Chris Gilson, Paul Rainford and Amy Mollett take a look at the week in political blogging.
Oslo attacks
Though Cowards Flinch says that Tom Harris MP has brought the Labour Party into dispute with his comments in relation to the Oslo attacks, while Adam Bienkov of Liberal Conspiracy looks at the role of the far right in the UK. Samira Shackle at The Staggers comments on the government’s plans to re-evaluate terrorist threats from the far-right in the wake of the attacks.
Phone hacking
Staynton Brown at Labour Uncut hopes that phone hacking and the rise of social media will not put more people off wanting to become political candidates. Stephen Tall of Liberal Democrat Voice looks at allegations that News International may have tried to ‘bully’ Liberal Democrats over their bid to buy BSkyB. George Eaton at The Staggers finds that one result of the scandal has been a poll bounce for Ed Miliband and Mike Smithson ponders whether, post-phone hacking, the BBC’s size and influence will come under increasing scrutiny.
Late on Friday afternoon came an apology from Louise Mensch to Piers Morgan over her comments in Parliament regarding the former Daily Mirror editor’s involvement in phone hacking. Political Scrapbook believes Mensch may have been ordered to withdraw her accusations, paving the way for Morgan to appear before the DCMS select committee. Mark Ferguson at Labour List outlines why Mensch deserves praise for speaking out on the subject.
The Coffee House reports on the evidence found by police that Sara Payne, mother of murdered school girl Sarah Payne, had her phone hacked by Glen Mulcaire. Tom Watson stated his disgust in a Sky News interview, as Mulcaire was quoted as saying that he only ever acted on the paper’s orders.
The economy
Matthew Whittaker at Left Foot Forward has found that the share of GDP paid to low earners has dropped by 25% in the past 30 years. Tim Montgomerie at the Tory Diary has four reactions to Tuesday’s low GDP growth figures and George Eaton at The Staggers says that this is another blow to George Osborne.
Faisal Islam at Channel 4 says that we are in a ‘no-growth’ situation and Left Foot Forward asks whether the coalition has well and truly lost the plot with its latest set of bizarre policy ideas. Richard Murphy at Tax Research UK proposes an alternative economic strategy, as does Conservative Home (although Left Foot Forward is none too impressed with the latter).
Party politics
Paul Waters at Liberal Democrat Voice blogs that David Cameron will not be Prime Minister in a year’s time, as Eoin Clarke at Liberal Conspiracy charts Cameron’s declining poll ratings.
The Staggers gives a good summary of Blue Labour innovator Maurice Glasman’s apology for his comments about Labour’s relationship with the English Defence League, but an opinion piece by Jonathan Rutherford on the same blog site declares that the damage has been done, and Blue Labour is dead. Henry Manson at Political Betting examines how hard it will likely be for Labour to return to power.
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