Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

6-17-13

Someone has got to win the next election

It is easy to make a case for why all three main parties should do badly at the next election.

Uniting the Conservatives

It is conventional wisdom that a party needs to be united to win an election. This bears little relationship to reality. After  all the Conservative party of Margaret Thatcher was divided between wets and dries,with very different views on the economy and public spending, yet won three big victories.

6-16-13

Both Labour and the Tories think they’re going to lose the next election. Maybe they’re both right

The parties are in the grip of pessimism about their election hopes – such negativity can be self-fulfilling

To transform schools, sack bad teachers and hire great ones. It’ll transform education – and the economy

The future of Britain won’t be decided in a battlefield. It will be decided in a classroom.

Cutting public spending

6-15-13

Woolwich outrage: we are too weak to face up to the extremism in our midst

Despite the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby, David Cameron has failed to act against Islamist terrorism

Where the teaching unions have a good point

The teaching unions have spent a lot of this week getting angry about one thing or another, but one of their number, the National Association of Head Teachers, did make a good point yesterday when reacting to Ofsted’s report on bright kids.

In praise of Vladimir Ilyich Gove

In the latest edition of the Spectator, Toby Young studies the revolutionary tactics and moral zeal of Michael Gove. He cites the Education Secretary’s fondness for adopting the language of Communism – be it in terms of “permanent revolution” or Gramsci’s long march through the institutions – but crucially sees beyond the jokey surface of such remarks.

To draw a line between moderate and extremist Islam is to miss the point

There’s an Islamic school in Birmingham which is very highly regarded. It’s called Darul Uloom — the same name as the school in Chislehurst which was recently the subject of an arson attack. In fact, that’s how I stumbled across it.

6-14-13

Oborne strikes again

For the second time in a year I find myself under attack from Peter Oborne. Last June the redoubtable Telegraph columnist claimed I had been against the formation of the coalition from the start, which was wrong, and that I was trying to push the Tories to the right, which was also wrong. I was very happy to correct his misapprehensions.

Keeping Local Government Conservative

These are challenging times for local councils. They are subject to significant reductions in funding from central government due to the Spending Review while still facing pressure from local residents to do the right thing and reduce council tax.

Tories toast Labour abstention plan for EU bill

From being all over the shop in the past few months when it came to message discipline, the Tories have gone into overdrive in the last two days after the launch of the Let Britain Decide website on James Wharton’s EU referendum bill.

What’s holding Britain down isn’t benefits. It’s low pay

Our brand of capitalism has become cannibalistic. The minimum wage isn’t enough, and has become a profound drag on our economy

Chief Rabbi: atheism has failed. Only religion can defeat the new barbarians

The West is suffering for its loss of faith. Unless we rediscover religion, our civilisation is in peril

6-13-13

David Cameron sings the good jobs news, but can Labour deal with green shoots?

There was plenty for David Cameron to sing about at today’s PMQs when it came to the ONS’ latest labour market figures, and sing he did.

Commons sketch: Cameron wages an unEdifying war of attrition against Balls

David Cameron got the better of this bar-room brawl, but despite the involvement of the two Eds, the contest was not an Edifying one. It became all too clear from these scrappy exchanges that the Prime Minister is determined to seize every chance to kick Ed Balls, the Shadow Chancellor: to unEdify him, as it were.

Michael Gove: GCSE reforms ‘will restore confidence in exams’

GCSEs will feature more British history, a range of classic literature and an increased focus on spelling, punctuation and grammar as part of a major drive to “restore public confidence” in the exams system, it was announced today.

6-12-13

GCHQ not ‘trawling’ people’s emails, William Hague tells MPs

British intelligence agencies are not using information gathered by American spies to get around the UK’s anti-snooping laws, William Hague has said.

Boris Johnson’s 2020 vision: 5 key points

Boy, is Boris Johnson persuasive. Not for him the anodyne policy documents that anyone else in regional or central government prefers to produce. His 2020 Vision document, launched today, is brimming with the sort of wit and turn of phrase that he deploys in his speeches and broadcasts.

If you want more male role models, tax breaks for the rich won’t help

6-11-13

A million children are growing up without a father

More than a million children are growing up without a father and numbers are set to increase, a think tank has warned.

Boris: the moral of Prism is that nothing you do on the net is private

William Hague was dispatched into the television studios yesterday to dismiss as “nonsense” claims that GCHQ has been seeking to circumvent the law by using data gathered by foreign intelligence systems, and will make a Commons statement about the matter later today.

Free votes

Across The Pond is edited daily by Steve Parkhurst. Steve is a political consultant, a writer at his blog as well as a Senior Editor here at US Daily Review. Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveParkhurst

By USDR.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.K. increased 0.2 percent in April, after increasing 0.4 percent in March and 0.6 percent in February. Four of the seven components made positive contributions to the index this month. The index now stands at 103.6 (2004=100).

“The UK LEI continued rising through April, suggesting that the improvement in economic growth so far this year may be sustainable,” says Brian Schaitkin, Economist for Europe with The Conference Board. “Domestic sources, especially improved business confidence, have been the primary drivers of this turnaround.  However, a slowing global economy and continued economic weakness in the Euro Area are important constraints that could negatively impact a recovery.”

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index (CEI) for the U.K., a measure of current economic activity, was unchanged in April, after increasing 0.2 percent in both March and February. The index now stands at 104.3 (2004 = 100).

The Conference Board LEI for the U.K. aggregates seven economic indicators that measure activity in the U.K., each of which has proven accurate on its own. Aggregating individual indicators into a composite index filters out so-called “noise” to show underlying trends more clearly.

The seven components of The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.K. include:

Order Book Volume (source: Confederation of British Industry)
Volume of Expected Output (source: Confederation of British Industry)
Consumer Confidence Indicator (source: European Commission)
FTSE All-Share Index (source: FTSE Group)
Yield Spread (source: Bank of England)
Productivity, Whole Economy (Office for National Statistics)
Total Gross Operating Surplus of Corporations (Office for National Statistics)

Plotted back to 1970, this index has successfully signaled turning points in the U.K. business cycles. The Conference Board currently produces leading economic indexes for the Euro Area and nine other countries, including Australia, China, France,Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain and the U.S.

To view The Conference Board calendar of 2013 indicator releases: http://www.conference-board.org/data/

For more information: http://www.conference-board.org/data/bci.cfm

By USDR London Bureau.

New figures published recently by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) shows that London has continued its ascent of world rankings as a major centre for business tourism.

Last year, in addition to hosting the Olympics and Paralympic Games, London hosted a record number of global business events which has now elevated the city’s status to sixth place globally. The city has also recently secured some of the most prestigious medical congresses and annual general meetings. Events of this scale typically bring up to £80 million in economic benefit to the host city and support the business events industry which is worth £40 billion to the UK overall economy.

The ICCA report showed London ahead of competitors such as New York, Beijing, Hong Kong, Chicago and Sydney whilst overtaking some of its closer European rivals such as Rome, Athens, Munich, Brussels and Edinburgh. The ICCA rankings are collated and published annually.

The continued rise for London has taken place over the last five years which in 2008 saw London at 19^th position. The Mayor of London then tasked his promotional organisation London & Partners and the official convention bureau to create a dedicated team to target, bid for and win major business events for London.

As a result, over the last 12 months London has announced a series of major congress wins. This includes the leading medical associations, EASL, which will host its 2014 conference at ExCeL London. The five day event is expected to bring some 10,000 medical professionals to the capital and will generate over £25 million of economic benefit to the capital. Last October, London also announced the biggest ever congresses win for The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in 2015.  The ESC Congress is the largest cardiology meeting in the world and will see around 35,000 medical professionals descend on the capital for the five day event from 29 August - 2 September 2015.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, commented: ‘London’s popularity as a host for major business events continues to rise thanks to a concerted effort to capture more of the fiercely competitive business tourism market. We have the expertise, the transport system, venues and accommodation to ensure these events will receive a world class experience. The city’s extraordinary success in hosting last year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games will only build on this success.’

Over the last five years the capital has improved London’s overall offering as a business destination. Measures include:

2009 - London & Partners launch the first ever London - London Accommodation Charter which gives major congresses the opportunity to mass book hotel rooms.

2010 - The extension of ExCeL London becomes London’s first ICC which means it’s UK’s largest fully-flexible auditorium for up to 5,000 delegates. It also offers London’s largest banqueting hall, the ICC Capital Hall, for up to 3,000 guests

2011 - A dedicated toolkit for Associations is produced by London & Partners which includes films, support quotes, account management and dedicated directory and website.

2012 - London sees investment of over £11 billion pounds worth of investment -  The “halo” effect of the Games sees new hotels spring up, infrastructure and regeneration across London, the city has never looked better, or offered such a variety of experiences to visitors and planners alike.

2013 - GLA, London & Partners start to implement plans for using Team London Ambassadors working at a number of majorLondon events and transport hubs. London & Partners continue to work with the Mayor on his Team London Ambassadors programme to select major sporting and business tourism congresses which will be suitable for volunteers to get involved in.

Gordon Innes, CEO at London & Partners, the official convention bureau for London, adds:
“Today’s news is the result of the hard work of London’s venues, hotels and wider events industry, and of the entire team at London & Partners CVB, who work tirelessly to attract, bid for and deliver hundreds of events across the capital each year.London’s meetings and events proposition is improving, year on year, and London & Partners is absolutely focused on leveraging last year’s Olympic showcase to grow the events and meetings industry in the coming months. We have set our sights on entering the top five next year.”

David Pegler, CEO, ExCeL London: “Last year was a phenomenal year for London where we showcased to the world that the city can successfully deliver the world’s greatest event – The Olympic & Paralympic Games.  Moving up to 6^th place is a great achievement and is testament to the attraction of London as a leading events destination and we are proud to have played a crucial role in helping our city to deliver and continue to move up the rankings.”

Sue Etherington, Commercial Director at The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre (QEIICC) said: “It is great to see that London continues to benefit from increased activity and is building further recognition as a major convention and conference destination.  It is testament to the hard work of both the London and Partners Association team and all the venues, such as ourselves, in capitalising on the effect of staging the Olympics in London and showcasing the fabulous city that London is. This is great news and we look forward to working closely with London and Partners to get to the Number 5 spot next year!”

As a result of London’s growing international prestige, it has become a prominent location for businesses around the world to hold conferences and events. For conference venues in London visit here.

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

6-10-13

Ed Balls: Labour will include pensions in its welfare cap

Ed Balls has just told Andrew Neil on the Sunday Politics that Labour will include pensions in their welfare cap. This opens up a major dividing line with the Tories who have been clear that George Osborne will exclude pensions from his spending cap.

If the Labour Party won’t spend, what’s the point of it?

The Labour Party hasn’t faced up to its huge overspending in office, but neither has the Coalition any appetite to get to grips with Britain’s ever-growing national debt

The People’s Assembly will cohere the left – and finally give Labour some real competition

6-9-13

Conservative radicalism can go too far

David Cameron’s reforming administration is in danger of making too many changes at once

Why is every Conservative Secretary of State who’s a woman being tipped for the sack? (Bar one.)

This morning’s Sun listed the following Ministers as being at risk in a reshuffle: Philip Hammond, Oliver Letwin, Justine Greening, Maria Miller, Andrew Robathan, Theresa Villiers and Helen Grant.The Times also listed Greening in its report, and its worth noting that the reports of the two Murdoch papers overlapped significantly.

Labour still won’t admit that it got us into this mess

The two Eds’ strategy has many gaps, but last week’s speeches showed how determined Ed Balls and Ed Milband are to get back into power

6-8-13

David Cameron is no longer more popular than his party

For the first time, David Cameron is trailing behind his party, according to the latest polling from Lord Ashcroft. Labour has long struggled with this problem, but as the charts below show, voters now also feel more favourable towards the Conservatives than they do to Cameron himself.

What else can the government do about house prices?

I understand the critics of the current government Help to buy scheme, who think more needs to be done to lower home prices. Yesterday I was seeking to explain the thinking behind the government’s policy, which is enabling more younger people to buy their first home.

An average worker spends £367.78p a year of their Income Tax on interest on the National Debt

Gosh, I’m looking forward to getting my tax return through the post next year. It will tell me how the Government spends my money. Transparency is not just a matter of lots of turgid data files available via obscure sections of Government websites.

6-7-13

How Ed Miliband avoided open warfare on welfare

For months, right-wing politicians and commentators have been licking their lips waiting for the Labour party to face up to reality. We all assumed that the sort of speeches delivered by Ed Balls and Ed Miliband this week, in which the two men abandoned the party’s commitment to universalism and promised to cap welfare spending, would send Labour into orbit.

Two in five Tory members back the Communications Data Bill – and a third oppose it

It would be an exaggeration to write that every Conservative born into the world alive is either a Little Authoritarian or a Little Libertarian.  But how much of one?  The result of our last monthly survey question about the Communications Data Bill (a.k.a the Snooper’s Charter) may point towards an answer.

Billy Bragg may not like it, but the Conservatives are the new workers’ party

Ed Miliband argued this morning that the Labour party ought to be more focused on people working. ‘The clue’s in the name,’ he said. The irony is that Labour gave up on working people some time ago, and used the boom to keep five million Brits on out-of-work benefit while foreign-born workers accounted for 99.9% of the rise in employment.

6-6-13

Ukip officially excluded from Scottish referendum campaign

Tonight, the ‘cross-party’ Better Together referendum campaign will have their London launch. At an event in the heart of Westminster the begging bowl will go round, and a rallying call to protect the union will go up. But who will be missing?

