Chris Gilson takes a look at the week in political blogging.

Weekend – 17/18 July

John Redwood says that governments across the world are damaging the recovery with their policies of greater bank regulation, as Peter Wrigley at Keynesian Liberal is critical of the government’s cuts programme, citing threats to economic growth.

Mark Packs asks if political parties should think about contesting elections that are not public, like company directorships. Iain Martin at The Wall Street Journal looks at the Tory ads that were never broadcast during the campaign. Shamik Das at Left Foot Forward says that the government’s move to fix parliaments at 5 years is out of step with the rest of the democratic world.

Wat Tyler at Burning our Money advocates a more profit-based model for the BBC, rather than Jeremy Hunt’s proposed licence fee cuts. Tim Montegomerie at ConservativeHome previews David Cameron’s announcement of the ‘Big Society Bank’. Karthik Reddy at The Adam Smith Institute’s blog has some comments on Theresa May’s impending review of invasive security legislation, while Jim Jepps at Liberal Conspiracy looks at protestor’s rights to stay in public spaces.

Sunder Katwala at Next Left has some missing questions for the Labour leadership candidates, while Shamik Das at Left Foot Forward takes a look at John Cruddas’ interest in becoming the elected Chair of the Labour Party.

James Forsyth at Coffee House looks at Andrew Mitchell’s recent announcement that Afghanistan will have a 40 per cent increase in aid – Tim Montegomerie at ConservativeHome has more.

Monday

Mike Smithson at politicalbetting.com has a round-up of the state of the Labour leadership race. Shamik Das at Left Foot Forward looks at Ed Miliband’s critiques of Chris Huhne’s environmental policies.

Jon Snow at SnowBlog is concerned that the increase in aid to Afghanistan will come from our aid budget for India.

Richard Excell, guest blogging at Liberal Conspiracy has some thoughts on Iain Duncan Smith’s proposed welfare reforms and Juliet Shardlow at Party Lines Blog looks at Iain Duncan Smith’s recent performance in parliament under questioning,

George Eaton at The Staggers has some comment on Cameron’s ‘Big Society Bank’, as does Hopi Sen. Dizzy Thinks says that it is essentially a Labour policy, repackaged. Mike Smithson at polticabetting.com says that the Big Society idea may be ‘too nebulous’ for some voters to understand.

Iain Dale sees the upcoming boundary review as a chance to restore equity.

Sunny Hundal at Liberal Conspiracy reports that business confidence in the budget is falling, while Peter Wrigley at Keynesian Liberal discusses the ins-and-outs of a graduate tax.

Tuesday

David Cameron is in the USA this week and Paul Goodman at ConservativeHome looks at Cameron and the ‘special relationship’, as does David Blackburn at Coffee House.

Sunny Hundal at Liberal Conspiracy cheers on Ed Balls’ attacks on the coalition, while Will Straw at Left Foot Forward says that the Milbands are now ‘neck-a-neck’ with one another in the Labour leadership race.

Matthew Pitt guest blogging at Left Foot Forward warns that Vince Cable’s recently discussed Graduate Tax may end up being a ‘long-term burden’. David Blackburn blogs on the government’s new Office for Tax Simplification, launched today. Mike Smithson at Politicalbetting.com asks if Osborne should be creating new QUANGOs? George Eaton at The Staggers talks about why George Osborne will have to raise taxes.

Anthony Wells at UK Polling Report says opposition to AV is growing, only 39% support it now – a drop of ten points (FPTP has 38%). George Eaton at The Staggers says that we should wait until the campaign begins before we really see what support looks like for both types of electoral system. Sunny Hundal at Liberal Conspiracy blogs that recent polling shows that the coalition’s honeymoon is over, with only a 41% approval rating.

Will Straw at Left Foot Forward says that Lib Dem support is now in ‘free fall’, but Tim Montegomerie at ConservativeHome says that a move to the AV system ‘might not’ hurt the Tories if the Lib Dems’ polling spiral continues. Jess Freeman at Party Lines Blog ponders whether or not Vince Cable has sold out.

Mark Pack has thoughts on what Liam Fox’s defence review might mean for the Trident programme, and James Gray guest blogging at Liberal Conspiracy looks at the government’s Academies Bill.

Wednesday

John Redwood says we need better business credit so that the private sector can lead the recovery more easily. Tim Worstall describes Eric Pickles’ ‘new localism’ as shallow, while Paul Goodman at ConservativeHome has five challenges for Pickles.

