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September 4th, 2010

New Labour, Next Labour and phone tapping – round up of political blogs for 28 August – 3 September

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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Blog Admin

September 4th, 2010

New Labour, Next Labour and phone tapping – round up of political blogs for 28 August – 3 September

0 comments

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Chris Gilson and Paul Rainford take a look at the week in political blogging.

Weekend

Sunder Katwala at Next Left wonders if the coalition’s plans to scrap NHS Direct will be its next u-turn (though Iain Dale says that it was a Labour idea in the first place). John Redwood looks at state school sizes, and Paul Goodman at ConservativeHome examines school banding. Later, John Redwood says that Councils should engage more directly with locals rather than via MPs, and Tim Montegomerie at ConservativeHome says that the coalition’s cuts are getting real. Tim Worstall, guest blogging at The Adam Smith Institute’s Blog, makes the case for competition in health care. Sunder Katwala at Next Left examines the Laffer Curve, while Chris Dillow at Stumbling and Mumbling weighs in on the unemployment and benefits debate. David Blackburn at Coffee House says that tax cuts are unlikely over the next five years, and Jim Pickard at the FT’s Westminster Blog wonders if business is falling out of love with the coalition.

David Herdson at politicalbetting.com looks at how the Milibands will cope with the next round of memoirs from senior Labour figures, while Sunny Hundal at Liberal Conspiracy thinks they are now rather closely aligned in their thinking on how Labour should oppose the coalition’s cuts. David Blackburn at Coffee House says that David Cameron fears David Miliband the most our of the potential Labour leaders; Mike Smithson ponders what this might mean for the leadership race. Liberal Conspiracy has an in-depth look at where Labour’s ‘lost voters’ have come from.

Kevin Meagher at Left Foot Forward asks if Cameron is more Heath or Thatcher, while Political Scrapbook examines Nick Clegg’s anxieties. Mike Smithson at politicalbetting.com says that the gap in support between Liberal Democrat election supporters and current ones is not as great as the media suggests.

Monday

Tom Harris MP at And another thing… thinks that the Labour leadership contest is taking too long. Jeff at SNP Tactical Voting is backing Ed Miliband, while Political Scrapbook reports that as few as 11 MPs will vote for Diane Abbott.  Kerry McCarthy MP, blogging at Shot from both sides is ‘bored’ of the Labour leadership contest. Tom Harris MP at And another thing… is happy that after the leadership election there will be no ‘leaders in waiting’.

Mike Smithson at politicalbetting.com looks at whether not Cameron will call Boris Johnson’s bluff – he has threatened to not stand as London Mayor in 2012 if Crossrail is cut by 5% by government. Sholto Byrnes at The Staggers writes in support of NHS Direct.

Tuesday

Jim Pickard at the FT’s Westminster Blog looks at the France/UK aircraft carrier sharing plan; a Labour idea that has been picked up the government, apparently. Peter Hoskin at Coffee House says that it shows that the government wants to work more flexibly and multilaterally. Mark Valladares at Liberal Bureaucracy says that the coalition must be more compassionate, and similarly, Kate Belgrave at Liberal Conspiracy says that low wage earners will not prosper under the Big Society.

Sunny Hundal at Liberal Conspiracy looks at why support from LabourList members has fallen for David Miliband, while Shamik Das at Left Foot Forward discusses Ed Balls’ support for new affordable homes. Sunder Katwala at The Staggers looks at the main differences between the Milibands.

Asa Bennett at Party Lines Blog says that Lib Dems generally support the current coalition, but not the idea of a future arrangement with the Conservatives, while Anthony Wells at UK Polling Report has the Lib Dems on 11%, their lowest since Menzies Campbell resigned in 2007.

Wednesday

The publication of Tony Blair’s memoirs dominates blogs today. Sunder Katwala at Next Left starts off by disagreeing with Blair that Gordon Brown took Labour away from ‘New Labour’, and this is what cost them the election. Iain Dale says that Blair’s endorsement of Brown was his ‘ultimate failure of leadership’. George Eaton at The Staggers says that his autobiography shows that Blair endorses Cameron’s economic policy, and Guido looks at his support for David Miliband. Conor Ryan at Conor’s Commentary says that academy schools are one of Blair’s ‘unsung’ successes.

Dizzy Thinks says that Political Scrapbook’s latest ‘attack video’ on David Cameron contains some inaccuracies, Gordon MacMillan at Harry’s Place says that the Daily Mirror is now backing David Miliband to be Labour leader; Conor Ryan at Conor’s Commentary says that the elder Miliband will be the ‘serious’ leader Labour needs.

Thursday

Liberal Conspiracy blogs on a sharp fall in approval ratings for the Coalition and takes a look at the brewing storm for Scotland Yard in relation to the New York Times’ allegations that Tory media advisor Andy Coulson was integral to the phone tapping scandal at the News of the World. The Staggers comments on the ‘deafening silence’ of the national media on the issue, as does Left Foot Forward.

thetorydiary wonders how blue the Coalition is when it comes to public services, and expresses concern at the potential for leftward drift. The Adam Smith Institute Blog asks what is the big society?

Sunder Katwala takes a look at David Miliband’s attempts to distance himself from the legacies of Blair and Brown, and Paul Cotterill makes a pitch for Ed Balls at Liberal Conspiracy.

Green MP Caroline Lucas calls on the Labour leadership candidates to support more options for the AV referendum at Left Foot Forward. Ryan Gallagher at openDemocracy writes that the anti-AV campaigners promise an “exciting” campaign.

Michael White at the Guardian’s politics blog takes a broad look at the coverage of the William Hague story.

Ingrid Koehler monitors the use of social media in local government at Policy and Performance.

Anthony Wells at UK Polling Report looks at Tony Blair’s legacy

Friday

Liberal Conspiracy takes a further look at Caroline Lucas’ calls for a PR option in the AV referendum and what the Hague “scandal” says about gay rights

thetorydiary asks how blue the Coalition is when it come to foreign affairs.

Left Foot Forward has an update on the state of the British economy and UK carbon emissions.

Nick Robinson notes that the candidates for the Labour leadership are divided on the deficit, while there is good news for David Miliband according to a recent poll.

Gerry Hassan at openDemocracy muses on the coming Scottish revolution

The Staggers takes a look at the row concerning impartiality at the BBC.

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