Donor John Mills’s gift to Labour avoided tax bill of £1.5m

The Labour Party has helped its biggest financial backer avoid tax worth up to £1.5 million on its largest donation so far this year.

A plea for cheap energy

Nick Clegg Blocks Tory Childcare Reforms

The Lib Dem leader says loosening the rules to allow nursery staff to look after more children could cost parents more.

6-5-13

George Osborne was the future once – now Michael Gove drives the Tories on

The Chancellor has been supplanted as the party’s most effective political playmaker

A plea for cheap energy

The Energy Bill going through the Commons is the result of an energy policy in transition – or an energy policy where Conservatives want cheaper energy and the Lib Dem Secretary of State remains wedded to dearer and scarcer energy. The problem with Mr Davey’s old fashioned approach to global warming is it means visiting on the UK especially expensive energy.

In Defence of Ed Balls

The one thing more annoying than Ed Balls refusing to accept that the Labour government was irresponsible to borrow at the peak of the boom is the utter delight and feigned incomprehension of right-wingers at the Shadow Chancellor’s statement yesterday.

Payday loans: cute and cuddly tricks can’t disguise outrageous APRs

From the Wonga puppets to Speedy Roo, the payday loan charm offensive is just that, says Pete Cashmore

6-4-13

The significance of Ed Balls’s speech, and what it means for Ukip

Ed Balls’s speech today is significant for two reasons. First, it implied that a Labour government in 2015 would not spend more on current spending. But, rather, it would borrow more to fund higher capital spending—what Gordon Brown used to calling ‘borrowing to invest’.

Shale gas becomes an even more compelling opportunity – we must seize it

A few weeks ago, I wrote here about the potential benefits of UK shale gas in terms of new engineering jobs, reduced reliance on expensive imports and an opportunity to address the energy gap which is fast approaching.

In Brighton, Conservatives could find the answer to their Ukip worries

The city by the sea that attracts alternative viewpoints is just the sort of place for a Tory revival

Across The Pond is edited daily by Steve Parkhurst. Steve is a political consultant, a writer at his blog as well as a Senior Editor here at US Daily Review. Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveParkhurst

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

6-3-13

The NHS is being held together by “sticking plasters” that “will only last so long”, the head of the NHS Confederation has warned.

6-2-13

UKIP up on 21% in Observer/Opinium poll

An Opinium poll in The Observer tomorrow has Labour on 37%, the Conservatives on 26%, UKIP on 21%, a record high, and the Lib Dems on 6% a record low.

The politics of food

A new report claims that more than half a million Britons are now reliant on food banks

Why Ukip is a party of extremists

Last Saturday I wrote for my newspaper a column whose drift was that it was time for the sane majority of the Conservative party to repel those elements on the Tory right who plainly wish the Prime Minister and the coalition ill, and who would never be satisfied with his stance on Europe, however much he tried to adjust it to please them.

A perfect example of Britain’s EU problems

The decision to trigger legal action against the UK for restricting access to benefits for some foreign nationals has alienated politicians across the spectrum

6-1-13

The EU declares bureaucratic war on the UK

It was always agreed in the EU that welfare systems should be under national control.Even Labour, when giving away 138 vetoes over important policy areas, kept a red line around welfare. Decisions about how much to pay, and to whom, were to be made by national Parliaments and governments. The UK signed up to the free movement of workers, not to the free movement of benefit seekers.

Ed Miliband is a blancmange in a hurricane

Labour’s leader is weak, indecisive, lacks clarity, and has turned his party into a vacuum

Ukip is trying to become a grown-up party. Just look at Farage’s response to Woolwich

Ukip has been unusually quiet in its response to the Woolwich killing last week. The only thing we’ve heard is a tactful statement on the day from Nigel Farage, slamming the incident and calling for calm. Not a peep more, and certainly no outlandish statements about tackling the ‘cancer’ of Islam. The muted response is a clear sign Ukip is working hard at its message discipline.

Hague calls for national parliaments to veto EU Commission plans

Daily Mail was the first paper to have yesterday’s story about the European Commission taking Britain to court over access to benefits for EU immigrants, and it is also the first to have today’s about William Hague’s plan to give national parliaments to reject Commission proposals if enough of them agree to.

5-31-13

Tim Yeo: humans may not be to blame for global warming

Humans may not be responsible for global warming, according to Tim Yeo, the MP who oversees government policy on climate change.

After Woolwich, what will change?

Theresa May knows what it is necessary to do to fight Islamism – but her hands are tied

The EU Commission is the gift that keeps on giving

Iain Duncan Smith has received a special delivery: a big present, gift-wrapped in blue paper and yellow ribbon, sent direct from the EU Commission.

5-30-13

Nick Clegg cares more about his party than the country

The Deputy Prime Minister’s strategy is all about protecting the Lib Dems’ poll ratings and his own job, says Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Boris Johnson is ‘absolutely increasingly confident’ of Cameron 2015 win. How reassuring.

Boris Johnson is ‘absolutely increasingly confident’ that David Cameron will win in 2015. This was the Mayor’s attempt at responding to Andy Coulson’s suggestion that he’s desperate for the PM to fail so he can cycle in and save the party, a blond messiah.

5-29-13 

George Osborne plans to harness £11.5bn savings via new star chamber

Chancellor upbeat on target for 2015-16 spending review but ministers may face grilling in revived cabinet committee

We need cuts, not slices

This is the Government’s last real chance before 2015 to reshape the nature of the public sector

Labour has a plan to save the NHS, but does it have the nerve?

A health service built for an age of quick cures and brief lives needs drastic surgery

So Theresa May and Sayeeda Warsi want to ban the preachers of hate? On the contrary, bring ‘em on

The asbestos of publicity doesn’t fan the flames of a vicious dogma into a raging inferno, it first retards them, and then inflicts a fatal malignancy

5-28-13

Iain Duncan Smith is right about spending

Iain Duncan Smith says the Government should spend more on defence and the police. This is the right approach

You can’t blame big firms for avoiding tax

Britain’s tax system is a complicated and unfair mess – a simpler, fairer system would benefit all

The Tories are playing raucous politics with spending cuts – again

With his spending review drip-feed George Osborne wants us to think the government is back in business. Don’t believe any of it

What we can learn from Woolwich

Philip Johnston weighs up the official reaction to the death of Drummer Lee Rigby and the threats posed to a free society

Across The Pond is edited daily by Steve Parkhurst. Steve is a political consultant, a writer at his blog as well as a Senior Editor here at US Daily Review. Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveParkhurst

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

5-27-13

Did we learn so little about jihadism from the 7/7 bombings?

5-26-13

Even for liberals, Obama has crossed a line

Those who have spoken out against the President’s expansion of government power have been investigated and intimidated

Now we are offering asylum to mass murderers

How familiar are you with the Mungiki? Probably not very familiar at all. But this is the thing about living in a country which embraces the richness and vibrancy of diverse cultures; there’s always something new to learn about, every day is a day of discovery.

Woolwich attack: How far is Britain willing to go to prevent modern jihadis?

The choice is not only how hard we fight to protect ourselves, but what we are prepared to sanction in order to pre-empt attack

Can any government really expect to carry out ambitious reform?

That Universal Credit is one of the government projects at risk of failing is not a surprise, especially not if you’re a Spectator reader. We warned back in September 2012 that the Whitehall machine was already trying to put the brakes on the project.

5-25-13

Post-Woolwich, what should we be watching out for?

Woolwich attack: Why are young British men like my brother drawn to Islamic extremism?

Film maker Robb Leech explores the reasons why young Britons, like his stepbrother Richard Dart, are drawn to Islamic fundamentalism

Government behaving badly over ‘quietly aborted’ lobbying reform

This week Nick Clegg said he remained committed to introducing a statutory register of lobbyists despite the fact that a bill didn’t appear in the Queen’s Speech. If we were entering the final year of a Parliament this omission might be less surprising – it’s never going to be a big hit on the doorstep.

The West is fighting on behalf of ordinary Muslims – and winning

Our enemies are utterly misguided in their denunciation of Britain’s interventions overseas

Nothing to do with Islam?

Immediately after the 7/7 bombings the then police-chief Brian Paddick told a press conference: ‘Islam and terrorism do not go together.’ Now, after Woolwich, the Prime Minister has said, ‘There is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act.’

5-24-13

Woolwich was a case study in the banality – and the idiocy – of evil

We shouldn’t bother looking for any logic in attacks like these. There is none to be found

Woolwich is only the latest act of barbarism: Muslims, we must take on this cancer in our midst

They sought weakness, but found only strength

The murderers of Drummer Lee Rigby will not have expected so robust a response to their barbarism

David Cameron is nearing crisis point

For David Cameron, Margaret Thatcher’s funeral must seem an awfully long time ago. Back then, all the talk was of a new Tory unity. He had found a way to connect with his troops. The party seemed to be rallying behind his electoral message.

Why it’s not the 1990s all over again for the Tories

The last twenty four hours have been a reminder of David Cameron’s poise as a national leader. He has the ability to project a sense of resolve and calm.

5-23-13

Mum talked down Woolwich terrorists who told her: ‘We want to start a war in London tonight’

Exclusive: A cub scout leader confronted terrorists just seconds after they had beheaded a soldier asking them to hand over their weapons and warning them: “It is only you versus many people, you are going to lose.”

Woolwich attack: meat cleaver, knife and jihadist claims filmed on mobile

British soldier dead in suspected terror attack in London. Knife attack near barracks ‘an eye for an eye’, says suspect. Killing in street is ‘absolutely sickening’ says prime minister.

Major incident in South London with reports of shootings and a beheading

Reports suggest that a serving solider has been “hacked to bits” in Woolwich by two men with “meat cleavers” and guns

‘Soldier beheaded’ in Woolwich, south London

A British solider has been reported to have been beheaded on the streets of Woolwich, south east London by two men at 2:20pm afternoon. The BBC is reporting the murder may have been filmed over cries of ‘Allahu Akbar’ . ITV has released footage of a man carrying a bloodied knife saying ‘remove your governments – they don’t care about you.’

The Woolwich ‘beheading’ is straight out of al-Qaeda’s terror manual

The horrific killing in Woolwich, where a man believed to be a soldier based at the nearby Woolwich barracks was beheaded by two machete-wielding assailants, has all the hallmarks of an al-Qaeda attack.

Woolwich attack: the aftermath

Westminster and Whitehall are tonight trying to assess the implications of the brutal murder of a soldier in Woolwich. It is clear from the vile rant made by one of the men that this was an act of terror inspired by the ideology of radical Islamism. But what is not yet clear if this was an example of self-radicalistion or whether the attackers had any links to established terrorist organisations.

5-22-13

Gay marriage and the EU pile on the agony for the Tories, but Labour is leaching support

If he is to win back public trust, Labour leader Ed Miliband must tell voters what his spending plans entail

David Cameron has caused a crisis in conservatism

David Cameron’s letter to party members added insult to injury after a week of headlines about ‘Loongate’ and the Tory leadership’s decision to bulldoze through the Same Sex Marriage Bill with the help of Labour. He suggested that ‘you change things not be criticising from your armchair but by getting out and doing’.

The chasm that could swallow Cameron alive

A healthy outcome

Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, must be brave, bold and radical in appointing Sir David Nicholson’s successor at the NHS

Never fall ill at a weekend – our out-of-hours health service is a disgrace

5-21-13

David Cameron, Mr President?

Across The Pond is edited daily by Steve Parkhurst. Steve is a political consultant, a writer at his blog as well as a Senior Editor here at US Daily Review. Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveParkhurst

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

5-21-13

It feels like the Right has split irrevocably

Prime Minister David Cameron’s carelessness has mixed with public contempt for politicians to create a toxic brew

Europe: The tail that’s wagging the dog

5-20-13

It’s time to admit it: the NHS is unable to look after our elderly

Encounters with the NHS’s most despised class

Swivel-eyed, or seeing clearly?

The latest row between leadership and base shows that the Tories can no longer rely on unquestioning loyalty, argues party historian Tim Bale

Cameron had the chance to defy the ‘swivel-eyed loons’ and remake his party. He failed

This week he’s been exposed. There was little thinking on what modern Conservatism might be like. Now he can only busk it

The Liberal Democrats, the natural party of government?

If four years ago, a Liberal Democrat politician had attempted to portray the Lib Dems as the natural party of government we all would have laughed. But that is just what Danny Alexander tried to do on The Sunday Politics. Being interviewed by Andrew Neil, he implicitly contrasted Lib Dem steadiness with Tory in-fighting.

5-19-13

The Conservatives are becoming mired in arguments with themselves

Taking a cavalier approach to party management may be David Cameron’s biggest mistake

Don’t be fooled by Google’s Prius-driving babyfacery

Young tech firms would have us believe they represent a new model of business. Too often, their tax affairs tell a different story

5-18-13

David Cameron isn’t a disaster, yet I long for a radical new leader

At his best, the PM has brought firmness and clarity – but not to the big issue of our age

People are told EU migrants steal jobs – in truth bosses want cheap labour

The Conservatives are determined to be seen as the anti-Europe party, but an EU referendum that took Britain out of the union would be a disaster for the party

Nadine Dorries interview: why I want to run as a UKIP-Tory joint candidate

Nadine Dorries is back in the Conservative party fold – but will she be the first Tory/Ukip candidate?

On masculinity: My father’s generation were better at being men

Diane Abbott says the UK is facing a ‘crisis of masculinity’, with young men brought up on a diet of drugs and pornography, but it’s a lack of love that really separates the generations

How Jeremy Hunt plans to improve the NHS (and boost his own standing)

5-17-13

Nigel Farage condemns ‘fascist scum’ who forced him to take refuge in Edinburgh pub

The Ukip leader Nigel Farage has condemned “fascist scum” for haranguing him in Edinburgh and hung up on a BBC interview in outrage at its tone of “hatred”.

