“The UK Parliament is to host a special ceremony to commemorate the life of Nelson Mandela, who has died aged 95. Sources say the event will be for a wide range of people whose lives were influenced by the former South African president.” – BBC
“Several years ago, while I was Leader of the Opposition, I was invited to a London hotel to meet Nelson Mandela. The whole thing is vivid in my memory: how he never stopped smiling; and how gracious he was to Samantha and me….When in Opposition I visited him in South Africa and I went to an Aids respite centre and orphanage. I will never forget the rooms of mothers dying slowly. He admitted that during his time as President he failed to confront the issue. But he had the courage and humility to recognise this and the resolve to do something about it.” – David Cameron The Times(£)
“The Boer war was the first of the great anti-colonial battles of the 20th century. The Afrikaners – then – were seen by liberals across the world as freedom-fighters. It was into this context, in 1918, that Rolihlahla Mandela was born. Britain gave him the name by which he was ever after known. His British teacher, a Mr Wellington, could not pronounce Rolihlahla and called him “Nelson” instead. Mandela did not mind. “Lord Nelson is a famous historical figure,” he wrote, “…the name Nelson is too famous for you just to throw it away.” – Charles Moore Daily Telegraph
“In government, he proved to be wise and even-handed. He inherited high unemployment and social deprivation, yet – despite being politically to the Left – did not shrink from using capitalist methods to fight them. He said famously: “Money won’t create success, the freedom to make it will.” It was a truism any Conservative might have uttered.” – John Major Daily Telegraph
“As this weekend we wallow in what (as I write) appears a virtual orgy of adulation — bleary, heavy, sloppy, mindless and unfocused — and as from broadcasters pours an unremitting barrage of white men interviewing each other, we need the reality check that our media seem incapable of providing. The question is so simple. Was Mandela more than a postponement?” – Matthew Parris The Times(£)
“Households face a new round of tax rises or welfare cuts after the election to fill a £12 billion hole in the Chancellor’s austerity plans, a leading think-tank has warned…The Chancellor is relying on “uncertain revenues” from a crackdown on tax avoidance and increase in the bank levy to fund a series of giveaways, the IFS said.” The Times(£)
“Brits will be “substantially” poorer at the general election than they were in 2010 – despite next year’s return to real wage rises, experts have said. Average household incomes will be around 5% less in 2015 than five years earlier. The prediction by the Institute for Fiscal Studies – after pouring over George Osborne’s Autumn Statement figures – is a blow to him.” – The Sun(£)
“An MP has claimed some Conservatives make lurid hand gestures towards Labour women during debates in the Commons. Sarah Champion said there was an “insidious” sexist culture in which “some Tories are very good at gesticulating about female assets”.” – BBC
“For most of his career, John Biffen, a Cabinet minister under Margaret Thatcher, suffered from debilitating episodes of depression that have only now, six years after his death, been fully revealed.In his posthumous autobiography, Semi-Detached , published on Monday, Biffen reveals that he was first struck by depression two years after becoming MP for Oswestry in 1961.” – The Times (£)
“Family doctors accused of failing cancer sufferers after first ever GP league tables found more than half not referring such patients to specialists quickly enough.” – Daily Telegraph
“PARKING charges are to be frozen in a bid to get more people shopping in their local High Street. The measure was announced by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles, who also wants councils to stop using CCTV to enforce parking rules.” – The Sun(£)
“Joe Shute reports from the county where selective education is so popular it means a two-hour commute for some pupils – and a headache for the Government.” – Daily Telegraph
“The state must take steps to bolster the institution of marriage which it has been “tilted against” for too long, Iain Duncan Smith said yesterday. Pledging action to rectify the balance, the Work and Pensions Secretary said: “When this Government entered office we inherited a state system in which support for marriage had been casually withdrawn.” – The Times(£)
“Vince Cable yesterday urged Ed Miliband to hold firm against calling a referendum on membership of the European Union because the Business Secretary believes it is the only way Britain could end up voting to leave.” – The Times(£)
“To mark the fact that this Saturday has been designated Small Business Saturday in an attempt to encourage consumers to support small businesses, emulating a US scheme, Miliband will be visiting shops in Crystal Palace, south London. In its own initiative, the Department for Business will publish its own manifesto, Small Business, GREAT Ambition, highlighting government commitments to help small firms.” – The Guardian
“Offerring a shy smile from behind mum’s cheek, Florence Rose Endellion Cameron is the star of Number 10’s official Christmas card, ready to be sent to world leaders and dignitaries.” – Daily Mail