Amy Mollett, Avery Hancock and Paul Rainford take a look at the week in political blogging.
Saturday 12th February and Sunday 13th February
Left Futures looks at the momentum shift from Yes to No in the AV campaigns, noting that now is the time for labour movement organisations who oppose AV to form their own campaign. Political Betting takes a close look at the poll results and show that the Yes campaign now has a ComRes lead of 10 points.
Next Left also looks to the polls in a discussion of how Liberal Democrat voters have shifted against the government over cuts to services and benefit reductions.
The Spectator picks up on Cameron’s response to the criticism his big idea received in the previous week and Next Left highlights David Cameron’s confusion over how the big society will lower social inequality.
Left Foot Forward blogs on how the Protection of Freedoms Bill marks a change in direction from the government concerning civil liberties.
Monday 14th February
As the ‘Yes to Fairer Votes’ campaign asks people to follow their heart on Valentine’s Day and support candidates they really believe in, Women’s Views on News hope that changing to the alternative vote system can make politics a more welcoming place for women. The Spectator observes the failure of the AV referendum to capture the public’s attention and imagination.
The Party Lines blog comments on the growing backlash to the big society in Scotland, as SMPs criticise the lack of impact it has made north of the border.
UK Polling Report looks at the voting intentions of Londoners as Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson move to neck and neck in the mayoral race.
Tribune considers exactly how green the coalition government really is, arguing that their claim to be the most environmentally minded government is seriously flawed.
It’s official- New Labour is now simply Labour, although Miliband insists that this does not mean a return to Old Labour.
Tuesday 15th February
As the No2AV campaign is officially launched today, thetorydiary thinks it’s time Cameron chooses – it’s first past the post or Nick Clegg. Responding to Matthew Elliot’s claim that Britain cannot afford AV, Next Left questions the price of ‘democratic choice’ and concludes that if Zimbabwe and Fiji can afford it, so can the UK. Meanwhile the Yes campaign has released a list of celebrity supporters, or ‘dinner party from hell guests’ as Iain Martin calls them.
Nick Robinson thinks Cameron’s appointment of a new director of strategy at Number 10 and the creation of a new policy monitoring department are symptoms of a wobbly coalition.
The Adam Smith Institute is concerned that, with inflation hitting 4 per cent, it will not be so easy for the Bank of England to reign in the expansion of the monetary supply, while Richard Excell at the TUC’s Touchstone Blog looks at how today’s inflation figures will effect jobs and pay.
Liberal Conspiracy digs deeper into the Guardian’s headlines that Labour councils are cutting more jobs than Tory councils and finds that jobs losses are roughly proportional.
On Left Foot Forward, Amnesty International argues that the UK needs better controls on exporting drugs used for lethal injections in the United States.
Wednesday 16th February
The TUC’s Touchstone Blog raises the issue of funding for rape crisis centres in the UK, half of which do not know if they will be able to remain fully open in March due to cuts.
Today’s PMQ’s saw Cameron ‘appalled’ about sex offenders being able to appeal against permanent inclusion in the register (under ECHR legislation) and demanded a commission look into a British Bill of Rights. The Staggers also notes that Cameron’s backtrack on plans to sell off forest land caught Ed Miliband unawares.
This morning Eric Pickles announced plans to let councillors veto any salary of over £100,000 for their chief executives, but the Westminster Blog is not impressed with how much money could actually be saved.
Liberal Conspiracy believes Ed Miliband’s first article for the Sun was a deft move to stem criticism from the tabloid media.
The latest unemployment figures are particularly worrying for young people, which didn’t sit well with revelations that the Tories have been auctioning off prestigious City internships to raise funds.
Thursday 17th February
As David Cameron performs another U-Turn on the sell-off of Britain’s forests, Left Foot Forward argues that a government that acts in haste is more prone to policy errors, and wonders how many people it takes for a government to change its mind. Labour Uncut points out that protests are not just the preserve of the young.
The Westminster Blog provides the top ten facts on Universal Credit that thetorydiary is calling the most radical welfare shake-up for sixty years but The Staggers thinks is misguided. Labour List puts partisanship aside to praise Iain Duncan-Smith
Liberal Democrat Voice notes that the NO to AV campaign are getting in a muddle over costs as the referendum finally gets the green light. Further good news for the Yes campaign is provided by politicalbetting.com who show them to be ahead in the polls by 15 points.
Next Left reports Ed Balls’ warning that the governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, is being too political.
Robert Sharp at Liberal Conspiracy explains why human rights matter – especially for prisoners and sex offenders.
The Staggers looks at how Britain can help in Egypt and Tunisia.
Friday 18th February
The war of words over AV hots up in Westminster today as Cameron warns that under AV Gordon Brown could be Prime Minister and Next Left proposes greater scrutiny on the claims made by both sides. Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband also get in on the act
Tribune comments on the ‘reality of Conservative Britain’ as more than nine million people are found to be economically inactive and the UK’s economy falls further behind other G7 countries.
Liberal Conspiracy fears that Cameron’s funding of the NHS will be worse than Thatcher’s and Left Foot Forward takes the PM to task over another U-turn as reports emerge that thousands of hospital staff will lose their jobs.
Click here to respond to this post
Please read our comments policy before posting
1 Comments