The truth is that we can’t afford a shiny new transport system like HS2

History is littered with failed projects that appealed to politicians in thrall to modernity

The Tory Blame Game

Who is to blame for last night’s Tory uprising on Europe? It’s more entertaining to pin the blame on everyone, rather than one person, and in this case, it’s wrong to insist that the leadership is entirely to blame for the confusing fiasco of the past week.

5-16-13

We need to talk about masculinity

The crisis facing men and boys cannot be solved by reviving the tired stereotypes that oppress and constrain them

An improving economy may rescue Cameron and Osborne, but it won’t deliver them from some tricky questions

Back in the early days of this Government, there was an easy consensus, among many commentators and politicians, about David Cameron chances in 2015. They would rise or fall, it went, on the strength of the economy. If the Coalition had delivered us from downturn, the Tory part of it would be rather difficult to defeat. If not, then even the Sons of Brown might be given another chance.

5-14-13

We must be ready to leave the EU if we don’t get what we want

There are pros and cons to staying in Europe – and it’s time to talk about them, says Boris Johnson

Blue collar Tory: Oxymoron or obvious choice?

Across The Pond is edited daily by Steve Parkhurst. Steve is a political consultant, a writer at his blog as well as a Senior Editor here at US Daily Review. Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveParkhurst

By the NIA, Special for US Daily Review.

The National Inflation Association today released the results of its national survey of Americans who watched NBC’s coverage of the London Olympic Games. The survey focused on NBC’s multi-platform coverage of the 2012 London Summer Olympics, with NBC delivering over 100 million video streams including 45 million live video streams in just the first 10 days of the Olympics to nearly 10 million U.S. pay-TV subscribers who authenticated their laptops, desktops, iPads, and iPhones.

1,513 people responded to NIA’s survey from the evening of Friday August 10^th through the morning of Sunday August 12^th. 61.5% of the people who responded to NIA’s survey were pay-TV subscribers of a package that includes the channels CNBC and MSNBC, thereby giving them access rights to NBC’s Olympic TV Everywhere coverage. 39.7% of the people who responded to NIA’s survey reported that they successfully authenticated their Internet-connected devices for access.

Only the Americans who responded to NIA’s survey indicating that they had access rights and authenticated themselves for NBC’s Olympic TV Everywhere coverage were allowed to participate in the rest of NIA’s survey. 58.1% of those who authenticated themselves for access rated the TV Everywhere authentication process a 10, with 10 being the most easy/convenient and 1 being the most difficult/confusing. Only ½ of 1% of authenticated users rated the authentication process a 1.

77% of NBC’s Olympic TV Everywhere users recommended to their friends/family members that they also authenticate themselves to use the service.

When asked what motivated them to use NBC’s Olympic TV Everywhere service, the largest response came from 49% of users who wanted to watch the events live before they air on TV.

74% of NIA’s respondents indicated that TV Everywhere offerings like NBC’s Olympic TV Everywhere coverage will make them more likely to keep their pay-TV subscription in the future due to the value they receive at no additional cost. If NBC’s Olympic TV Everywhere coverage wasn’t free, 42.4% of users said they would pay at least $15 for access, with 13.5% of users saying they would pay $60 or more.

93.7% of users learned about TV Everywhere for the first time within the last 12 months, with 26.3% of users learning about TV Everywhere for the first time during the Olympics.

67.8% of users said that they feel TV Everywhere could offer a tremendous ground-floor investment opportunity. NIA recently purchased 2% of Synacor Inc., a publicly traded TV Everywhere services and solutions company that provided the TV Everywhere authentication technology used to authenticate the subscribers of approximately ½ of America’s top 25 largest multi-channel video programming distributors. NIA recently featured Synacor in its PDF report about the TV Everywhere industry and many survey respondents indicated that they are shareholders.

64.5% of respondents said that their pay-TV companies almost never advertise their TV Everywhere offerings, which NIA believes is the reason most U.S. pay-TV subscribers still have no idea that they have free access rights to many TV Everywhere services. 42.6% of respondents said that after using NBC’s Olympic TV Everywhere services, they plan to explore what other TV Everywhere services are available to them and begin using them right away.

The top 5 most popular TV Everywhere services previously used by respondents are FOX, HBO GO, CNN, WatchESPN, and TNT.

37.1% of respondents own an iPad. 45.2% of respondents who own an iPad have on more than one occasion watched live video streams on their iPad prior to the Olympics. 50.7% of respondents rated the quality of NBC’s iPad video steams a perfect 10 out of 10. 93.2% said they plan to watch live video streams on their iPads more often for now on because of the Olympics.

50.1% of respondents own an iPhone. 42.4% of respondents who own an iPhone have on more than one occasion watched live video streams on their iPhone prior to the Olympics. 50% of respondents rated the quality of NBC’s iPhone video steams a perfect 10 out of 10. 85% said they plan to watch live video streams on their iPhone more often for now on because of the Olympics.

The most popular web browsers used to watch NBC’s video streams on NBCOlympics.com were Internet Explorer: 42.7%, Firefox 22.8%, Google Chrome 22.4%, and Apple Safari 10.6%.

Internet Explorer had the most technical problems with 20% of users saying their video pictures would freeze periodically, 5% of users complaining of choppy video streams, and 2% of users having audio problems. Users with technical problems were the minority and 77% of respondents who used Internet Explorer indicated that they had no technical issues at all.

Apple Safari had the least technical issues with 96.2% of users indicating no technical problems. 3.8% of Apple Safari users complained of choppy video streams

Firefox was the second best browser in terms of the least technical problems. 89.1% of Firefox users indicated that they had no technical issues at all. 5.5% complained of video pictures periodically freezing, 5.5% complained of choppy video streams, and 1.8% indicated that their video player crashed.

Google Chrome had the second most reported issues with 11.1% reporting that their video pictures would periodically freeze, 5.6% complaining of choppy video streams, 5.6% reporting that their video player within their browser crashed, 3.7% reporting audio problems, and 1.9% reporting that their web browser crashed.

NIA experienced the most success with Google Chrome and had no technical issues using the browser. When NIA used Internet Explorer on the first couple of days of the Olympics, the browser would often crash, but NBC fixed this problem by about the 3^rd or 4^th day. Firefox mostly worked fine for us, except for the video player within Firefox crashing on a couple of occasions. NIA did not test out Apple Safari on its own.

Most users were very satisfied with NBC’s TV Everywhere services provided on NBCOlympics.com. The only area that stands out as needing major improvement appears to be NBC’s placement of advertisements, with the average rating for NBC’s placement of ads being far below the average rating in other categories. The average rating given for the quality of NBC’s video streams using a laptop or desktop (10 best – 1 worst) was an 8.73. The average rating given for the functionality of NBC’s TV Everywhere web portal was an 8.81. The average rating given for NBC’s placement of advertisements and how it affected the user experience was a 7.4. The average rating given for the overall user experience on NBCOlympics.com was an 8.62.

If NBC used a different type of advertising solution that was designed specifically for TV Everywhere, such as the one developed by Synacor, it is possible that the overall average rating for their NBCOlympics.com TV Everywhere services could have exceeded a 9. Prior to the Olympics, the biggest concern was that users would have trouble authenticating. However, with Synacor’s single sign-on TV Everywhere authentication system being used to authenticate the subscribers of nearly 40 of the approximately 100 pay-TV companies providing access, including 12 of America’s 25 pay-TV companies with the most subscribers, users gave the authentication process an average rating of 9.16.

We will likely look back at the London Olympic Games as being the very beginning of the U.S. multi-platform revolution and TV Everywhere boom. NBC received a large amount of hate postings on Twitter, but they were almost entirely from cord-cutters and cord-shavers who were upset about not being able to access NBC’s online video streams. Clearly, these individuals regret that they canceled their pay-TV service, which is exactly what NBC’s parent company Comcast was trying to achieve. Comcast/NBC is smiling ear to ear about the Twitter #NBCFail postings from Americans outraged about their gall to require a pay-TV subscription.

NBC has proven that TV Everywhere is about to become the hottest new emerging market for U.S. consumers, with Americans set to rapidly embrace TV Everywhere platforms over the next 6-12 months like they first embraced social networking sites in year 2005. NIA expects TV Everywhere to be the most talked about emerging growth market for the remainder of 2012, with investors on Wall Street looking for ways to capitalize at the ground-floor.

The TV Everywhere industry’s growth rate over the next 5 years will likely be similar to the consumer social networking industry’s growth rate over the previous 5 years. Synacor last quarter reported 58% year-over-year revenue growth with 100% year-over-year growth in both net income and EBITDA. For comparison, Facebook only grew revenues last quarter by 32.3% with very disappointing year-over-year profit growth of only 3.5%.

Synacor’s General Manager of TV Everywhere before joining the company was Vice President of HBO Broadband where he led the development and launch of HBO GO, the second most widely used TV Everywhere service according to NIA’s survey. It was just announced on Friday that HBO GO has now surpassed Netflix for the longest viewing sessions across all mobile apps. 18.1% of respondents to NIA’s survey said that they are current Netflix subscribers but will consider canceling their Netflix subscription due to their pay-TV company’s brand new TV Everywhere offerings.

Synacor recently developed for one of their clients Charter Communications, the 4^th largest cable TV company in the U.S., a TV Everywhere search feature that will also display results for videos found on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Videos. Features like this will allow consumers to see for themselves the true value of TV Everywhere and why Netflix is on the path towards becoming irrelevant.

TiVo has now announced their intentions to enter the TV Everywhere space. NIA believes that TiVo recognizes how TV Everywhere will soon make DVRs obsolete. For the time being while Americans still have a need for DVRs, Synacor recently developed and launched for the customers of Charter a new feature that provides the ability to remotely program their DVRs through Charter’s TV Everywhere web portal running off of Synacor’s industry leading TV Everywhere platform.

NBC is showing that it will respond to any fair criticism from viewers. Many of NBC’s authenticated TV Everywhere users complained about NBC not live streaming the opening ceremony of the Olympics. In response, NBC just announced that they will be live streaming the closing ceremony today at 4PMEDT exclusively to pay-TV subscribers who authenticate.

It should be interesting to see if NBC reports next week their total number of authenticated users throughout the full 16 days of the Olympics. NIA also looks forward to hearing from Synacor about the total number of consumers their TV Everywhere solutions authenticated for NBC. Comcast just announced the other day that the Olympics have far surpassed their highest expectations. Synacor wasn’t sure what to expect from the Olympics so they took the most conservative approach possible by excluding revenue from the Olympics in their 3Q guidance, which could mean that Wall Street has very low expectations and the company could have the potential to positively surprise in the near-future.

For detailed results of NIA’s NBC Olympic TV Everywhere survey please visit NIA’s homepage at: http://inflation.us
PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1kDhm)

By London 2012, Special for US Daily Review.

As always in the Olympic Games, the Athletics events are eagerly awaited and there is plenty of exciting action to look forward to in track and field.

Great Britain poster-girl Jessica Ennis starts her bid to win gold in the Heptathlon when she competes in two of her favoured events in the morning – the 100m hurdles and the high jump.

The Sheffield athlete, who will be making her Games debut after being ruled out of Beijing 2008 due to injury, will then compete in the shot put and the 200m in the evening.

The women’s 100m and 400m will also begin on Day 7, with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Carmelita Jeter two of the favourites to land gold in the shorter of the sprints.

Sanya-Richards Ross of the USA has high hopes of claiming gold in the 400m, while Great Britain will look to Christine Ohuruogu to challenge for a medal.

Javier Culson of Puerto Rico and Great Britain’s world champion Dai Greene are two of the leading contenders in the 400m hurdles, which also gets under way on a day when gold medals will be won in the women’s 10,000m and the men’s shot put in the Olympic Stadium.

In the Track Cycling at the Velodrome, Great Britain and Australia are the leading contenders for gold in the men’s Team Pursuit.

Australian Anna Meares is favourite for gold in the women’s Keirin, but Victoria Pendleton will be determined to triumph for the Host Nation.

Michael Phelps and Chad le Clos are set to go head-to-head once again in the 100m Butterfly at the Aquatics Centre.

Phelps, now the most decorated Olympian in history, was forced to settle for silver when South African Le Clos narrowly beat him in the 200m Butterfly earlier in the week, and the USA swimmer will be out to set the record straight.

Great Britain’s Rebecca Adlington will defend her 800m Freestyle title after winning a bronze in the women’s 400m Freestyle.

There will also be finals in the men’s 50m Freestyle and the women’s 200m Backstroke.

It promises to be another exciting day in the Rowing at Eton Dorney, with finals of the men’s Pair, the men’s Single Sculls, the men’s Quadruple Sculls and the women’s Double Sculls to look forward to.

The men’s Trampoline final will take place at the North Greenwich Arena, while the men’s Individual Archery final will be held at Lord’s.

The final of the men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol and men’s 50m Rifle Prone will take place at The Royal Artillery Barracks and Wembley Arena will be the venue for the medal decider in the Mixed Doubles Badminton competition.

Judo, Weightlifting and Fencing medals will also be decided.

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

8-20-12

Be bold, Prime Minister, make Mr Cable your Home Secretary

A seismic shake-up of the Cabinet is the only option if the Tories are to revive their fortunes, argues Paul Goodman.

Fixing Britain’s work ethic is not the answer to this economic mess

It suits the Tory austerity narrative to blame ‘idle’ Britons for the recession rather than flaws in the modern labour market

How is the government getting on with deregulation?