Sunder Katwala at Next Left has instructions on how to win the Laboru leadership – it’s ‘the electoral college, stupid’. Guido reports that the largest health union, Unison is now backing Ed Miliband, which may be a blow to Ed Balls’ campaign. Will Straw at Left Foot Forward reports on a 13 per cent swing from the Lib Dems to Labour in Tory marginal seats. Tom Harris at And another thing…says that David Miliband poses the greatest threat to the coalition.

David Blackburn at Coffee House looks at David Cameron’s meeting with Obama today. George Parker at the FT’s Westminster Blog has some further commentary. According to Tim Montegomerie at ConservativeHome Cameron is being characterised by the New York Times as a ‘Slasher of Government Bloat’.

Kiran Stacey at the FT’s Westminster Blog previews Nick Cleggs first appearance at PMQs today. Tom Harris at And another thing… takes Clegg to task for not correcting his alleged misleading of the House on the Sheffield Foregmasters. Jess Freeman at Party Lines Blog is unimpressed by both Clegg and Jack Straw’s performances at PMQs today (Iain Martin at the Wall Street Journal says they were both dire). Shamik Das at Left Foot Forward is scathing of Clegg, saying that he ‘failed to defend his constituents’. Later, Sunny Hundal at Liberal Conspiracy says that Clegg’s comments that Iraq war was illegal have been ‘disowned’ by the government. Kiran Stacey at the FT’s Westminster Blog says that the government now has ‘three positions’ on the legality of the Iraq war.

Guido blogs on the Lansley/Gove enmity.

Iain Dale is pleased that Gordon Brown apparently eschews the massive police escort that Tony Blair takes advantage of as an ex-PM. Tom Harris MP has another litany of complaints about IPSA.

Rachel Reeves at Labour Uncut says that the coalition has no coherent strategy for growth, given Vince Cable’s recent comments to the BIS Select Committee. David Blackburn at Coffee House says that government is not taking Cable’s graduate tax plans seriously, saying they are calling for a ‘diluted’ version. David Blackburn at Coffee House warns that defence cuts will harm the RAF significantly.

Thursday

Mike Smithson at politicalbetting.com asks if yesterday was the worst day for the coalition thus far, but Tim Montegomerie has praise for Nick Clegg today at ConservativeHome and Sunny Hundal at Liberal Conspiracy ponders yesterday’s PMQ’s and wonders if Clegg was ‘set-up’ by his Conservative colleagues. Tim Montegomerie at ConservativeHome takes a look at the recent criticisms of the coalition by the Daily Mail. George Eaton at The Staggers comments on the new polling low for the Lib Dems – 13%. David Herdson at politicalbetting.com thinks that Nick Clegg’s will struggle in the next 12 months, with declining support for the Lib Dems. Kiran Stacey at the FT’s Westminster Blog has a short discussion of Clegg’s ‘slap on the wrist’ from the Speaker over his Iraq comments at yesterday’s PMQ’s.

Sunder Katwala at Next Left looks at how David Miliband has moved to the centre-left. Guido is fairly certain that he will win the leadership. Whoever wins, Hopi Sen, guest blogging at Labour Uncut, has some advice for their chief of staff. Jess Freeman at Party Lines Blog looks at the historic role of unions in the Labour leadership elections.Chris Dillow at Stumbling and Mumbling looks at Labour’s ‘trilemma’, can they be efficient, egalitarian and popular at the same time?

Asa Bennett at Party Lines Blog is not convinced on David Cameron’s ‘national citizen service’, launched today, while Karen Buck at Labour Uncut says that housing benefit cuts will cause greater hardship and homelessness.

Charles Crawford at blogoir looks at the implications of today’s ICJ ruling that Kosovo’s declaration of independence was legal.

Friday

Shamik Das at Left Foot Forward, comments on the higher than expected GDP growth figures announced today, says that this is down to ‘Labour’s approach’, in the first part of the year, as Tim Montegomerie at ConservativeHome looks at Liam Fox’s difficult position of making defence cuts.

Mark Pack looks at five MPs who currently face questions about their expenses in addition to Zac Goldsmith.

George Eaton at The Staggers looks at the Labour/Tory plot to change the date of the AV referendum.

Iain Dale is happy that Crispin Blunt has announced that arts and comedy courses will be returning to prisons.