Cheryl Brumley, Danielle Moran and Joel Suss round up the week in political blogging
Health reform
The Lib Dems could be about to kick up a storm over the Health and Social Care Bill, warns the Coffee House. Liberal Conspiracy wonders why Lansley is quiet about some good health news and The Staggers have footage of the Health Secretary as he is heckled leaving a hospital tour.
Budget previews
To tax income or wealth is the question on Osborne’s mind, according to the Coffee House,while the Staggers thinks that Clegg’s promises of a ‘progressive’ raising of personal income tax level is all lies and Tax Research UK argues that the mansion tax proposal has no merit. Richard Murphy, writing for Liberal Conspiracy, argues that the 50p tax rate will raise more than £6billion, the Coffee House believes that the Chancellor wants to set a date for the abolition of the 50p tax rate but Politicalbetting.com thinks that the deal to do so is already done. The FT’s Westminster blog have an answer to the Coalition’s child benefit policy problem but will government take it?
International Women’s Day
For International Women’s Day, Liberal Conspiracy looks at the paltry percentage of women in positions of power. The F-Word explores a patronising attitude towards feminism in the mainstream media.
Tories
The Staggers previews Tim Montgomerie’s decision to turn on Cameron and the FT’s Westminster blog wonder if Cameron is suffering from his public schoolboy education. The government isn’t loved by anyone, claims the Tory Diary, who suggest that the Tories are very much better off with their leader at the front although they do have a masterplan to win the next election, according to Tim Montgomerie. Labour List outlines how the opposition should respond.
Labour
The Coffee House have details of Labour’s plan to outflank the Tories on welfare policy and politicalbetting.com charts results that show the Coalitions line that Labour is to blame is believed less and less, yet the party have still failed to read voters when it comes to the deficit, according to Labour Uncut. Labour List complains that activists are being sent to doorsteps naked with no help from the party’s top brass.
Labour List thinks Ed has done his part to reinvigorate the Scottish Labour Party in order to stop the campaign for independence. Liberal Democrat Voice similarly notes their party colleagues to the North stand behind Clegg in trying to keep the United in United Kingdom.
And finally:
Faisal Islam wonders if the re-privatisation of the UK’s rails is coming down the track.
It’s not possible to be a Monarchist and believe in meritocracy, argues Liberal Conspiracy.
The Tory Diary claims that we would rather be ruled by non-political experts than MPs.