In the Economic Policy Review  presented to Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne in opposition, we  recommended 33 specific items of deregulation. We also recommended that a Minister be responsible for constructing regulatory budgets, with a view  to cutting the total cost of regulations for business by £14 billion a year by the fifth year of a new government.

How to cut the cost of railways and keep fares down

8-19-12

Taxpayers’ money spent on lavish awards ceremony for “tenant participation”

8-18-12

Modernising the Conservatives

I was an early moderniser. In the  mid 1990s I felt the Conservative party needed to change.  The old fashioned approach based on supporting the pro European UK establishment in conjunction  with Labour and the Lib Dems  had led to national economic crisis  with the Exchange Rate Mechanism. The Tory brand was damaged by association with the high interest rates, decline in output and the boom and bust which our membership of the ERM caused.

Honesty is the best policy for a Prime Minister who puts pragmatism first

David Cameron should borrow one of the Liberals’ great slogans and trust the people

Philip Hammond has seen the light over privatisation. Sadly, the government hasn’t

The army’s Olympic performance challenged the defence minister’s private ‘ethos’. So why is the government currently negotiating £4bn of new tenders – many in defence?

8-17-12

Government now plan to proceed with Dilnot cap on £35,000 care bills

Young Tory MPs blame ‘lazy’ baby boomers for Britain’s economic decline

A group of rising young Conservative MPs claims that ‘idle’ British workers are damaging the economy by failing to compete with ‘grafting’ Asian countries.

Tackle ‘lazy’ Britain, fellow Tories tell David Cameron

David Cameron was today challenged by rising star Tory MPs to tackle “lazy” Britain — and bring in tough new work reforms.

It’s not about posh – it’s about privilege

8-16-12

We shouldn’t underestimate the electoral appeal of the Coalition not having made the economy worse

8-15-12

Here’s how we counter the BBC’s liberal bias

The Guardian-reading elite is waiting to hear from Right-thinking writers and comedians

This is not the time to put the brakes on reforming the state

Private companies can deliver key services as reliably as the public sector, and at lower cost

Inflation: when the commute costs £5,000

Which has gone up more in the five years since the financial crisis began: wages or food prices?

Build it, and jobs, wealth and worth will come

Private investment in infrastructure and construction would help get us growing again

Four objectives for David Cameron’s reshuffle

Over the next few days ConservativeHome will be looking at the looming reshuffle, the first and perhaps only big reshuffle that Mr Cameron will make in this parliament. Although my guess is that the really big one is actually a year or so away.

8-14-12

A health service for all citizens really would be patriotic

There’s a new spirit of post-Olympics goodwill, and politicians will be expected to respond to it

After Capitalism: ‘In the anti-worlds of daily struggles the world beyond capitalism is to be found’ – video

Marxist sociologist John Holloway argues that a world after capitalism is already being imagined in struggles around the world.

Relaxation of Sunday trading will upset churchgoers, family campaigners and a good number of Tory MPs

When the Government first flirted with the idea of relaxing Sunday trading laws Paul Goodman was very unimpressed. Is this the most anti-Christian government in British history?, he asked. But it’s not just churchgoers who don’t like the idea. By 52% to 36% most Britons oppose further deregulation of Sunday opening.

Must the poor go hungry just so the rich can drive?

Sports stars like Mo Farah at No 10 will not change a simple fact: people are starving because of the west’s thirst for biofuels

True blue? It’s about belief not boating parties

By Jeremy Morris, Associate Editor, US Daily Review.

Labaton Sucharow LLP recently announced the results of its survey of 500 financial services professionals across the United States and United Kingdom. Conducted by Populus in June, Wall Street, Fleet Street and Main Street: Corporate Integrity at a Crossroads reveals startling data on corporate ethics, the regulatory landscape, and individuals’ willingness to blow the whistle on wrongdoing.  The survey is being released in conjunction with the launch of the firm’s SEC Whistleblower Eligibility Calculator, an innovative web-based tool to enable users to assess their eligibility for the SEC Whistleblower Program.

According to the survey, 24 percent of respondents reported a belief that financial services professionals may need to engage in unethical or illegal conduct in order to be successful, while 26 percent of respondents indicated that they had observed or had firsthand knowledge of wrongdoing in the workplace.  Particularly troubling, 16 percent of respondents reported that they would commit a crime—insider trading—if they could get away with it.

“When misconduct is common and accepted by financial services professionals, the integrity of our entire financial system is at risk,” said Jordan Thomas, partner and chair of the Whistleblower Representation Practice at Labaton Sucharow.  “In this era of corporate scandals, we must refocus our energies on corporate ethics and encourage individuals to report wrongdoing—internally or externally.”

Labaton Sucharow’s survey also revealed the following:

• 39 percent of respondents reported that their competitors are likely to have engaged in illegal or unethical activity in order to be successful;
• 30 percent of respondents reported their compensation or bonus plan created pressure to compromise ethical standards or violate the law, while 23 percent of respondents reported other pressures that may lead to unethical or illegal conduct; and
• 30 percent of respondents feel that the SEC/SFO effectively deters, investigates and prosecutes misconduct—despite the new leadership, record enforcement actions and new reforms; 29 percent of respondents feel the same way about FINRA/FSA.

Chris Keller, partner and head of case development at Labaton Sucharow commented: “It is shocking that four years after the global economic crisis began there continues to be a fundamental lack of integrity in the financial services industry.  For more than 50 years, Labaton Sucharow has been on the forefront of corporate governance reform.  Given the results of this survey, our work is more important than ever.”

Are Whistleblowers the Answer?

As a former assistant director and assistant chief litigation counsel in the Enforcement Division, Thomas played a leadership role in the development of the SEC Whistleblower Program.  The program has broad extraterritorial reach and offers eligible whistleblowers, regardless of nationality, significant employment protections, monetary awards and the ability to report anonymously.  Other jurisdictions around the world are considering initiatives that encourage individuals to break their silence and report possible violations of the law.

While Labaton Sucharow’s survey found that 94 percent of respondents would report wrongdoing given the protections and incentives such as those offered by the SEC Whistleblower Program, only 44 percent of respondents were aware of this important investor protection program.

Scepticism and uncertainty about employers’ handling of claims of misconduct persist.  One in five of the professionals surveyed weren’t sure of, or had serious doubts about, how their employers would handle a report of wrongdoing.  In addition, in the U.S., gender was a factor in attitudes toward retaliation; 22 percent of female respondents believe that they would be retaliated against if they reported wrongdoing in the workplace, compared with 12 percent of male respondents.

Responding both to the lack of awareness of avenues to report wrongdoing and the personal challenges inherent in blowing the whistle, Labaton Sucharow has launched a first-of-its-kind SEC Whistleblower Eligibility Calculator, which may be found at http://www.secwhistlebloweradvocate.com/eligibility/. This confidential web-based tool provides potential whistleblowers with a detailed eligibility report—empowering them to make an informed reporting decision.  This is the latest addition to secwhistlebloweradvocate.com, an innovative website that uses videos, comprehensive legal primers and timely blog entries to help responsible organizations establish a culture of integrity and courageous whistleblowers to report possible securities violations.

Between June 19-25, 2012, Populus conducted 250 online interviews in the U.K. and 250 in the U.S. with senior individuals within the financial services industry.  The full methodology is provided in the survey’s executive summary at www.labaton.com/en/about/press/upload/ US-UK-Financial-Services-Industry-Survey.pdf.

By US Daily Review Staff.

More than 100 cross-Party Parliamentarians rejected the call by the U.S. State Department on members of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK) to vacate Camp Ashraf, their home for the past 26 years, without meeting their humanitarian needs. The MPs and Peers described the demand by the State Department as unjust.

They pointed out that Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Iraqi government and the United Nations, and the support of Secretary Clinton for the MoU on 25 December 2011, was the basis for the relocation of Ashraf residents. The residents and leadership of Ashraf have shown their commitments to the MoU. More than 2,000 residents of Ashraf have moved to Camp Liberty in five convoys, trusting UN and US promises that their basic humanitarian rights would not be violated. However the conditions in Camp Liberty and Iraq’s continuous violation of the articles of the MoU leave no room to extend that trust. The real obstacle is the persistent violations of the MoU and other agreements by the Government of Iraq and turning Camp Liberty into a prison.

The MPs and Peers underscored that it was tragic that the State Department and the UN had been silent in the face of the behaviour of the Government of Iraq while it urged the residents to forsake their basic humanitarian requirements and go to Liberty which has been turned into a prison by the Government of Iraq.

We find the demands of the Ashraf residents for the following 10 basic humanitarian needs completely fair and reasonable. None of the following demands are luxurious or non-essential:

1. Transfer of 300 air conditioners from Ashraf to Liberty.
2. Transfer of all the power generators that are currently in Camp Ashraf to Camp Liberty. If there is any dispute about the ownership of the generators, they can be resolved in the future, under supervision of the UN.
3. Transfer of 25 trucks, containing the belongings left over from the fourth and fifth convoys, and six utility vehicles about which there had already been an agreement.
4. Transfer of five forklifts from Ashraf to Liberty for the purpose of moving the residents’ belongings.
5. Transfer of three specially-designed vehicles and six specially-designed trailers for the disabled.
6. Transfer of 50 passenger cars from Ashraf to Liberty. It means one car for every 40 residents, which is absolutely necessary in the hot weather and for wounded and disabled residents.
7. Permission for construction, including the building of pavements, porches, canopies, ramps, special facilities for the disabled and green areas.
8. Connecting Liberty to Baghdad’s water network. Alternatively, the residents should be permitted to hire Iraqi contractors to pump the water into Liberty from a nearby water canal and bring their own water purification system from Ashraf.
9. Allowing merchants or bidders access to Ashraf to negotiate and buy the movable properties as soon as possible and to make advanced payment and start making partial payments to the residents before the resumption of the relocation of the next convoy.
10. Start of negotiations between the residents and their financial representatives and the Iraqi Government to sell the immovable assets and properties, or negotiations with third parties (Iraqi Government should provide permission) to sign the necessary agreements. Partial payments should be made before the relocation. At least 200 residents would remain at Ashraf to maintain and upkeep the properties until they are sold in their entirety.

We find it abhorrent that the US State Department and the UN recently have been involved in setting deadlines for the remaining residents of Ashraf and repeating Iraq’s threat of another attack and massacre at Ashraf. It is not clear to us as to why parallel to the Iranian regime, State Department officials are pushing for the implementation of the ridiculous 20 July deadline, to evict 1,200 defenceless individuals, while none of the 10 items outlined above has been implemented. As soon as they are, all residents will relocate to Liberty.

It is time for the State Department and the UN to put aside this attitude. Instead of setting deadlines for the Iranian dissidents, they should announce a deadline for the Iraqi government to respect the terms of its agreements and correct all breaches of the MoU.  Accepting Iraq’s deadlines for relocating the residents is equivalent to accepting the threat of another massacre and blaming the victims. This is not expected from the State Department.

The residents of Ashraf have repeatedly declared that they would move to Camp Liberty as soon as the above mentioned 10 humanitarian requirements are realised. So far, none has been fulfilled. The State Department should make sure these minimum demands are met by the Government of Iraq, and the transfer to Liberty could be facilitated immediately.

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

7-16-12

Coalition will not make it to election, predicts senior Tory

The Coalition between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats is “very likely” to end before the general election scheduled for 2015, a senior Tory has predicted.

Ed Miliband will kiss and make up with the unions at the Durham Miners’ Gala

Ed Miliband will become the first Labour leader for more than 20 years to attend the Durham Miners’ Gala – but what’s behind his visit?

Double standards II?

7-15-12

7-14-12

Double standards?

7-13-12

Louise Mensch: give us a referendum on Lords reform

Conservative Louise Mensch called for a referendum on Lords reform saying concessions offered by Downing Street so far would not be sufficient to win over the rebels.

School-of-Brown politics is as destructive as ever

The reform bill fiasco has vindicated the militant oppositionism embodied by Ed Balls, and may yet threaten the coalition

In the Coalition’s darkest hour, it must return to the Rose Garden

After the Government’s defeat on reform of the House of Lords, a fresh agreement with the Lib Dems might just give the careworn PM a new lease of life

The war of the Lords

The first skirmish ended in stalemate, reports Martin Shapland. Now, the long, bloody entrenched war of attrition on Lords reform begins and a referendum may be both inevitable and desirable

7-11-12

The immorality of taxing the minimum wage

7-10-12

Lords retreat is an abject humiliation for Nick Clegg

Following crisis talks, the Prime Minister and his petulant Deputy have decided to drop the programme motion connected to the House of Lords reform bill.

Greece may have to choose between the euro and the radical left

The dominant forces in Syriza remain committed to the euro, but an increasingly powerful radical left has other ideas

Osborne is right about Balls. Tories must get behind him.

We must prove Lords reform is not a Lib Dem pet project

Unless Lib Dems can show House of Lords reform to be a matter of democratic importance, it could end up in the same heap of embarrassing failures as AV

Why the Right should claim Robin Hood for itself

View last weeks Across The Pond

By Jeremy Morris, Associate Editor, US Daily Review.

A dramatic increase in new cars sales is likely to see more consumers visiting price comparison sites, such as comparethemarket.com, to ensure they’ve got the best price on insurance for their new cars.

Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed that new car sales jumped to 162,288 last month, a 7.9% rise compared with May 2011.  This was the largest percentage increase in sales for 23 months, bringing the total car sales for 2012 so far to 868,166 – a 2.6% rise over the first five months of 2012.* The best-selling car in May was the Vauxhall Corsa, but the UK’s most popular car of the year so far is the Ford Fiesta with 50,507 sold so far.  But whatever car people choose, comparison sites like comparethemarket.com allow people to simply compare insurance products and ensure they get the right cover for their new car.Simon McCulloch, Director of Insurance at comparethemarket.com said: “With an increasing number of new cars on the road, drivers will be even more conscious of getting the right car insurance cover at the right price. comparethemarket.com offers drivers an easy way to compare quotes on car insurance from a wide range of insurers. ”

Specialising in more than just car insurance, comparethemarket.com provides customers with an easy way to find the right deal on a wide range of insurance and financial products including home insurance, van insurance, bike insurance, life insurance, pet insurance and credit cards.  It also offers comparisons for a range of household utilities including electricity, gas, phone, broadband and digital TV.

*http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18365145

About comparethemarket.com

• comparethemarket.com was launched in 2006 and has grown rapidly over the past six years to become one of the UK’s leading price comparison websites. 
• comparethemarket.com provides customers with an easy way to make the right choice for them on a wide range of products including motor, home, life, travel and pet insurance as well as utilities and money products such as, credit cards and loans.
• comparethemarket.com actively selects its brand partners, working with the best and most trusted organisations to ensure quality service to consumers.comparethemarket.com is a trading name of BISL Limited.  BISL Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Registered Address: Pegasus House, Bakewell Road, Orton Southgate, Peterborough, PE2 6YS. Registered in England number 3231094.

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

7-9-12

Lords reform Minister Mark Harper says “very Conservative proposals” will strengthen Parliament

7-8-12

Government leaves a chap no time to think

Even to reflect on the working day of a political leader is to feel exhausted

The law cannot curb greedy bankers, but morals might

Perhaps capitalist enterprise cannot be properly conducted without religious principle

While politicians score points over Libor, politics itself loses

Public anger at the latest banking scandal will not be assuaged by party political conflict. Quite the opposite

Former East Hampshire MP Michael Mates selected as PCC candidate for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight

7-7-12

Vigilance and the memory of 7/7

There is a particularly poignant aspect to tomorrow’s anniversary of the 7/7 bombings of 2005, which killed 52 people and injured nearly 700.

Labour has to voice public anger, before it’s too late

As pillars of national life like banks and police crumble, our fury needs an outlet. It may well find one beyond conventional politics

Care costs to be capped for elderly

Pensioners who face selling their homes to pay for long-term care will be offered state protection for the first time under government plans to be outlined next week.

Richard Reeves’ parting gift to the Lib Dems

Britain gets the bankers, press and politicians it deserves

For all the malfunctions of the past few years, it’s assumed the structure of British society can’t possibly be refashioned

7-6-12

‘F-ing Bercow. Doesn’t he know I’m Right Honourable?’

7-4-12

Nick Clegg: I feel ‘lobotomised’ by Government

Nick Clegg has said he feels “lobotomised” by working in government, with the “frenetic” pace of politics leaving him with no time to think.

Only a change in culture can clean up these banks

Banking, like most spheres of life, has never been populated entirely by angels. More than a century before Gordon Gekko strode into Wall Street, declaring that “Greed is right, greed works”, Anthony Trollope had viciously satirised the world of finance in his novel The Way We Live Now.

7-3-12

By the Woodrow Wilson Center, Special for US Daily Review.

As World Population Day approaches, Wilson Center consultant and demographer Elizabeth Leahy Madsen says the Arab Spring demonstrates that countries with very young age structures are prone both to higher incidence of civil conflict and undemocratic governance. “Among the five countries where revolt took root, those with the earliest success in ousting autocratic leaders also had the most mature age structures and the least youthful populations,” she writes on the New Security Beat. What happens next in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Syria will further test the connection between youth and democracy discovered by fellow Wilson Center consulting demographer Richard Cincotta.

In South Asia, Madsen finds that as Afghanistan and Pakistan’s political circumstances have become more entwined, their demographic paths are more closely parallel than expected. “For Afghanistan, given its myriad socioeconomic, political, cultural, and geographic challenges, this is good news. But for Pakistan, where efforts to meet family planning needs have fallen short of capacity, it is not,” she writes in the first issue of the newly relaunched ECSP Report, “Afghanistan, Against the Odds: A Demographic Surprise.”

Other top population issues to watch:

• New commitments to family planning: An international summit in London on July 11, co-hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK’s Department for International Development and supported by USAID and UNFPA, may produce financial commitments toward meeting a new and ambitious goal of generating $4 billion to fund contraceptives for 120 million women in developing countries by 2020.
• Changing fertility rates in Africa: Contraceptive use over the past five years is growing much faster than the regional average in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Rwanda, leading to declining fertility rates. However, contraceptive use in other countries, including Mozambique, Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, are declining or showing only modest increases.
• Revised global population projections: The 2013 revision of the World Population Prospects will provide a new global population prediction for 2050. This figure can vary dramatically: If the global fertility rate changes by 0.5 children per woman in either direction, the total population could be more than one billion higher or lower in 2050.

Since 1994, the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program (ECSP) has actively pursued the connections between the environment, health, population, development, conflict, and security. ECSP brings together scholars, policymakers, the media, and practitioners through events, research, publications, multimedia content (audio and video), and our award-winning blog, New Security Beat. The Environmental Change and Security Program Report 14 is the latest volume of ECSP’s flagship publication. Published since 1996, ECSP Report is now an online series of policy briefs. 

The Wilson Center provides a strictly nonpartisan space for the worlds of policymaking and scholarship to interact. By conducting relevant and timely research and promoting dialogue from all perspectives, it works to address the critical current and emerging challenges confronting the United States and the world.

By Jeremy Morris, Associate Editor, US Daily Review. Source: Hiscox.

The ‘can do’ attitude that entrepreneurs need to survive and thrive could also be their Achilles heel, according to new research released today by specialist insurer Hiscox.  The research^[1] found that despite 71% saying that legal and 43% saying that accounting issues should be handled by a professional, only 30% of small business owners actually employ full and/or part time help in these areas of expertise.

When asked which area of running a business they lacked the most knowledge of, over half of respondents said legal (52%) followed by taxes (42%), IT (22%), insurance (19%) and sales and marketing (23%). But over three quarters (77%) do not believe this to be a threat to their business, and 36% are determined to find a way through any problems themselves.

Over a third (35%) of small business owners say their passion for their idea gets them through the pressures of day-to-day management of their business and 48% believe pressure is what they signed up for when they started out.

“We know that entrepreneurs are committed to giving their businesses nothing less than a hundred per cent and they are often stretched to become a ‘jack of all trades’. Our research shows there could be a skills gap between what they admit they lack knowledge of, and what they are willing to invest in,” said Deepak Soni, small business insurance expert at Hiscox. “There comes a point when small business owners need to trust other experts to help them with the more complex and technical issues associated with running a business.”

Despite the potential hazards of legal and financial errors, more business owners employ an office manager than an accountant and/or in-house legal counsel (19% vs. 5%). Although, if they could employ another person, 18% believe that the professional assistance that would be most valuable to their business would be an accountant/lawyer.

The research also found that business owners handle the majority of office tasks including:

• Ordering supplies                   –  80%
• Filing                              -  77%
• Paying invoices                     –  71%
• Preparing invoices                  -  70%
• Printing/ binding documents         -  70%
• Opening the business in the morning -  67%
• Closing up at night                 -  66%
• Cleaning the office space           -  58%
• Reception duties                    –  54%
• Customer deliveries                 -  49%

Deepak Soni adds: “It is important for entrepreneurs to recognise when they need to seek out expert advice and support so they aren’t opening themselves up to business critical risks. For example, a badly worded supplier contract could lead to disputes down the line that could end up breaking the bank or the relationship.”

For more information about Hiscox business insurance, visit: http://www.hiscox.co.uk/business-insurance/

Notes to editors

^[1]The Survey Shop interviewed a sample of 600 respondents, 300 from the UK and 300 from the US, drawn at random from online panels of small businesses with fewer than ten employees between 14 and 17th May 2012.  The respondents were qualified as owners, partners and directors.  The research has statistical accuracy of +/- 2% to +/- 4% for the whole sample at 95% confidence.

According to a statement, “Hiscox, headquartered in Bermuda, is an international specialist insurance group listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE:HSX). There are three main underwriting parts of the Group – Hiscox London Market, Hiscox UK and Europe and Hiscox International. Hiscox London Market underwrites mainly internationally traded business in the London Market – generally large or complex business which needs to be shared with other insurers or needs the international licences of Lloyd’s. Hiscox UK and Hiscox Europe offer a range of specialist insurance for professionals and business customers, as well as high net worth individuals. Hiscox International includes operations in Bermuda, Guernsey and USA.”

By US Daily Review Staff.

Last week, British media reported the sensational revelation that a former Member of Parliament named Raymond Mawby delivered sensitive information to spies of then-Communist Czechoslovakia in the 1960s in exchange for cash.

Documents released from the archives of the Czech security services in Prague made it crystal clear (through signed receipts) that Mawby received installments of £100 in exchange for intelligence.

This arrangement went on for a decade.

While other British officials worked secretly as agents for foreign Communist states (usually, the Soviet Union), what makes Mawby’s story somewhat unusual was his affiliation with the right-wing Conservative party. British Tories were not then, nor are they now, overly fond of Marxism.

However, Mawby came from an odd background for a Conservative – he was a blue-collar trade unionist from the Labour stronghold of Wales.

Since Mawby lacked the prominence or high security clearance of his more well-connected colleagues in Parliament, it’s not certain what quality of information he could have provided his Czech handlers.

Perhaps the most damaging information he gave his Communist paymasters was a diagram of the prime minister’s office.

Why did Mawby betray his country and sell some of its secrets to a foreign country?

Apparently, for the most prosaic and mundane reason of all – Mawby had a gambling problem and desperately needed the money; this was likely the principal reason for his recruitment by the Czechs.

Even when his salary paid by Westminster was raised in 1963, Mawby continued feeding the Czechs bits of information in exchange for korunas.

Mawby’s illicit relationship with Prague seems to have ended in late 1971, shortly after the British government expelled more than 100 Soviet diplomats from London and three years after Soviet tanks crushed Czechoslovakia’s reform movement.

Mawby died in 1990 — ironically, just after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He is believed to be the only known Tory MP to have spied for the Communists. Amazingly, Britain’s august intelligence service, MI5, appears not to have been aware of Mawby’s duplicity.

Many other British politicians were suspected, or proven, to have had Communist sympathies and cooperated with Marxist nations to destabilize Britain and the West.

None other than Harold Wilson – Britain’s Labour prime minister for most of the 1960s and for a period in the mid-1970s – was suspected of having served as a Soviet spy.

He strenuously denied such allegations and even claimed that MI5 conspired to discredit him.

During the deep economic crises of the mid-1970s (a period of high unemployment, inflation, power cuts and strikes by militant trade unions), such fears on Wilson’s part escalated to hysterical lengths. Wilson’s paranoia led him to believe he would be deposed in a coup engineered by the intelligence services in league with the army, some far-right Conservatives and even Lord Louis Mountbatten.

“Wilson spoke darkly of two military coups which he said had been planned to overthrow his government in the late 1960s and in the mid-1970s,” wrote journalist Barry Penrose. ”Both were said to involve high-ranking elements in the British army, eager to see the back of Labour governments.”

Indeed, in March 1976, Wilson suddenly resigned under circumstances never fully explained.

So, was Wilson – the longtime leader of one of the most powerful nations in the western world — really a Soviet spy who was about to be uncovered by MI5? Or was he merely a victim of a smear campaign by those who opposed his leftist policies?

Anatoliy Golitsyn, a Soviet defector, reportedly claimed that Wilson was a KGB informer and agent, and that the Briton made contacts with Communist intelligence during a trade visit to Russia in the late 1940s.

Even more inflammatory, Golitsyn charged that the KGB poisoned Hugh Gaitskell, the leader of the Labour Party, allowing Wilson to take over the party. (The pro-U.S. Gaitskell died suddenly in early 1963 of lupus erythematosus, an auto-immune disorder, enabling Wilson to become Labour boss, then winning the prime ministry the following year).

Golitsyn’s charges were never proved, but Peter Wright, a former MI5 agent, also reportedly believed rumors of Wilson’s ties to Soviet intelligence.

Wilson died in 1995, with no one ever proving that he was a spy for Moscow.

One British lawmaker who clearly received cash from Communist spymasters was former Labour minister John Stonehouse, whose bizarre story plays like an incredible spy thriller.

Stonehouse, who was an agent for the Czech StB intelligence agency during the 1960s, faked his own death in 1974 by pretending to commit suicide on the beach in Miami.

MI5 kept extensive files on Stonehouse (an underling of Wilson) and threatened to expose his activities. He was also under suspicion of financial fraud through some shady shell companies he established.

After “dying” in Florida, Stonehouse fled to Australia with his mistress. But he was caught Down Under and returned to Britain in 1975, subsequently serving seven years in prison for fraud.

Stonehouse passed away (for real) in 1988.

At least two other Labour MPs were revealed to be Communist spies – Bob Edwards and Will Owen.

It is for certain that more will be revealed in the years to come.

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

7-2-12

‘Nightmare’ plans for 6-month paternity leave to be rewritten after opposition from businesses

Ministers have been forced to rethink plans to allow parents to share leave after the birth of a child following opposition from business and campaigners.

