BY: USDR
Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.
7-1-13
Miliband is taking his cue from loser Kinnock, not winner Blair
The Labour leader is doomed to fail because he offers nothing that raises a nation’s hopes, writes Boris Johnson
Britain can’t afford to throw money at wind power
Diversity should be key to energy policy, rather than putting all our eggs in the renewables basket
Where Ed Balls went wrong
In today’s Observer, Andrew Rawnsley says that Ed Balls has become a victim of his own success. The Shadow Chancellor predicted the George Osborne ‘would smother growth by cutting too far, too fast…The coalition jeered that Mr Balls was a deficit-denier and an unreconstructed old Keynesian,’ says Rawnsley — as if this has been subsequently disproven.
6-30-13
Why it’s wrong to be ashamed of Britain’s food banks
They are not a sign of a society gone bad, but of the strength of Britain’s social fabric
The message of shale gas is: scrap the Climate Act
The news that we have such rich shale-gas reserves makes a further mockery of our energy policy
UKIP’s share of the vote soared in May. The Conservatives’ fell. Labour’s fell more. What does that tell us?
Lord Ashcroft’s polling tells us that a larger percentage of people supporting UKIP voted Conservative at the last election than voted Labour. (Indeed, we also know that a larger percentage of people supporting UKIP voted Tory than voted UKIP.)
6-29-13
End of the Thatcher property revolution
A generation of young families in rented properties could turn away from the Conservative Party, experts warned tonight, after new home ownership figures signalled the end of Margaret Thatcher’s housing legacy.
Lock, load and prepare for ambush – David Cameron’s very British approach to Brussels summits
Many Prime Ministers go native when they head to Brussels. But David Cameron’s hostility to the whole racket is hardening with every trip. At his post-summit press conference today, he was remarkably frank about what had just happened.
He has protean strengths and is a proven winner. But it’s too early to say that Boris should be the next Tory leader.
The sum of Lord Ashcroft’s stupendously sizeable poll about Boris Johnson this morning – Ashcroft Polls will soon be taking samples from the entire country – is that the London Mayor is more popular but less rated than the Prime Minister.
6-28-13
The double dip that never was… but Labour’s recession was WORSE than thought
Britain never entered a ‘double dip’ recession, meaning the only slump of the economic crisis happened under Labour, revised figures revealed yesterday. In a boost for George Osborne, the Office for National Statistics said there was no second recession in late 2011 and early 2012, under the Coalition.
George Osborne, the best political strategist we’ve got. (Indeed, the only one we’ve got.)
6-26-13
Exclusive: partisan EU referendum campaign dampens Labour support
The Tories are putting off Labour MPs from backing their Private Member’s Bill on an EU referendum with an overly partisan campaign, Coffee House has learned.
The eligibility age for welfare benefits should be raised to 21
The Times journalist Daniel Finkelstein is a bright and engaging fellow. Reading his stuff is enjoyable as you follow his reasoning weighing the merit of an argument. He is open minded and interested in radical ideas – unlike so many of his fellow pundits who are sneeringly dismissive. However Mr Finkelstein also agonises over the difficulties.
6-25-13
UK borrowing costs are surging – is the bond bubble about to burst?
The Clinton aide James Carville was once asked that, were he to be reincarnated, what he’d like to come back as. “I used to want to come back as the president or the pope or a .400 baseball hitter,” he replied. ”But now I want to come back as the bond market. You can intimidate everybody.” The bond market has a huge power over George Osborne, whose entire project is based on being able to borrow at rock bottom rates.
Spending cuts – don’t make bus passengers suffer
With further cuts in public spending planned, Claire Haigh asks if the government is cutting in all the wrong places
Married Couples Tax Allowance due in 2015
The Daily Telegraph reports this morning that the Conservative policy of tax relief for marrried couples is back on the agenda. “Tax breaks worth up to £150 to married couples will be written into law by David Cameron before the next election,” it reports the Tresaury minister David Gauke as promising.
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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