By Steve Parkhurst, Senior Editor, USDR.
Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.
4-20-15
Left-wing populism is on the rise – and may take Ed Miliband to No10
EU asylum and the sad deaths at sea
The spate of deaths by drowning this spring has been harrowing. More must be done to prevent the problem arising, and more to rescue those where a disaster does occur . The policing,patrolling and life saving where needed has to be done by those EU countries and North African countries with ports nearest to the problem, as they have the vessels able to deploy quickly.
4-19-15
Voters are baffled by this election – they shouldn’t be
The Tories and Labour are further apart than they have been in 30 years, yet out of political cowardice or misjudgment the main parties choose to hide this gulf
The excruciating impression from last week’s challengers’ debate was that women are incapable of hard choices or of confronting economic realities
The court case that proves you can’t sue politicians for breaking their election promises
As each party releases its manifesto, a legal action brought against Gordon Brown explains why none of their pledges will ever be legally enforcible
And we’d better make a wish, too, that the optimists are right on the reasons why growth is struggling
More talking, less warring
4-18-15
Nicola Sturgeon has hijacked this election. Where she takes it is anyone’s guess
The SNP is going to hold the balance of power over a country it wants to no longer exist. We need to wake up to what that means for the Union
General election 2015: If this deadlock holds, a battle is coming over Ed Miliband’s legitimacy
As the campaign marks its midpoint, the two main parties remain deadlocked. If things stay that way, it won’t be arithmetic that decides who forms the next government – but raw politics
Lots of jobs
The employment figures have been goods news for many months. Yesterday’s figures mean that 2million new jobs have now been added since 2010. The UK economy is in marked contrast to southern and western Euroland, where high unemployment remains entrenched and where there are precious few new jobs being created.
The most terrifying thing about Nicola Sturgeon is that she may be – sort of – right
Opportunity is faltering in this country, and the Conservatives must find a better answer than the ‘progressives’ now circling around Ed Miliband
4-17-15
Last night’s debate
The Tory election campaign. Where oh where is Boris?
Plus: Tories – too vague. UKIP – too specific. LibDems: what are they for? Why the polls could all be wrong. And: I win an award, and am baffled.
London is another country: representative politics must reach beyond it
Our capital city is richer, more liberal, and better educated than the rest of the country – and that is a problem
There’s nothing wrong in recognising the most distinguished minds in our society, but there’s obviously been a huge oversight here
Latest Scottish constituency polling
In my latest round of constituency polling I have returned to Scotland. This selection includes eight seats, including five I have polled before (East Renfrewshire, Glasgow South West, Paisley & Renfrewshire South, Ross, Skye & Lochaber, and Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale) and three new ones (Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk, East Dunbartonshire and North East Fife).
4-16-15
“Why don’t you want to conquer the deficit?” “Because it’s there.”
In this week of manifesto launches, we have seen puffy white clouds of spending promises obscure the peak of the deficit. But they will soon clear – and it will remain.
The Labour leader’s bunker is making contingency plans for defeat
In this age of meddlers, will any politician stand up for individual liberty?
Interfering in people’s lives unnecessarily is surely the short cut to electoral defeat
Don’t rule out dealing with UKIP
Not in a coalition. Nor even in a formal confidence and supply – but, rather, in the kind of informal arrangement that may be a feature of the Commons to come.
The Clydesdale Bank is being fined £20.7m for the serious failings in its handling of complaints about its mis-selling of payment protection insurance
4-15-15
If at first you don’t secede…
Having failed to destroy the Union by turning Scottish voters against it, Salmond now proposes to do so by turning English ones against it instead.
Ukip will keep defence spending at 2 per cent of GDP, says Farage
Ahead of Ukip’s election manifesto launch, its leader Nigel Farage explains why only he will make defending the realm his first priority in government
The rise of the Scottish ‘Nasty Party’?
Also: the DUP rule out any formal parliamentary arrangement with the SNP; and the Tories grant the Welsh Assembly powers of redefinition.
You could get a lot of public service for £742 billion.
Daily Mail: the ‘leftwing’ BBC’s newspaper of choice
Corporation buys more copies of Paul Dacre’s paper, the Times, the Telegraph, the Sun, the Independent and the Mirror than the Guardian, new figures reveal
4-14-15
Singapore after the Tiger Mom
The city state’s stability is impressive. But it it bought at the price of stagnation.
Labour now say they want to cut the deficit
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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
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