The graduates of 2012 will survive only in the cracks of our economy

Uniquely, this cohort can expect to grow up poorer than their parents – the human expression of a broken economic model

The PM has to be ready to renegotiate on Europe

Telegraph View: It is possible that Britain’s relationship with Europe will be changed without any significant transfer of sovereignty

If passed, this Lords reform bill would be a catastrophe

A reformed Lords could be a magnificent thing. But this mess of a bill will pile a constitutional crisis on to an economic one

7-1-12

The centre has moved Right, not Prime Minister David Cameron

The Conservatives are not ‘lurching’ to the Right but struggling to keep up with the people’s change of mood

Why do our politicians insist on being abused – and why do we insist on abusing them?

No wonder that great political satirist Armando Iannucci has gone to the US. British politics is now beyond parody

It’s the 21st century – why are we working so much?

The right calls for hard work, the left for more jobs. The dream of mechanisation leading to shorter working hours seems forgotten

6-30-12

Mr Cameron asks good questions on welfare reform

6-29-12

It’s time to say something nice about Ken Clarke (and again about Francis Maude)

6-28-12

Lord Ashcroft’s Tory Right is stopping the Coalition working

The Government’s early idealism has vanished due to Lord Ashcroft’s media pressure

Lords reform: a Bill in whose interests?

The publication today of the Government’s plans for House of Lords reform threatens to trigger new instability in the Coalition.

6-27-12

Winks and nudges are no way to run a European policy

David Cameron’s game of tease over an EU referendum has left his party badly divided

Heads will roll if Team Cam doesn’t sell austerity

Lords reform gives Ed Miliband a glorious chance to make mischief

Will the Labour Party leader’s game plan be driven by high principles or the usual low politics?

6-26-12

House of Lords reform: Nick Clegg’s crazy plan is a pay day for has-beens and never-wozzers

Lib Dem proposals for elected ‘senators’ will give the Upper House the upper hand, sighs Boris Johnson.

Building a Conservative Majority (19): A researched campaign against Ed Miliband’s politics

By Promethean with The Economist, Special for US Daily Review.

Senior executives believe even modest efforts to improve employee skills can significantly boost employers’ profits and productivity, according to a new survey conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit. The survey of 252 business and public sector executives in the US and UK, commissioned by Promethean, a global education company, cites employee skill enhancement as vital to increasing productivity and profits.

SEE INFOGRAPH BELOW

“The findings of the survey confirm that the right training not only leads to increases in productivity and customer satisfaction, but at least a 20 percent jump in profits,” said Promethean’s Chief Education Officer Jim Wynn. “Skills training is not just a growth issue, but a vital component for companies to surviving this recession. The challenge is that fewer employers are devoting adequate resources to training yet the benefits of training are hard to ignore.”

Higher than normal unemployment of just over 8 percent in the U.S. and continuing troubles in the core EuroZone economies and the UK are making it more difficult to find the path to full recovery. Employers surveyed for the report say that jobs are not in short supply, but rather workers with the appropriate skills and talent.

Key findings of the survey are:

• A direct correlation between training, employee productivity and financial performance.
  • A more efficient and better-trained workforce would increase profits by 20 percent or more.
  • Employee productivity and customer satisfaction could improve by 5 percent or more.
• Employers have a responsibility in tackling high unemployment.
  • 63 percent surveyed said organizations should offer more training schemes and update existing ones.
  • 45 percent propose working with educational institutions to improve jobseekers’ chances and the same number think that governments need to work with the private sector to offer training.
• Current training provided by employers is often inadequate.
  • Two-fifths said training at their organization is not good at improving innovation among employees.
  • 25 percent of the respondents think employee efficiency and productivity do not benefit from current training programs.
• Few employers are devoting more resources to training.
  • Only one in three respondents indicated that their employers have increased investment in training over the last two years.
• The state of the economy should not deter organizations and individuals from investing in training.
  • 63 percent said that current economic conditions should not be an obstacle to organizations taking steps to improve their workforce.
  • The majority believe that organizations should offer a multitude of in-house and external training programs.
  • 76 percent believe employees should pursue beneficial training at their own expense.
• Employers expect workers and jobseekers to take the lead in improving their skills.
  • 82 percent said jobseekers should be doing more to develop their own skills.
  • 70 percent called for increased efforts to advance workers and jobseekers’ abilities
• One size fits all does not work with training and skills development.
  • A significant number of respondents believe training 16-24-year-olds should be a top priority.
  • 49 percent say workers aged 25-50 need to have a broad range of up to date skills that can help them perform better.
  • More than half believe that 51-75 year olds should become more adaptable and flexible.

For the full results of the UK and US surveys visit: http://www.prometheanworld.com/news/featured

About the Economist Intelligence Unit
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) is the world’s leading resource for economic and business research, forecasting and analysis. It provides accurate and impartial intelligence for companies, government agencies, financial institutions and academic organizations around the globe, inspiring business leaders to act with confidence since 1946. EIU products include its flagship Country Reports service, providing political and economic analysis for 195 countries, and a portfolio of subscription-based data and forecasting services. The company also undertakes bespoke research and analysis projects on individual markets and business sectors. More information is available at www.eiu.com or follow us onwww.twitter.com/theeiu

The EIU is headquartered in London, UK, with offices in more than 40 cities and a network of some 650 country experts and analysts worldwide. It operates independently as the business-to-business arm of The Economist Group, the leading source of analysis on international business and world affairs.

About Promethean
Spark Inspiration.
Promethean (LSE: PRW) is a global education company. We create, develop, supply and support interactive education and training solutions for schools, businesses and governments. Our products and services are raising learning standards, revolutionizing the way people learn and collaborate, making them more engaged, empowered and successful and thereby unleashing human potential.

Headquartered in the UK, Promethean World Plc is listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange. More information about Promethean is available at: www.PrometheanWorld.com.

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

6-25-12

Cameron announces Tory plan to slash benefits

Housing benefit for under-25s and benefits for lone parents under threat as PM attacks ‘culture of entitlement’

The return of the nasty party? The end of compassionate conservatism? Or the beginning of an honest approach to fighting poverty?

6-24-12

All over Europe, immigration is moving in from the political fringes

Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, now admits that his party has failed to heed voters’ concerns about immigration

Our divided society cries out for Michael Gove’s school solutions

The return of the O-level as a driver of excellence, in state schools as much as in the private sector, is essential

Friends: The One with Sam and Dave’s Troublesome Sums

A taxing problem at No 10 in the latest episode of our Westminster sitcom

MPs have no idea how to meet the ‘carbon’ target they voted for

When readers asked their MPs to explain how the UK would cut CO2 emissions by 80 per cent, the answers made worrying reading

6-23-12

The View from 22 – the rise of the 2010ers

Is David Cameron’s greatest threat sitting inside his own party? In this week’s cover feature, James Forsyth examines the radical new mood that is taking shape among some of the 2010 intake of Tory MPs.

Should councils have to publish procurement card spending?

6-22-12

David Cameron needs to show leadership to this Britain of vulnerable jobs, pay cuts and threatened futures

6-21-12

No 10′s many troubles can be traced back to George Osborne

In the coming Cabinet reshuffle, the Chancellor George Osborne should be made to choose between his two jobs

Michael Gove is the enemy of promise

With his nostalgia for O-levels, the education secretary risks recreating the ‘sheep and goats’ divide in our school system

David Cameron: no ‘bottomless pit of money’ to fund fuel duty cut

David Cameron has warned motorists seeking a 3p cut in fuel duty that the Government “does not have a bottomless pit of money”.

Nick Clegg vows to block Michael Gove’s plan to scrap GCSEs

A furious deputy PM, who was not consulted on the reforms, has made clear that he will reject the plans out of hand

Lib Dems vow to block Michael Gove’s plan to axe GCSEs

A major coalition row erupted today over Education Secretary Michael Gove’s plans to axe GCSEs with the Liberal Democrats vowing to block the move.

6-20-12

Top doctor’s chilling claim: The NHS kills off 130,000 elderly patients every year

NHS doctors are prematurely ending the lives of thousands of elderly hospital patients because they are difficult to manage or to free up beds, a senior consultant claimed yesterday.

The wind of change will give Tories something to cheer

A government re-think on costly green energy resources is a winning statement of intent

Matthew Tinsley: Helping older workers

A euro rescue plan — but will it be enough?

The final communiqué from the G20 summit of the leaders of the biggest economies in the world says that they will take “all necessary measures” to protect the euro area. But will they?

By US Daily Review Staff.

By creating more than 3,700 jobs through more than two dozen company investments, the U.S.-spurred Scotland led the U.K. in job creation from foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2011, according to new results from the Ernst & Young U.K. Attractiveness Survey and European Investment Monitor. In addition, the survey revealed that Scotland attracted 39% of all U.S. research and development projects that went to the U.K.

The survey, which highlighted strong inward investment success in Scotland last year, also reported that the percentage of Scottish FDI employment originating from the U.S. has now risen from just over 20% in 2009 to over 60% in 2011.

Ernst & Young’s latest U.K. Attractiveness Survey reports almost 6,000 positions, from 51 projects, were created in Scotland during 2011 – a 50 per cent increase of jobs on the previous year. The survey showed that the U.S was the biggest source of FDI into Scotland overall, accounting for 50% of projects. Norway was the second highest investor in Scotland, reflecting the strength of the nation’s oil and gas industry.

The latest data from the Ernst & Young European Investment Monitor reveals that Scotland:

• Secured 33% of all R&D projects into U.K., up 19% from 2010
• Acquired 25% of all European R&D projects into the U.K.
• Is the 1st location for R&D investment in the U.K. – a position Scotland has held for four out of last five years
• Received a quarter of all European R&D projects to the U.K.

Danny Cusick, President, Americas of Scottish Development International, said: “The latest figures from Ernst & Young are very encouraging and underline the importance of continuing to focus on attracting high-value jobs, based onScotland’s strong R&D capabilities and sector strengths.

“The figures also show that Scotland continues to punch above its weight in terms of being an attractive business environment that is conducive to the research and development of major international projects.  Amazon, FMC Technologies and State Street are some of the leading US companies that have chosen Scotland as a world class location to do business during the past 12 months and highlights Scotland’s growing reputation as a global partner of choice.”

Click here to find out more and to read the full reports: http://www.sdi.co.U.K./invest-in-scotland/why-scotland.aspx

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

6-18-12

BoJo’s ‘cheery’ message for Greece

By Jeremy Morris, Associate Business Editor, US Daily Review.

A recent survey conducted at TradeTech London by IPC Systems, Inc., a provider of voice and electronic trading communications solutions, has revealed that nearly 70% of investment bank staff think that the City is lagging behind in preparation for the Games with nearly half of respondents unsure whether their company has a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) in place.

By US Daily Review Staff.

• 10% planning a longer or more luxury break; 19% cutting back  -in other areas to make way for holiday

• 64% want to relax; 42% want a break ‘from the real world’  

• Seeking value, insights and reading reviews online   

Despite the gloomy economic outlook, Britons are still looking forward to their holidays with the majority (84%)* planning to take a holiday this summer. And when researching that dream destination, according to a new survey on holiday habits carried out by specialist travel insurance provider Hiscox, it’s no longer personal recommendations from family and friends that travellers turn to, but Google (36%) and travel sites like TripAdvisor (33%) are the top choices when it comes to research.

Determination not to compromise on the year’s holiday plans is revealed with 18% saying their holiday budget will continue to be the same as the previous year, while nearly one in five (19%) are cutting back on other expenses so that their holiday remains a priority. One in ten (10%) holidaymakers are actually planning a longer or more luxurious holiday this year to help combat work stress and 15% are planning to take more mini-breaks rather than a longer holiday.

The research shows that nearly two thirds (64%) see their holiday as a time to relax while 42% see it as a break ‘from the real world’.

Going online for sunshine
When it comes to researching holiday plans, the internet dominates with more than half of those who book online (51%) saying it has changed the type of holidays they go on, by enabling them;

• to find better deals (63%)
• to find it easier to find flights and hotels (60%)
• to see reviews before booking (53%)
• to tailor holiday arrangements to their needs (47%).

The research suggests the internet is the most popular way to make a booking with 59% booking online directly with the hotel or tour operator or via travel aggregator sites. One in twenty (5%) are now researching their travel plans on their smartphones.

Colin Wallace, insurance expert from Hiscox commented: “We talk about hitting the beaches but before we get there, it’s about surfing the net. Holidaymakers are searching online for the latest hotspots and tailoring their breaks to suit their friends and family.

“Holiday makers are also becoming increasingly more aware of the options open to them with more than a third actively seeking the holiday with the most value and many willing to cut back in other areas so they can still pursue their holiday experiences, whether that’s an all inclusive luxury beach resort, a city mini-break or an all-action activity holiday.”

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

6-11-12

6-10-12

Michael Gove to make grammar and spelling more rigorous in new English curriculum

6-5-12

Now the stage is set for some sensible immigration policies

Ed Miliband must favour his instincts over voices urging him to the right, writes Mary Riddell.

Austerity has never worked

It’s not just about the current economic environment. History shows that slashing budgets always leads to recession

The BBC’s reputation is sunk in the Thames

Celebrity-obsessed and clueless reporting makes the national broadcaster look silly , argues Stephen Pollard.

Warsi probe ‘to pick up loose ends’

An inquiry in to whether Conservative Party co-chairman Baroness Warsi breached the ministerial code will pick up any loose ends, Prime Minister David Cameron says.

Now is the perfect time for Liberal Democrats to wield the knife

Nick Clegg is finished. But if Vince Cable leads an anti-austerity rebellion, he can help save his party and the UK economy too

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

6-4-12

Tom Waterhouse: The challenge for the Conservatives in London

6-3-12

The UK is praying Spain sorts out its banking crisis

As the Spanish banking crisis grows yet deeper, Philip Aldrick examines the burgeoning threat and the potential impact of a eurozone-funded bank rescue.

