What's the biggest divide in Britain? The divide between north and south? Between black and white? Between the children of intact families and those of broken families? Or, as David Willetts has begun to argue, between young and old? All are testing divisions but one of the most politically potent divisions of our time is […]
6.30pm Parliament: Nicky Morgan and Gavin Williamson stress the importance of manufacturing as Kwasi Kwarteng uses his maiden speech to accuse Labour MPs of being in "never-never land" 6.15pm Parliament: Robin Walker and Mark Pawsey pay tribute to the fathers in whose parliamentary footsteps they are following 5.30pm Parliament: In their maiden speeches Sajid Javid […]
Ahead of today's Budget the centre right and reformist think tanks have been lining up to offer Alistair Darling advice. Here's a summary of what they're saying. There is an air of unreality about the tough decisions that are going to be necessary, according to Mark Littlewood of the IEA: “Politicians are not talking seriously […]
11.45pm ToryDiary: My verdict on TM meets DC ToryDiary: Main points from Trevor McDonald meets David Cameron 7.30pm ToryDiary: From the News of the World to the Wall Street Journal, George Osborne is winning endorsements 7.15pm WATCH: Theresa May says that Nick Clegg appears to be confused about his economic policy and his attitude towards […]
10pm ToryDiary: Conservatives 5% and 7% ahead in two new polls 5pm Andrew Lilico on CentreRight attacks the Statistical Office's misleading press release on economic growth 3.45pm WATCH: Five more years of Gordon Brown 2pm ToryDiary: The choice at this election is a choice between a strong Conservative government and the economic chaos of a […]
Key people Its two long-standing directors, Dr Madsen Pirie and Dr Eamonn Butler, who were friends from St Andrews University, have recently been joined by a third, Tom Clougherty. Basic philosophy Although non-party, the Adam Smith Institute takes an avowedly free market and libertarian position. It puts the case for free market capitalism, sound public […]
10pm BBC: "Gordon Brown paid his brother about £6,000 for cleaning services for his Westminster flat, it has been reported. It is among details of expenses claims made by Cabinet ministers which are to be published by the Daily Telegraph. The paper says Jack Straw used his expenses to claim back the entire council tax […]
The BBC has a story estimating that 70% to 80% of the £1 billion deposited by local Councils and other branches of the public sector will be paid back. Conservative leader of Kent, Cllr Paul Carter says: "If markets improve, we may get more than that, closer to 90%." The first payments are due in […]
Howard Flight is a former Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury and chairman of Flight & Partners Recovery Fund. The priorities of the next Conservative Government will, of course, be to assist and oversee a recovery in the economy and the necessary sorting out of public spending and the public sector – reducing public spending […]
I’ve been reading Eamonn Butler’s The Rotten State of Britain and greatly recommend it. It offers a wide ranging sweep across our country’s ills and the gloom of the title is balanced by an eagerness to offer radical solutions as one would expect from the Director of the Adam Smith Institute. The section of local […]
8pm ToryDiary: Tory lead narrows slightly in new Populus poll – but party remains 12% ahead of Labour 7.30pm ToryDiary: Michael Gove moots expansion of state boarding school provision for the most vulnerable children 6pm Alex Deane on CentreRight is sick of the BBC’s coverage of the miners’ strike and is keen to share Allister […]
7.30pm WATCH: Howard Dean addresses the Lib Dem spring conference in Harrogate 6pm Jonathan Isaby on CentreRight: The country’s leading trade unionist is re-elected with the support of less than 5% of his comrades 3.15pm International: "There is actually a limit to what governments can do." 2.45pm WATCH: President Obama responds to the latest US […]
9.30pm WATCH: Gordon Brown plays down divisions at EU summit 5.30pm WATCH: Tony Blair visits Gaza for the first time Karl Rove gives Sky’s Adam Boulton his first impressions of the Obama presidency 2.45pm More CentreRight updates: Tim Montgomerie on Derek Draper Suli Shah on Bobby Jindal 2.30pm Peter Whittle on CentreRight on the frustration […]
5.15pm Tim Montgomerie on CentreRight: "A shadow cabinet full of men married to other men or moonlighting in lucrative directorships will alienate voters" 4.45pm Paul Goodman on CentreRight: Britain’s religious leaders need to discourage global tensions boiling over here 4.15pm WATCH Ten minute defence of Israel’s actions from New York’s Mayor, Mike Bloomberg 3.45pm Parliament: […]
Dr Madsen Pirie is the President of the Adam Smith Institute, a leading free market think-tank. His new book, Zero Base Policy, was published yesterday, and can be purchased via Amazon.co.uk. Anyone who supposes that a dozen years of Gordon Brown's vandalism can be put right by tweaking a few policies and running things rather […]