Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.
6-9-14
Homelessness is on the rise – and behind the numbers are real people who deserve to be treated with respect
6-8-14
Michael Gove and Theresa May: all you need to know
The BBC are loving the Gove v May business – though, given their hatred of the Education Secretary’s reforms, I wouldn’t trust a word they say.
Cameron’s real target. Neither Gove nor May – but Ministers’ special advisers
As a former Home Office SpAD himself, the Prime Minister is preoccupied by their loyalty to the Government as a whole.
Theresa May has been humiliated by David Cameron – but it won’t hurt her leadership chances
In newsrooms all over London, political editors will be desperately trying to cobble together whatever they can on Fiona Cunningham, Theresa May’s special advisor who resigned last night following her boss’s spat with Michael Gove earlier this week. Her resignation looks like part of a quid pro quo whereby Gove, for his part, had to apologise to the Prime Minister and apologise to Charles Farr, the senior official at the Home Office whom he briefed against at a Times lunch on Tuesday. To complicate matters, Farr also happens to be Cunningham’s boyfriend.
Does Ukip believe in anything any more?
All the other terrain on the political map has been fully occupied. Classical liberalism has not
George Osborne has won over the IMF to austerity. Now can he win over Eric Pickles to planning reform?
Fresh from celebrating the Tories’ victory in Newark, George Osborne is continuing a very joyful day by celebrating the International Monetary Fund admitting that it got it wrong on austerity. Christine Lagarde today conceded that ‘we underestimated the growth of the UK economy in our growth forecast a year ago’.
6-7-14
Nigel Farage is becoming his party’s David Cameron (and that’s a good thing)
The weakness of the Conservative brand v the weakness of Ed Miliband
A lesson of Newark is just how deep-set that last one is among voters.
Cut your energy bills with The Spectator
Here’s something that you won’t read often in The Spectator: Ed Miliband is right. Britain’s energy market is broken, and a small number of big companies have the upper hand against consumers. But the solution, of course, isn’t state intervention – it’s more competition. That’s why The Spectator is making its own foray into the market.
How the Conservatives turned Labour’s attack dog into their PR agent
Here’s a clever way to get more exposure for your political slogan. You say it so often in speeches, press releases and planted questions from the whips that it seeps everywhere, you start dreaming it, and your opponents get very cross indeed. Then your opponents accidentally say your political slogan while all mithered.
6-6-14
How we won Newark
This by-election was ultimately won by the brute force of a massive activist turnout. It was a vivid demonstration of the importance of a party’s grassroots.
6-5-14
May and Gove should snog and make up
The brouhaha that disrupted Queen’s Speech Day had more to do with personality than policy – as so often is the case.
Five things you need to know about Theresa May’s row with Michael Gove
Or we could say, the Top 5 things…
6-4-14
Despite the criticism, the Queen’s Speech today shows that the Coalition is far from on its last legs
Queen’s Speech: Last stand? Hardly. Prepare for the Coalition to carry on
“The Coalition’s last stand,” said Dennis Skinner in his self-awarded role as the constitution’s Gagmeister Pursuivant. How they laughed, briefly. Labour has been pushing the zombie parliament line for all its worth, so much so that it’s stuck, even though this legislative programme has more in it that Gordon Brown’s last, which ain’t bad for a final year.
Queen’s speech: Labour MPs are now just giving up on Ed Miliband
There’s a moment in Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 when the squadron physician, Doc Daneeka dies. Actually, he doesn’t die. The crazed McWatt fakes Daneeka’s name on the mission log, and then departs for his final, suicidal flight.
Pensions, pubs, shale, slavery and recall — what to expect in tomorrow’s Queen Speech
The last Queen’s Speech of this Parliament is almost upon us. Will the final session prove right the claims that this is a ‘zombie parliament’? Or can we expect a packed and exciting legislative agenda? Here’s a guide to what to expect tomorrow.
Gove accused of using national security council to promote ‘neocon’ ideas
6-3-14
The Tories’ tax pledge could see them recover in Scotland
Today’s announcement that the UK Tory party is backing the full devolution of income tax to Holyrood, and will commit to that in its 2015 manifesto, is hugely significant. It means that both coalition parties now support some tax competition between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom.
Theresa May storms to a 12-point lead over Boris in our future leader poll
Can there be any other explanation for the Home Secretary’s sweeping advance than her recent speech to the Police Federation?
The Lib Dems must start to claim credit for the Coalition’s economic successes
Jokes about their lock-in aside, today’s re-launch by Nick Clegg and Vince Cable apparently heralds the Deputy Prime Minister’s attempt to get the Lib Dems to take credit for policies announced in tomorrow’s Queen’s Speech. Reform of the pub sector is one of those policies – although wooing CAMRA members is a rather Lib Demmish thing to do (HQ sources tell me that they’ve never polled Lib Dem support among CAMRA members, though. Perhaps they should).
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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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