Osborne can still prosper but he must choose between being Chancellor and general busybody

6-1-12

The stakes are perilously high for our winner-takes-all Chancellor

Optimism comes easily to George Osborne. In the face of adversity he chooses to smile with the confidence of a politician who relishes a challenge. There is something of the high-stakes poker player about the Chancellor, a keen student of the Lyndon Johnson Texas school of hard-nosed politics.

Independents and Conservatives reach deal to run Mole Valley

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

5-28-12

What is the Fresh Start Project? Matthew Barrett profiles the Tory MPs trying to forge a new UK-EU relationship

5-27-12

5-25-12

Water water everywhere, but not enough to drink?

5-24-12

Another daft plan to ‘reinvent government’

Why can’t politicians see a major British institution without wanting to up-end it?

Leave Business Secretary Vince Cable alone – he’s the moral centre of this Coalition

The Business Secretary, Vince Cable, has stayed loyal to the Government without surrendering his identity.

There is no excuse for economic timidity

We have a disappointing absence of radicalism that is routinely blamed on the intransigence of the Liberal Democrats.

Imagine if our MPs never ‘chillaxed’

5-23-12

UK inflation rate drops to 3% in April, says ONS

The UK inflation rate fell last month to its lowest since February 2010 owing to a slowdown in transport price rises and the timing of Easter.

Welfare to work ‘fraud scandal’

The welfare to work firm owned by David Cameron’s former families tsar is involved in a “multi-billion-pound scandal” in which public money has been systematically misused, a whistleblower has said.

What’s the point of social mobility? It still leaves some in the gutter

Nick Clegg’s desire to fast-stream clever kids out of deprivation leaving the rest facing shabby prospects is hardly communism

Why it’s time for a single income tax

Paying one hit of tax on all your income would simplify the system and make it more honest and transparent

5-22-12

Andrew Lilico: A six-point alternative to yet more bank bailouts

By the Price of Business, Radio Partners of US Daily Review. 

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

5-21-12

Britain must embrace 30pc tax revolution to boost growth

It is time for Britain to make a vital choice. Our economy is stagnant, with unemployment at horrendous levels, crippled by excessive public spending and a punitive tax system. There are two options.

A Single Income Tax would be fairer, more transparent and would spur economic growth

Ken Livingstone once wrote that everyone “should pay tax at the same rate on their earnings and all other income”. For all our differences, I agree. If you earn the same amount as a shareholder collecting a dividend or as a plumber fixing someone’s central heating you should pay the same amount in tax.

5-20-12

Only 51% of Tories support withdrawal from the European Union – and 26% would consider voting UKIP

5-18-12

Turn off your iPad, David Cameron, and start dealing with Britain’s debt

The Prime Minister David Cameron talks about fiscal sanity but is borrowing like a drunken Keynesian.

The 1922 and 2012

The Tories must avoid the deeply divisive quarrelling of the 1990s.

The civil service is not a punchbag for ministers

Politically inspired civil service bashing is naive, and counterproductive to the process of reform

The NDAA’s section 1021 coup d’etat foiled

One brave judge is all that lay between us and a law that would have given the president power to detain US citizens indefinitely

Cameron not for turning on the economy

As events point to a Greek exit from the euro, David Cameron has pledged to stick to ‘Plan A’ on the economy

5-17-12

Merkel’s real fear is that an exit from the Euro will be good for Greece

Francois Hollande, the Euro-fanatical new French president, must have wondered whether, like some unfortunate mortal in Greek mythology, he had angered the gods.

Eurozone break-up will be traumatic but is now inevitable

It is good to see Sir Mervyn King and David Cameron both being a little more open about the possibility of a Greek default. We need realism, not delusion, from our central bankers and politicians; and it is looking more likely by the day that Greece will elect a rabidly anti-austerity government next month, default on its debts and exit the euro.

Andrew Lilico: Greek €uro membership – It’s about time to put Frank Sinatra on the record player

Barring an extraordinary and improbable last-minute capitulation by the Germans, the Greeks are going to leave the euro, sooner rather than later.

Pickles replaces “one in, one out” regulation rule with “one in, two out”

5-16-12

William Hague promises to ‘argue relentlessly’ to boost UK business

Foreign Secretary William Hague will promise to “argue relentlessly” for free trade around the world in an effort to boost the UK economy.

David Cameron: Eurozone should ‘make up or break up’

David Cameron has told eurozone countries they must choose whether to “make up” or “break up” in his bleakest warning so far on the debt crisis.

Battle for the 1922 exposes Conservative frustrations and divisions

Have you heard? Apparently the 301 are trying to take over the 1922?

Sorry Nick Clegg – social mobility and austerity just don’t mix

To claim social mobility as your guiding principle yet ignore income inequality is not serious policy-making

Ed Miliband’s new policy chief backs a vote on Europe

Ed Miliband’s new policy chief is backing demands for an “immediate” referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union.

Electoral fraud – the Government is locking the back door while leaving the front door wide open

5-15-12

Britain: Still two nations in 2012

MPs warning of medicine shortage

Patients in England are suffering from shortages of some medicines, according to the All Party Pharmacy Group of MPs.

It’s austerity all right – but not of the kind we actually need

IT has long been a theme of this column that the government and its critics alike have exaggerated the extent of the government’s belt-tightening. The coalition is doing this to try and reassure the bond markets while seeking to minimise the hit to the public sector; the opposition because it wants to blame the recession on “the cuts.”

Cllr Ralph Baldwin: Why I am joining the Conservative Party

By the Price of Business, Radio Partners of US Daily Review. 

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

5-14-12

5-11-12

Coalition winners and losers in the Queen’s Speech

The government’s legislative programme will focus on economic growth and constitutional reform, according to this morning’s Queen’s Speech. But it was interesting to note what wasn’t included in the pageantry

Gay marriage: importing America’s culture wars has backfired on David Cameron

The Prime Minister is in retreat over gay marriage – but he should never have picked the fight to begin with.

Public sector strikers must face reality

Today’s public sector 24-hour strikes are undeniably less damaging than those last November which involved 30 unions — but they still have their intended effect of inconveniencing the public.

How the Union Jack became our national standard

Before becoming one nation, Britain’s countries had separate national flags. Nick Groom discovers we all ended up saluting the Union Jack

Worst civil servants to be sacked

Under-performing civil servants will be identified and fired under plans to rank all government officials in order of ability, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

5-10-12

Queen’s Speech: why was there no plan for growth?

David Cameron was facing growing criticism from business leaders who claimed that the Queen’s Speech contained too few measures that would boost the economy.

5-8-12

David Cameron and Nick Clegg re-dedicate themselves to the economy in ‘Rose Garden II’ press conference

David Cameron and Nick Clegg have re-dedicated themselves and their parties to the Coalition’s “guiding task” of securing the economic recovery.

It’s all doom and gloom with Cameron and Clegg

The tide is turning against EU bureaucracy

Britain is no longer a lone voice in the push for deregulation and a flexible labour market.

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

5-7-12

An ill wind blows in Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire’s uncrowded and gentle landscape is in danger of becoming the wind farm capital of England, says Peter Stanford.

Why Nicolas Sarkozy was an extraordinary president

He was pragmatic, proactive, transparent and media savvy. Is the new president, François Hollande, ready to be like that?

Cameron vows to heed poll lessons

David Cameron has admitted he needs to “prove” himself to voters and insisted he understands the message from the local elections “loud and clear”.

Left and Right politicians like Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, and Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson, sing from same hymn sheet

But political ‘debate’ ignores the fact that the market economy can’t afford enormous social security programmes.

5-6-12

Battleplan to avert Tory war

David Cameron is planning a fightback to stop his party descending into civil war with a Queen’s Speech offering help to “striving” families and moves to create jobs.

David Cameron needs to keep his headless chickens in the coop

The coalition will be strained to breaking point if the prime minister fails to face down the angry Tory right

Coalition ready for votes fightback

Senior coalition figures are set to begin their fightback following dismal election results that have heaped pressure on the already-straining partnership.

Louise, you don’t know the half of online cruelty

Ms Mensch should be applauded for highlighting Twitter abuse, but internet hatred goes far beyond sexism

Bercow claims voters feel let down

Commons Speaker John Bercow claims voters feel let down by mainstream political parties because they have not got what they voted for.

If the Conservatives’ UKIP problem looks bad now, wait until 2014

5-5-12

Boris vows to ‘work socks off’ and cut taxes

Boris Johnson has pledged to work his “socks off” to help Londoners through tough times.

This is the moment to revive the Conservative and Liberal Democrats Coalition, not to break it apart

The Coalition of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats remains the best response to our woes, but a new, improved version is required.

This is a bittersweet day for us London Lefties

For Leftie Londoners today is bitter-sweet. Last night’s council elections were a stinging slap in the face for the Coalition: the Tories down well over 300 seats so far, Lib-Dems down 180, and Labour set to pick up more than 700 seats nationally.

So, Boris Johnson remains mayor – and it’s not all Ken Livingstone’s fault

It was nail-bitingly close but, despite his terrible record, Johnson won. Who’s to blame for this triumph of image over substance?

Early warnings for 90,000 people facing benefits cap

Tens of thousands of families living on benefits are to be warned in the coming days that they face losing their homes as the Government begins the process of capping payouts.

5-4-12

Boris Johnson on the brink of victory in London mayoral race

5-3-12

Louise Mensch shows that it’s not just the Right that has a problem with women

Strange conversation with my mother this morning. “Did you say you wanted to hit Louise Mensch in the face with a hammer?”, she asked, in the same tone she used to use when checking whether I’d done my homework.

Final poll puts Boris Johnson ahead by six points in Mayor race

Boris Johnson was heading for victory in the race to be re-elected as Mayor of London today — backed by thousands of Labour voters.

This mayoralty has proved its importance

The polling stations are open until 10pm tonight — so there is every opportunity to vote in the mayoral and London Assembly elections. We hope our readers will do so: whoever wins deserves a strong mandate.

Sketch: Boris Johnson, London’s Justin Bieber

Michael Deacon follows Boris Johnson on his last day of campaigning to be re-elected London Mayor.

Labour must not rest on any local election laurels

All three major parties should keep in mind that a good local election result does not lay a path to general election victory

(Online Poll) Would you welcome Tony Blair returning to UK politics?

Tony Blair is keen to ‘re-engage’ with UK politics, according to reports. He has apparently hired a spin doctor as part of an attempt to raise his domestic profile. Would you welcome his return to British politics?

5-2-12

Re-elect Boris – then give him more powers

A victory for Boris Johnson would be a tonic for London and the country.

5-1-12

The case for Boris

The election for Mayor of London will soon be over. Some Londoners have found it an unedifying campaign. It has certainly been robust.

The whole of the UK is short of infrastructure

Some of you have commented that London has grown faster because it has taken a disproprtionate share of the infrastructure investment. It is difficult to square this with the reality.

What do the voters really want? Tony Blair

It’s always a depressing experience for politicians to encounter the voters. I don’t just mean the gruelling, occasionally terrifying grind of knocking on doors and handing out leaflets. I mean finding out what a gulf there is between your lovingly assembled, intellectually coherent policy programme, and what the nation actually wants.

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

4-30-12

Election? What election?

This week’s referendum on allowing cities to elect a mayor is at the heart of David Cameron’s plan to return power to the people. But does anybody care?

Voters will reward honesty and competence

Mid-term local elections are rarely happy hunting grounds for governments, and this Thursday’s contests are unlikely to buck the trend.

4-29-12

The new Tory ‘club’ belongs to a bygone age

The Cameron-Osborne-Letwin-Maude team ignore the era of meritocracy that saw a truly modernised party emerge.

4-28-12

When did Britain become the kind of country that tolerates voting fraud?

Labour’s massive expansion of postal voting opened the door to electoral fraud.

Boris pledges monthly Twitter Q&A

Boris Johnson today pledged to become London’s “Twitter Mayor” by holding a monthly question and answer session on the social networking site if he is re-elected.

4-27-12

Labour is less ready to govern than ever

Labour’s Ed Miliband has criticised the Coalition, but has been almost silent about what he would do instead if elected to office.

Londoners on the Left do not have to vote for Ken

I understand why many voters on the progressive wing of politics are struggling with voting for Ken Livingstone. His campaign has been sad, desperate and divisive.

Axing Audit Commission to save nearly three times more than first thought

The abolition of the Audit Commission will save nearly three times more than first thought, ministers said.

Guardian poll shows majority oppose elected mayors

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

4-23-12

Voters have lost patience with the culture of spin and fakery

The politics of message manipulation that served Clinton and Blair so well will not rescue Cameron, argues Iain Martin.

House of Lords should be 80% elected – MPs and peers’ report

A reformed House of Lords should be 80% elected and there should be a referendum before any change is made, a parliamentary committee has said.

Benjamin Harris-Quinney: Almost 50% of black students believe that their pathway to government is blocked by discrimination

4-22-12

Clegg on House of Lords, Budget taxes and Michael Brown

4-20-12

Ken Livingstone admits using private healthcare

Ken Livingstone admitted that he uses a private healthcare company rather than the NHS for an annual health check, it emerged today.

Cameron ‘committed’ to Lords reform amid Tory unease

Prime Minister David Cameron is “committed” to House of Lords reform, Downing Street says, despite the prospect of a rebellion by his own MPs.

Bruce Anderson: “After such knowledge, what forgiveness?”

4-19-12

The Right-wing agitators out to get David Cameron

The Prime Minister is besieged by Conservative critics oblivious to the man on the street.

