p rate would have to raise as much as the 50p rate was supposed to – £3billion – Evening Standard
"Every British citizen could be given shares in the bailed-out banks under plans proposed by the Liberal Democrats." – Daily Telegraph
Minister Ed Davey announces plans to mutualise the Post Office – Daily Telegraph
Welsh Lib Dem leader: no to a "Plan B" - BBC

DOES GEORGE OSBORNE HAVE A £12BN BLACK HOLE?

Andrew Lilico's take: "… there is not the slightest need for the government to change tack at this point. Osborne's plan was smart and robust enough to deal with what's hit it so far. It will take something much worse than this to leave his political strategy in "ruins"." – Telegraph Blogs

EURO CRISIS RUMBLES ON

Greece needs more cuts, not higher taxes, says IMF – BBC
US stocks down as investors fret about Greek debt – WSJ
DAX and FTSE 100 also down – CNN
"Italy’s plans to eliminate the budget deficit by 2013 may hurt the debt ratings of the nation’s regional and local governments, Moody’s Investors Service said in its Weekly Credit Outlook." – Bloomberg

LIB DEM MPS WILLING TO JOIN TORY REBELS TO DEFEAT BOUNDARY CHANGES

"A senior Lib-Dem source said some of Nick Clegg's MPs were willing to back out of the shake-up but they would need to be sure that Tory rebels would also defy Mr Cameron." – Evening Standard

DETAILS OF CAMERON'S TRIP TO NEW YORK

"David Cameron will be in New York on Wednesday for the UN General Assembly. His main preoccupation will likely be the Palestinian statehood vote and how to play the British position. He will also hold talks with Barack Obama and others. But he will also find time to launch a new initiative to promote Britain as a place to do business. The "Great" campaign is built on a series of elegant posters promoting different aspects of the Great in Britain" – Benedict Brogan

THE UN WANTED TO INTERVENE IN… BASILDON?

"…the Guardian learned that the government has blocked attempts by the United Nations to help negotiate a deal between Travellers at the Dale Farm site and Basildon council…" – Guardian

AROUND THE WORLD

"All hell" has broken loose over Palestine's statehood bid – Reuters
William Hague reaction: "This is not the course of action we would recommend. We will push for a return to negotiation."
20 killed by Yemeni security forces… – AP
…Hague condemns the killings – FCO