By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. A video has been released (via Bloomberg's Rob Hutton), of a private dinner for businessmen held by Nick Clegg at the Lib Dem conference. In his remarks, Clegg describes Eurosceptics – or perhaps Euro-realists – as "insular", "chauvinistic" and "short-sighted". It is far from the first instance of him using childish […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter Last night the NHS Bill was passed. The Lansley reforms became law. Regular ConHome readers will know that I regret that. I think nearly all that the heavily-amended-and-bureaucratised Bill set out to achieve could have been achieved by continuing with what Labour had already put in place. We should have […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. It's Charles Dickens' 200th birthday today. To mark the occasion, each Cabinet member received a Dickens novel hand-picked by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt this morning. But there is one MP who will be celebrating the great writer's birthday more than most. That MP is Chris Williamson, who represents Derby […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter A fine, cut-out-and-keep column from Polly Toynbee today. She kicks off by calling this government "small-staters": "So far, the small-staters are losing. A small state means – and Cameron has not budged – a smaller police force and shrunken social programmes, with more potential for anarchy."
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. It is early in the morning, there's fierce daily competition for our Order of the O.T.T award, and I'm probably getting ahead of myself by pinning it on the noble breast of Russell T. Davis, Dr Who Screenwriter. None the less, I will take the risk. Davis, who according […]
By Matthew Barrett Follow Matthew on Twitter Dave Prentis is the General Secretary of UNISON, one of Britain's largest unions, and one with a huge grip on public services. He is also auditioning for the position of 2011's Arthur Scargill, if this speech is anything to go by. In the above video, Prentis starts off with some […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter There are many forces inside and connected with the Labour Party that are discouraging modernisation. The unions. The lack of private sector voices in the parliamentary party. And, the subject of this post, the Left-wing pundits. There is a thoughtful centre left commentariat but there is a much bigger […]
By Tim Montgomerie Yesterday morning I noted Tristram Hunt MP's belief that David Cameron wanted to take Britain back to the ethos of the Victorian workhouse. Last night I blogged Polly Toynbee's argument that the Conservatives were planning a "final solution" for the poor. In today's Mirror, Labour MP Jon Cruddas accuses the Tories of […]
By Tim Montgomerie Earlier Tristram Hunt argued that Tories wanted the poor in Victorian workhouses. Polly Toynbee thinks we want a "final solution" for the poor… Hat-tip: Guido Fawkes.
By Tim Montgomerie It's been a while since I nominated a Labour politician for the Order of the OTT but Tristram Hunt certainly deserves recognition for his ridiculous piece in today's Daily Mirror: "Not far from where young David Cameron went to school at Eton, there used to stand a workhouse for the poor of […]
By Tim Montgomerie Earlier this week David Cameron proposed that new council house tenants (note the new) should not necessarily have a council house for life but might have to give it up if their circumstances improve and another family's need was greater. LibDem Deputy Simon Hughes didn't approve which is fair enough but it's […]