By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter That's my firm prediction and I think Lord Adonis, the Labour Transport Secretary who pioneered the idea, knows it too. Earlier this week he accused the Government of dither and delay over what was once thought to be a flagship environmental and economic project. Three things have changed the Government's […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter The environment is becoming a new source of potential tension within the Coalition and within the Conservative Party. David Cameron and the Liberal Democrats have tended to emphasise climate change as central to their green agenda while local Tory councils and Tory supporters have been more focused on local and […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter Conservative-controlled Lincolnshire County Council is about to issue planning guidance that will be greetred with enthusiasm by anti-wind farm campaigners: “There is a presumption against wind turbine developments on the grounds of negative cumulative visual impact.” The report in The Sunday Times (£) says that the new guidance may prevent […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter There's not much joy for George Osborne in today's YouGov poll for The Sunday Times (PDF). Two weeks ago ConHome revealed that Tory members had lost a lot of faith in the Chancellor and negativity is now widespread across the public. Just 18% think he is doing a good job […]
The Committee on Climate Change has its offices in Holbein Place just off Sloane Square and has a budget of £4.4 million all from the taxpayer (up from £4.3 million under Labour when Ed Miliband was Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.) It has a board of veteran Quangocrats. Judging by their latest […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter Several Anglosphere counties are in the process of implementing climate change policies that mean burdensome green regulations which kill jobs. There's the United States, where jobs and energy will move to China unless a new direction is taken on the environment: "Foreign markets, led by China, could soon become the most […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter I've joined the great national debate about swivelling eyes in the Daily Telegraph this morning. I'm not adding much to it here, but this article gives me the chance both to link to my piece and Tim's on Saturday – and also to showcase Carla Miller's illustration above. The backbone […]
Though mostly occupied with his fellow liberals, David Goodhart also lays down a challenge to conservatives: “…the right remains attached to its own form of abstract universalism, more concerned with the procedures of the market than what kind of society they have helped create. Some of the notions of loyalty, civility and respect that conservatives […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. There's a section of James Forsyth's Mail on Sunday column that's worth noting: "George Osborne regards forcing through changes to the planning rules as one of his most significant Budget measures. They will now be published on Tuesday and, in the words of one Government source, will be "unashamedly […]
The Bible tells us that a prophet has no honour in his own land. As a man of faith, Prince Charles will no doubt be familiar with these words. Indeed, he might even be tempted to take them as a personal motto, such is his treatment in the British press. But writing in the American […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter In the latest ConservativeHome survey we asked respondents to rate the importance of 23 policy themes for convincing voters "that the Conservatives are a modern, compassionate party". Respondents voted between 0 (unimportant) to 10 (very important). The average ratings are pasted below: Improve schools: 8.48 Keep inflation under control: 8.33 […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter. Chris Huhne has resigned and in his letter to Mr Huhne the Prime Minister praises the outgoing Energy and Climate Change Secretary's environmental credentials: "Thank you for your letter informing me of your decision to resign from the Government. I believe you have made the right decision under the […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter. Chris Huhne will be charged with perverting the course of justice. Every person is innocent until proven guilty but the CPS would not be pursuing this high profile case if there wasn't a high likelihood that Mr Huhne will end up in jail. it's a personal tragedy that flowed […]
By Joseph Willits Follow Joseph on Twitter In the spirit of accountability, speaking at Environment, Food, & Rural Affairs questions yesterday, Labour MP Tom Harris indulged other members with details of his own breakfast. Harris was welcoming the fact that 90% of food purchased by the House of Commons was British – 90% of which he had presumably enjoyed. After […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter Today's Sunday Telegraph carries the following Boris quote: "I am not viscerally hostile. I am a passionate supporter of HS2 in principle, but it has to be right for London. And there are important aspects of HS2 which are not right. This is not the end of campaigning against HS2. […]