Listen up, Nick Clegg – some mothers do want to hold the baby

It’s high-quality nurseries, not 65,000 imaginary nannies, that mothers need the most.

Minimum wage is least carers deserve

If we really care about elderly people, the practice of paying carers less than the minimum wage must be stamped out

Steve Bell on the Lib Dems seeking an alternative to cuts – cartoon

Nick Clegg’s aides to put forward other options rather than sign up to planned £10bn round of welfare cuts by Conservatives

4-18-12

The Lib Dems stumble while UKIP surge

Nigel Farage’s party is going from strength to strength, but will their success be at the expense of the Lib Dems?

Why I’m suing the US government to protect internet freedom

The NDAA means the US military can put anyone under suspicion of being a terror threat and detain them for ever

The UKIP vote isn’t so much a Euro-sceptic vote as an anti-politics vote

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

4-16-12

Full consultation on charity tax relief plans, announces Downing Street

Downing Street announced a “full, formal consultation” on plans to cut tax relief on charitable giving after a Treasury minister admitted the policy would reduce donations to good causes.

Evening Standard misread new mayoral poll

A new YouGov poll out today shows Boris has maintained his six-point lead over Ken Livingstone. This despite Labour leading the Tories by 17 points in London.

David Cameron: no U-turn on charity cap

The Prime Minister denies backing down on plans to cut charity tax relief despite announcing a full consultation on the policy.

4-13-12

Tory grassroots want blue collar Conservatives promoted to Cabinet

4-10-12

Tougher tax credit rules and lack of full-time jobs create benefits trap

Analysis shows only half of vacancies meet government’s tougher rules for working tax credit qualification

UK jobless total ‘to rise by 100,000 over summer’

Some 100,000 more people will be without a job before the end of the summer, according to a new report.

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

4-9-12

A new future for workplace pensions?

Last week, the Department for Work and Pensions published analysis which showed that 2012 will represent the high-water mark for traditional final salary pensions.

Bruce Anderson: The Conservative Party’s treatment of John Major marked the most shameful period in its history

Mr Cameron goes to Leveson

One of the media’s vices is to assume that the public are as interested in stories about journalism as journalists are.

Councillor Gareth Elliott: A bigger private sector would do more for poorer children

4-8-12

We still don’t understand David Cameron, our serene but radical Prime Minister

The Conservative Party leader has forced through health, education and welfare reforms that Margaret Thatcher sidestepped.

Cracks are beginning to open along the Downing Street fault line

They vowed that it would never happen, but the prime minister and the chancellor are increasingly at odds

Local elections: what’s in store for the Conservatives, Labour, Lib Dems – and Boris Johnson

What do David Cameron, Nick Clegg, Ed Miliband and Alex Salmond hope to achieve in next month’s elections?

4-7-12

Britain’s economy will thrive if computing becomes child’s play

The executive chairman of Google endorses the Observer’s campaign to bring coding to the classroom

How did John Major win 14,093,007 votes?

4-6-12

4-5-12

Putting the liberal back into liberal conservative

With Clegg wading into the controversy over civil liberties, are we seeing a long overdue reassertion of Liberal Democrat presence in the coalition government?

Gordon Brown’s poisonous legacy lives on

His government wanted as many people as possible to be dependent on the state, argues Ruth Porter.

Community-run libraries are part of the degradation of the service

Volunteers can bring much to libraries, but the fact they are replacing paid staff shows how much de-skilling has taken place

Bringing back tough A-levels will be hard – but worth it

Do we want to know the truth about where our youngsters rank or do we prefer lies?

4-4-12

DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Secret justice and the liberal in Mr Clegg

In a blistering report, an all-party group of MPs and Peers endorses every word this paper has written about the Government’s chilling plans to hold ‘sensitive’ civil trials and inquests behind closed doors.

An answer to the Independent

Parliament must protect the public’s privacy

Intelligence-led policing and not Orwellian surveillance of mobile phones, emails and websites should keep this country safe.

4-3-12

Boris Johnson brands Ken Livingstone a liar in furious mayoral race bust-up

Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone clashed furiously over their tax arrangements today in the first live debate ahead of next month’s London mayoral elections.

Boris and Ken go ‘nose-to-nose’ in lift barney

The incumbent Conservative mayor felt his Labour challenger went too far in LBC debate

Last week’s Across The Pond

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

4-2-12

The Conservatives should prepare for life after David Cameron

The ‘modernisers’ now appear out of touch and have alienated many natural supporters, argues Iain Martin.

How Thatcher really felt about the Falklands

Conor Burns MP examines the political decisions that led to the Falklands conflict of 1982 and Margaret Thatcher’s determination to re-establish the country as a world power

UK’s over-taxed public is running out of patience

EXORBITANT: that is the only way to describe the cripplingly high levels of Air Passenger Duty (APD) now facing everybody flying from the UK.

3-31-12

Fuel strike: government fails to calm panic buying

The Government’s attempt to calm worried motorists appeared to have had little effect on Saturday as the country endured a third day of panic buying at the pumps.

Newspaper review: Papers assess by-election upset

3-30-12

Ministers under pressure to bring in emergency rationing as 999 crews struggle to get hold of fuel

Ministers are under pressure to invoke emergency powers giving 999 vehicles priority at filling stations after it emerged that ambulance drivers have been struggling to get hold of fuel.

This was Bradford’s version of the riots

Bradford’s peaceful democratic uprising that elected me comes from the wellspring of discontent that swept Britain last summer

The Falklands: 30 years on

At some point an acceptable settlement may be available, but the war which Argentina provoked narrowed everybody’s options

3-29-12

Why David Cameron’s pastygate act sticks in my craw

Pastygate is yet another example of Cameron’s fake authenticity – providing an alibi to the politics of austerity and inequality

The coalition’s stealthy expansion of grammar schools

Kent County Council has approved the first expansion of a grammar school for fifty years – expect the debate over selective education to flare up once more

3-27-12

Shifty and arrogant, but still the best Government we’ve got

In less than a week, David Cameron and George Osborne have been brought low by self-inflicted errors that have further undermined their credibility with voters and their Conservative colleagues.

Campaign hints from No to Scot independence

The campaign to halt the SNP starts now. David Torrance examines how the ‘No’ camp are preparing to defeat the nationalists in the Scottish independence referendum

Planning: is the Government about to unleash a culture war over the future of the countryside?

In 1937, in The Road to Wigan Pier, George Orwell noted that, even as depression dragged on, life was getting better for some.

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

3-26-12

Cash for access is toxic for the Tories

State funding of politics would be a monstrous response to the reckless open-door policy at No 10, argues Iain Martin.

Cameron’s is a lobbying scandal without lobbyists

There will be scandals like this for as long as our system of political party funding continues unreformed, argues Gavin Devine

CRB checks mean 4,000 offenders rejected as teachers

More than 4,000 offenders, including rapists, paedophiles and drug dealers, applied to become teachers last year only to be rejected after checks.

3-25-12

We can get rid of the ‘big money’ but we might have to pay for it, says Sir Christopher Kelly

Taking the big money out of politics was promised in the election manifestos of all three main parties, and in the Coalition agreement.

Reshuffles: the political rutting season

As a pungent fug pervades Westminster, Jerry Hayes hails the start of reshuffle-speculation season

Osborne must explain his philosophy

Budgets are not just about trying to outwit political opponents in a complex game of chess and propaganda, as some in Westminster believe. They are also about the vision that a chancellor and government wish to convey.

3-22-12

Budget 2012: ‘Granny tax’ hits five million pensioners

George Osborne mounted a £3 billion “stealth” raid on middle-class pensioners to fund a cut in the 50p top rate of income tax and free millions from paying income tax altogether in the Budget.

Budget 2012: the experts’ verdict

Our expert panellists give their views on today’s budget

Mayoral race is really all about Eton v the Left

And they’re off! The race for City Hall has officially started and the competitors are flooring the accelerators of their Mayormobiles.

A Nigel Lawson Budget for 2012

George Osborne’s 2012 Budget had one eye on the election and the other on the Liberal Democrats, says Iain Dale

3-21-12

Budget 2012: £2bn spending cut funds tax breaks for 20 million Britons

Chancellor George Osborne will unveil public spending cuts of up to £2billion to fund a reduction in income tax for more than 20 million people.

The Chancellor’s goal must be growth

The latest round of predictions about tomorrow’s Budget confirms that it could be a landmark for the Coalition.

Boris Johnson eight points ahead in race for Mayor

Boris Johnson is eight points ahead of Ken Livingstone in the race to be Mayor on May 3, according to a new poll this afternoon.

Budget 2012: This may be the last great moment for the Tory-Lib Dem accord

Nick Clegg knows he has to break loose from David Cameron soon. The coalition’s radicalism must be crammed into this budget

What is the Free Enterprise Group? Matthew Barrett profiles the most influential new gathering of Tory MPs

3-20-12

Class is the Conservative clause IV

The Tory party must appeal to the northern strivers to have any hope of another outright election victory

The Budget and the case for simpler taxes

The Chancellor, George Osborne, gave little away yesterday when he declared that Wednesday’s Budget would be intended to help “low and middle earners”.

Tories retake poll lead but appear at odds with public on 50p tax

Tory support up three points to 39%, but two-thirds of voters want to keep top rate of tax, Guardian/ICM poll finds

You’ll never win any argument using Twitter

We’re all familiar with the first and second rules of Fight Club, right? The third rule, were there any sense, would be: Don’t fight on Twitter.

Last week’s Across The Pond

Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.

3-19-12

David Cameron unveils plan to sell off the roads

Sovereign wealth funds to be allowed to lease motorways in England, says prime minister

Four conclusions about Cameron’s 48 hours in Washington

Political boost for Cameron: Remember all that talk that Barack Obama and David Cameron wouldn’t get on? It seems a long, long time ago.

Infrastricture

David Cameron is making a speech today about “infrastructure”. When Downing Street put out an operational note about this yesterday, I had a Star Wars moment: “a bad feeling about this”.

How did a Conservative Chancellor deliver 7% growth after the 1930s Depression?

3-18-12

Osborne has nothing to learn from America

When the US economy springs to life, it will be because of the Americans’ entrepreneurial spirit.

George Osborne is about to make a tremendous political gamble

If cutting the top rate of tax is not to be seen as a budget for the rich, the affluent will have to pay in other ways

The Coalition’s battle over tax cuts hots up

The prospect of tax changes in next week’s Budget is causing frantic manoeuvring within the Coalition.

Britain needs a Budget for growth and enterprise

The controversial 50p tax rate on those earning more than £150,000 should be scrapped.

3-17-12

Ed Balls: working for Gordon Brown was ‘debilitating’

Ed Balls, the Shadow Chancellor, has delivered his most strident critique yet of Gordon Brown’s leadership, declaring that his former boss will never be remembered as a great prime minister.

Ever wondered how George Osborne can be a part-time Chancellor?

It’s all down to Rupert Harrison, the most powerful man you’ve never heard of…

Who is right on the NHS? You decide

Shirley Willams accused Polly Toynbee of lying. Toynbee said Williams copped out. Now, at the NHS bill’s 11th hour, they take each other on

3-16-12

Budget 2012: George Osborne’s task has barely started

Of the Chancellor’s planned spending cuts, only one pound in twenty has been implemented, writes Andrew Haldenby.

London, the most grotesque city in the world: haunt of Bashar, Boris and Ken

Even Dr Johnson would tire of modern London, where bigwigs welcome global scumbags and nobody else matters

I oppose the bill, but don’t idealise the NHS. There’s room to improve

My family is from one of the parts of the country that is, statistically, less well-served by the health service. I’m not bitter, but the NHS did not save my father’s life

3-15-12

Sorry, gentlemen, but you’re no Roosevelt and Churchill

Britain and America are betraying the values both countries fought for in the past.

The poor: always with us, necessarily not us

The poor are just people without enough money. But a ‘culture of poverty’ gives the affluent a reason to blame them for it.

3-14-12

Older workers hit as unemployment rises to 2.67m

Older workers accounted for the biggest rise in unemployment with almost half out of work for a year of more, official figures showed as joblessness rose to 2.67m.

Just a phase? No, the student protests over fees are worthy of respect

Today’s protests will be looked down upon by some parts of the media, but they are both justified and necessary

Lame duck frontrunner Mitt Romney is fast becoming the Republican Walter Mondale

This might be the Romney campaign’s darkest hour: last night he placed third in primaries in Alabama and Mississippi. It’s still 99 percent likely that he’ll be the Republican nominee, but it’ll be thanks to luck and money rather than the love of his party.

Why I Am Leaving Goldman Sachs: one banker’s explosive letter

What do you make of Greg Smith’s letter of resignation, and the questions about ethical responsibilities it raises for employees?

3-13-12

What Europe thinks

Who thinks what about the European Union? We’ve covered the European Commission’s own polling on the matter before now, which suggests that Britain is the most Eurosceptic nation of them all.

The Lib Dems want higher taxes? Very well. The Tories should make sure everyone knows

For days – weeks even – the headlines have been dominated by Lib Dems talking about tax. Specifically, about wanting to put taxes up. Nick Clegg used his Saturday interview with the Telegraph to talk about a ‘tycoon tax’, while Vince Cable carried on his argument for a shift of tax from income to wealth to focus specifically on mansions.

Labour is losing the economic battle, so it’s turning to crime

No one’s listening to the two Eds – but could law and order policy give them a new audience?

Labour’s pre-Budget speech: what would Tony Blair do?

Tony Blair would have taken precisely the opposite tack to Ed Miliband over taxation, argues Ruth Porter.

Unless Cameron controls the narrative his Government’s radical reforms will be swamped

Last week’s Across The Pond